Last night was a rather exciting Mother's Day in the Lao American community as many of us watched (with our moms) the premiere of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown in Laos. Our friend and Michelin-starred chef James Syhabout (whom is also working on a cookbook with Bourdain) from San Francisco made an appearance eating khao piek sek and introduced the tv world to laap luat beng (congealed blood laap), while the rest of the program revolved around the history of the bombs from Vietnam War, interviewing former Hmong soldiers living their lives out in the remote villages, and since it was filmed during Boun Awk Phansa (Buddhist Lent), offering snippets of the Boat Festival and Loy Kathong. The last 5 minutes of the episode were filmed without any voice over commentary, and judging by the feedback, was the most well received.

To supplement this special episode featuring Laos, the accompanying blog Explore Parts Unknown has offered some fascinating content including recipes from Chef Seng Luangrath from Thip Khao in DC, 5 dishes broken down by Chef Phet Schwader of Khe-yo in NYC, an interview about UXOs with Legacies of War founder Channapha Khamvongs, as well as a stunning photo essay of the forgotten Chinese-owned city of Boden, and a literary short from famed Lao author Outhine Bounyavong. Check out the entire feature on Laos here.