Mark Padoongpatt has written on Thai-American foodways, Asian-American Suburbia, and is currently researching the history of Asian restaurant health inspections in the United States. Coral and Mark discuss the history of Asian migration to the suburbs, the impact of Asian-dominated strip malls, and who these public spaces really serve.

For Kris Yenbamroong, the timeline of Talesai — his family’s Thai eatery on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles — is intimately tied with his own life: It opened its doors in 1982, the year he was born.

When you ask anyone about good food off the Strip, you're definitely going to hear about Thai food. Everyone has a favorite — Komol, Weera, Lotus of Siam. How did the cuisine become popular in Las Vegas, and why does it have such staying power? Turns out clever marketing , government intervention and a glowing Jonathan Gold review go a long way. We talk to Lotus of Siam Chef Saipin Chutima, Asian Studies Professor Mark Padoongpatt and the kind members of Chaiya Meditation Monastery, a hub for Las Vegas' Thai community.

In the past 15 years the Thai population in America has doubled in size, and it’s a community that opens a lot of restaurants. In fact, if you’re just looking at the ratio to a community’s population, there are ten times more Thai than Mexican restaurants in the United States. We wanted to know how Thai restaurants first became popular in the U.S. and what fueled their spread across the country. You might be surprised to find the Thai government and Hollywood had a lot to do with it. Francis Lam talked with Padoongpatt, a professor of Asian and Asian American studies at University of Nevada Las Vegas, and the author of Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America. Mark also gave us a list of suggested Thai restaurant that we've included below.

UNLV has had its share of famous alumni through the years, producing rock stars, professional athletes, music moguls, politicians, comedians and celebrity chefs. But few students have had such a unique experience at the university as Anthony Lynn.

Anthony Lynn cracks open a can of Coca-Cola. “I’m not sure what to do with myself right now,” he admits.

When an Asian restaurant named Yellow Fever opened more than four years ago in the unassuming Southern California suburb of Torrance, some people were perturbed but kept their opinions to themselves. After all, they thought, how much harm could a single fast-casual restaurant do in a strip mall?

Arguments may rage over the authenticity of certain dishes but there is no doubt about the impression our spicy cuisine has made on the US