Immigrant from Laos Finds Success with Washington Restaurant

 

Seng Luangrath has been cooking since she was seven years old.

“Cooking is my passion. When I cook, I put 100 percent of my heart and soul into what I am making.”

Seng Luangrath learned¹ many of her skills from her grandmother in Laos.

Now, she operates a popular restaurant in Washington, D.C. She spoke² to VOA recently about her life and cooking.

“My mom was too busy working. So I had to cook for my three other siblings⁴. I remember it was a joy for me to learn, to observe whatever my grandmother will give me an assignment to do.”

Her family fled Laos in 1981 as the country struggled with the effects of the Vietnam War. They went to Thailand, where they spent two years at a refugee⁵ camp. There she learned to prepare different kinds of food.

“I was 12 years old. I learned how to cook from my neighbors. We have neighbors from all over Laos. So, I got myself exposed to different types of Lao cooking.”

Then, her family moved to the U.S. West Coast and settled in the San Francisco Bay area.

Seng Luangrath was the oldest child. She continued to cook for the family while her parents had jobs and worked long hours.

Many years later, she has taken that experience and used it to launch⁶ the first Lao restaurant in Washington.

Sticky⁷ rice

Chef Seng, as she is called, opened her restaurant in 2014. At the time, Lao food was unknown in the D.C. area.

She started in the restaurant business by working at a Thai eatery just outside Washington. Once that business was profitable⁸, she began to offer its customers some Lao dishes.

She said few of the people who come to her restaurant know about Lao dishes or even where Laos is.

So, she has to teach Americans about the food and her homeland.

Lao food, or cuisine⁹, is different from other cooking traditions in Southeast Asia. But it is also the same as the cuisine of northeastern Thailand, an area called Isan. It was once was part of Laos.

On her website, Chef Seng says people in the Isan area speak a form of the Lao language and they eat many of the same foods, including sticky rice. She says the Lao probably eat more sticky rice than any other people in the world. It also helps explain the name of her restaurant, Thip Khao.

“Thip Khao means a basket, a vessel¹⁰ that hold stick rice. It’s a part of Lao culture. If you go to Lao households, you’re always going to see Thip Khao. It’s a basket that is also meaningful for our Lao culture as well.”

An important part of her success is the fresh taste of her dishes. There are some herbs and vegetables that she cannot find in stores near Washington. So she grows them at home.

She said an example of this is Kaffir lime¹¹ leaves, which she adds to salads.

The restaurant industry also has noticed Seng’s work. She said she was surprised to learn that her business was nominated¹² as one of the 50 best new restaurants in America by the food magazine Bon Appétit. The nomination¹³ came less than one year after her eatery opened.

And this year, Seng was nominated as a Best Chef – Mid-Atlantic semifinalist for a restaurant industry award: the James Beard Award. She also was nominated last year.

However, the biggest award, Seng said, is doing what she loves. She said cooking makes her happy and is an important part of her life.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

types – n. kinds, forms

dishes – n. food that is prepared in a special way

cuisine – n. a kind of cooking

vessel – n. a container for holding liquids

passion – n. a strong feeling

soul – n. the spiritual part of a person; the ability of someone to feel kindness for others

grandmother – n. the mother of your mother or father

sibling³ – n. brother or sister

assignment – n. the act of giving out a job or duty

expose – v. to remove shelter, protection of care from someone or something

customer – n. someone who buys a service or product

1 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。

4 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

5 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

6 launch   

vt.发动，推出；发射；n.发射，下水，投产

参考例句：

• The makers are about to launch out a new product.制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。
• Would it be wise to launch into this rough sea?在这样汹涌的大海中游泳明智吗？

7 sticky   

adj.粘的，闷热的，困难的，令人不满意的

参考例句：

• This paste is not sticky enough.这糨糊不黏。
• Here is a sticky business!这事真难办！

8 profitable   

adj.有益的，能带来利益的，有利可图的

参考例句：

• That business became profitable last year.那项生意去年变得很赚钱。
• The convention business is very profitable for the hotel industry.承办会议业务能给旅馆业带来很高的利润。

9 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

10 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

11 lime   

n.石灰，酸橙，酸橙树，粘鸟胶，钙；vt.施石灰，涂上粘性物质，沾上粘鸟胶

参考例句：

• Lime exists in many soils.许多土壤中都含有石灰。
• A broad avenue of lime trees led up to a grand entrance with huge oak doors.一条栽有酸橙树的宽阔林阴道通向巨大的橡木门的雄伟入口。

12 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

13 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。