Making Laos: Home in a New Place

"Home in a New Place: Making Laos in Morganton, North Carolina,” explores, through the world of one family, how Lao-Americans have crafted their home in a small southern community. By chronicling the experience of the Phapphayboun family in Morganton, this project tells a larger story about emergent global landscapes across the South. My masters thesis (Folklore, UNC Chapel Hill) is the foundation of this project, which has grown into several published articles, a podcast episode, and multiple photo exhibitions.

*The monk’s home is a double-wide trailer and the worship space at Wat Lao Sayaphoum is in a transformed carport.*

The Center for the Study of the American South
UNC-Chapel Hill, Spring 2016

Home in a New Place: Making Laos in North Carolina: An exhibit featuring a selection of photos from the project, along with text panels, temple banners, and two Hmong story cloths.

*I curated a photo exhibit of my MA thesis research at UNC-Chapel Hill's Center for the Study of the American South (Spring-Summer 2016)*

“Gravy” Podcast
Southern Foodways Alliance, Feb 2016

“A Trailer, a Temple, a Feast: Making Laos in North Carolina” by Katy Clune, produced by Tina Antolini: “Sticky rice. It may not be the first dish you expect to be served in a double-wide trailer in the mountain South, but in Morganton, North Carolina, you will find it in abundance. In this episode of Gravy, Katy Clune brings us the story of one Laotian family that’s introducing their community to their food and faith, and working to make themselves a home in the South . . .”

Gravy Quarterly Magazine
Southern Foodways Alliance, Fall 2015

Tasting Laos in the North Carolina Mountains: “In the quiet of the early morning in Vientiane, steam rises from sticky rice. Women sit on low bamboo stools waiting for tak baht, the morning ritual of serving monks their daily meal. Wrapped in dark orange robes, young men cradling alms bowls walk single file. As they pass each group of morning worshippers, the men stop, turn to face away from the street, and chant in thanks . . .”

*The monks of Morganton accept home-cooked meals four times a week in place of walking the streets at dawn for their daily alms. Somchit Sengdavone (left) and Somphet Souriyavongsa (right).*

Our State Magazine, Sep 2015

Asian Fusion Kitchen Brings a Taste of Laos to Morganton: “All around the dining room of Asian Fusion Kitchen, Morgantonians gamely pinch sticky rice with their fingers, sopping up sauce just as they would in Laos.”

Carolina Arts & Sciences Magazine, Fall 2015

“Mapping a Culinary Mashup: Laos and a Local Community” by Dee Reid: “When Katy Clune arrived at Carolina for graduate folklore studies two years ago, she intended to weave together her interests in Southeast Asia and textiles. She had spent her childhood in Indonesia and worked most recently at the Textile Museum at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.”

WUNC, The State of Things Public Radio Program, March 2015

“From Hot To Salty, Smoky And Sweet, What Our State’s Flavors Say About Who We Are” interview with Katy Clune, Marcie Cohen Ferris, and Sharon P. Holland: “Hot, salty/smoky, sour/bitter, sweet, savory, and sharp: a flavor profile can evoke a particular style of food, and in turn, food can give insight to a community’s public health, history and policies. This week, students, faculty, entrepreneurs and community members at UNC-Chapel Hill gather to explore the history, politics and culture of North Carolina food using the six flavor profiles as a guide.”