Take Out With Lisa Ling Season 1 Episode 3 Little Saigon

Take Out With Lisa Ling is a documentary-style show that focuses on exploring a variety of cultural cuisine from around the world. In season 1 episode 3, titled "Little Saigon," Lisa Ling visits the Vietnamese-American community in Orange County, California.

The show begins with Lisa Ling introducing the Little Saigon neighborhood as one of the largest Vietnamese-American communities in the United States. She explains that Vietnamese-Americans immigrated to the US after the Vietnam War, and many settled in Orange County, which now boasts over 200,000 Vietnamese-Americans and a bustling restaurant scene.

Ling meets with Mai Nguyen, a well-known food blogger in the Vietnamese-American community, who takes her on a tour of some of Little Saigon's most popular restaurants. First, they visit a popular pho restaurant called Pho 79, where Ling interviews the owner and learns about the origins of the dish. They try a few different variations of the soup and discuss the importance of fresh ingredients and proper cooking techniques.

Next, they visit a bakery called Tous Les Jours, which serves traditional Vietnamese pastries like banh mi and egg tarts with a French twist. Ling meets with the owner and learns about the challenges of running a bakery in a competitive market. They also try a few different pastries and discuss the fusion of Vietnamese and French culinary traditions.

Ling then visits the OC Night Market, a famous food festival that takes place in Little Saigon. She tries a variety of popular street foods like banh mi sandwiches and grilled skewers, as well as some trendy new concoctions like "unicorn egg waffles." Ling interviews some of the vendors and attendees to get a sense of the event's cultural significance and the evolving nature of Vietnamese-American cuisine.

Finally, Ling visits Brodard, a Vietnamese restaurant that has become famous for its imperial rolls, a crispy fried appetizer stuffed with shrimp and pork, and served with fresh herbs and dipping sauce. Ling speaks with the restaurant's owners, who explain the history and preparation of the dish, and Ling gets a chance to try one herself.

Throughout the episode, Ling interweaves her interviews with restaurant owners and food experts with footage of the food itself, giving viewers a visual feast of vibrant colors and textures. She also touches on some larger issues facing the Vietnamese-American community, such as the challenges of preserving cultural traditions while adapting to American tastes and the ongoing struggle for refugees and immigrants to achieve success in the US.

Overall, Little Saigon is a tantalizing and thought-provoking episode that celebrates the diversity and richness of Vietnamese-American cuisine while shedding light on some of the complexities of immigrant life in the US.