- 2 days ago
Tony experiences the wide range of Sri Lankan cuisine in Colombo.
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00:14There's a quote somewhere describing the old days of exploration and empire that all Europe
00:19has fallen in love with Ceylon. The Portuguese thought they discovered the Garden of Eden,
00:27the crown jewel of the spice trade. Cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, pepper, mace, ginger.
00:38The object of desire of many empires. The Chinese called Ceylon, now Sri Lanka,
00:45the land without sorrow. Though I doubt anyone would say that today.
00:54I'm Anthony Bourdain. I write, I travel, I eat, and I'm hungry for more.
01:02Ooh, you got to get the bottles. No reservations, sir.
01:24The Indian Ocean crashes against the seawall just outside the windows of the old hotel.
01:32There's a crack of thunder, and lightning lights up the horizon.
01:39In the distance, the dark silhouettes of oil tankers from Indonesia and points east scud slowly towards the Persian Gulf
01:47and beyond.
01:50Colombo, Sri Lanka.
01:56This is where I wake up every morning. This is where I come home to every night.
02:01The hotel is a little creepy, but in a cool, graham-greeny, grand colonial hotel in a post-colonial wartime
02:08sort of a way.
02:11And yeah, there are sinister-looking guys with guns hanging out at the beach.
02:15And yes, there are crows everywhere. Hundreds of them.
02:20Giant bastards. And loud. An army of them shrieking and diving right outside your window.
02:25But it's up to this guy, apparently, armed with only a slingshot to keep them away from the guests and
02:31their breakfast.
02:34But even the strangeness of the hotel is nothing compared to the pressurized environment of the city itself.
02:43I've never seen so many men with guns.
02:45Every few hundred yards, they stand at the ready in camos, fatigues, full dress, gloved fingers near the triggers of
02:51their old AKs and their newer M-16s.
02:54The whole city is a series of concentric security cordons, all traffic fed through carefully monitored and guarded choke points.
03:01Even next to the balcony at my own hotel, heavy weaponry is present.
03:05A belt-fed .50 caliber and its crew ready at a moment's notice.
03:09It's 30 years into a civil war between the central government and the liberation tigers of Tamil Elam.
03:15A militant, separatist army fighting to create an independent state in the Northeast.
03:21In almost every other respect, Colombo goes on as if nothing is happening.
03:25In the madcap daily realities of a South Asian city, the crowded streets, the crush of commerce, the relentless equatorial
03:32sun, the humidity, and traffic only add to the sense of unreality.
03:39And weaving around town in one of these nausea-inducing, ubiquitous transport options called a tri-shaw with our Sri
03:45Lankan-American fixer, Skiz, certainly isn't helping anything.
03:49Good night.
03:52That happens too. Lucky a train's not coming.
03:56Born in Texas, raised in Baltimore, Skiz came back a few years ago to write a book about Sri Lankan
04:01cuisine.
04:03Namal, our driver, is Skiz's local mentor.
04:06Namal is a bit of a daredevil on the road, but don't worry about it. He's never got an accident.
04:10It's all good.
04:12Clouds of diesel smoke, the occasional stop and start, and Namal wheeling our tri-shaw through crazy-ass traffic while
04:18simultaneously working the call center for Citibank,
04:23it isn't exactly helping me work up an appetite.
04:26Even the egg I've been promised for breakfast might be difficult to choke down.
04:29So, Tony, this is one of the ubiquitous little street stalls that serve hoppers.
04:36You can find them everywhere.
04:38And here we go.
04:48I feel like I'm breathing through a thin straw.
04:52A cloud of burning spices emanating for the back of the restaurant is not helping matters.
04:57For the first time in my career as an eater and drinker, I'm really afraid I've lost it.
05:02The sun is really strong in this part of the world, too, you know, because we're so close to the
05:05equator.
05:06It's like a whole different sun.
05:08Namal is a good guy for Colombo.
05:10So when I was working on my cookbook here last year, he actually introduced me to a lot of little
05:15places like this,
05:16which I would never have known about.
05:18I'm struggling mightily to feign interest here.
05:20Not that what Skiz is saying isn't interesting.
05:22I just feel like I'm dying.
05:26But this is presumably a food show, and at least it's just going to be an egg.
05:30I should be able to handle that.
05:33What the f***?
05:36Yeah, these are all the condiments for the hoppers.
05:38These are condiments?
05:40Condiments are like ketchup and mustard, chilies, maybe.
05:43These are major bowls of meat and spiced vegetables.
05:47Actually, this is actually a light meal.
05:48Usually rice is the heavy meal.
05:50Really?
05:51A typical meal here, it turns out, includes a main dish as well as a host of curries and sambals
05:57to enhance, flavor, and extend the starchy base.
06:00This is called simi sambal.
06:02It's actually got onion, chili, tamarind, and a little bit of sugar.
06:05This is the coconut sambal chicken curry.
06:08And this is called lunamiris.
06:10This is pretty spicy.
06:11This is just onion and chili.
06:13Ordinarily, exactly what I love.
06:15But I'm really beginning to worry.
06:17I have zero appetite for anything.
06:20You want to start with a regular wine, Tony, or are you going to wait for an egg?
06:24I'm going to see how the whole egg thing kind of works.
06:27The hopper.
06:28A wafer-thin, cup-shaped pancake made from a fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk,
06:33and a dash of palm wine.
06:35Cottle an egg in the center, and you're ready to roll.
06:38Oh, that looks really good.
06:40There we go.
06:40All right.
06:41And then how do I eat this?
06:42Pick it up like a boat.
06:43You can eat it however you want.
06:44I mean, you know, you can break it apart.
06:46You can put the stuff inside and just roll it up.
06:51And how's the spice factor for you?
06:54Spice actually is good.
06:55Yeah?
06:56I like the spices here.
06:57I like that.
06:58And it is good, but I'm still feeling wrong.
07:01As much as I want to explore the city more, I'm not feeling it at all.
07:05I'm thinking more about shade and a cool drink more than anything.
07:13Coming up, it's heat, heat, and more heat.
07:16Another sweltering, oppressive, yet thoroughly delicious day in Columbus.
07:20Hope you're hungry, Ty.
07:22I am now.
07:25No reservation.
07:31It's hot.
07:32Relentlessly hot.
07:33Three showers a day hot.
07:35Three changes of clothes hot.
07:37I feel swollen, bloated, queasy, and exhausted.
07:41Utterly beaten down by the heat.
07:51The Maradona neighborhood is built on what was once the most prized cinnamon plantation
07:55in all of Colombo.
07:56Nowadays, like much of town, it's hectic and congested.
08:00Also home to a large Muslim population who've retained a lot of their culinary traditions,
08:05like this, chicken buriyani.
08:08And Skiz has a bead on a place nearby that specializes in this stuff.
08:12In this case, with a decidedly Sri Lankan twist.
08:15It's not really a restaurant.
08:17It's a catering company.
08:20It's called Rivka Caterers.
08:22And the guy who runs it has been making buriyani for 35 years.
08:29Down a narrow alley, past what looks like a medieval ironworks, lies the nerve center
08:33of the Rivka Catering Company.
08:35They cater for hotels and for Muslim weddings.
08:39For like parties at hotels.
08:40You saw the size of the pots in there.
08:42Yeah.
08:42But they're also packing like lunches to go, I see.
08:45Inside this fairly primitive-looking utilitarian cooking space, spices, leeks, and vegetables
08:51simmer inside an enormous pot.
08:53And these are just the condiments.
08:54These are typical Sri Lankan dishes.
08:56This is the mixed pickle achara.
08:58It's got capsicum, onions, peppers, curry leaves, and it's in a date paste.
09:02Haven't seen that before.
09:03This is the liver, peas, and cashew curry.
09:06That's new Walsah.
09:07And that's the Maldive fish.
09:08This is the Maldive fish, just ground up, a little oil maybe.
09:11Yeah.
09:12This barrage of condiments, the collision of intense flavors meant to further enhance the
09:16buriyani.
09:17Nice.
09:18Hope you're hungry, Ty.
09:20I am now.
09:21Dig in.
09:24Oh yeah, it's delicious, moist, spicy, and good.
09:27A labor-intensive meal to prepare, this is different from the versions I've tried before.
09:32Parboiled, short-grain, white samba rice put in vat with raw chicken and spices, seal with
09:37dough, and cook low and slow for hours.
09:41When they cook the buriyani, they layer the spices.
09:43They don't even measure.
09:44The guy was taking like a handful of cumin, a handful of coriander, pretty much everything
09:49in there.
09:49There's a lot going on.
09:51The secret ingredient?
09:52Buriyani masala, an aromatic mixture of Sri Lanka's most famous spices.
09:57Try a little.
09:59What do you taste in there?
10:00Clove.
10:02Clove, cardamom, chili powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise.
10:07There's so many flavors in here, it's crazy.
10:10Basically, you know, buriyani is an Indian dish, and they've adapted it to the Sri Lankan
10:15powder.
10:16You know, and that's just in the buriyani itself.
10:18That's just in the buriyani itself.
10:20That's why.
10:20Then you start adding in the condiments, and you're getting really some complex combinations
10:24going on.
10:25There's something I kind of wasn't getting when I first got here was, how can you take
10:28all of these different complex flavors?
10:30So you put them all on your plate like an artist's palette.
10:32Then you bashed them all together.
10:33I'm thinking, that's kind of wrong.
10:36Now I'm getting it, though.
10:38The food, like the city and the heat, never seemed to let up.
10:42We're going to be ready for a nap after this.
10:44Another hot day in Sri Lanka.
10:46Uh-huh.
10:47The crows, the guns, the heat.
10:50At this point, my brain is cooked and shriveled like a dried apricot.
10:54I'm desperate for a reprieve.
11:03Cloves, cardamom, pepper, nutmeg, mace, ginger, and cinnamon.
11:09All at work here.
11:10Walk down the street, you can smell them in the air.
11:13It was these spices that built empires.
11:16They were the cause of wars, exploration, enlightenment, and many, many deaths.
11:21A tradition that is not lost on this guy.
11:24Hi, come on.
11:25Good to meet you.
11:26Colu, chef at the Barefoot Cafe, an oasis of quiet and calm.
11:31Nice and cool here.
11:33So how long have you been a chef in Sri Lanka?
11:37I started at 16.
11:39Chef Colu deals in traditional Sinalese cooking.
11:45How long have you been in business in Colombo doing Sri Lankan food?
11:50We're going on our 10th year here.
11:52When I started out, it was a very big profession here because our tourism was booming here at that time.
11:57Right.
11:57Then after we had a terrible change with all the problems here, all the hotels got empty.
12:03Everybody started leaving.
12:05It's really changed here.
12:07Civil war.
12:08Not good PR for the tourism industry.
12:13Today, Colu strains slightly off the regular menu to make one of his signature dishes.
12:18This is, of course, a pork halupol curry.
12:22We roast the coconut and rice together and then grind it and cook the curry here.
12:26In Sri Lanka, curries are classified by their spices and method of cooking rather than by their main ingredient.
12:33There are red curries, white curries, and the distinctively Sinhalese black curry.
12:39I have to admit, I knew next to nothing about Sri Lankan food before I came.
12:44The biggest problem, they always think Sri Lanka is connected to India.
12:47But it seems to have more variety in Sri Lankan food already.
12:51Right, I'm seeing a lot of, like, aromatic greens and herb or leaves and whole chilies in the food here.
12:58But the difference, we use it direct and not ground into a paste.
13:02Right.
13:02What are the principal spices that are in these dishes, the dry spices?
13:06The coriander seed, coming seed, a little bit of fenugreek, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon.
13:11They're actually all roasted and ground together.
13:14I love Sri Lankan food. I love spicy food.
13:17Because we believe in this Sri Lanka, which is called Athwasi.
13:21That is, you have the blessings of luck in your hand to cook.
13:25Mm-hmm.
13:26So if you have that, there's nothing you can't do.
13:29Great meal. Really enjoyed. Thank you.
13:32An amazing meal in a peaceful setting.
13:35It's almost as if the guns and closeness of Colombo have disappeared.
13:39Almost.
13:43Ahead, a last remnant of colonial empire.
13:46And yes, more curry.
13:50What did you do, Todd?
13:52And another Liebler-related international incident.
13:55Todd, Todd, Todd.
13:57If we come back.
14:00No reservation.
14:05No reservation.
14:10At 5 a.m. in Colombo, Sri Lanka's biggest and busiest city, the day's catch is unloaded from boats.
14:17In markets and shops across the city, people begin their daily routines.
14:21By 8 a.m., the heat and closeness are already overwhelming.
14:28It's enough to make you want to run to the nearest shade.
14:33So where are we headed now?
14:35We're headed to the Dutch Burger Union, which is a community center of the Dutch Burger community in Sri Lanka.
14:42Every former colony has one.
14:44A portion of society with colonial ancestry that fervently hangs on to its past while trying to maintain relevance in
14:51a post-colonial world.
14:52And as my friend Jagdash is about to show me, in Sri Lanka, these post-colonial elite are known as
14:58the Dutch Burgers.
14:59Ah, here we are.
15:01Across a manicured lawn, another kind of an oasis.
15:04The traffic, the roadblocks, the machine guns seem a million miles away.
15:14There are rooms like this all across Asia, the last remnants of long-gone empires where the few, the proud,
15:21the usually well-lubricated, hang on to a past they very likely don't remember.
15:26I actually have a soft spot for this kind of thing, as long as there's no snooty attitude to go
15:31with it.
15:32These guys are jovial enough, and they're offering me liquor at 11 a.m., which is what I call friendly.
15:37Jagdash's friend Stephen is here to help us in that department.
15:40What do you drink around here?
15:41My instinct here is to, you know, a pink gin or a gin tonic.
15:45Drink Eric.
15:46Really?
15:47You should try it.
15:48I think you should try a couple of different Eric's for what the different grades of Eric taste like.
15:53Now, what is it anyway?
15:56It's a spirit distilled from coconut.
15:59It's aged, obviously, because in a cask or something?
16:02Where does the brown color come from?
16:04I don't know.
16:05I don't know.
16:06Who knows, who knows, who knows where?
16:08I know who would know.
16:10Hold on a minute.
16:10Tony.
16:11Sir.
16:11This is David.
16:12Hi, hi.
16:13So, he wants to know why, where the color comes from.
16:16Burned sugar.
16:17Burned sugar.
16:18Is this light rum in that respect?
16:21Similar to that.
16:23All right, and so drinking this at 11 o'clock in the morning out of shot glass is a perfectly
16:27acceptable normal behavior in this club?
16:2911.20.
16:30You're getting closer to noon.
16:38Let's take a whiff here.
16:40Let me try one.
16:41There's money in your eye.
16:44Cheers.
16:46Welcome to Sri Lanka.
16:59To what extent do Dutch burgers actually associate themselves with Holland?
17:06In my grandmother's time, it was a big deal, but I think that's gone, and I think that burgers today
17:11tend to look upon all of us as burgers, and we don't necessarily make the distinction anymore.
17:18Right.
17:18This is the mother country.
17:19This is the mother country, absolutely.
17:21So, the club.
17:22Who's in this club and who should be in this club?
17:24Who can be a member?
17:25Anybody.
17:25Anybody can become a member, but not necessarily be a voting member.
17:30I'm very careful about food checks in this club, because everybody can't just walk in on the street and become
17:36a member.
17:36No shorts.
17:37Right.
17:37No thongs.
17:38Right.
17:38Is there a background check?
17:40I need to give you a...
17:40Yeah, there it is.
17:41Oh, so I'm ******.
17:46I mean, I'm fulfilling a long-standing sort of ambition.
17:51You know, I want to be at a colonial-style club in some place fabulous and far away.
17:58Hey, here I am.
18:00And then I want somebody to say, let's go play snooker.
18:06As if this place didn't already scream colonial gentility, why not seal the deal with a game of snooker?
18:12Thank you, yes, I will stand here and look like I know what I'm doing.
18:14Developed by British Army officers in India in the 19th century as an alternative to paddling each other's bottoms, it
18:20hung on.
18:21And not just here, but back in the UK as well.
18:24Got it.
18:25I think.
18:28While nobody told me I sucked, I wasn't exactly a champion either.
18:32Perhaps a return to the bar is the best course of action.
18:34So essentially, if you have a European ancestor...
18:37Or not.
18:38Or not.
18:38And you're looking to join the warm embrace of a hundred-year-old society, where everyone enjoys a cocktail at
18:4511.30 in the morning.
18:48No snooker skills required.
18:50This would be a good place to come.
18:54The Dutch burgers are now more social club than management class, but here they are, still sipping their Aarex and
19:00gin and tonics,
19:01still banging balls around the snooker table under slowly moving ceiling fans.
19:09The good times apparently still roll at the DBU, but not far from here, in the tidy, gated, middle-class
19:16homes of the Kira-la-Pane neighborhood,
19:18feelings are more measured.
19:21Hi, Jagdish.
19:22Good time at the DBU?
19:23Yes, wonderful time.
19:25Jagdish's friend Lorraine has invited us over for a Dutch burger classic, l'omprei.
19:29When I first heard about this dish, l'omprei, I was thinking l'omprei, I was thinking eel.
19:34But that's not what this is about at all, you know?
19:37With her domestic helper, Hema, by her side doing the prep, Lorraine puts together this quite wonderful and very complex
19:43dish.
19:44Curry leaves, Hema.
19:47Ginger, Hema.
19:49The diced beef, Hema.
19:51Chili powder, Hema.
19:56Now, is this a burger dish?
19:58Yes, traditionally made by the Dutch burgers.
20:01What's Dutch about?
20:02Well, it's their version of a rice and curry, I think.
20:05Mm-hmm.
20:06Onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, chili powder, tamarind, and chicken, beef, and pork.
20:12And then Hema will mix it with her fingers.
20:17Mmm.
20:18Mmm.
20:18Mmm.
20:25That's fine.
20:26The meats, poultry, and spices are added to a filling of rice and wrapped, then baked, in a banana leaf.
20:32The result tastes pretty amazing.
20:35That's good.
20:36Mmm.
20:37This is a history of the entire sort of spice route and the history of world trade kind of going
20:43on in this.
20:44Unfortunately, in this country, anything that's wrapped in a banana leaf is now called a lamb fry.
20:49That is not.
20:50Not so.
20:51Not the traditional lamb fry.
20:52But when you talk about the community, Lorraine, you normally refer to yourselves as burgers, right?
20:56Yeah.
20:57For instance, on an immigration form, I'd say burger.
21:00I wouldn't say Dutch burger.
21:01What are you, to say, Sinhalese would be, you're not?
21:06No.
21:07Why not?
21:08My mother and father were not Sinhalese.
21:10My grandmother and grandfather were not Sinhalese.
21:13Is there any disadvantage or benefit to being a burger?
21:19That you care to talk about?
21:23It's very much a political thing, Anthony, as you'll find in lots of countries.
21:29Of course.
21:29We seem to be looked on as foreigners in our own country sometimes.
21:33They changed the education system in the 1950s and made it Sinhalese only.
21:39It was at that point that there was a mass exodus of burgers to Australia, to the UK, and to
21:47Canada.
21:48I mean, I guess what I'm asking, was there ever suddenly a new attitude of hostility or marginalization?
21:55No, there was a general feeling of patriotism amongst the Sinhalese.
22:00Right.
22:01Now, was that necessarily a bad thing?
22:05Well, only in that it made wedges and divisions between the other communities and the Sinhalese.
22:10But it was Ceylon.
22:11We were all Sinhanese.
22:13Right.
22:13And we never looked at you and said, you know, you're Sinhalese and he's Tamil.
22:17I mean, you see yourself as Sri Lankan first.
22:19We're all Sri Lanka.
22:20We're all Sri Lankans.
22:22For a variety of reasons, I do not wish to leave Sri Lanka.
22:25I love Sri Lanka.
22:27This is my home.
22:28But my mother, my brother and sister, and my cousins, and all my other, the extended family
22:35are all in Australia.
22:37And there are times when I feel quite isolated here.
22:44And I wish that the burgers never left.
22:48They were known for their honesty and integrity.
22:50And they have a ponchong for good living, good food, partying, have a good time.
22:59This, by the way, extraordinarily good.
23:01Wonderful and unique and unlike anything from anywhere.
23:05Really.
23:06I mean, I'm eating way, way, way too much.
23:07I demolished my turf, I must admit.
23:10You enjoyed?
23:11I absolutely enjoyed it.
23:12Jagdish.
23:13Very good.
23:14Thank you, Larry.
23:16After several hours of burgers and lamenting the lost world of old Salon, I'm ready for
23:21something a little more down to earth.
23:26But for the time being, I'll settle for Jagdish's 1967 Austin Healy Roadster.
23:34We're heading out into the night, looking for the Sri Lankan late night post nightclub
23:39favorite, Kotu Roti.
23:43So this is where the action happens?
23:51Something unique to Sri Lankan is this dish known as Kotu Roti, which literally means
23:55chopped roti.
23:56And it's very popular among late night party goers.
24:00So we'll just order a couple and do it.
24:02Two, please.
24:05Behold this simple, delicious, and gut-busting dish.
24:08Diced veggies, raw beaten egg, chopped wheat roti bread, and a heavy dollop of curry sauce.
24:14All cooked together on a griddle while being noisily pulverized with a bench scraper.
24:22It's always that noisy.
24:24That's...
24:24Can you hear that?
24:27You know this, you know.
24:33What did you do, Todd?
24:34Oh, there's some roti on the floor.
24:39Cameraman Todd Liebler.
24:40Maybe you know him from such previous international embarrassments as the Indonesian pedang scene.
24:48What happened?
24:49A little accident.
24:51Our cameraman just wiped out the entire supply of food for this entire restaurant.
24:55Oh, my God.
24:57Ah, yes, it's coming back like a bad dream.
25:00History repeating itself as Todd, in one fell swoop, wipes out the restaurant's evening supply of roti.
25:06Look at him.
25:07He's pretending nothing happened.
25:10Todd, you're legendary for this.
25:11Once again, literally backing into fame.
25:15Or infamy.
25:17Well, I can tell you right now.
25:18That's fine.
25:20Well, I think we learned something here today.
25:30So, shall we sit down and see whether we can avoid dumping this onto this fine automobile?
25:44Would you like a little extra gravy on yours?
25:46Yes.
25:47Wow.
25:48It's a cable service.
25:50It's a little too dry for me otherwise.
25:53Mmm.
25:54Yeah, now we're talking.
25:56A little burn action there, too.
25:58So, yeah, so Koto started off as the humble, like I said, street side food.
26:02And now, I would say it's the national food of Sri Lanka.
26:05It doesn't matter where you come from, how much you earn, what part of society you belong to.
26:11Everyone needs it.
26:12I like the sauce dude that comes around with.
26:15Is that just VIP treatment?
26:16No, no, no, no.
26:17I mean, basically, they serve you in the car.
26:20And the other reason to sit in your car is because it's a social activity.
26:24It's driving by.
26:25You kind of look out to see if you know anybody.
26:28You know, sitting there having one.
26:29I saw crews by you looking for a roti joint where all your friends are.
26:32Yeah.
26:34Right, so it's really, it's like Pavlov's dog.
26:37You know, you hear that clack, clack, clack, and you start to salivate.
26:40You might not have thought of being hungry in your drunken condition, but once you hear
26:43that clack, clack, clack, you know.
26:44Just draws me.
26:46Late night Colombo.
26:47The relatively cooler temperature, the quieter streets, the kind of convivial atmosphere
26:52that comes after many cocktails, and a mess of delightfully junky speed food.
26:58From a region obliterated by natural disaster to a community reborn.
27:03All thanks to this guy.
27:05Could you come to New Orleans?
27:06They need your help there still.
27:11No reservations.
27:24Typically, the grind of a tight shooting schedule can be remedied by retreating to the insulated
27:28calm of my hotel.
27:35But in Colombo, you're always aware of something being off.
27:45A feeling only heightened by the fact that it's Christmas time in this half-armed camp,
27:49half-tropical Santa's workshop.
27:58Walking through the hallways and corridors, the scent of pine needles, the glowing strings
28:05of lights, the constant heat lightning, a band that plays for an empty dance floor, lavish decorations
28:16meant for hundreds that stand virtually empty.
28:19It feels something like a South Asian version of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining.
28:25I feel very, very far from home.
28:33So when we head out of town on the train, me and Skiz make it a run south along the
28:37coast,
28:37the whole world seems to open up.
28:43The weight lifts, the clouds part, you can almost forget there's a war on.
28:49The train cuts right along the sea.
28:51At other times, a kaleidoscope, a montage of daily life.
28:55Clacking and swaying through backyards, kids on their way to school, scenes of everyday life,
29:01seen for a second, then gone, replaced by another, and then another.
29:08With each stop, the masses heading to points south enjoy mingling with a rotating series of performers.
29:18And roving food vendors.
29:24Snacks, anyone?
29:25All right, man, let's eat.
29:26Sri Lanka, home of the so-called short eat.
29:29A classification basically referring to anything you can swallow in one bite.
29:34All right, excellent.
29:36Fried prawns.
29:37Try one?
29:38Yeah, all right.
29:40And fish samosas.
29:42Coconut oil and spice.
29:45Fish.
29:46Oh, yeah.
29:47Yeah, this is turning into a full-on breakfast, man.
29:50My temporary feelings of euphoria, freedom, and well-being, however, are tempered by the knowledge
29:55that just four years ago, this very train line, right about here, was the scene of one
30:00of the worst natural calamities in modern history.
30:07The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 struck the eastern and southern coasts of Sri Lanka.
30:12In what became known as the Queen of the Sea rail disaster, over 2,000 people were killed,
30:17swept right off the rails.
30:28Now, almost four years to the day since that awful morning, Skiz and I are taking the same
30:33route to check on a town where one man has done what an entire government did not.
30:41So what's the name of the town we're going?
30:44We're headed south to a town called Hickaduwa, which is a, it's like a big resort.
30:49It's like a big resort in town now, you get a lot of five-star hotels.
30:51There's a, there's a little village close by called Sinegama, where a friend of mine lives,
30:56Krishil, you're going to meet him.
30:57And the place was obviously devastated by the tsunami, and instead of, instead of just like
31:02rebuilding his own house and, you know, taking care of himself, Krishil started a foundation,
31:08not affiliated with the government at all.
31:11And he raised money through NGOs and private sources.
31:15And they basically rebuilt this village.
31:22Just north of the town of Hickaduwa, about two hours south of Colombo, the fishing village
31:26of Sinegama was virtually wiped off the map.
31:35Boats swept out to sea, houses ripped from their foundations.
31:39Nothing left but empty lots, steps leading to nothing.
31:46How many people were killed around during, in Sri Lanka alone?
31:50In Sri Lanka, the last report I read was 47,000.
31:54And displaced?
31:57Displaced?
31:57Displaced?
31:57Probably double that, you know?
32:00I mean, because most of the people who live here are fishermen.
32:02Right.
32:02And they make their living from the sea.
32:04And as you can see, they live in like little wooden shacks and stuff like that.
32:07That's, stood no chance.
32:09So this was all under, apparently the waves were like 30 feet?
32:1230 feet high waves.
32:13And it was actually two waves.
32:15One wave came in first, and then the water was sucked back out, and then another wave came in.
32:21And that kind of stayed in?
32:23Yeah.
32:24And Kushil told me the water went inland about one mile.
32:30But all was not lost.
32:32Kushil Gunaskara offered up his own home.
32:35First as shelter, then as a center for an entire network of services that helped rebuild a village and beyond.
32:41Everybody knows, you know, you and the show.
32:44Oh yeah, really?
32:45The U.S. Ambassador sent me a note saying,
32:48Kushil, what's the coup behind getting Anthony to Senegal?
32:53We're very happy and very honored to be here.
32:55Thanks for having us.
32:56Thank you indeed.
32:57As Kushil takes us around the facility, it's clear that this has evolved into far more than a temporary fix.
33:04His organization, the Foundation of Goodness, has established a wide range of services.
33:09A medical center, a preschool, a business and service skills center, recreational facilities, all open to the public at no
33:16cost.
33:17So it's become a gigantic project that I never dreamt of.
33:21And growing.
33:22Yeah.
33:22He's gone beyond rebuilding to advance an entire community, way past where they were before the waves came.
33:29So today, after four years, we have 30 different sectors now serving 20,000 villages in 25 different communities.
33:37This model could be replicated in other developing nations.
33:41Can you come to New Orleans?
33:42They need your help there still.
33:45Luckily for me, his generosity extends to an incredible meal of Sri Lankan low country specialties.
33:51Is this the red rice?
33:53Yes.
33:53Yes.
33:54Red rice, a variety indigenous to the region, cooked with pinkish husks still on.
34:00Paripu, or yellow lentil curry.
34:02Chew.
34:04Claypot simmered tuna with chili and onion.
34:07It's got this fruit called a gorka in it, which gives it a sour taste.
34:12The ever-present coconut sambal.
34:15I think you need to take some jackfruit as well.
34:19Oh, yes.
34:20Right.
34:20That's it.
34:21Here we go.
34:21And stewed jackfruit curry.
34:27Mmm.
34:30Jackfruit's great.
34:32So what are your aspirations for the center?
34:34Five years down the road, where would you like it to be?
34:37I think the priority now is to sustain these facilities that we have put up, because that's the idea.
34:43It has to be spread around for everyone to get the best chance and the opportunity.
34:47And it is such a good feeling to see that, you know, what came out of adversity now has been
34:55turned into a blessing.
34:57Kushil has done many amazing and selfless things here, and it's good to see after the hair-trigger tension of
35:03Colombo.
35:05After the break, a trip further and deeper into the Sri Lankan countryside.
35:09Watch out for the snakes, Tony.
35:32The more time and distance I get from Colombo, the more I like Sri Lanka.
35:37So today is a good day.
35:40Skiz has taken me north to the coastal town of Chalau to visit family and friends for a feast.
35:46A regional specialty cooked by a specialist.
35:51Skiz's cousin Sam is something of an amateur naturalist.
35:54In fact, he knows everything about, like, everything.
36:01Though you still see the occasional checkpoint, they're mostly concerned with inbound traffic towards the capital.
36:07These guys aren't very worried about people going out.
36:10They're more worried about people coming in.
36:12So what's the name of this town where we're going?
36:14This is Chilau. Now we're leaving Chilau.
36:16In the old days, these things used to be coconut estates running for miles.
36:22You wouldn't see a person. You wouldn't see a house.
36:25What else do they cultivate, though? Mango? Papaw?
36:29But Skiz, according to such books as this one,
36:34Rice and Curry, Sri Lankan Home Cooking by such authors as...
36:38Oh, yeah, you.
36:39Like, apparently they like it spicy around here.
36:42Well, the Chilau crab curry is known around Sri Lanka.
36:46Yeah. Really?
36:47That's like, yeah, one of the spiciest dishes.
36:49Guaranteed, like, Asperger in the morning?
36:51Oh, yeah.
36:52Excellent.
36:53As is so often the case when you sit down at a Sri Lankan table,
36:57a number of different curries are headed your way.
36:59But it's the crab that's the hottest.
37:04Hello, Leela.
37:06We arrive at our destination, which is really less a place than a person.
37:10Thank you, Leela.
37:11Leela cooked for Skiz and Sam's families for over 45 years of her life.
37:15The relationship evolved quickly into one single extended family,
37:19with Leela now retired into a position as sort of an honored great aunt.
37:27This is a living repository of the very best and most authentically prepared Sri Lankan dishes.
37:32In her head are thousands of recipes utilizing the endless ingredients available on this island,
37:38and yet she uses no recipes, weights, or measures.
37:42Everything Leela cooks, every dash, sprinkle, or portion, comes from a lifetime's immersion into the flavors available.
37:50Measurements by eye, by hand, the way she's always done things.
37:55This meal is going to be amazing.
37:57Unfortunately, it takes hours to prepare, but no matter, a drink before dinner is always a good idea.
38:02So, I'm thinking about some toddy.
38:03Okay.
38:04Let's go get some straight off the tree.
38:06Toddy time?
38:07Why, yes.
38:09That's it up there.
38:10Billy, that's the source of our sparkling beverage?
38:13As long as it's you and not me going for the tap.
38:16So you're going straight up the tree, right?
38:18Not me.
38:19Who do we got?
38:20Not me either.
38:21Don't look at me.
38:22Don't look at me.
38:24Oh.
38:27That needs some special skills.
38:29It's like milking a coconut tree.
38:31You climb up the tree, find a coconut flower, attach your container, cut the flower, and collect sap.
38:38Toddy starts out non-alcoholic, but quickly ferments, which is to say,
38:42it improves.
38:43And that's good toddy.
38:44If you leave it to ferment for a couple of hours, it also starts frothing.
38:49And that's the time you know that you're going to get a good kick out of it.
38:52But right now, this is sweet toddy.
38:57First, get the bouquet.
39:00Ooh, cool and refreshing.
39:05Except for the crabs, which we picked up on the way and which, after an escape attempt, required a little
39:09wrangling.
39:12Everything we're eating came from within a short walking distance.
39:16Some ingredients are a bit of a reach, like these go-to kola nuts.
39:21But most ingredients require time, a lot of time, and constant attention.
39:27They do have electricity here, but it's hard to see how that would speed up the dozens of little procedures
39:32so many of the dishes require.
39:37The wait is over.
39:39Mealtime.
39:41I've been waiting a long time to eat this crab curry.
39:44No one makes it like Leela.
39:46Oh yeah, you're not kidding.
39:50No reservation.
39:58The ancient Persians referred to Sri Lanka as serendib, from which we get the word serendipity.
40:05You did it again, Leela.
40:07Go home or a high?
40:08Go home or a high.
40:10Finding Skiz, his family, and this woman Leela, this incredible cook, if that wasn't serendipity, I don't know what is.
40:18What is spread?
40:20Leela, thank you so much.
40:21You can't make anything.
40:23Chicken curry.
40:24This has got everything in there, the liver, the kidneys, all that good stuff, right?
40:27Cashew curry.
40:28All the flavors, all the colors.
40:31I've been waiting a long time to eat this crab curry.
40:35No one makes it like Leela.
40:36Oh yeah, you're not kidding.
40:38Amazing home cooked food surrounded by friends and families.
40:43Just two hours from the closeness and crowds and, well, paranoia of the capital, this feels like another world.
40:49Oh man, that's good. The crab curry is unbelievable.
40:52Why is this chill-out crab curry so known in Sri Lanka?
40:56Probably in the name.
40:58Most probably because in the other parts of the island, they don't spice it like this.
41:02And they don't have the big crabs.
41:05This area is quite well known for their seafood stuff.
41:08How often do you come to visit?
41:10No, we try to make it every six months.
41:12Yeah.
41:13Because as you know, life in Colombo is hectic.
41:16We must look forward to cooking this good.
41:19And here it's like, you know, you don't have to make an arrangement.
41:21You just drop in.
41:22You just drop in.
41:23And more likely than not, you'll be asked to stay for lunch.
41:27That's a Sri Lankan hospitality.
41:29Bahama Rahai, Leela.
41:31Love this.
41:33Best meal yet.
41:35And I'm finally getting my three-fingered rice sauce swoosh thing going down.
41:39I'm glad you had a good time because I know you've eaten pretty much everywhere in the world.
41:45But I think that this food is really special, you know, and that's one reason that I keep coming back,
41:52you know.
41:53As much as I'm an American, I'm a Sri Lankan too.
41:56No, it was a blank page for me.
42:01Well, glad I turned it.
42:03I need more.
42:05I have to go back for some of that crab sauce.
42:08No, please, please.
42:08There's tons of it.
42:09I got a little crab sauce on you, ma'am.
42:14This could be such a beautiful place if one could wander freely from top to bottom of this country.
42:20It's so amazing.
42:21The people, well, you've seen.
42:23They're lovely.
42:25The food, after all my troubles early on, what felt like the verge of death, finally, when able to actually
42:31enjoy it, a revelation.
42:33So distinct from Indian, so different from what I'd expected.
42:38And I guess, I hope, when it all opens up, when Sri Lankans settle their problems one way or the
42:44other,
42:44this will again be a place that the whole world will fall in love with.
42:48Good night, everyone.
42:50Good night.
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