By Kiran, Simran, and Svara Jayasinghe
In a TV show on CNN, called “Anthony Bourdain – Parts Unknown”, the host, Anthony Bourdain, travels to taste the cuisine of countries around the world. In the process he also learns about the history and culture of each country. In one of the recent episodes that we watched, Bourdain traveled to Laos, a country in Southeast Asia. Bourdain rode on a motorbike, sampling various foods, and witnessing several cultural events, such as a boat festival. The show featured Bourdain trying chicken feet, squid and other quite interesting foods, such as congealed buffalo blood soup with herbs.
Laos is bordered by Myanmar, China, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It’s popu
lation is approximately six million. The capitol of Laos is Vientiane. Most people are Buddhists. The currency of money is the Kip. The scenery in that we saw as the host moved from place to place looked wonderful. The country has a lot of wildlife, mountains, valleys, and dense forests.
But Laos also has a startling history. During the Vietnam War, there was a civil war in Laos. America dropped bombs on Laos, partly to cut the supply lines from Laos to Vietnam, and to stop Communism from spreading. Cluster bombs were dropped which were big bombs containing many smaller bombs called “bombies”. 80,000,000 of these bombies did not explode and can still be found scattered around the country. This has been a hazard for decades, since children are attracted to these bombs, which look like small tennis balls. The bombs sometimes can detonate while in children’s hands.
Bourdain talked to victims of the war, and the squads of people trying to clean up the bombs. The show displayed footage of the clean-up teams using metal detectors to search for the bombs, then mark the spot with a flag, and then detonate the bomb, so it wouldn’t explode on it’s own.
Overall, we learnt a lot of information about the country of Laos, it’s fascinating cuisine, and it’s history. Anthony Bourdain does an excellent job on hosting the show and provides education while entertaining the audience.