Cambodia

Cambodia
April 24, 2011.
So I arrived in Phnom Penh a week ago, and was in really good spirits. The Lao New Year water-fights should put anybody in a good mood. Unfortunately shortly after I landed I came down with something nasty. Considering that I had not been eating anything too strange or out of the ordinary, I was surprised I was so sick. It really put a dent into my crazy food exploration in Cambodia for sure.
There are a lot of things to try here, but its more hit or miss than other countries it seems. And for someone with a recovering stomach, not the best place to start trying everything!

First 30 minutes in Phnom Penh. We jump in a Tuk Tuk, a rickety motorcycle with a rickety little trailer on the back, kind of like a rickshaw thing, and the guy is offering us this… A shooting range, with obviously lots of choices in weaponry, and the interesting offer for cows and chickens. My biggest question was can we keep and/or eat the cows/chickens after we blast them to smithereens, or are they then sold to the local eateries??
It may explain why the chicken is cut up so small in some dishes….
Immediately there after, we were offered as many Vietnamese girls as we may need. Different, but similar circumstances as the cows and chickens. We both quickly declined, as that is not our thing in the land of that thing, even with all his persisting. Our driver was even slowing down at each girl who was on a bicycle or on the side of the road. He was trying!
But then I got to thinking….so I asked him, “How about using the Vietnamese girls instead of the cow and chickens at the shooting range. You know, for the rocket launcher?!” The guy had to think about this for a moment, and I’m not sure if he understood. But he surely agreed that it was possible! My friend and I had a really good laugh, and it seemed to work to quiet our driver up as he pondered this proposition.
I think it ended up lost in translation, and I was glad to get out of that tuk tuk without having to deal with the suggestion!
Cambodia is a truly wacky place.

Now I saw this thing and thought “holly shit thats a nice looking pig!!” It’s even garnished already!
They guy got a little agitated when I speed past him, stopped under a shady tree to pull out my camera, then wait for him to pass me to get a good shot of the pig. When I passed him again he was cruising along on his cell phone, probably telling his cousin, “what the hell is wrong with the foreigners?? Have they never seen a pig before??!!!!” Somebody is eating high-on-the-hog soon…

Along road 48 in southern Cambodia. The Cardomom mountains and the “protected” land around the area consist of some of the most intact tropical jungle in South East Asia. Headed from HW4 there are rice fields and small villages including one with this temple along the road.

Koh Kong Conservation Corridor that runs up to the Cardamom mountains. Delightfully remote jungle that holds some of the best ecologically diverse land in Asia. New bridges and Chinese development interest, among other things, are endangering the likely hood that this area remains as pristine and healthy as it has been. For many decades, civil war and other wars with Thailand or Vietnam have kept the area relatively untouched.

Ox. Strange things these ones are. I have not figured out what to make of the personalities of these things. Very different from the cow, which I think I understand. Always acting differently than the cows nearby… For sure they have the right idea here though. Keeping cool in these little mud pools.

The busy market in Phnom Penh.

Mangos have an interesting story. Originating in India where they have been for thousands of years, there are about 1000 varieties. What you find in the supermarket in the EU or the US consists of only a few varieties depending on where you shop. Problem with the mango, is the best mangos have very little fiber making them hard to ship and store. Most of the poor mangos we eat in the western world (and many places away from mango trees and mango season), may have been cross-bread so that they are able to stack a couple of mangos in a crate for shipping, with enough fiber structure to keep them from bruising and spoiling too quickly. This would explain the undesirable fibrous strands that get in the way of the mango flesh! So when you have a mango that has not been raped and bastardized by the industrial food industry, this is something of the sublime; Silky is the best way to describe the texture. An absolute sweet, slightly tangy, mango melt in your mouth sensation…What a mango should be!!!
There are mangos that taste like mangos, and have a decent texture that I’ve had back home. They are most likely from Mexico, and have a slightly less fiber content than the super mangos, and are ok seasonally. I have to confess though, it is absolutely not the same once you have had a mango variety that was not cross-bread for ship-ability, in mango season, near where the mango trees are!

Sorting mangos at the old market in Phnom Penh.

More fruit at the old market, such as Papaya, Jackfruit, Prickly Pear…good, ripe, and delicious.

Unloading a rice shipment to the market.

Big basket of green lemons at the market in Phnom Penh.

Having a laugh at the market.

Nice looking pile of Jicima in Phnom Penh.

Not sure where these came from, but they look pretty good. Fresh squid.

Mmmmm… Frogs…. These guys are already skinned and ready to cook up!

Phnom Penh has some pretty grimy markets. But when you look past the fermenting garbage and whatnot, there is some really good fresh stuff.
Never judge a book by its cover, or someone by their smell…(Ok, well maybe that does not work.) Either way, don’t miss trying great stuff even if the surroundings look a little dirty.
One thing these markets achieve really well, is giving a truly different vibe. There is quite a lot of buzz around, and the vibe is difficult to find in many places. Remember; the smell of garbage and rotting stuff is part of the essence of Asia…

Live river fish in Phnom Penh. I enjoyed watching these ladies butcher up the live fish. They were pretty damn efficient at doing so.

Sorting through their herbs.

Ended up going for Thai, and it was really delicious. This is a seafood salad with Thai chilies and a lot of fresh herbs. Very refreshing and tasty! Cheng Mai Restaurant, Phnom Penh.

I love things that have been wrapped up in something to add more flavor. This was taken one step further by being un-wrapped and then deep fried to make it nice and crispy. Yum!
Thai sticky rice, stuffed with pork & nuts, steamed in banana leaf, then fried… Cheng Mai Restaurant, Phnom Penh.

These munks were quite fashionable I thought… I suppose its easy to match things up when you wear the same color every day.

A little football game in the park, Phnom Penh.

I have to say the Asian people as a whole are really good at putting just about anything on a bike or scooter and rolling dow the read with it!

Interesting reflections at the market parking lot. Phnom Penh.

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April 24th, 2011.
I am FINALLY feeling better, normal, and back on the “train” so to speak!!!!
With a body and stomach back to normal I was able to finally enjoy some local weird food….Beef with Big Black Ant. There were black ants, but there were also Big Green ones, Little ones, Little yellow ones, big White Larvae, and little brown ones. ABSOLUTELY delicious!!!! I was so happy to have this dish you have no idea. (one whole week in Cambodia and no crazy foods due to sickness… TERRIBLE!)
Sorry about the photos, as the lighting was really poor….
This had some really peppery beef, with Khmer Peppercorns, a distinctively spicy peppercorn, and fresh curry leaves.


I pulled a few out so you can see these little guys! Yum!
Ants have a distinctive flavor, similar to other insects. These had a light grassy, almost wood-chip essence to them, as well as a earthy note. The guts of insects have this rather indescribable flavor as well, that to be perfectly honest is “insecty”… I think you either like it or you don’t, but you wont know until you try! And remember that most insects are deep fried, so I always explain that its like eating crunchy popcorn, but with a little tasty goo in the middle.

Jump back to my Indochina page, so you can check out Laos and Vietnam!