Food - The Definitive Guide to Moving to Southeast Asia: Cambodia - page 104

MyhusbandwasoncegivenacoupleofcricketsbyhisCambodianworkmatesandbravely
popped them into his mouth before learning you're meant to take the legs off first. He ac-
tually found them quite tasty and said they tasted like roasted nuts, only crunchier.
Skuon, a village around 55 miles north of Phnom Penh, is colloquially known as
“Spiderville,” as it's the home of the fried black spider (a delicacy dating back to the dark
days of the Khmer Rouge rule when residents were forced to eat spiders out of desperation
- and took a liking to it).
While you may not be craving spiders, the best way to get a taste of Cambodia is to eat
in a local restaurant. Learn a few words of Khmer so you know what you're ordering - or
take a chance and point to something on the menu. You'll always find fried pork, a selec-
tion of vegetables, including the ubiquitous morning glory (a water plant with a thick hol-
low stem tasting a little like spinach), chicken (which is usually full of bones and not very
meaty), fish dishes (usually fried, with spices such as lemongrass, garlic, and chilli), and
piles of rice with everything. Beef is comparatively expensive and usually cut into small
pieces, which may be tough and chewy, and mixed with vegetables. I've been to places
wherethere'snotmuchthatappealed tomesoI'vepushedaside themaincourses,covered