The Daily "Grind"- Being a Foodie in 'Bodia

 11 June 2024

Dear Friends and Family,

This is one of those circling back entries describing my food experiences in Cambodia.  Lee and I are total foodies.  We will try anything once, welllll, that is not exactly true, though I have eaten a friend tarantula in Cambodia before. 

Though Cambodians average consuming 40 pounds of MSG/ year in their food, their food is fresh, organic, and non-GMO.  Don't get me wrong, I think producing drought resistant strains of crops can make the difference between widespread famine and adequate nutrition in some areas of the world.  Cambodia just doesn't have those issues.  The dirt is rich from plant breakdown and healthy doses of manure, from a variety of sources, and you do not want to ask the names of the sources! 

The fruits are plentiful and diverse. 

Mangosteen 

Durian- One SERIOUSLY stinky fruit.  I do not eat Durian.  Lee once bought a pack of durian chewing gum and just thought he was going to give me a kiss. NO WAY.  Most hotels will have signs prohibiting guests from bringing durian into the hotel.  Yep, they smell just that bad.  Okay, so this is gross, but it smells like vomit.  Not kidding.  But Cambodian love this fruit and in-season, there will be long lines of cars along the roadside with the trunk lid open and the car filled with durian for sale. 

Lychee- These and mangosteens are my favorites.  Though you do look like your sucking out an eyeball and then spitting out the pit. There is no "lady like" way of eating either. A PT at Shands Rehab once made a lychee cobbler.  Oh my goodness, it was out of this world. 

People set up stands early in the morning and then at 5PM when children leave school and families flood the sidewalks for their dinners. Now, on a sad note- the uptick in processed fast foods and sugary drinks has exploded over the past 10 years.  As a result, Cambodia is seeing an sharp rise 

in  hypertension, strokes, diabetes, and heart disease.  These are all chronic diseases which must have follow through and maintenance health care in order to avoid a worsening of the condition or premature death.  The Cambodian health care system is not prepare for this onslaught of conditions.  

Along those same lines, is the enormous consumption of sugary sodas and fresh sugar cane juice. The baby teeth of most children are  

completely rotten by the time they are age 5 or  6 due to the high intake of sugars. You would be amazed and the number of heart valve replacements are necessary by age 30 here because of the lack of dental care, professional and daily toothbrushing.

It is also obvious that over the past 15 years, the increase in cell phones/ iPads among young children in this country are a major contributing factor to the childhood obesity levels that are also on the rise. Children who once played outside, no matter how hot it is, are now often seen on the steps playing games or engrossed in a video. 

Getting off the public health band wagon, a snack that I have not tried are salted river snails.  This blue tarp began the day very early, covered in snails with salt and slices of very, very hot peppers on them. The sun and the salt kill the bacteria (in theory). The vendor takes a small rusty "soup can" and scoops up a can full for each sale.  Okay, so I admit that I won't try EVERYTHING one time. 

Cambodian love their sauces!  Sweet, savory, salty, pickled... there is a wide variety of this and that added to any ordered dish.  I personally love sweet chili sauce.  There are some women in Kep, at the fish market, who make and bottle their own sweet chili sauce.  It is too scrumptious for words.  

Now, when I said sauces of all types, I mean just that.  Note in this picture, the jar of snacks... I mean snakes, that have been pickled/ brined.  The pickling juice is added to one dish or another.  They also use snakes in fermented wines/ liquors. I'll stick to my merlot, thank you. :-) 

But something that I just love about Cambodia is the diversity of the international foods that they have here.  My favorite Greek restaurant is in Phnom Penh and run by a Scandinavian brother and sister!  A British pub near to my heart, and full of crusty characters, is Harry's in Phnom Penh.  They have THE BEST "Sunday Roast" you can imagine.  The popovers are light and airy and I always take the leftovers home for the next day.  Though, word to the wise.  If you are eating at a "local" restaurant, it is unwise to eat leftovers.  Even though you refrigerate them, the bacteria count abounds.  Let's just say I learned that one the hard way.  Thank goodness, not the worse case of food poisoning I ever had, but I would never call it the best but that was 11 years ago.

To the le/ below ftis a picture of a beef meat pie and "mash with veg" that I enjoyed at Harry's. I'll have to find and add the roast picture.  

So, there you go.  A bit about my food experience in Cambodia.  Time for class!

Peace to All,

Karen