Let's eat

Food is one of my passions, I love cooking it and I love eating it.  Honestly, look at me...Not really a surprise.  I've always had a unique relationship with food.  As you already know, I was severely malnourished as a child which set groundwork for my food issues.  When I say food issues, I'm not talking about pickiness.  I am in no way picky...I will eat anything, and try to taste everything at least three times before I say I don't like it.  Really the only food I regularly don't eat are cakes and cookies.

The earliest manifestation of my food issues was when I was first in my new home.  After I was served food, I would eat as much as I could as fast as I could.  I would then carry my plate around with me, until it was empty.  This strategy has further developed into me eating everything within reach, and then seeking seconds. 

My question for food has further developed into my difficulties share my food, unless I am prepared for it.  A couple of months ago, I was eating a modest meal, and my daughter came in feeling hungry.  My wife asked me to share my food with her, I did give her a portion of my food but did so reluctantly.  My wife commented on it this, which made me think...I do have this reaction especially when I am really hungry or tired.

The most evident aspect of my food crush, is that I will eat anything, as long as someone in the world eats it, I will give it a shot.  Being here in Cambodia, I have had the opportunity to eat some really amazing food.

A beef stew type curry, an omelet and chicken with lemon grass...With rice.
The Khmer cuisine is has a lot of stir fried vegetables, fish, meat, and rice of course.  It tends to be on the spicier side...Which is great! It seems that I have inherited the ability to eat hot food, and it seems that other babylifters have also maintained this ability.  They have these little red peppers, my wife says they are super hot...I'm going to have to believe her.  There is also a lot of lemon grass, which is nice flavor.
Fried noodles and lemongrass 
Whole fried fish and rice...One of my favorites


Fried vegetables
 Fish Amok in a coconut...This is a classic dish and also amazingly good

They also have a lot of fresh fruits of all sort of types.  All of them are really good and are mostly grown organically.

Fresh mangos 
 Grilled Pineapple, watermelon                      Fresh coconut meat

Fresh Coconut Icecream

Cambodian Bananas and Peanuts  
                                             
Coconut fruit
Vegetables
 

In the exploration of foods, we have eaten some food prepared in ways we were unfamiliar with.

Khmer Pancake with greens, and dried fish
Khmer Pancake

More chicken part...Including chicken hearts, livers, congealed
blood wrapped in intestines (really good)
various chicken parts

Khmer BBQ after
Khmer BBQ before 
 Most importantly we've eaten things most people would not.

Bee Comb and Larvas in salt and chili powder
Bee Comb and Larvas


Rats
Rats

Rats - these were really good...They didn't taste like chicken.

Silkworms


Large grasshoppers, crickets, Water beetles, Cockroaches, spiders and small frogs 

Spiders...the two on my body are alive, the one in my mouth was not...
Also really good...Great seasoning and they tasted like shrimp or crab

Scorpion
The basic facts are that much of this food comes from necessity, others come from traditions.  The flavors and seasoning are amazing.  This is the first time I have been exposed to so many different and special types of food.  I loved every bite, even if I didn't like the taste...but I did like most of the tastes.  I have always found it interesting the foods other people eat as well as the reactions others have to food they are not familiar with.   I want to travel the world and eat all the food I can.  I have experienced a lot of foods but there is so much more out there for me.


Comments

  1. Alice LinApril 5, 2019 at 5:08 PM

    I want to visit Cambodia someday, but not eat the weird food.

    ReplyDelete

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