Cambodia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 567

BOTTOMS UP
When Cambodians propose a toast, they usually stipulate what percentage must be downed. If they are
feeling generous, it might be just ha-sip pea-roi (50%), but more often than not it is moi roi pea-roi
(100%). This is why they love ice in their beer, as they can pace themselves over the course of the
night. Many a barang (foreigner) has ended up face down on the table at a Cambodian wedding when
trying to outdrink the Khmers without the aid of ice.
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Food & Drink
Some traditional Cambodian dishes are similar to those of neighbouring Laos and Thail-
and (though not as spicy), others closer to Chinese and Vietnamese cooking. The French
left their mark, too.
Thanks to the Tonlé Sap, freshwater fish - often ahng (grilled) - are a huge part of the
Cambodian diet. The great national dish, amok, is fish baked with coconut and lemon
grass in banana leaves. Prahoc (fermented fish paste) is used to flavour foods, with
coconut and lemongrass making regular cameos.
A proper Cambodian meal almost always includes samlor (soup), served at the same
time as other courses. Kyteow is a rice- noodle soup that will keep you going all day.
Bobor (rice porridge), eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, is best sampled with some
fresh fish and a dash of ginger.
Beer is immensely popular in the cities, while rural folk drink palm wine, tapped from
the sugar palms that dot the landscape. Tukaloks (fruit shakes) are mixed with milk, sugar
and sometimes a raw egg.
Tap water must be avoided, especially in rural areas. Bottled water is widely available
but coconut milk is more ecological and may be more sterile.
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