Every day is a birthday on Laos "cake" street

By Jamie Lee

VIENTIANE (Reuters Life!) - Saylom Road in central Vientiane, the capital of Laos, is birthday-cake heaven.

All along the road, rows of shops display creamy, colorful concoctions that attract dozens of customers daily, evidence of the affluence of a growing middle-class in this Communist country and their desire to celebrate the individual.

"When I was young, no one celebrated my birthday," said a customer who only gave her name as Thatchany as she picked a cake for her daughter. "Now I want to celebrate for my children."

Many of the cake shops along the road opened only few years ago to cater to growing demand.

And while the cakes are not cheap -- popular flavors such as yoghurt and milk cost about 80,000 kip ($8.4) in this largely impoverished nation -- Lao parents have been willing to splurge.

"I make my cakes special by adding cartoon characters and making them colorful," says Youtsothone Vongsumang, who trained as a baker in neighboring Thailand. "When I see the children happy, I'm also happy."

The cakemakers at Saylom say that parents tend to order bigger birthday cakes for their children every fifth year, as it marks a milestone in the child's life.

Somchith Southiphonh, a veteran baker who set up on Saylom some 20 years ago, has watched the competition build up along the road over the years.