"During the Secret War, [this hotel] was the offices for USAID, America's foreign aid mission," says Tony. He had lunch here with the hotel owner, Mama Vahn, who made the meal, "an elaborate spread of dishes whose recipes are left over from imperial times." They had lon song, a fish from the Mekong River, cooked with shallots, garlic, chili, coconut milk, and pork; river crab, fish with pork grilled in banana leaves, ginger sauce, pork skin, and sticky rice.
Laos
