Lao and Proud: Chef Inspires Others to Embrace Their Heritage and History Through Food
Ask students: Why were people fleeing Laos in the years after 1975? Where did Chef Seng Luangarth learn to cook?
Food is a tangible and accessible way to understand and connect with different societies. One chef has led the movement to bring traditional food from her home country of Laos to diners across the United States.
View the transcript of the story.
Discussion Questions
- Why were people fleeing Laos in the years after 1975?
- Where did Chef Seng Luangarth learn to cook?
- When did Luangarth become a professional chef?
- How did Chef Seng help make Lao food more popular in the United States?
- Why is Chef Seng known as the godmother of the Lao food movement?
Focus Questions
- Why do you think that Lao Americans like Brittney Sooksengdao say they get emotional seeing non-Lao people eating Lao food?
- What can you learn about a culture through its food? Using this story as an example, think about the history behind Chef Seng's journey to becoming a chef in the United States.
- Media literacy: Look for a local restaurant in your community that features a country's cuisine you've never tried before. How can you find out more about that country's culture?
Extension Activity
To learn more about the U.S. bombing of Laos and the Secret War, you can watch this Valley PBS original documentary, The Hmong and the Secret War.
Learn more about Lao culture by watching the video below about an American women who helped resurrect an endangered Lao art form.
Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage
Join the Share My Lesson community in celebrating the generations of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who have enriched global society, playing a critical role in its development and success. With our wealth of prek-12 digital resources, you and your students can explore the remarkable contributions that AANHPI Americans have given to history, culture, the sciences, industry, government and more.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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