could eat the shell? mama vaughn: yes. anthony: mm. mama vaughn: and fish with pork grill. michel: all in banana leaves mama vaughn: banana leaves. mm. and then this is ginger sauce. eat the pork skin. anthony: pork skin, of course. and we have to have sticky rice. michel: yeah, sticky rice. mama vaughn: okay, bon appetit! anthony: food like this, uh, this is an imperial dish, a, a royal dish? mama vaughn: mmhm. anthony: have these disappeared, these recipes, or are they still here? they still are? mama vaughn: they re still here but you know, cause tony, it some time they do it not the way that sup not supposed to do it. they change ingredient a lot. my grandma teach me how to do this. anthony: now you were born here, yes? in luang prabang? mama vaughn: yes, in luang prabang. yeah, mmhm. anthony: and ah, michel, you michel: i was born in vientiane. mama vaughn: in vientiane.
and local people they can earn money direct from the visitor and tourists. anthony: well, president obama was just here a few months ago. younger sister: he was here. a few months ago. yeah, he got off a lot of, ah, helpful, the education and for the anthony: unexploded ordinance removal. i 90 million dollars. it s both sisters: 90 million, yeah, that s a lot. that s a lot. anthony: that s a lot of money? both sisters: help a lot. it s a lot of money. this one, the local snack. anthony: ah, chicken feet. good. older sister: and, ah, buffalo tendon. anthony: oh nice, good. yeah, i m gonna try that. older sister: and the dried squid? anthony: dried squid. older sister: mmm. anthony: ah, i love this, this is delicious. older sister: when we eat and there, we enjoy food. in lao, we say seplai. anthony: seplai. older sister: seplai. anthony: your hotel. mama vaughn: my hotel. anthony: how long has it been open? mama vaughn: well, it s been abo
during the secret war it was the offices for u.s. foreign aide mission. the building was also a cover for cia headquarters. mama vaughn: that big building used to belong to usaid. anthony: can we say wha michel: are you sure? usaid or cia, i don t know. anthony: well this is what i want to ask. generally speaking, in tho in tho michel: at that time, we never know. anthony: in those days, back in the 60s and 70s mama vaughn: 60, yeah. michel: yeah. anthony: usaid and cia had a lot of, let s say, overlap. anthony: mama vaughn, who i met here on my last trip is making lunch. an elaborate spread of dishes whose recipes are left over from imperial times. anthony: mm, so what do we have here? mama vaughn: this is lon song fish from mekong. we cook with shallots and garlic and chili, and coconut milk. and pork. anthony: crab? river crab? mama vaughn: crab. river crab, yeah. anthony: mm! mama vaughn: see? anthony: it s good. michel: mm-hm. mama v
anthony: in ventiane? mama vaughn: yeah. anthony: have you lived here all your life? no, ah mama vaughn: in france. anthony: in france. michel: by the age of 11 i went to france to study. i came back in, in, in 1971. anthony: in difficult times, 1971. very, very difficult. michel: oh yeah, it was still the war. anthony: mama vaughns long time friend michel is a journalist, though what that means in a communist one party state like laos is necessarily different than what you and i might define it as. michel: when i was in paris, i studied ethnology. when i came here, they said, ethnology can wait. what we need it journalists. mama vaughn: journalist. that s why you get your job. michel: that s how i became a journalist. anthony: american involvement here remained a particularly painful and even taboo subject with the lao government. anthony: obama, the united states president, just came here to visit. what do you think it means for lao? michel: well, i t
all your life? no, ah mama vaughn: in france. anthony: in france. michel: by the age of 11 i went to france to study. i came back in, in, in 1971. anthony: in difficult times, 1971. very, very difficult. michel: oh yeah, it was still the war. anthony: mama vaughns long time friend michel is a journalist, though what that means in a communist one party state like laos is necessarily different than what you and i might define it as. michel: when i was in paris, i studied ethnology. when i came here, they said, ethnology can wait. what we need it journalists. mama vaughn: journalist. that s why you get your job. michel: that s how i became a journalist. anthony: american involvement here remained a particularly painful and even taboo subject with the lao government. anthony: obama, the united states president, just came here to visit. what do you think it means for lao? michel: well, i think one important thing is the uxo, unexploded ordinances. anthony: right