Chef James Syhabout and Anthony Bourdain on the secrets behind Lao cuisine

When he was young, chef James Syhabout fled Laos with his family after it fell to communists in 1975. They arrived in Oakland six years later, and Syhabout went on to become the force behind the two-Michelin starred restaurant, Commis. Its sister eatery, Hawker Fare, focuses on the Laotian cuisine of his childhood. Syhabout is now out with a new book called "Hawker Fare: Stories & Recipes from a Refugee Chef's Isan Thai & Lao Roots," published by Anthony Bourdain's book imprint. Syhabout and Bourdain join "CBS This Morning" to discuss the stories behind the dishes in the book.
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[@pamohlgren533]

Yes! Finally we have real person represent our lao people. Thank James Syhabout for bringing our Lao food to the opening. Now people in the world will finally learn and know more about our lao food. Kap jai lai lai.

[@bellaphone5719]

From Laotian families rip my dear friend Antony bardian. Cheers 🍻 always be remember

[@tooleyrental7895]

So proud of you. Have always wanted to open a Lao restaurant! Lao and Proud!

[@tommygun7702]

Anthony bardain - Lao - how cool is that - rip 2018 always will be remembered

[@oukhamnahaidaew7433]

Thanks Anthony for laos introduction. You are so kind

[@jasonx409able]

Thank you for shining light on our food! RIP Anthony Bourdain! We need more exposure on our Lao Food in the media!

[@jimmykhotxyx1399]

Thank you James to speak out about lao food, we should be proud of our heritage.

[@sahasavadmangkhaseum5455]

Papaya salad with fermented fish is the king

[@burningknuckle26]

its so savory and delicious

[@thelaoandbengali]

This is awesome! Lao food in the house! ✌️🇱🇦

[@dannycalifornia209]

TheLaoAndBengali love me some Lao food 😊

[@bellaphone5719]

TheLaoAndBengali 🇱🇦in the house cheers Antony my friend

[@xLove020306x]

Highly respect Anthony B. One of the nicest guy tv. no reservations and parts unknown. Jame syhabout you too brother. I'm Lao.like to see

[@leesinnorai1871]

Yes! Laotian guy, so proud of him 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@bellaphone5719]

Lee Sinnorai we all do my friend cheers

[@IWantToMature85]

Rip Tony!

[@aa-ij5gm]

RIP Bourdain we miss you 💔

[@nokphannaly9554]

Bless, Anthony,,only chef to put laos on the cruise map...may he rest in peace ❤ PA DEK..

[@joyous8248]

Rip Mr Bourdain.. Lao food is absolutely delicious!!!!

[@bayareayackem100]

Rest in paradise Anthony Bourdain. Thanks for enlighting the world about Laos food.

[@Pra5150]

Laotians please stop opening up Lao restaurants under the Thai banner. The Thai's have been registering Lao dishes as Thai food for years. Even the Hmong in America being from Laos are also Laotians, but are a different ethnic group from the Lao people and have adopted alot of Lao dishes, but call it Hmong food under their own Hmong umbrella when displaying their cultural food and never mentioning Laos unless its only about the war.

[@Tola2872]

Pra5150 AGREED 100%

[@Romans_116]

Pra5150 True but restaurant owners think in terms of how to survive and make money and marketing is one of the key factors in having success. Just the way it is. Finding Lao people is like finding a needle in haystack.

[@jacure123]

Well, Lao people do speak the Tai kadai language like the Thai people.lol

[@oneviwatara9384]

Fyah King, Tai-Kadai speakers are ethnic Lao, ( Gelao, Ai Lao, Lao Ai, Rau, Zhuang, Liao ), ppl originated from Gobi desert there's no ethnic Thai, ( Lao name / Lao word ), or Thai foods, ( Lao foods original ),.

[@khaopiak]

A lot of Thais are not Tai people. They're Chinese, Mon, Khmer, Karen etc. Lao is the largest ethnic group within Thailand but Thais like to dumb down their own people when it comes to ethnicity. They like to teach themselves that they're mostly homogeneous like the Japanese or Koreans which is the farthest thing from truth. Thais do not know(pretend to not know) the difference between nationality and ethnicity.

[@dees.874]

I had had always loved Anthony Bourdain, Even before he shed a light on the history of Lao Food ! A realist, Traveler and Adventurist of Life..RIP Mr Bourdain !

[@samboriboun7866]

Im frm New Zealand i say im from Laos and many ask me wheres that lol ive been there 40years and we only have 2 lao restaurants but combined with Thai ..this is awsome i love the real deal

[@laylow6456]

If u never try Laos 🇱🇦 food try it. Very flavorful and tastes good...100 percent guarantee

[@Romans_116]

Aye! Lao food! Every restaurant owner has to face the reality of “business” and marketing. The restaurant business is tough. So you gotta think in terms of survival. Only in the last 15-20 years did Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, etc...become popular in America and in mainstream. Lao food competing with these other people groups wouldn’t have stood a chance but now that the world is becoming more globalized with social media interaction it’s safe for Lao people to come out of the closet for putting the name out there in regards to food.

[@oneviwatara9384]

Romans116 Thai food, Vietnamese food is Lao food original.

[@dianalynnchan]

True 😊😊😊😊

[@stevesanouk3475]

Laos people are shy to hustle. I'm glad the newer generation are no longer shy about it. It's time to recognized and give credit to where it's coming from originally. Rest in paradise, Anthony. Why'd you have to go so soon?

[@mitchelllee1339]

My top 3 food in world Laos food is one

[@bellaphone5719]

Mitchell Lee me 2 real talk love you cheers

[@thingfish000]

Anthony, why'd you leave us? RIP.

[@jasonp209]

Respect to antony bardian R.I.P for knowing about laos food and culture

[@JakeHunter2010]

Anthony Bourdain my guy.

[@bounnhongsiripannha1151]

we missed the Dude .Don't understand why did he take his own life sure we missed him very much.

[@blindthief]

We need Lao restaurants in every city. For someone like me who can't cook, what am I supposed to do if my Lao gf leaves me? I can go to any nearby Chinese or Japanese restaurant. But I'm Lao therefore I need Lao food.

[@simplelife1892]

blindthief...Yes agree. I'm plan to open Lao Restaurant in San Diego.

[@bellaphone5719]

Simple&Beautiful143 I wish you luck my friend I might drop in for luch and dinner cheers

[@averagecat8218]

Just like Anthony said Most Thai restaurants are actually run and cook laos food.

[@nonnelapfendi]

Hi congratulations Finally Lao people dare to talk openly about their food Just try and see, every country always has delicious dishes Just open the mind, and belly

[@AVALifeShop]

Brilliant

[@bellaphone5719]

Hahahaha hahahha we every where cheers 🇱🇦 people Lao food is hellla bomb

[@freddyflintstoned913]

Savanh of Laos is a new restaurant opening down the street from us. I am looking forward to some new flavors and tastes. Best Wishes to the owners. Located on Seminole Blvd, Seminole Florida.

[@PicaPeachy]

Respect

[@zeuth_Sengsou]

Vientiane Restaurant in Anaheim,CA. Recommend to visited there.

[@IWantToMature85]

Shocking that he would do this!

[@KT_1991]

Laos 🇱🇦 cheers 🍻 proud to be a humble Laotian

[@burningknuckle26]

bourdain respects laos food

[@azrael3758]

I would have liked to see the hosts try some Lao food on air like papaya salad.

[@ShelbyA2LA]

❤️

[@oneviwatara9384]

There's no ethnic Thai or Thai foods but there's ethnic Lao and Lao foods thought. Lao, ( Gelao, Ai Lao, Lao Ai, Rau, Zhuang, Liao ), ppl a Tai-Kadai speakers ppl aka Lao speakers ppl originated from Gobi desert thousands of years ago they been living in modern day China, ( Lao name ), at least 5000 years, Laos, Thailand about thousand year.

[@DayDream1017]

💜💜💜👍

[@mikeyamphavannasouk1]

James needs to smile more often he's very handsome

[@laolocc619]

rip anthony bourdain the great

[@Keukeu45]

I miss bourdain :(

[@FuelEfficiency]

Pas tres bonne nouvelle pour M. Bordain. Il est decede le 8 Juin, 2018 en France.

[@knyghtryder3599]

Luang Namtha food will be the next McDonald's in USA

[@Matrix1279]

This is from my Isaan Thai wife: (Not a positive review due to false information and easier for her to write her own language to get point across so professionally translate.) จากที่ได้ดูในวิดีโอแล้ว รู้เลยว่าคุณพ่อคุณแม่ของคุณทำอาหารไทยในแบบไม่เข้าใจอาหารไทยที่แท้จริง ชึ่งเห็นแล้วเจ็บปวดใจแทนคนไทยไม่น้อย ที่อาหารไทยที่ทำให้ฝรั่งกินโดยที่ไม่เข้าใจรสชาติ ถึงลาบจะเป็นอาหารทางภาคอิสาน แต่การทำลาบของภาคอิสานก็แตกต่างจากอาหารลาวมาก. คนลาวหลายๆคนที่เปิดร้านอาหารไทย แล้วทำให้อาหารไทยวิบัติ ฝรั่งที่ไม่รู้ก็ได้กินอาหารไทยภายใต้อาหารลาว. เหมือนหนังสือที่คุณกำลังขายอยู่ ทำไมไม่บอกไปเลยว่าอาหารลาว. ทำไมต้องใส่ลาวไทยออสาน. ให้ฝรั่งเขาเข้าใจผิดอีก. แม้แต่คนไทยอย่างดิฉันก็รับไม่ได้ จบนะ

[@khaopiak]

Esan Larb is not the same as Lao Larb? One of the dumbest things i've heard. The four main ethnic groups within Esan is Lao, Khmer, Soui and Vietnamese. Ask the bargirl which one she is. Does she even know what Esan means? Does she know the difference between ethnicity and nationality? Bar girls these days. Has not seen the world. But has had the whole world inside her.

[@bounna1557]

Tell your ineducated wife that if she's thai issan, she's probably Lao since it used to belong to the Lao kingdom, and therefore a lot of issan dishes are Lao or close to Lao dishes.

[@sacson345]

😂 my sister In law is from Issan straight outta Thailand. Guess what language she speaks guess what ethnicity she identifies herself as... that’s right Lao. How stupid can you be lady? Before there were modern borders and France handed our land to the Thai government what kind of people do you think lived in this part of the world? Lao people. As much as they didn’t want to acknowledge it even the Thai government reported to the U.N. In 2011 that the Issan people are ethnic Lao and there’s over 20 million of them living in Thailand. You can be Thai all you want But don’t speak Lao okay. Btw the Thai language is based off the Lao language which is older and preceded it. Where do you think They got their alphabet from? Do you know how many ethnicities there are in this world that don’t have a country? Just because your native land has been taken over by a government and a group of people that doesn’t make you one of them. But honestly Thai and Lao are just branches off the same tree except Lao people are the root of that tree.

[@MoistyFlesh1]

refugee from american bombs

[@chaomeinthao]

is lab stupid

[@chobson8602]

boring