Fruit Part 1 (Ply Ch'r)

Here are three kinds of seasonal fruits that can be found here in Cambodia. All very delicious in their own ways.


The MILKFRUIT is perfectly round like a petanque ball. Its either a deep violet or bright apple green hue.


The khmer name is "ply dict dawh gooh" which loosely translates to fruit milk. Appropriately named, the pulp of this fruit gives a milkly like juice when squeezed. The fruit is subtly sweet. You either have a taste for it or you don't. But, I enjoy eating this fruit!


The STARFRUIT is called "ply speu". It does not translate to star, however. It is actually a name of a province in Cambodia.


But as you can see, in English, the starfuit is appropriately named for its shape.


The JACKFRUIT starts out really small, as small as your thumb...


But, it can grow as big as your head or even bigger! One can weigh up to at least 30kg or roughly 66 pounds!!!


The inside is yellow.


You take the fruit apart from its shell and eat its 'pods'.


Its very tasty and sweet when ripe. The texture is slightly tender, slightly firm. There is a big seed in each pod.

Sousadey Joel Chinam Jun Themei ! (Happy Chinese New Year!)

Hello!
Happy Chinese New Year!

Although I have dearly missed spending Chinese New Year with my parents and extended family these past 2 years, I've been lucky enough to have a host family who are of Chinese heritage. Both years, we celebrated in a way that reminded me of how my paternal grandmother would celebrate the coming of the new year--incenses, prayers, offerings to ancestors past and a vegetarian meal on new years eve. My host mother even gave me 10,000 riel (2.50 USD) sans red envelope. It meant a lot to be able to spend this holiday with my host family.

Every year, the day prior to chinese new year's eve, my host family spends an entire day making khmer 'pastries' to sell for the festivities. So, I wanted to focus this entry on the process of the making of the pastries and share some photos.

OH! OH! I'm in my final stretch of service with approximately 6 months to go!!! I'll start the official countdown when the days remaining are in the double digits!

Start here---

One of the girls who lives with us, Pheaup, is preparing the banana leaves for cutting. She is laying them out in the sun so they get some heat on them and kill germs?


Host mom cutting and wiping down the leaves for stuffing.


Some sort of bean. In Khmer its called 'sundike bai'. Maybe lentil, but I have a feeling its something other type.


The main ingredient: sticky rice.


The layers of the pastry.


My host mom spent the whole morning making these!


Looks so perfect. Oh, you see the string holding the leaves together? Well, that is just part of the giant banana leaf. Biodegradable wrappers! Ingredients are all organic!


The final product: Nom Ansom. This is a savory pastry made with pig fat. Its pretty good, but heavy. Once these are wrapped, the pastries are steamed in giant pots. These sold for 3000riel each. So, 75cents per piece.


My host sister Mite. She is the best Khmer cook ever! She knows how to make me Mac and cheese from the box and spaghetti after only one lesson. Her food always comes out great. But, she cooks like any other asian lady--doesn't use measurements. Adds ingredients based on smell, taste and experience. I haven't learned any khmer dishes. I should get crackin on that.


This is a home made tool. Its made from a top of a bottle cap with a hole punched through it. Then, its screwed onto a metal handle. The ridges of the bottle cap scrape the coconut meat easily and perfectly.


The results of scrapping the coconut.


Coco and sugar filling for the sweet pastry.


I helped last year too with the wrapping of the leaves. Its good that I enjoy baking. I like to feel involved.


My host niece, Lekena, reaping the rewards of the labor intensive cake making session. This khmer pastry is made with rice flour. The outer layer is slightly sweet and chewy! The inside filling is made only with fresh shredded coconut and sugar. That is it!!!


SO EARLY! I took this photo around 6:40ish am, but my host sister and nephew started selling at sunrise! Markets are open very early and people normally do their shopping early n the morning.


My sister, Rothmony, on the main stretch of the road, in front of the market, selling cakes.


The banana leaf wrapped cakes sold for 200 riel each. That is approximately 3 cents a piece.


Coconut milk sticky muffins. Pretty tasty. These sold for 500riel or 12 cents each.


My host nephew, Reaksmey, sold cakes in another makeshift stall at the market that morning too.


I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I enjoyed eating the cakes! diana

Sorry if there are typos and grammatical errors

FLOOD!! and 50 Years of Peace Corps!

Heavy rains in parts of Cambodia have managed to overflow rivers and lakes to create flooding. Its not an emergency yet, but heavy rains have visited us every night now for over a week. More like over 10 days! Its raining at this very moment while I am typing this!


A house that was flooded. Good thing this house sits on stilts.


My host-nephew, Somethea, riding his bike in the water


This is a bridge over a small river. Its fairly deep, but the water has gotten so high, children are playing in the water.


Another house in my village that has been affected by the rising water from the nearby river.


A boy on his bike crossing a small bridge.

Also, read this page on Peace Corps!

the young, upper middle class of phnom penh

so, i've been at this expat cafe several hours now, mooching off their free super fast internet, and just met a young married khmer couple. they are sitting across from me and i just couldn't help but notice how un-khmer they were. they were very kissy face, very pda! their pda is just so very strange to me. even the way the husband treated his wife was very genial, moreover, respectful. he didn't eat before her, he waited for her and had her take the first bite. so i couldn't but help but ask them if they were married, because they were young looking. i found out that they've been married for 5+ years now with a 5 year old son. he is a custom's officer and she works in business. their son is going to a good private school in the capital, and no doubt will learn english.

this encounter is just so fascinating. while phnom penh has areas that make you wonder, "really, this is the capital?" having social encounters like the one i just mentioned above really makes me believe that cambodia is on its way to developing. i can't say for certain what kind of development it will experience, but withing the next 50 years, this country will experience significant. but of course, its inevitable that any developing country will experience development within a 50 year span.

i just had to mention this because since being here and living out in the provinces, most times it feels almost hopeless. i wonder often, is it possible for khmer people to think about their existence and have a desire to improve their lives.

G.L.O.W., Piped water and America

hey everyone! i'm overdue with my updates but i have a good excuse: i've been busy finishing up summer projects on the cambodian end and i recently returned to the states for a 3-weeks, but i'm back in the 'bode now.

okay, so i finished up the water project at my school. if you weren't aware that i was working on a water project, well catch up here.

camp GLOW was pretty successful, but not without a few bumps along the way. however, Keiko and I were more than satisfied with the camp. in the fewest words possible, the goal of our camp was to help our female students become vehicles of change to improve the future of gender equality in cambodia. the camp addressed the needs of young females in present day cambodia with life skills education and reproductive health training. so, many thanks to our counter parts, pc small grants, school directors, pcvs, trainers, ngos, and our students. photos!



condom demo during the reproductive health portion



the design of our shirt was designed by a fellow pcv, julie k. in takeo province



discussion time



day 1--students filling out a pre-camp survey



Culmination Day



these girls are from my school. the lady in the center is my school's co-director, ms. ngai



Keiko and I trying to form a heart...the camp is FINISHED!!!


the camp was the conclusion of my summer projects. I was then able to relax and enjoy my vacation back in the states. i was suppose to take a lot of photos back home, but i didn't. i'm so retarded.

anyway, i'm back in cambodia now and the school year is about to start. can't wait.

bye.

giving alms, housewarming and coconuts!!!

another month has gone by and its nearly july!! approaching my one year mark since i left the states...here are some new photos and accompanying comments:

every culture has a special way of celebrating a housewarming (lang ptdeah in khmer) and in cambodia, food and monks play a big role in the process. so today my host family and i went to the provincial town to celebrate my eldest host brother's newly built home. the day started off with women preparing food and around mid morning, 4 monks arrived to start the blessing of the home. i think the blessing is performed in sanskrit language. after the blessing by the monks, my host mom also blessed her family, all her children (including me) and grandchildren. she is the head of the household.


the new home


women cooking


my host sister cooking vermicelli noodles


monks blessing


my host mom giving blessings
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my family is very involved with the wat (pagoda) and my host sisters and host mom participates in all major and small buddhist holidays. giving alms, or 'rabat' in khmer, is a morning ritual where rice, drinks and small goods are given to monks from a local wat. the other day, 20 monks came to my house and my sisters and I, along with 2 yay's (older women) gave each monk a spoonful of cooked rice. the rice they are given in the morning is what they are allowed to eat. monks do not eat at night. also,the ritual is performed shoeless. once we were done giving rice, we sat before them and they said some prayers to bless us. it was all a very quick process. in return for giving alms, i hope to have earned some merit in my current and later life :)




see, no shoes



leftover rice from morning alms
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here is a brief blurb on food. while there may be food available here in south asia, not available in the states, i miss food from america immensely. i miss it every second, of every minute of every hour of everyday!!!! SERIOUSLY.

my host sister taking the mature coconut from its outer outer shell


mature coconut

mature coconut with outer shell removed

younger coconut

my friend haeng, shaving coconut with a machine, instead of by hand.

many phases after removing the cocount from its outer layers, you get coconut jello!!! 4 ingredients: sugar, water, coconut and agar agar powder (a powder made from seaweed to turn the liquid into gelatin. vegan!)

coconuts are a wonderful ingredient. this is a coconut milk with mungbean concoction. mung bean is known as "sun-dike kew" in khmer pretty Y-U-M-M-Y


old fashioned shave ice machine..you turn the crank

guess what she's cooking in the wok...? see next image

CRICKETS!!! the taste is good, but the texture takes some getting used to...i'll try eating them again at a later time.


the breakfast that built a nation--pork and rice or as the khmer call it "bai saik jruk"


this was made into chicken soup...all parts of the chicken used!! no wasting




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oh! my dog gave birth the other morning. the photo isn't very clear, but i will post more when i have better lighting. 6 puppies!