Founder of the Feast

Founder of the Feast
Lunch: Monday the 17th of January

Get home from work at lunchtime to find Heng loitering.

It seems that some of the nuns from Battambang were in Phnom Penh for the week and they wanted me to go and have lunch with them, feeling somewhat smug I happily accepted and headed off up to the North end of town. Upon arrival it was all formal hellos and bowing and all that jazz.

I was pleased to see Heng’s mum was there, in fact it was her invitation to me, she was also the chef behind our little lunch.

Proceeding straight to the dining table we were served swiftly and in silence – not big on talking during meals the Khmers.

- Cold rice noodle salad – cucumbers, tomatoes, and a spicy chilli and honey dressing
- Amok Such Mon – or chicken curry for those of you who do not speak K’mai :-)
- Boiled Rice and French bread [a couple of fluffy nann breads from the Spicy King restaurant in West Ealing would have gone down a treat!]

Well we tucked in heartily and every time the [large] bowl of curry ran low it was removed and refilled from what seemed to be an endless supply, out the back somewhere.
There were, of course, several dogs wandering around the room and under the table picking up scraps as well as several children running around. The television was on showing some Khmer soap-opera, the radio was also on with Khmer pop-songs intertwining with the dramatic sound track of the TV every time somebody walked into the room.

In short, a typical Khmer meal in a typical Khmer house.

When I regretfully had to say goodbye to the Sisterhood [back to work I am afraid], they loaded my down with a huge box of curry to take home with me for dinner, as well as some fresh sweet mangos just plucked from the tree in the front garden – I really am developing a mango addiction, I can not remember the last time a day went by without me having some? Oh well, mango season ends in another month or two, then I think we all move on to jackfruit, which is totally unappealing as far as I am concerned.

Well, as suspected at the end of all this, I was hit up [again] for a donation to the pagoda, for the nun’s – what the hell, another US$10. Still I am starting to think that having a dozen or so nuns praying for me is probably no bad thing :-)