“Paperwork.” Sketchy situation. I did everything correctly online FROM Cambodia. And FOUR times they replied, “Leave Vietnam to apply.” It was like a circle created by Dante. After visiting the embassy, he was basically like “For 80 dollars, we can get it approved.” Sure enough, after the fourth rejection online, I went back, paid $80, and within two hours, it showed up online, as accepted. A real kick in the gut the way the system played me, but I have learned a valuable lesson.
I imagine that the original Cambodian cuisine must have been just as rich and varied and sophisticated as that of Thailand or Vietnam. Did any of it survive the Khmer Rouge? Or was it all wiped out?
It survived, though it did take a real hit. Khmer cuisine is surely distinct, not just a cousin of Thai or Vietnamese food. I don’t eat a lot of fish from the street, but Khmer cuisine is famous for amok (fish steamed in coconut and kroeung, a lemongrass curry paste), samlor korko, prahok, kuy teav, and the whole world of fermented fish and herb-forward flavors that predate a lot of its neighbors’ famous dishes. Fermented fish, just not my thing. That’s why I went bagel crazy for the time I was there! LOL.
And yes, the Khmer Rouge years were devastating for it. With the cities emptied, restaurants gone, and so many people killed (including cooks and the families who carried recipes), a lot of knowledge was disrupted or nearly lost.
The Bai Sach Chrouk (grilled pork rice) is a variation of Moo Ping (Thailand) and Com Tam Suon (Vietnam.) THAT is my heavenly trifecta! Love them all.
Hopefully you got your paperwork straightened out. This was a fun post.
“Paperwork.” Sketchy situation. I did everything correctly online FROM Cambodia. And FOUR times they replied, “Leave Vietnam to apply.” It was like a circle created by Dante. After visiting the embassy, he was basically like “For 80 dollars, we can get it approved.” Sure enough, after the fourth rejection online, I went back, paid $80, and within two hours, it showed up online, as accepted. A real kick in the gut the way the system played me, but I have learned a valuable lesson.
I imagine that the original Cambodian cuisine must have been just as rich and varied and sophisticated as that of Thailand or Vietnam. Did any of it survive the Khmer Rouge? Or was it all wiped out?
It survived, though it did take a real hit. Khmer cuisine is surely distinct, not just a cousin of Thai or Vietnamese food. I don’t eat a lot of fish from the street, but Khmer cuisine is famous for amok (fish steamed in coconut and kroeung, a lemongrass curry paste), samlor korko, prahok, kuy teav, and the whole world of fermented fish and herb-forward flavors that predate a lot of its neighbors’ famous dishes. Fermented fish, just not my thing. That’s why I went bagel crazy for the time I was there! LOL.
And yes, the Khmer Rouge years were devastating for it. With the cities emptied, restaurants gone, and so many people killed (including cooks and the families who carried recipes), a lot of knowledge was disrupted or nearly lost.
The Bai Sach Chrouk (grilled pork rice) is a variation of Moo Ping (Thailand) and Com Tam Suon (Vietnam.) THAT is my heavenly trifecta! Love them all.