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, th s aot. 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 about twenty years. anthony: today, i m having lunch at the ban lao hotel,
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!
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 governmt. 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. michel: american b52s, they came on bombing missions in laos. everyday, everyday, everyday. and after bombing, they have to cross mekong back for and, and land. but they are not allowed to land with bombs on board. so they have bombs left, they would drop them at random. that s why we have so, so many and in, in so many provinces. anthony: what do you think it means though, that the president came here? this is a, look, this is a small country. only 7 million and change pe
mama vaughn: see? anthony: it s good. michel: mm-hm. mama vaughn: it s only in luang prabang. anthony: you 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 bor
i can t speak back in the 60s and 70s. usaid and cia had a lot of overlap. mama vaughn who i met here on my last trip. is making lunch. recipes are left over from imperial times. so what do we have here? this is fish, we cook with garlic and chilly and coconut milk and pork. crab, river crab. river crab, yeah. see. it s good. it s only you can eat the shell? yes. and fish and the ginger sauce, we eat the pork skin. yeah, we have to have it. oh, right. whatever tea food like this.