Street and Market Food Cambodian Style

     One of the first things you would notice when you come to Cambodia are the food stalls and food carts everywhere. They line the streets, al fresco cooking and eating and they almost always have customers at any given time of the day. They abound the wet markets too and it is not unusual to see tourists eating at these places.

     I normally do not eat street food, in any country. Or at least that's what I've declared.. Lol! I do eat, when someone I trust can vouch that it is clean and they haven't gotten sick from it. I love barbecued "isaw" and always bought fishballs after church in Greenmeadows.  

    Probably the very first I tried here was boiled corn. Introduced by a friend who is hooked on them. That day we were in the market for some shopping in Russian Market and we passed by this lady. I worriedly asked my friend if she was certain it was clean and she waved off my fears saying that it has "passed heat". But seeing as she's alive and fairly kicking up to now then it was probably okay.

     Obviously this wouldn't be ours. Food is normally handled here bare-handed, which would put any seller in other places out of business. But we did request that she wear plastic over her hand for ours. Of course, she had most likely touched them earlier when she peeled them.

     This friend also introduced me to deep fried bananas which admittedly are delicious with very crunchy crust. It is cooked in large vats of oil and yes, it is heated up when you buy. 

Golden crisp goodies we occasionally have for snacks on the way home from school.

   

Lo Cha is one of the most popular and common noodles being sold on the streets and markets. This is made with short and fat noodles with bean sprouts, veggies, meat and fried egg. 

 The Lo Cha  is cooked at another store but we always eat at this man's area. He boasts to have the best Iced Coffee with Milk, a popular  drink here. It was quite good with a strong caffeine kick hitting you later on. His stall in Russian Market is the only one given the seal of approval by our friend who is also quite particular about where to eat at.

Our helper likes "kabak". I don't know what it's called here and in other parts of the Philippines but it's just flour, deep fried and covered with sesame seeds. It's hard and crunchy on the outside but soft enough on the inside. It's not a favorite of mine but I eat when we have it.

Lastly, but definitely the favorite above any other food that I buy from the market is the jackfruit. The variety they have is crisp and firm yet very sweet. It is usually sold deseeded but I buy it a huge chunk of it seeds and all. I'm looking to buy an entire fruit because 3 kilos isn't enough for the kids and me. 

Compared to bugs, frogs and tarantulas, what I buy are boring. But then, I'm only looking to enjoy food and not to get sick. We've made plans to try out the exotic food. Call me chicken but it might remain just that, plans.  


Til next post!

Sandee 

 

 

Wet Market Fashion

     When I first got to Phnom Penh, one thing that really struck me was that it was difficult to find nice clothes in the city. The better ones are overpriced for the quality and brand or lack thereof. 

     So I was a lady with a mission to find nice clothes. To be fair, at that time all I had with me was one luggage-full of clothing because we thought our things would follow us shortly. They arrived 4 months after we got here. No need to describe how it felt like for me having so few pieces to choose from, none of which were fashionable enough.

     Lest you think this is a fashion-backwards place, there are some posh clothing shops here too with brands from Paris. Mango, Axara and BYSI among internationally known brands and local designers too with dresses to just love! But I'm featuring my cheap thrills for now because people find it more surprising and interesting than expensive stuff. 

     Psar Tuol Tom Poung (Russian Market) and Psar Thmey (Central Market) have become my usual shopping grounds. As their names imply, they really are wet markets with produce, but also has hardware materials, school supplies and clothing. Think SM in a wet market setting. So a food-shopping trip is not complete without having a look at the clothes too. 

 
     I don't know if there is a technique for spotting The One from among the many. It usually just jumps out at me or calls to me even from afar. Mostly it is a matter of personal taste though and maybe honed skill through practice.

   
I love these dresses because I'm very attracted to pastels and light colors these days. They go for $26. Considering that these are well-made, that's already a steal. I especially like the classic cut of the left-most dress and the light pink with black lace accent.

              
This qualifies as a Little Black Dress, fit for an evening event. With a different belt, of course.

This is my favorite purchase by far because it had all the right elements: perfect color and style. Sexy without being too much so and the fabric is a nice really soft cotton.  I had 2 buttons added to the bottom for it to work as a dress for me. A similar one was on the window display of Axara yesterday. This may not have the right label but try beating its price at $9. 

  
The perfect cover-up for swimsuits. It was the only piece they had and it was my size. Bought on the same day as the green dress above for $5. Lucky day indeed! Oh, and my hat was a wet market find too when we first got here. Love it so much, I have 2 of this.

This is one of the 3 dresses I bought together for $10. It's pretty easy to dress this up or down with the choice of footwear and accessories. And with the right arm-candy, who would think it's $3 cheap.


I'm quite lucky to have these cheap finds. They are the perfect cure for when the shopping bug hits me without draining the purse. They're like little snacks to tide me over until the next big meal in a fancy restaurant. 

Do you have your cheap thrills too?