Meet Sam Ung, owner and former head chef of Phnom Penh Noodle House of Seattle. I've been a patron for over a decade and whenever I walked into his restaurant Sam always took the time to sit down to chitchat. My go-to meal is Mee Katang See-iv; a Cambodian dish similar to Phad Thai, but served with wide rice noodles along with beef, chicken or pork. I must've eaten this dish over a hundred times and had just as many conversations with Sam – not once did he ever mention his past. At least not until I saw a book resting on the hostess counter authored by none other than himself. The true tale of his asylum and immigration from Cambodia. A distant memory and a tragic story of how he survived the killing fields to escape the Khmer Rouge.
I eagerly read it within an hour while scarfing down a bowl of stir fried noodles. After wiping away a few tears I offered to help him promote his novel. I enlisted the help from my friend, Deborah Van Patten, to organize the storyboard while I grabbed my camera and started recording. Hope you enjoy the feature.