Saeng by Saeng

With all the recent research in weight loss and care, we're all learning that it's harder than we

thought, that genetics and age and biology all impact this. And if you're someone who has tried

the diets, the workouts, the endless advice, and still feel stuck, then I want to tell you about

a resource from our sponsor, Hers. Weight loss by hers now offers access to FDA-approved GLP-1

medications, including the Wogovi pill and the Wogovi pen. Wogovi is designed to help you lose

weight and keep it off, and you can lose up to 20% or more of your body weight when combined

with diet and exercise. And yes, the Wogovi pill means no needles. It's the first ever GLP-1

pill for weight loss. The whole thing is 100% online. You connect with a licensed provider,

and if treatment is right for you, your medication ships straight to your door. No insurance needed.

Plus, you get 24-7 messaging with your care team and in-app support, like recipes, meal plans,

fitness videos, and more. It's weight loss that's actually designed to work with your real life.

Ready to reach your goals? Visit forhers.com-attachart to get personalized,

affordable care that gets you. That's f-o-r-h-e-r-s.com-attachart. Forhers.com-attachart.

Weight loss by hers is not available in all 50 states. Wogovi is a registered trademark of NOVA

Nordisk AS. To get started and learn more, including important safety information,

Wogovi clinical study information, and restrictions, visit forhers.com.

This episode of Attachart is brought to you by Wildgrain. And after trying it for a few months,

oh, it's so much better than I thought it would be. Wildgrain is the first bake from frozen

subscription box for sourdough breads, pastries, fresh pasta as you name it. Everything is made with

real ingredients, slow fermentation that's good for the gut and richer nutrients. It sits in the

freezer until you're ready and it bakes in less than 25 minutes. I highly recommend the slow

fermented three-cheese loaf with parmesan and mozzarella. It pairs gorgeously with homemade lasagna,

by the way, but I'm not going to lie. Everyone in my family agrees the giant chocolate chunk cookies

are award-winning. In fact, I may just get a box of that next time. And the best-kept secret do not

skip on the slow churned French butter with garlic and herbs hot tip. The boxes are fully customizable,

gluten-free, vegan, a brand new protein box, they've thought of it all. For a limited time,

get $30 off your first box plus free croissants for life at wildgrain.com slash Attachart. Or use

code Attachart at checkout. That's wildgrain.com slash Attachart.

Welcome to another episode of Attachart, the podcast about what we buy and what we buy into

and what that says about who we are. I am your auntie, Kool-Up Villaisa. And I'm your very hungry auntie,

Sujim Park. And we'll get into the hungry. I'm just hungry because our guest is here.

I have to do research. Of course. I was like, is there some sort of meatball recipe now marinating in

my fridge? Ready for soup later? Perhaps. Wow. No soup. Yeah. In our looser era. Yeah. I haven't

noticed something. Well, we haven't booked a single guest. I've noticed that because I usually

booked the guest. But why? Why? Why? Why is that? Because we're loose and lezzet. We're loose and

lezzet. Well, is it lazy? Or I think this is going to be the theme. Yeah. I think at the end of this

episode. Oh, well, immigrant mentality. Uh, immigrant mentality. Why didn't you lead with what your

main issue is, which is we assume it's more expensive to have guests. Let's just go. So say it. Let's

let's like lead to that. I did not know. You were going to spatchcock my chicken like that.

We are independent ladies. We are entrepreneurs. Yeah. Let them in. Let them inside. Spatchcock

this podcast. Let everybody into the innards. We lead with the only foot forward. Financial.

Financial. That's finances. Migrants. Immigrants. Yeah. But every once in a while, though,

we make an exception. And when I tell you if in this looser era, you were a guest on this show.

Before? Sure. Welcome. Yeah. When we were on Lemonada's dime. Yeah. Anybody. People we don't know. Yeah.

Get on the bullet train business class ride here. If you're on this show now in this era,

you are absolutely right. It has to be family. It has to be so worth the juice. That's right.

You're so right. But by the way, just to be clear, we assume it's going to cost more because our

engineer will have to integrate a third voice. We don't know. We love this guest enough to

open the door and find out. It's called good counting. It's guesstimating. And when we do the

accounting, I say one potato to potato three potato equals more potato. We'll find out. Here's

the other piece of it all is folks. Maybe sometimes I'm the voice of reason. But we exchange that

baton back and forth. It is up to sue with the accounting because it's not for me. It's not for

me. The woman who will spend will go to Italy and buy 15 leather belts is the one who is minding

the store. Okay. And so that's the state of the union.

So come back. I wish any of this was a bit. You know why? Because we would be so fucking brilliant.

Like we would have other careers if this was a bit. I know. But we can't afford to be that

fanciful. No, we that much win. No, I'm not a creator. Yeah, I'm just a reporter and these are facts.

These are facts. These are facts. Shall we introduce our guest, my dear? Yes. I mean,

coveted. Are you right now? The golden shallus. The pressure is on. His name does mean gold,

our guest is a content creator. Not like us, Sue. He's a content creator. And personal chef

specializing in Lao cuisine and the founder of Sang's Kitchen. This is a platform dedicated

to sharing Lao food culture and storytelling. He is a first generation Lao American. And his

work has been featured in Delish, Buzzfeed, the New York Times, the LA Times. And he is the winner

of an episode of TBS's Cooking Show, Rat in the Kitchen. He spends Thanksgiving and Christmas

with me every year. But the reason for this appearance is he has a cookbook coming out on April 21st.

Please add to cart Sang Dwan Dora.

Oh, my God. I can't enter. Are you okay, say? I can't hear.

You can't hear as if as if you're not used to this volume around her table. Give me a break.

What's wrong? What else you know? No, no, no, I'm so happy to be here. So thank you to the

aunties for having me. Saying welcome to add to cart and welcome to the Return of Auntie Book Club.

A plaza plaza plaza plaza. Thank you. Thank you for coming.

In our episode, perhaps the only for this looser era, and why don't know?

And how befitting. I love that we're celebrating not only a book, a storyteller, but food.

You see how we just pack it all in? Yeah. To a little lunch box.

This book is called The Lao Kitchen. Lao flavors and stories told through family recipes,

saying, please just tell us what the book is. Give us the blurb. So the book The Lao Kitchen

is a primer for people that want to journey into the country of Laos and learn about the culture,

the food, and a little bit of like a personal diary of Sang Dwan Dora myself.

First of all, I just I'm so proud of you. You were like my little brother. I wrote the

forward. So you know, all of our carters should be adding to car for that reason alone.

Yeah, the forward and and in true Auntie Fashion, it is a lot about you. But also,

there's just a little bit of what we call congratulations to Koo for what?

Mm-hmm. For how? Did she help you write any of these? Did she test your recipes?

Not one. Did she come over and light the food that is beautifully photographed in the book?

That's not my thing. No. And yet 10% is congratulations to her. And you'll have to pick up the

book and read it yourself because I was quite delighted. What did your publisher say? Look,

I sent it to you and I expected to get notes. And when there wasn't any, I was I was surprised.

My editor said she's like, wow, it has personality. Like, it's funny. I was like,

is that what people introduction to this supposed to be? Why not?

No, it's it's the perfect because you're going to tell us about the book, but I'm sure in that

description, the word funky. Yes. It's a new word for me in this context. And it kind of opened

up something different than what how I've been using it. So, okay. Because when we think about

Laofoo, it sounds a lot like a very important word. Yeah, I mean, I think in this day and age,

we are reclaiming the word funky because back then, funky was like, oh, smelly bad. But now,

funky is smelly good. And so I use it as a like one of the pillars of how I describe Laofoo,

because one of the essentials is badak, which is unfiltered fish sauce. It's like the liquid gold

to Laofoo. It's essentially our salt. And so we add this like dark murky brown funky liquid

into our sauce. Oh, mommy. And it's been fermenting at least for one year. And so that is our funky

liquid gold. And all the Laofoo aunties, they have it hidden in sort of a dank area,

maybe under the sink in some sort of reused container. And when you pop open, you're struggling,

you open the lid of it, and you take a big whiff. If your pubes aren't already curled,

and your toes aren't already curled, that's what would happen. Is that saying,

did you write that in your book? Something like that. Yeah, it's a surprise. You'll have to read it.

I missed that part. Because Korean food, I would say, is funky too. Though I've never

kind of used it in the way that you use it, which I love, because we've got that tingeum.

We got that paste. We got that deep in the clay pot underneath the ground funky too. So

fermented. Yeah, I was pleased to see that you took like something as funky as fish sauce.

And then just funk it up, dialed it up, and I was sold it up. Oh, I don't know that I've ever had

that flavor then. No, no, no. Mike Bender would not allow for it to be in the she shed.

It won't be allowed on the premises. You have to come to our houses. Yeah, like

the fish sauce is actually in the garage. And so that's where it lives. And that's okay.

Yeah, that's okay. By the way, that's where the kimchi fridge lives. There you go. Same, same.

Are you saying same same difference? Saying, this is a big deal, this book. Oh, yeah. Okay.

It's a huge deal. This is published by 10 speed. This is penguin random house. This isn't self

published. This is a hard cover. Okay. I'm touching it right now. tactile. Do you hear it?

tactile ASMR. This is cover of the book. Let's talk about your journey to get here. Okay.

You're a refugee, bro. Yeah. Where were you born? I was born in the camps in Thailand,

specifically in a con penome in that area. And so my family were there for

handful of years. And then we got out as I was turning like two or three and came to the United

States afterwards. And you have pictures of your family as refugee pictures? Yeah, like mugshot

looking refugee photos. That was a very special moment where my parents were comfortable enough

to be able to let me have those and let me put them in the book. I still don't know if they

actually know like what this book means or like everyone's gonna see it. But they're everyone's

gonna see it. How could they say as they were in the camp, do you think that they could have imagined

in their like wildest dreams? Right. That this that this could happen. Like it's beyond hope

in the under the circumstances, right? They were escaping a war in toward country. And you know,

you grew up in Wisconsin. You went to school in Hawaii for some time. You were a pop locker.

I locked it. I popped it out. You popped your arm out a few times. Multiple times.

And then you went to school at UCLA. I went to work at UC Irvine as academic counselor. And

then I went to UCLA as a similar position for like five, six years. And that's when I

met you. Cool up as the chef to create all the Lao food for your fundraiser at your old house.

And that was near like two year two of my time at UCLA. But as doing food and cooking lessons

in the evening at like gourmandis and all that. And you have a you have a master's degree.

Yeah. So I have a master's degree in counseling psychology. So as a therapist.

Psychology. Yeah. But then you threw it in the garbage. I ripped it. Y'all. I

That's the American part. That's the dream that your parents put on the line.

You know, they put their lives on the line. All of our folks come over here so we could get master's

degrees. Set them on fire and get back to the funk. Good back to where you came from.

You know, the master's degree. Yes, I did it for myself and for my family. But at the same time,

I think about how I mean, this is a different conversation. How like the education system. And

like sometimes paper doesn't mean what it's supposed to mean. And you know, student loans and

financial education. Like, I think that's what I wish I had when I was younger. But now I hope that

high schoolers are getting that financial education. They're not. Oh, but. But they have. But

they have Instagram. It's fine. Put it on. I mean, Instagram tiktok. Yeah, to me, whatever,

that's all one word. Yeah, they have that. So they don't need school. They'll just get it in

30 second bites. And it'll be fine. It'll be fine. Everything's going to be fine. I'm fine. We're all fine.

For those carders that have not yet heard about built, I'm going to show you how your rent

or mortgage payment is going to bring something back to you every month. This is some sit your

butt down. Let the aunties show you some wisdom. Okay, built is the membership for where you live.

Let me explain. Now, built first started rewarding renters for their rent payments. And now as of

2026, built members can earn points on mortgage payments too. And just like any rewards program,

you can use these points for flights, purchases, restaurants, hotels. I mean, you have to pay your

rent and mortgage every month. Now you're getting something back. This is Auntie Math 101.

Yes, the hotels and airline rewards is a no brainer. But what's exciting to me is getting to use

my reward points for blade transport from Manhattan to JFK for my next New York trip. Yes,

that is a sweet five minute helicopter straight to the airport. Can you imagine this road with me,

please? Renting our owning, honestly, it's just better with built. Join the membership for where you

live at joinbuilt.com slash add to cart. That's J-O-I-N-B-I-L-T dot com slash add to cart. Use our

links so they know we sent you. Carters, when CC brought us this app to try, I did hesitate.

I mean, was this going to fuel my insatiable appetite for shopping to monstrous levels? Yes.

And it makes shopping so much smarter because you know what you're getting. It's called what not.

The number one live shopping app in the US, by the way. And it's unlike any shopping experience

you've had, this is live real time shopping with real people showing you what they're selling.

They're trying it on for you, answering questions, think QVC, but way more entertaining and less cheesy.

Is it just entertaining and fun watching these sellers talk about what they're offering?

Absolutely. But you can also see how the product moves, how it fits, it looks live. So you really

know what you're getting. For me, I think this is a game changer if you love to thrift.

You can filter by style like Y2K or Cottagecore. The seller just starts showing you their stuff

as if you're face timing with them. I love the cozy vibe of it. You can tell the seller is

obsessed with what they collect. And this may just bring fun back to online shopping.

I recently bought a new pair of made well jeans that fit perfectly. And seeing it displayed live

on video helped me visualize the shape and fit. I use this app and you absolutely should

too. Download what not today and get free shipping on your first order. Search WHATNOT, what not

in the app store. Start scoring amazing deals.

Verbo makes it easy to claim your dream summer spot with early booking deals,

from homes with pools to poolside loungers. When you book a verbo, you don't have to reserve any

loungers. They're all yours. All you have to do is book early. Book with verbo.

So you, okay, so at the time that we met, you were a counselor at UCLA. But you were, you were a

chef hustling on the side. Yeah, I guess so. I was teaching at Goramundi's the cooking school,

the recreational cooking school in Santa Monica. I was teaching like Asian cooking classes,

Italian cooking glasses. And then also doing catering gigs on the side. Just I enjoyed it. That was

my time to just have fun and play in the kitchen because I think work was work. And like I enjoyed it

at the time. But after like three, four years of counseling and academic counseling, it just,

it burnt me out. And I was like, maybe this is not for me. And so the cooking was my play time.

I remember these conversations when he was like, should I quit my job? Should I focus on food full

time? And what did Anticus say? I said yes. I said yes. But let me look at your budget first.

Oh, yeah. The spreadsheet. Yeah. The good counting. There's nothing to count.

Oh, that is spreadsheet. Okay. Okay. Those are those are big loans. Those are big loans. Okay.

But saying ever the go getter, he started an Instagram account.

That was my goal of the new American. Mm hmm. You were figuring it out and you were teaching

yourself how to do it. Mm hmm. So like, I mean, and now you've got a great following.

You're doing the thing. So talk about the the era of your career when you became a content creator.

Well, I quit my job at the end of 2018 and just being full-time like personal chef,

cooking for people, for parties, gigs. And then I was doing content on the side. So that then

content became like my side gig now. And so I was creating videos just for fun, sharing what I

loved, which is love food, love culture, and eventually the pandemic hit. And I think that's

also started a lot of content careers for for people. And so that was my opportunity. Like,

I wasn't able to go to my client's houses anymore. So I took that time to just went full like

full in a video, YouTube videos, Instagram videos. And I popped off in what I would would be like

my gem, which is a sticky rice video. Because I was like, any video can go viral in terms of

TikTok, but I want a video that is aligned with me. And I was so lucky that my how-to-make

sticky rice video hit like 18 million. And that is what essentially like just gave me wings.

And when we post on Add to Cart, we get we get a lot for me. Okay.

Not close to between 30 and 60. Of what? Of views, lights? Oh.

Maybe soft smiles. Soft smiles. Yeah. Recognitions. Yeah. And by the way, look at every single one

straight in the eye. And I know I say thank you. Thank you. And I can. I can get through that

pretty quick 15 minutes. So fast. So fast. So fast. I'm saying. So then, I mean,

for a while, they remember you wanted to open a restaurant in a Korean spa. Allow restaurant

in a Korean spa. My friend offered. Yeah. How'd that go down saying? I mean, two folks meeting

right in the middle. I say green light. It almost happened, but for the universe said no. So I was

like, okay, the Korean backed out. Got it. Subtext. And I said no to. Because I was like saying,

he was like, well, it's going to be under the table. And I'd be sharing with this other Korean

lady. I would only be doing it at night. And you just sounded so sketchy. Yeah. Yeah. Of course.

You're dealing with another funky immigrant. Yeah. It just didn't see. It seemed a little tricky.

Yeah. Seemed a little tricky. Now, it sounds like I'm trying to take credit here. Doesn't it?

You were pivot. Yeah. It was your guiding me along my life.

I think everyone has a sense of our relationship. But how would you describe our relationship?

Enough about the book. Let's talk about it. Yeah. I'm so tired of this book.

I would say it's like nicely bullying. It's like not like a bad bullying, but it's a good way.

I'm like, she knows just the edge. But if she were to go. Soft B. Soft B.

Well, a few times she went over and I was in the bathtub. Well, in a good way. I literally,

it was like, you know what? I'm going to draw you a bubble bath. I've gone too far.

I'm going to draw you a bubble bath. You did. You bullied. Oh my God. I've never heard of anyone bullying

someone so bad that they had to draw a bubble bath with cat ears. With cat ears for the victim.

Do you want to do a mask too? It happens. Wow. That's what happened. Wow. But it was a great view.

A great bubble bath. I turned on the jets. Yeah. Water under the bridge. No.

Okay. Let's go back to the book. Sue, you have to relate this to Korean food. It's like, how do

you create recipes for a food culture that does not use recipes? They're, you know, akin to

how every Italian, you know, grandma has their own red sauce, right? Like the loud culture,

we people just make their things. They don't measure things. So can you talk about that?

So when I began this cook process, I remember in 20, I think it was 2019 that I approached Kula.

I was like, Hey, I want to write a cookbook. And I don't know how to do that, whether it's

self-published or like published through other people. And so we went along that journey.

But eventually we were able to get that deal, right, with 10 speed. And by then I was able to have

like a list of recipes that I've already created learning from my mom, learning from Lao

aunties. And I think one of the special gifts for me to be able to have this collection of 95

recipes in the book was actually going to Laos every year to be able to make sure like, oh,

like that does exist. And it kind of reaffirmed my idea of what Lao food in Wisconsin eating with

my mom was. And it showed me like, oh, this is legit Lao food. I've been living in Laos but in

Wisconsin. And so going to Laos every year pretty much helped me continue learning new recipes

adding more to the book. And within the three years of actively writing it, it became the full

of 95 recipes. Actually, I have like 200 more recipes that I had to cut. So maybe book number two,

who knows? Okay. Put it out to the universe saying, there aren't a lot of Lao books. Lao cookbook,

sorry. Can you name some off the top of your head? I know you have them. Yes. So I have, I think I

have all of them. So I mean, the first one is just like the the Bible of Lao food, which is

PS sings traditional recipes of Laos, which was in like 1988, 1985 maybe it was published.

But since then, really not much besides people self publishing, one of the bigger ones was Hawker

Fair in 2018, I believe, that was Lao slash Tai Yisan centered. But then I think,

James, see a book. Yep, Chef James. And then mine was the first Lao cookbook from Penguin

10 speed. And the first of I would say of its kind to just really center and focus on Lao people

and culture. Are there like traditional recipes? And there are there other sort of modernization,

like almost Lao American recipes in here? Yeah. So there are 10 chapters, I believe, in the book.

And the last chapter is actually Lao American fusion. And so that's actually a really fun

chapter for me because it just brought all my life experiences together and how I interpret food.

Like if I were to have a restaurant, maybe this is what it would be, allow American fusion. But then

the other chapters are mostly mostly focused on like, what did I eat growing up? What is my

point of view of Lao food in America? Did you do the, I'm looking right now, did you do the

site or spaghetti? No, that is not in that one. You have, that was a special one you had.

Okay, well then that's, I let you come into this podcast. My request is that you make that for me,

ASAP. I have been made at one time. Okay, tell her what it is. Yeah, give us the recipe. I love

a, love a exclusive. Okay, so Lao spaghetti is essentially Lao sausage but made into meatballs.

And then the tomato sauce is mixed with a, a really popular sauce called gelbong. It's a sweet and

spicy sauce that is a little funky, but not too much. It just melts well with the tomato sauce.

And then you still keep the parmesan and the melts, you just melts all together once you put it

in your mouth. It's so good. Okay, Sujan will come. Yeah, she'll stay with me. And then you will

serve it to us. I will. I do. I do. It was a ceremony. I actually, I got my like 10 year

anniversary of the universal life church. So I, if this, if you want this to happen, it just did,

though. I think we just, a three of us entered a spaghetti marriage. That's, I see, made the

ball. That's title of that. I don't know about you, but good title. I love that. I mean, yeah,

you and in that last chapter, you have this like, that's what I was talking about. This theme of

like funky, not only in food, but in culture and just kind of the, the approach to life,

the letter to the funky kid that you write. Yeah, tell me about that because I was, I thought

that was so sweet. I think that was actually the last thing I wrote for the book. So exclusive

funky kid is actually a title I wanted to use, but editor publisher said no. So we're going to

keep it for maybe something else. And so essentially that was a letter. I was writing to myself,

but also to the other funky kids in, in the world of like, what does it mean to grow up with food

that is not always accepted and not always loves, but to love it is for you to love yourself.

And so that was a letter to, to me and to the community that we're at this point, we can love

ourselves and we can also love our food. That's so wonderful saying. Thank you.

One of my favorite things about this book, there's so much. Again, when I got in the mail,

I just like, I shed another tear because it was so, so, so proud of you. You did the food

photography. I did. I did. In the book. And the pictures are gorgeous. Now, you never did food

photography before you got this book deal. I took what happened was he looked at the budget.

And he saw what would go to a food photographer. And he said, what did you say? He said,

what a funky kid would say. He said, funk, no, funk that. That's when I would, I would do

speaking tours and they would give me my travel budget for like a business class ticket. I said,

funky very much, booked it right in coach, pocketed that golden goose. If she could, she'd go in

steerage. Bottom bunk. Saying what did you, yeah, what, why did you, like, that's who I am,

Sue. I'm not going to be like, let me take on photography. We could even, you know, be like,

yeah, let's, let's do it ourselves. And then we do it. And we're like, oh, it's so bad. And

we'll never see the light of day AKA our social media are also our second podcast also are,

are some style. Yeah, forgot about these things that these dreams we have. But these,

these tiny, tiny dreams. Did you know you were a photographer?

I knew I had something in me, but I didn't know what it would look like. I did it.

No, these are beautiful. Thank you. I honestly, I look back. It was a whirlwind time because,

so I don't know how familiar you all are with like cookbook professional photographers.

So these sessions are usually done within one to two weeks. They do all 85, 95 recipes in two

weeks or a month, right? And so, and you usually have like a photographer, a food stylist, a prop

manager, a assistant. And so it's like five, six people in one room plus the author going through

climwashing dishes. So for me, when I decided to ask if I could do the these, the photography,

I always dreamed for myself that I, I love art in general. I love art. I love creation. And so

I think back of always going to Goodwill with my dad, like that was our place to go. And I would

always buy like electronics like of cameras of all sorts types and sorts. And I was just always

playing around with that. But I never thought that like that was in my wheelhouse to be able to

be given that opportunity to do it. And so when I was presented with a budget and they said,

you know, you can, you have, you can go find someone. And essentially, initially I did want to find

a photographer, but I wanted to find a lot of food photographer. So I put it out there and no one

answered. And so I was like, okay, maybe I should answer. And that essentially is why, what are

the reasons why I decided to do it? You were the top and only candidate for the job that you posted.

And I think representation in food photography of a loud person. I was like, okay, if there's no

one out there, I'm going to be it for myself. And so hopefully there will be more. But it's not like

you can go, hey, I'll do it. They were like, oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, they were the first set. They

were very like if he in terms of my initial ask because I didn't have anything to show them,

right? I was like, I don't know. I just hear something on my phone. I want to.

I just, I want to do it. I want the money. I need the money.

And so I decided to just take on, I had a year until I had to present what I needed to present.

So I was like, okay, this is where I'll take the online classes for photography. This is where I'll

learn the lighting setup. And then I also consulted with Kevin Miseyaki, who is a great food photographer

for many cookbooks. And putting all the through those three things together really made me feel

more confident. And so I created my portfolio within that year and sent it to them. And that was when

I got my approval. I was so happy. I was like, oh, my God, I get to do it. That's when he came

across his desk. This new, loud food photographer. And you did all the food styling and you washed all

the dishes. I mean, saying though, you are like AI, you're taking all the jobs. That part do feel

bad. But at the same time, I was like, there was no one there to take the job. Much like the immigrant

quote-unquote crisis we have in America turns out turns out we're not the problem.

You have to do all the jobs. No, do all the jobs. And I have to say, I think that this is your

other passion and your artist. You can't take photos like this if you don't love photography and

you have like something in you. Because I mean, I would say 90% of a cookbook is the photos. I mean,

they're so important to how the book is received, how the food is cooked, especially when you're

talking about food that maybe you've never seen or eaten, like that is so important. Congratulations.

Because like, wow. When I was creating these photos and I was thinking about people, I was like,

why am I going to hire someone that doesn't know loud food that doesn't know that you should have

the cupi, the shrimp paste on the side because I'm still that I'm going to have to do the extra

work of managing them. I was like, I don't need that. Oh, fussy Asian. We know that guy. Yeah.

One dish usually took like a day to two days to fully get that photo of like,

recipe testing of cooking, washing dishes, and then finally taking several shots until you get

what you like. But you even took your author photo, right, too? Didn't he take his author?

I was saying before the call how immigrant he was because we all got this like little PR link.

And so I clicked on it just to make sure I didn't miss anything. And I see a little link that says

saying by saying. And I was like, oh, he wrote a little letter to the media about himself. And I

opened it up and it's his author photo. And I said, wait, saying by saying he took his photo.

And so when you guys get your book and you see this gorgeous smiling, sweet

representation of all that is Lao food, just know that he had a blue tooth clicker in his other

hand that's not holding the sticky rice. And he took it by himself saying by saying.

Saying by saying also title of that, you know, take your pick.

I think that's it. Okay, we're going to take a quick break and then we'll be back with what's

in your card saying. Okay, sounds good.

I'm no designer, but I know my brand inside and out. And I know a generic looking website when

I see one. Wix Harmony has blown me away. It's a website builder that lets me switch back and forth

between using AI and hands-on editing tools so I can create a website exactly the way I pictured it.

I even get a personal AI agent that's an expert in web design and helps me out.

Try it out for free at wix.com slash harmony. That's wix.com slash harmony.

We're back on that's a cart. I'm your auntie Kuku. And I'm your auntie Su-Su.

And we're with chef saying saying by saying you gotta get let that roll right off your tongue saying

by saying it was my favorite little delight saying what's your attic art style? How do you shop?

How do I shop? If I see it, I will either get it right away if it's like affordable,

but if it's like up there in price, I'm going to wait. I'm going to feel it out. I'm going to

do some research. And then I usually still go buy it, but it takes a little bit longer to get there.

How long is that research period? That varies why a different dance to guess.

It's usually a week. So I'll bring it up to my partner, Ro. I'm like, what do you think about this?

Even though I already know what I think about it. I just want to know some of some others' feedback,

but most of the time it's within a week. Within a week? Okay, well let's get into your cart.

And the first thing you're sharing with us is Pokemon cards. Oh, they got me.

They got you? You got got by Pokemon. How are you? Just remind me how old you are saying?

I'm old enough. And how do you been collecting prior when you were a kid?

Okay, so I collected when I was like 10 years old. So that was like 20 years ago.

And so when I was a kid, 10 years old, allow refugee kid that barely had any money to

actually fully experience and enjoy Pokemon cards back then. So now I'm using my

saying by saying money. It's saying by saying is healing saying. Oh, this is like your Christmas

village. I get it. I get it. And so now you're buying Pokemon cards like a grown man

with the grown man's wallet. What is it? Wait, wait, yeah, do that. Wait, is that an album?

Are you going to find your vinyl? He is a thick finder. Wait, he's holding it like his security blanket.

And he's so happy. Wait, your face wasn't this lit up talking about the loud kitchen?

No, don't look at this. What is the Pokemon people will know? Okay, what is it?

It's a glacion and it's worth $155 or $500. Wow. $5 pack.

Oh, wow. When you got that, when you got that rush, right? I screamed in front of the whole

neighborhood heard me. I love it. I love the first item in your cart is what we do here too,

healing through buying. Sure. I just knew that that that had to make sense when I saw Pokemon cards

and I was confused. So your first ad to card is very youthful, right? Pokemon cards. And then

we chock, we leap to two. We leap to two, which is metamusel sugar-free.

It's so important. I don't know if you all take metamusel, but you should. Why?

Okay, so you know that colon cancer is the highest cancer that is affecting and killing people,

right? And that deals with fiber. And so get use some metamusel so we don't die,

essentially, is what I'm saying. Yeah, we're all drinking like Bieber shakes now from

Erwan. We're not getting enough vegetables. We're not getting all that fiber. And so it's

it's psyllium husk. Very familiar with that. Love it. Just recommended it to another

youthful friend yesterday. Agreed. Everyone should be having metamusel.

Or psyllium husk. Yeah. The sugar-free was a nice, a nice surprise. I didn't know that they

did that. I didn't even know that they added sugar. So that's good to know. Yeah. So you're pretty

regular, are you saying? I am so confident that you're calling confident. Is that what you're saying?

I'm colon confident. So TMI, I just had a colonoscopy. It was amazing. I never thought I would say

that about a colonoscopy because I was so scared. But you go in and out and you don't feel anything.

But then what about the before preblocks maybe? Let's talk about the preblocks.

Yeah, that's a different story. Okay, so how do you take your metamusel sugar-free? Well, the

prepsujin is a lot like the first time you worked out in that you avoid. You avoid. You clear

yourself up. Clear everything. All the demons. Imagine decades, decades of bad choices.

Wow, that's actually they're marketing that incorrectly. This is how they should be marketing.

Do you want to clear yourself of the bad choices and start fresh. Metamusel fresh, not sponsored.

Metamusel, add to cart. Somebody get this. Get the sponsors linked in. Let's send this right to

the top. Brand deal for saying. I use it every day. Metamusel is amazing. It's good too.

Wait, hold on a second. Gotta get it to hold on. Let's get you that metamusel money.

How do you take it? I just take it in the morning. I have like half a cup of water,

spoon full of metamusel, mix it together and just drink and a trick. Also, if you're on traveling

and you want to take some vitamin C powder, put it in there. It tastes even better. It's like bubbly

and orangey. Oh, it's my favorite. It's so good. It's good. I don't get it to be weird, but it's good.

This is actually worse than yours. Y'all have logged off. Okay, I heard their headphones clicking off.

That's okay. The rest of us are here. Now, young man, tell me about this boflex stationary cycling

bike. I am young, but I feel old. My body is old, which means my knees can't do too much of my

hips and my shoulders. I've been struggling looking for a physical activity that I can sustain and

do and sweat. I found cycling, boflex, the cycling bicycle that has transformed my life. I do it

probably every day in the morning, but I use the Peloton app cycling to merge and it's so

much fun. I use Cody's. Cody's the coach that I always use so much fun. I just feel like you're

working out at all. He's great. Okay, so you let me just get this picture. You get up in the morning,

you take your metamusel sugar-free with some vitamin C and then you just get on that bike and you

get things moving. You get your juices flowing. Wow. Also, the man who decided to do his own

food photography photos, he said, you got to catch me buying a Peloton bike. No. I'm going to buy

a cheaper bike, but use the hack. I'm a hack the system. I'm using Peloton app. That's right.

God. The meeting of the great minds. Right here, you guys. Spaghetti marriage.

This is what we call a spaghetti marriage. Yeah. That mentality ties into this next

at the card. You were sharing with us a Columbia fleece. You said because I can't afford

a North Face fleece. And this, by the way, according to 52,000 people, is just as good.

It is very good. So there's some probably some childhood stuff. I love my Columbia fleece,

but in my head, I was wearing North Face until I acknowledged that it was Columbia.

So I actually wrote North Face first, but I was like, wait, this is Columbia.

That's how far. That's how far the denial is. Yeah. But I love it. I have three blue ones and

then two black ones. And why do you love it? So many things. But he wears it all the time.

He's weird. Just so you know, the time of the recording, it is 91 degrees in LA. And he's still

wearing it. Why are you wearing the fleece right now? It's my comfort. Yeah. It's Wisconsin.

This is my Wisconsin attire that Wisconsin stays in you just like Columbia fleece.

It's like the first layer just in case. Okay. Wow. Huh. Interesting. And do you love it? It's

at light weight. Obviously the cost is good. They do. They last forever. Give us a little bit of

what what is it about a Columbia fleece that you love that you thought you were wearing a North

face fleece? Well, I just love how thin it is. It is so thin and breathable. And you know,

it has two pockets. You just put anything in the pockets. It has two pockets. That's your.

He's ready for anything in this. Anything. Anything. Like you're fashion at the same time

because it's nothing crazy and nothing like to it goes with everything. It's quite luxury. Yeah,

that's what fashion is about. Not being crazy and having two pockets.

Saying it. It's like the thing where so of course I don't wear this every where I go. I usually

just wear it where I'm comfortable look mostly at home. And so this is my not thinking. So when I'm

working so much that I don't want to think. So that's why. Oh, this is your Steve Jobs.

Essentially. Yes. I'm not thinking. Remember for he's photographing. He's cooking. He's cleaning.

He's lighting. He's doing all of that. Okay. Yeah. He's working. Not like us. Not like us.

Okay. So this is interesting. Oh, dare you bring a skincare product. But I have to tell you,

Steve Jobs. Yeah. You told him this is recent. Okay. This virtue sunscreen is recent because saying

I have bought saying a full good light set. Okay. I bought him pretty boy. I've over the years given him

skincare. Yeah. And to my whore. He revealed to me that his skincare consisted of was it

weight and Johnson. Okay. Look at the skin. I did not add a filter. There we go. And so I told cool

up. I was using Johnson's clean and his face is clean. And so he's been using what?

Johnson baby lotion. Do they still sell that? It's so good. Where? I haven't seen that.

You're so poor. In the baby aisle. If you can put it on a baby, you can put it on yourself.

It's my philosophy in life. Okay. Guess what? Okay. It's safe. Yeah. I guess it is safe.

Okay. And then we were like, okay. But obviously you're using sunscreen. And it was just dot, dot, dot, dot, dot.

So yeah, sunscreen is not a big thing in my life. It's new right now. So I'm trying to slowly build my

facial and cleaning of all that type of stuff. And there are so many sunscreens out there.

Welcome to sunscreen. And so you, but you chose this by the way, very good product. One of my top three.

So you landed right on the on the eagle. It's me and Olivia told them to do it. Okay. Okay.

Okay. They changed me and said, you need to use it. I was like, oh, okay. And is it like what you

thought sunscreen was going to be like? Uh-huh. I mean, it's better because it doesn't keep my face

as oily. But the having to put it on is what I forget. Let's do two pockets. I guess so.

Was put in your pocket. Don't even put it in the bathroom. You just squirt that on in the car.

It's that extra that I forget because I'm doing all these other jobs. But yes, I do need to do

more of a focus on. But this one is an add to car. And by the way, add to cart anti-approved,

which is why he has it because we've worked. It's real. It works. Yeah. And it's the round lab

birch juice moisturizing two pack for $31.99 guys. That's a good deal. Yeah. That's a good deal.

Yeah. Get it on Amazon. Get it on, uh, you know, all of young get you can get it. I think you

can get us a four or no. I'm almost certain about that everywhere. Yeah. That's a great one,

especially if you don't love wearing sunscreen. It's an easy one. Yeah. I gave that to a bunch of

wife friends for Christmas. They didn't they don't know about it. And that makes me look really smart.

And that's the best Christmas gift of all. That's right. Making me look smart. Correct.

Me helping saying. Correct. Uh, be a be a saying. Yep. Yep. Saying by saying. But by cool up.

Yep. That's usually how it is. Credit. So it's saying by saying by cool up.

Saying by saying by cool up. It's beginning marriage. There it is. This is beginning marriage.

Thank you for listening to another episode of Add to Cart. Make sure you add to

Cart the Lao kitchen cookbook wherever you get your books. Support locally if you can.

Saying. Where can people follow you? Give us everything. Your IG, your TikTok,

your YouTube and your website. So Instagram, you can find me at Sang Duong Dara. That's the same

for Facebook and TikTok. Um, YouTube is at Sang's Kitchen. And then you can find all of that

at Sang's Kitchen.com and you'll find all the links there as well. And make sure you go to

Sang's Kitchen.com because I'm assuming that your book tour dates will be there as well.

Yes. So stay tuned. And you and I are going to do a event for the blanche, right?

Yes. So April 21st, um, me and cool up will be launching the tour in LA somewhere. So save the date.

Yes. Yes. Um, is there anything else we're missing saying? How is it be promoting?

Oh, my foodie tours. Yeah, do it. So I go to Laos every year and I bring 15 people with me

from all around the world. Um, so if you want to come, we're going at the end of October.

It's at Sang's Kitchen.com slash Lao foodie tour. He took my mom when he was. Oh,

I remember this. I forgot about this. You brought this to you. You talked about this.

Sit by your mom. All this. That's it. That's it. That's too crazy. Crazy suit.

She at one point. So yeah, first of all, why she was like bringing flip flops. I don't like

fancy flip flops to hot hot Laos. She's from Laos, you're okay. And at one point, they broke,

right? Saying and she was walking around with a broken flip flops. Saying was like, man,

you can take the immigrant out, but you can't take the immigrant out, you know, deep in there.

All right. Well, um, we'd love to hear from you guys as always in the comments.

We're going to post all the, the links and everything, all the information on this week's

episode on our Instagram at add to cart pod. And of course, please make sure to go to add to cart.world

enter your email to get updates from us aunties. That's it. Thank you, Singh. Thank you. See you later. Bye.

Add to cart is an auntie's unlimited production. Executive producers are cool up the

Lysok and Sujan Pak. Tony Williams is our engineer. The music is by Wasabi and produced by L.A.

Made It and Oso Familiar with additional music by APM music. Be sure to check out all the items

mentioned today on our Instagram at add to cart pod. Follow add to cart wherever you get your podcasts.

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance

with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show. Hey, everyone,

check out this guy and his bird. What is this your first date? Oh, no. We help people customize

and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Uh, need a human,

him to a bird. Yeah, the bird looks out of your leg anyways. Only pay for what you need.

at Liberty Mutual dot com. Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty.