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| A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life. WAVE Journey is your one stop online resource for women oriented businesses and services around the world. WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor activities this website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are interested in finding businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online resource. |
| WAVE Journey |
| Women's Adventures, Vacations, Experiences ~ Your Journey Starts Here! |
Cambodia: Just Not Crickets ~ continued
By Jacqui Menard
By Jacqui Menard
Typical to Cambodian food culture, our lunch began with a bowl of soup that consisted of
gritty green vegetables, garlic and chilies. Lilly ladled out our bowls before she sat down
to eat with us.
“So?” She asked everyone as she stirred her soup waiting for our review.
People smiled as they sucked back stringy veggies. I gave her the thumbs up, my friend
commented on the explosion of spices that were dancing frantically across her tongue,
and my mom was at a loss for words.
I quickly gulped down the last of my soup as the main course arrived. The waitress
handed each table a bowl of sautéed veggies, fluffy beds of rice, fish and deep fried
clumps of meat.
Lilly helped the waitress pass around plates as she gave each person exclusive dish
recommendations.
‘Drink?’ asked Lilly as she finished passing everything out.
She made her rounds from table to table, and then turned around to translate the order
to our waitress.
The waitress nodded in compliance, walked over to a massive bin by the register, and
pulled out twenty two coconuts. Intrigued, I watched as she picked up a machete and
began to brutally hack away at the hard green skin that housed our drinks.
She came back and handed me the first coconut. I smiled and thanked her as a massive
plate of steaming veggies in a curry sauce was sent my way. The smell was enticing, and
its aroma permeated garlic and chili.
I ladled a helping onto my plate and doused my rice with a river of gravy.
Rice is an essential to most Cambodian meals, and about seventy percent of the countries
land is cultivated for rice growing. However, the rice in Cambodia is unlike any other type
of rice in South- East Asia: it’s partially cooked and has a somewhat crunchy bite to it.
I reached across our mat and grabbed another plate. It was a mixture of meats, some I
could recognize and others I couldn’t. After serious debating, I decided on a piece of
charred black fish, a greasy leg of chicken and a skewer of oily brown meat.
A cutlery free dining experience, I lifted the plate to my chin, molded a clump of rice into a
ball with my fingers, and shoved it into my mouth. I chewed my food slowly and savored
every morsel, before I picked up my stick of mystery meat and viciously attacked it. It was
different, tasty and quite dry.
‘What is this?’ I asked chewing.
‘Frog,’ laughed my good friend. She continued throughout the rest of our lunch by telling
me stories about my childhood hero… Kermit the Frog.
For any open minded tourist, a gourmet meal Cambodian style is an experience that won’t
be forgotten quickly. It will redefine the meaning of ‘good food,’ excite you and tantalize
your over conditioned taste buds. After all, where else could you floss after a meal and
find a stray cricket leg?
gritty green vegetables, garlic and chilies. Lilly ladled out our bowls before she sat down
to eat with us.
“So?” She asked everyone as she stirred her soup waiting for our review.
People smiled as they sucked back stringy veggies. I gave her the thumbs up, my friend
commented on the explosion of spices that were dancing frantically across her tongue,
and my mom was at a loss for words.
I quickly gulped down the last of my soup as the main course arrived. The waitress
handed each table a bowl of sautéed veggies, fluffy beds of rice, fish and deep fried
clumps of meat.
Lilly helped the waitress pass around plates as she gave each person exclusive dish
recommendations.
‘Drink?’ asked Lilly as she finished passing everything out.
She made her rounds from table to table, and then turned around to translate the order
to our waitress.
The waitress nodded in compliance, walked over to a massive bin by the register, and
pulled out twenty two coconuts. Intrigued, I watched as she picked up a machete and
began to brutally hack away at the hard green skin that housed our drinks.
She came back and handed me the first coconut. I smiled and thanked her as a massive
plate of steaming veggies in a curry sauce was sent my way. The smell was enticing, and
its aroma permeated garlic and chili.
I ladled a helping onto my plate and doused my rice with a river of gravy.
Rice is an essential to most Cambodian meals, and about seventy percent of the countries
land is cultivated for rice growing. However, the rice in Cambodia is unlike any other type
of rice in South- East Asia: it’s partially cooked and has a somewhat crunchy bite to it.
I reached across our mat and grabbed another plate. It was a mixture of meats, some I
could recognize and others I couldn’t. After serious debating, I decided on a piece of
charred black fish, a greasy leg of chicken and a skewer of oily brown meat.
A cutlery free dining experience, I lifted the plate to my chin, molded a clump of rice into a
ball with my fingers, and shoved it into my mouth. I chewed my food slowly and savored
every morsel, before I picked up my stick of mystery meat and viciously attacked it. It was
different, tasty and quite dry.
‘What is this?’ I asked chewing.
‘Frog,’ laughed my good friend. She continued throughout the rest of our lunch by telling
me stories about my childhood hero… Kermit the Frog.
For any open minded tourist, a gourmet meal Cambodian style is an experience that won’t
be forgotten quickly. It will redefine the meaning of ‘good food,’ excite you and tantalize
your over conditioned taste buds. After all, where else could you floss after a meal and
find a stray cricket leg?
Bio: