#cambodia street eats

[hopefultimetravelpeace]

Unbelievable Deals: Bacon Nom Pang for $0.625 & Ice Coffee for $0.50

[thecrazycollectorunknown]

Phnom Penh vs Kampot: Iron Pan Bread Showdown! 🍞🔥 Video👉 https://youtu.be/eaDxSICM22U

[serpentface]

TRADITIONAL FOODS OF THE HIGHLANDS

The Highlands or 'Greathill' is a region in the central north-northwestern territory claimed by (but almost entirely uncontrolled by) the Wardi Empire. They are inhabited by a network of peoples collectively referred to as the Hill Tribes, who are not a unified or monolithic group but share ancestry, similar means of subsistence, and a common traditional diet.

The highlands are regionally unique for their altitude and relatively cool temperatures (and is the only part of the region that can expect snow on a yearly basis, with some of the highest peaks receiving snowfall year-round). The climate is overall dry, though the rivers are usually well fed by high altitude rains and snowmelt, and the river valleys are wet enough year-round to sustain woodlands and more delicate agriculture.

Most vegetables can only reliably farmed in the river valleys, and these key regions are typically under the control of specific clans or tribes who dominate intra-Highlands trade networks. Those living outside of the river valleys have only occasional access to most farmed vegetables, and foraging is an important supplement to the core diet. Hardier crops are grown on terraced slopes, and the vast majority of the landscape is used as grazing pasture.

The regional cuisine revolves around grain (especially barley and most often taken in the form of bread), meat, cheese, milk, and yogurt. The flavoring stands in stark contrast to the surrounding Wardi cuisines, traditionally being only lightly seasoned (few spices are natively available) and mostly reliant on subtle herbal flavoring, though both palates are in agreement on the value of capsaicin.

Many of the Hill Tribes (or individual clans) have trade connections outside of the highlands, but food (aside from livestock) and spices are not common imports. The majority of the population have maintained traditional culinary practices that are unique among the wider region (though with some inevitable cultural cross-pollination).

Most dishes are eaten by hand out of serving plates and bowls, with spoons used for some soups and porridges. Almost every meal is served with flatbread, which is torn off and used to collect and eat the rest of the food. It is considered good manners to save a piece of bread for last, which will be used to soak up any remaining juices after a plate is cleaned (not doing so is a mild insult to the cook).

Tea is an important part of the daily routine, and is served alongside each meal. Traditional teas in this region are exclusively herbal and consumed for both taste and medicinal purposes, and none are caffeinated (though one has a stimulant effect). Tea is by far the most popular edible import in trade with the broader Imperial Wardi region (along with salt), with imports of tea leaves being desirable and having become quite popular in the last century.

Staple foods:

Barley- the absolute most important staple grain. Most barley grown in the region is a strain that better tolerates the highland’s regionally unique combination of seasonal cold, dry climate, and high altitudes.

Wheat- more delicate than barley and not as widely grown, but a key crop in the more fertile river valleys

Kulys- a native hardy, spiny plant that stores water in its trunk and is tolerant to dry and cold seasons. Its young stalks are edible, but the fruits and flowers are of greater regional importance. The flowers are used for a lightly sweet herbal tea, and the fruits are a important to the diet and usually eaten on their own.

Amaranth- a species of amaranth is regionally native and domesticated, with seeds eaten whole or ground into flour and leaves being used for green vegetables.

Squash- grown only in the river valleys and a key item in trade within the highlands. Squashes are found nowhere else on this side of the Viper seaway, and were likely brought along overseas by the original migrant population.

Chili peppers- several strains are grown in the region (ranging from very mild to chiltepin levels of capsaicin) and mostly used to create spicy yogurt sauces and to flavor stronger dishes.

Wild onion- a region-specific onion species, tolerant of harsh growing traditions but difficult to propagate, mostly foraged.

Magah- a farmed. potato-esque tuber, more strongly flavored and bitter than potatoes.

Dairy products- dairy is foundational to the diet and used to create a variety of yogurts, creams, butters, and cheeses, and milk is often consumed on its own. Cattle and horse milk is preferred, khait will be opportunistically milked but have much lower yields.

Cattle- Cattle are of utmost and absolute importance to the diet (in the form of meat and milk) and overall lifestyle. Wealth is primarily measured in the size of cattle herds. The native landrace of cattle is well accommodated to altitude and seasonal cold, though many breeds have been obtained in trade.

Horses- (the small, three toed kind) They are of secondary importance to cattle in terms of livestock, used for meat, wool, and milk.

Taarn- a type of pheasant native to the region that has been domesticated for meat, fares best in river valleys.

Honey- Beekeeping is a well established practice, and honey is the sweetener of choice and highly valued. Bee larvae are also sometimes roasted and eaten.

Bread- made with wheat, amaranth, or barley flower (or all three), a part of most meals. A type of flatbread is used as a base to scoop up other parts of the meal.

Wild game:

gazelle, antelope, hippegalga, and deer.

aurochs (sometimes found in the low river valleys and foothills)

crocodiles (mainly found in the Erubin river valley)

ducks and geese

unkata (a genera of cassowary sized flightless birds, a smaller subspecies of which can be found here as a grazer)

grynaig (a native species of pidgeon which nests among boulders)

piispiispi (a lagomorph that can be found at high altitudes, somewhat resembles a marmot. The name is onomatopoeia based on their shrill calls)

fish (especially trout), frogs, freshwater mussels, and crayfish from the rivers.

Native fruits: wild plum, dirrucag (a shrub that produces small fruits, roughly comparable to autumn olive), wild rose hips (used for tea and jams).

Other vegetables (cultivated and wild): cabbage, onions, garlic, carrots, rapeseed, peas, wild amaranth, mustard greens, nettles (the latter two also being regionally unknown and likely brought in the original migration).

Herbs/spices: relatively few spices are natively produced. Fennel is reliably grown. A type of sumac can be obtained in the river valleys, and a couple native sages and mints can be found throughout the region.

Alcohol: murre (a relatively strong (8-10% abv) alcoholic beverage made with fermented fruit and horsemilk), mead, kulys wine, and a few wheat and barley ales.

Teas/non-alcoholic beverages:

-Kulys flower tea (a mildly sweet herbal tea with nuanced, delicate flavors, usually consumed on its own without a meal)

-Brolge tea (a bitter tea made with the brulge leaf, which has a mild stimulant effect (comparable to coca in composition, but a different kind of plant) and is often consumed in the mornings. (This plant is known as bruljenum in Imperial Wardin))

-Floral tea (tea made with a variety of edible wildflowers, with plum and rose flower being especially favored, and rosehips added for tartness. Often served with milk)

-Nettle tea (favored as a soothing evening tea for its rich, earthy flavor)

-Mint tea (it's mint tea)

-Roasted barley tea (an everyday staple, often taken with milk or butter and honey, or mixed with herbal ingredients).

-Honey-garlic tea (usually uses roasted barley as a base, boiled together with garlic that has been fermented with honey. Preferred by herders for a warming effect on cold nights).

-Green tea (the preferred untreated variant of imported tea leaves)

-Fermented tea (a combination of imported tea leaves and a native preference for fermentation)

-A sour fermented horsemilk beverage, best taken with salt and/or honey.

-a fermented cowsmilk and yogurt beverage, taken with mint.

-A beverage made with mead, extra honey, hot peppers, and chopped garlic boiled together. Consumed for its warming qualities and to treat colds.

Examples of Dishes:

-flatbread (the base of most meals, made with wheat, barley, and/or amaranth flour. Assume that most non-grain based foods described here are served along or atop it)

-a spicy yogurt sauce made with finely chopped hot peppers, sometimes garlic

-a sour yogurt sauce made with sage, mint, or fennel.

-A type of thick dumpling, stuffed with a variety of foods (beef or horse, wild game, onions, fennel, magah, cheese, etc) and used as a common element of meals. Most comparable in shape to a pierogi.

-fried or baked dough balls with cheese and herbs

-taarn pheasant with a butter and plum or dirrucag sauce.

-beef stock soup with dumplings, onion, and curd cheeses

-beef or horse tartare with melted butter. Sometimes eaten on its own, sometimes sprinkled with herbs or topped in a spicy yogurt sauce.

-wheat or barley porridge with milk, yogurt, or butter, sometimes sweetened with honey.

-broth made with beef trotters and lightly flavored with herbs, often used as a base for other dishes but usually sipped.

-savory barley porridge cooked in beef or horse stock (often as a base for meat dishes)

-cheese, beer, and meat stock soup, often with peas, onions, magah, barley, and/or amaranth.

-yogurt, mint and fennel soup

-plain yogurt with mint and honey

-a mildly sweet porridge made with mashed squash, barley, and milk

-sweet snacks made with amaranth seeds, honey, and dried fruit.

-piispiispi stuffed with herbs and onions and roasted

-mashed magah, basic dish of thoroughly cooked magah, mashed with butter, cream, or yogurt.

-boiled, minced magah with minced meat, mild peppers, and fennel, best topped with a sour yogurt sauce.

-mustard and other wild greens, usually cooked down with butter or beef fat and mixed with onions

-an absolute litany of cheeses, often made with delicate herbs or strong peppers. Soft cheeses are generally favored and most widely used in cooking, hard cheeses are eaten on the go.

-Beef or horse testicles, usually cooked in a butter sauce as part of a larger meal. (most commonly obtained as a byproduct of gelding, in which case it is thought to uniquely boost fertility in ways that testicles obtained in slaughter do not)

-a mild pastry stuffed with soft cheese and topped with honey

-a nettle soup and onion soup, best taken in a fish or shellfish broth for enhanced umami flavor.

-Cow head that has been de-haired and de-brained, smoked, and slowly cooked with herbs and vegetables until tender. This is eaten at wedding celebration- the husband's family will have slaughtered the cow as a bride price. The husband and wife are given the choice, fatty cuts, the marrying families share the rest of the meat, and the broth is sipped by all guests.

-cow or horse brain, minced and fried in butter with onions and served atop mashed magah.

-blood sausage, with grain or magah and wild onions for filler.

-a spicy soup or stew made with boiled crayfish, onion, hot peppers, and cream.

-smoked trout with honey

-roasted honeycomb with larvae

[tawus]

African/African-American/Black

Do The Right Thing (1989) On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.

Goodbye Solo (2008) This film is touching and humorous. It is the story of an unlikely friendship between a struggling but happy cab driver from Senegal, and a tormented southern man with secrets.

Lincoln (2012) As the Civil War continues to rage, President struggles with continued fighting on the battlefield during the civil war but he also fights with many inside his own cabinet with his decision to emancipate the slaves.

Malcom X (1992) Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam.

Straight Outta Compton (2015) The group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.

The Color of Friendship (2000) Mahree Bok is a white South African teenager and a product of the Apartheid system raised to view dark-skinned people as second-class citizens. Piper Dellums is the daughter of an African-American U.S. Congressman living in Washington D.C. When Mahree is chosen to spend her time as an exchange student at the Dellums's house, she is shocked on her arrival to discover that the Dellums are black, and the Dellums are just as surprised when they realize that Mahree is a white South African.

The Color Purple (1985) Based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple is a richly-textured, powerful film set in America's rural south. It is a brilliant drama about a black woman's struggles to take control of her life in a small Southern town in the early 20th century.

The Help (2011) This academy award winning movie takes place during the civil rights movements of the 1960’s, when an aspiring writer decides to write a book about the African-American maids' point of view on the white families they work for and the hardships they experience on a daily basis.

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Cambodian/Chinese/Vietnamese

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) A senior chef lives with his three grown daughters; the middle one finds her future plans affected by unexpected events and the life changes of the other household members.

Holly (2006) In Cambodia, Holly, a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl, encounters Patrick, an American stolen artifacts dealer. The story follows their strong connection and her unrelenting efforts to escape her fate.

Last Train Home (2009) A couple embarks on a journey home for Chinese new year along with 130 million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. Their unseen story plays out as China soars towards being a world superpower.

Lost in Paradise (2011) Khoi, naive twenty-year-old travels to Ho Chi Minh City from the countryside to begin a new life. It's his first time in the big city and he's looking for a place to live.

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) A young woman becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy lord and must learn to live with the strict rules and tensions within the household.

Sentenced Home (2007) This documentary follows three Cambodian-American men, brought to the U.S. as children by their refugee families. They were raised in the grim public housing of Seattle, among gangs and other realities of that life. Bad choices as teens altered their lives forever, when immigration laws after 9/11 provided no second changes for such children. Though they were raised in the U.S., speak to one another in English, even think in English, each is sentenced to return to Cambodia - separated from family here, possibly forever.

The Joy Luck Club (1993) The story of four Chinese women who immigrated to the U.S. and their first-generation daughters. When one of the women dies, her daughter plays Mahjong with the older women and begins to really learn what her mother endured in China and of her sisters who were left behind. Daughter from Danang (2002) Separated at the end of the Vietnam war, an "Americanized" woman and her Vietnamese mother are reunited after 22 years.

The Last Emperor (1987) The story of the final Emperor of China.

The Quiet American (2002) An older British reporter vies with a young U.S. doctor for the affections of a beautiful Vietnamese woman.

The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000) The plot centres around three sisters, two of whom are happily married (or so it appears).

Three Seasons (1999) An American in Ho Chi Minh City looks for a daughter he fathered during the war. He meets Woody, a child who's a street vendor, and when Woody's case of wares disappears, he thinks the soldier took it. Woody hunts for him.

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South Asian/Indian

Bhaji on the Beach (1998) Hashida, an 18-year old Asian woman, lives with her family in Birmingham. Her father wants her to become a doctor and next month her medical school is going to start. Secretly, she has a black boyfriend – which is an absolute faux pas in some Asian cultures – and has now discovered that she is pregnant. She joins a small South Asian women's group on a trip to Blackpool, a trip that holds life-changing experiences for all.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Teen-aged Londoner Jesminder Bhamra chases her dream of being a professional soccer player while dealing with the objections of her traditional Sikh family.

Gandhi (1982) A biography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of non-violent protest.

Slum Dog Millionaire (2008) A teen in Mumbai, India who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" When he is suspected of cheating, he is arrested. During his police interrogation, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

The Namesake (2006) A tale of a first-generation son of traditional, Indian immigrant parents. As he tries to make a place for himself, not always able to straddle two worlds gracefully, he is surprised by what he learns about his family and himself.

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Disease/Mental Illness/Disability

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989) Christy Brown, born with cerebral palsy, learns to paint and write with his only controllable limb - his left foot.

The Theory of Everything (2014) A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife.

Ray (2004) The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

Still Alice (2014) A linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

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LGBTQ+

A Single Man (2009) The story of an English professor, who one year after the sudden death of his boyfriend, is unable to cope with his typical days in 1960s Los Angeles. It is a powerful story of his grief and pain for the loss of someone he truly deeply loved.

Boys Don’t Cry(1999) This film is about the true life story of Brandon Teena, a young woman who is going through a sexual identity crisis. She cuts her hair and dresses like a man to see if she can pass as one. She lived life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) This film tells the story of a forbidden and secretive relationship between two same-sex cowboys and their lives over the years.

Milk (2008) This film tells the story of American gay activist, Harvey Milk, and his struggles as he fights for gay rights and becomes California's first openly gay elected official.

Philadelphia (1993) In this movie, a lawyer, working for a conservative law firm, is diagnosed with AIDS. His employer fires him because of his condition. He tries to find someone to take his case but all refuse except one willing small time lawyer who advocates for a wrongful dismissal suit in spite of his own fears and homophobia.

The Danish Girl (2015) A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Transamerica (2005) A pre-operative male-to-female transgender takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

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Hispanic/Latino(a)/Mexican

A Day Without a Mexican (2004) One-third of the population of California is Latinos, Hispanics, Mexicans. How would it change life for the state's other residents if this portion of the populous suddenly vanished? The film is a "mockumentary" designed to show the valuable contributions made every day by Latinos.

Babel (2006) Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, touching off an interlocking story involving four different families.

El Norte (1983) The Guatemalan army discovers Mayan Indian peasants who have begun to organize, hoping to rise above their label of "brazos fuertes" or "strong arms" (manual laborers). The army massacres their families and destroys their village to give the new recruits no choice but to follow and obey. However, two teenage siblings survive and are determined to escape to the U.S. or El Norte. They make their way to L.A. - uneducated, illegal immigrants, alone.

Mi Familia (My Family) (1995) This epic film traces over three generations an immigrant family's trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs. Jose and Maria, the first generation, come to Los Angeles, meet, marry, face deportation all in the 1930s. They establish their family in East L.A., and their children Chucho, Paco, Memo, Irene, Toni, and Jimmy deal with youth culture and the L.A. police in the 1950s. As the second generation become adults in the 1960s, the focus shifts to Jimmy, his marriage to Isabel (a Salvadorian refugee), their son, and Jimmy's journey to becoming a responsible parent.

Sin Nombre (2009) A Honduran young girl and a Mexican gangster are united in a journey across the American border.

Under the Same Moon (2007) Heartwarming story about a mother who leaves Mexico to make a home for herself and her son (Adrian Alonso). When the boy's grandmother dies, leaving him alone, he sets off on his own to find his mother.

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Immigrants/Undocumented

Crossing Arizona (2006) With Americans on all sides of the issue up in arms and Congress in a policy battle over how to move forward, Crossing Arizona tells the story of how we got to where we are today. Heightened security in California and Texas has pushed illegal border-crossers into the Arizona desert in unprecedented numbers (estimated 4,500 a day). Most are Mexican men in search of work, but increasingly the border-crossers are women and children wanting to join their husbands and fathers. This influx of migrants crossing through Arizona and the attendant rising death toll has elicited complicated feelings about human rights, culture, class, labor, and national security.

Dancer in the Dark (2000) An east European girl goes to America with her young son, expecting it to be like a Hollywood film.

El Norte (1983) The Guatemalan army discovers Mayan Indian peasants who have begun to organize, hoping to rise above their label of "brazos fuertes" or "strong arms" (manual laborers). The army massacres their families and destroys their village to give the new recruits no choice but to follow and obey. However, two teenage siblings survive and are determined to escape to the U.S. or El Norte. They make their way to L.A. - uneducated, illegal immigrants, alone.

In America (2002) A family of Irish immigrants adjusts to life on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen while also grieving the death of a child.

The Terminal (2004) When an Eastern European immigrant comes to American to fulfill a promise to his father he finds himself stranded inside JFK airport, making it his temporary residence when he cannot enter the USA nor return home.

The Visitor (2007) A lonely economics professor in Connecticut life is changed forever - and for the better - when he finds a couple of illegals, who happen to be living in his New York apartment.

Green Card (1990) A French man wanting to stay in the US enters into a “short-term” marriage to an American woman so he can get his green card. Complications result when he gets caught lying.

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Indigenous

Avatar (2009) A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) A chronicle of how American Indians were displaced as the U.S. expanded west. Based on the book by Dee Brown.

Once Were Warriors (1994) A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) In 1931 Australia, government policy includes taking half-caste children from their Aboriginal mothers and sending them a thousand miles away "to save them from themselves." Molly, Daisy, and Grace (two sisters and a cousin who are 14, 10, and 8) arrive at their “school” and promptly escape, under Molly's lead. For days they walk north, following a fence that keeps rabbits from settlements, eluding a native tracker and the regional constabulary. Their pursuers take orders from the government's "chief protector of Aborigines," A.O. Neville, blinded by Anglo-Christian certainty, evolutionary worldview and conventional wisdom.

Smoke Signals (1998) Young Indian man Thomas is a nerd in his reservation, wearing oversize glasses and telling everyone stories no-one wants to hear. His parents died in a fire in 1976, and Thomas was saved by Arnold. Arnold soon left his family (and his tough son Victor), and Victor hasn't seen his father for 10 years. When Victor hears Arnold has died, Thomas offers him funding for the trip to get Arnold's remains, but only if Thomas will also go with him. Thomas and Victor hit the road.

The Spirit of Crazy Horse (1990) One hundred years after the massacre at Wounded Knee, Milo Yellow Hair recounts the story of his people-from the lost battles for their land against the invading whites-to the bitter internal divisions and radicalization of the 1970's-to the present-day revival of Sioux cultural pride, which has become a unifying force as the Sioux try to define themselves and their future.

Whale Rider (2002) On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their History dates back a thousand years to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. Whangara chiefs have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand culture, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai must fight a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.

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Middle Eastern

Baran (2001) In a building site in present-day Tehran, Lateef, a 17-year-old Turkish worker is irresistibly drawn to Rahmat, a young Afghan worker. The revelation of Rahmat's secret changes both their lives.

Incendies (2010) Twins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history, and fulfill their mother's last wishes.

Schindler's List (1993) In German-occupied Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazi Germans.

The Band’s Visit (2007) A band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in the wrong town.

Turtles Can Fly (2004) Near the Iraqi-Turkish border on the eve of an American invasion, refugee children like 13-year-old Kak (Ebrahim), gauge and await their fate.

Wadjda (2012) An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.

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Pacific Islander/Polynesian

Balangiga: The Howling Wilderness (2017) 1901, Balangiga. Eight-year-old Kulas flees town with his grandfather and their carabao to escape General Smith's Kill and Burn order. He finds a toddler amid a sea of corpses and together, the two boys struggle to survive the American occupation.

Moana (2016) In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.

Once Were Warriors (1994) A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.

Princess Kaiulani (2009) The story of a Hawaiian princess' attempts to maintain the independence of the island against the threat of American colonization.

Whale Rider (2002) On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their History dates back a thousand years to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. Whangara chiefs have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand culture, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai must fight a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.

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Women

Āfsāīd = Offside (2006) Struggle of Women in a country that excludes them from entering the stadiums.

The Help (2011) This academy award winning movie takes place during the civil rights movements of the 1960’s when an aspiring writer decides to write a book about the African-American maids' point of view on the white families they work for and the hardships they experience on a daily basis.

Suffragette (2015) The foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State.

Water (2005) The film examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. It focuses on a relationship between one of the widows, who wants to escape the social restrictions imposed on widows, and a man who is from the highest caste and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

Whale Rider (2002) On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their History dates back a thousand years to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. Whangara chiefs have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand culture, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai must fight a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.

Ooh amazing, thank you for this! ❤️

I've watched Slumdog Millionaire, Brokeback Mountain, and Schindler's List. And read a Penguin Classics abridged version of Rabbit-Proof Fence as part of my English learning back in my teenage years. Some of the others I'm familiar with tho have yet to watch; and others are completely new to me

[aloneandforsakenbyfateandbyman]

I feel so sorry for millennials/zoomers who are still falling for the “work hard for 50 years and one day you can buy a rundown old house in the worst part of town uWu” or “find a career you love even tho every job is actually infernal torture hehe” traps.

Literally the only advice I have for ppl my age is to work in an office that sucks but pays well until you save $10k then go live in Asia, Latin America or a cheap part of Europe until you run out.

Because really if someone killed me today I wouldn’t remember my ~career~ in some ugly little office cubicle getting a pat on the head from my boomer boss for opening an Excel doc.

I would remember holding hands with my bf on the beaches of Mexico, visiting Czech and Polish cathedrals, living on the French Riviera, the jungles of Cambodia, the streets of Bangkok, the villages of India, the glamour of Monaco, the cafes in Italy, etc.

If you start acting like you’re Patrick Bateman or Richard Branson you’ll miss all this and end up paying $3k a month for rent in an American or Western European city where you’ll get stabbed by a crackhead in a neighborhood where coffee costs $10, or get killed by an insane passenger while driving ubereats in muh gig economy. All this while living with 5 roommates and eating boxed noodles and crackers everyday. What’s the point?

[thatrickmcginnis]

SPALDING GRAY NYC 1990

Spalding Gray had just woken up when I arrived to photograph him at his loft in SoHo; I was let in by his director and collaborator Renee Shafransky, the "girlfriend Renee" that Spalding frequently mentioned in his monologues, and meeting her felt as momentous as meeting Spalding. Renee fussed over Gray, reminding him why I was there, patting down his bedhead, telling him to eat something before we took any photos, and then she left. I have a memory - it might be false - that you could see the Performing Garage from the window of his loft, the home of the Wooster Group that had launched the careers of Spalding in addition to Ron Vawter, Willem Dafoe and Kate Valk.

I was there to take Spalding's photo for the cover of NOW magazine, in advance of the Toronto run of his latest show, Monster in a Box. Since the release of Swimming to Cambodia three years earlier Gray had become a celebrity, and his theatrical monologues had become hot tickets. In my mind he was a big star, so I was amazed to find myself with this half-asleep man, sitting at his big wooden kitchen table eating bread and cheese and talking about the deaths of our mothers. Mine had died just two years earlier and from the way Spalding talked I assumed his mother's death was just as recent, but I learned later that Margaret Gray had committed suicide in 1967, when her son was on vacation in Mexico City.

My job was simple enough: take a portrait of Spalding Gray on colour slide film for the cover of the magazine, and a black and white shot for the inside. I had arrived with my Nikon F3, my Rolleiflex and a Metz flash with a light stand and umbrella. Talking about dead mothers didn't seem to dampen Spalding's mood, and after we moved the big oak kitchen table near a white wall, Spalding suggested he get out the "Monster in a Box": the manuscript for his first novel, Impossible Vacation, to use as a prop in addition to the customary glass of water that sat on his desk when he performed his monologues.

We began with the cover shot - a creatively constrained job that required a brightly lit shot with at least a third of the frame left vacant for type, and a space on the top for the magazine's logo. There weren't many other options available and Spalding didn't seem enthusiastic about going outside and shooting on the street, so I limited myself to that wall, the table, and the props on hand. Spalding gave me a lot of options, alternately mugging, smiling and glowering for my camera, taking whatever direction I was able to give. We moved on to the setup with the table, the glass of water and, eventually the "Monster". It was an uncharacteristically luxurious shoot - over an hour including the time we spent talking over breakfast. I thanked him and headed out, to my girlfriend's place in the West Village and eventually back to Toronto.

My photos of Spalding Gray ran with the cover story and I managed to score tickets to see Monster in a Box. After the show I was standing around with my girlfriend in the lobby of the theatre when I saw Spalding emerge tentatively from a backstage door. Should I go and say hello? I asked my girlfriend. She said I should; we seemed to get along so well during the shoot, she was sure he'd remember me. I made my way over and reintroduced myself; he remembered our shoot, and asked what I thought of the show. I said it was great, and I thought he gave a great performance. His expression immediately told me I'd said something wrong.

"Was it a performance?" he asked, almost pleading, a note of panic in his voice. "Did it seem like a performance to you?"

I stumbled over an answer, but a group of his friends descended on Spalding and carried him away. I felt upset and grateful at the same time. It would be the last time I'd see Spalding Gray.

If you know about Spalding Gray you know the rest of the story. The continued success performing his monologues, most of which ended up being filmed. (Monster in a Box was made into a film by Nick Broomfield, with music by Laurie Anderson. Gray's Anatomy would be directed by Steven Soderbergh.) There were movie roles, and appearances on sitcoms like The Nanny and Will & Grace. He'd get name-checked on The Simpsons. He would leave Renee for a younger woman and start a family, and in the summer of 2001 Gray was severely injured in a car accident in Ireland. A head trauma caused a deep depression - a neurological injury that only made his nascent bipolar tendencies worse. He began talking about suicide, even rehearsing it and making attempts before he apparently jumped from the Staten Island Ferry in January of 2004. His body was found two months later in the East River.

When someone kills themself you can always spot the warning signs in hindsight. As someone who's dealt with depression most of my life I immediately spotted that Spalding was from the tribe. I was young, and hoped that our brief but intense conversation that morning might have provided a connection, but that almost never happens; my nearly forty years of portrait shoots are records of encounters, usually brief and rarely repeated. But I'll never forget the hour or so I spent with Spalding Gray, and will always wish that he'd found a way out of his darkness.

[bandhyukoh]

[Interview Magazine] “A Happy, Smelly Vibe”: One Night in Seoul with Hyukoh and Sunset Rollercoaster

This interview belongs to Interview Magazine. November 8, 2024. By Lily Kwak. Photographed by Dasom Han.

If you’re leading a mob of 40 people into the heart of Taipei, you might be a tour guide. Or you might be on tour with the indie bands Hyukoh and Sunset Rollercoaster, who’ve just hypnotized their fans in back-to-back sold out shows in Seoul and Taipei. To celebrate the occasion, the motley crew partied at a local dive bar called The Fucking Place. “I almost got PTSD,” says Sunset Rollercoaster frontman Kuo-Hung Tseng. 

But Kuo and Hyukoh frontman Oh Hyuk’s true fantasies lie somewhere in the mountains of indigenous Cambodia, where they shapeshift into punk rock martians armed with saxophones, accordions, and electric autoharps. Their collaborative psychedelic album, AAA, is the result of a 4-year hiatus that began as a jam session and blossomed into an eight-piece showstopper that dreams in three languages, Wong Kar Wai aesthetics, mandopop, Colombian street style, and much more. On Zoom last month, the two frontmen revealed the sources of their eclectic style, their drinking and listening habits on the road, and the reason why Kuo is dying to get back to Bangkok. 

KWAK: Where are you both calling from?

KUO: I’m calling from China.

OH: From Seoul. 

KWAK: What’s your favorite neighborhood in Seoul?

OH: There’s one area called Yeonhui. A lot of people know about Hongdae. But nowadays, it’s kind of touristic, so all the cute good shops moved to this one area called Yeonnam, [on the] south side of Hongdae. And then “hui” means west. So it’s just west of Yeonnam. 

KWAK: Okay, nice. So you’ve just ran the home bases, Seoul and Taipei, which were both sold out in massive venues. How does that feel?  

OH: Feeling really good. We never toured the last four years, so I was a little nervous, but somehow it’s going well. I’m super happy about it. 

KWAK: Do you have any memorable fan interactions from the last two cities?

OH: I remember one lady wrote down something and kept showing me. She wrote, “Please give me your guitar pick.” So I tried to throw it to her, but it kind of failed. So I don’t know what happened after that.

KUO: I remember that moment. You need a special angle to make sure the pick can rotate and fly long enough.

KWAK: You have 10 people making up both of your bands and 45 people on the tour list. Do you guys have family dinners? Does it feel like summer camp? What’s the vibe? 

KUO: I almost got PTSD from the end of this hangout with a huge group of people. I remember when we finished a Taipei show, I tried to take everybody to an underground techno club. It’s called Pawn Shop, but they have a really strict policy to do the security check and everything, so I wasn’t sure how to manage taking everybody to that kind of club. In the end, we just went to another dive bar called The Fucking Place.

OH: Everyone was drunk and smoking inside. It’s kind of a happy, smelly vibe.

KUO: It’s exactly the same as when you go to a Korean barbecue and you’ll have a lot of smoke from the barbecue. 

KWAK: I love that. It’s very Korea: eat, drink, and smoke. What have you learned about each other since starting the tour?

KUO: We’re definitely around the same mental age, but physically my body age is around 37 and the whole KO members, their body age is around 30. So after 3AM I’ll feel like “Shit, I cannot catch up anymore.” 

KWAK: Do you have any pre-show rituals? 

KUO: We’ll have a shot together.

KWAK: What are you drinking?

KUO: Some people drink Jane, some people drink whiskey.

OH: Something strong.

KWAK: When you first met each other, it started out as a jam session and then it became this eight-piece album. What aspects of each other’s work did you gravitate towards when you first met? 

KUO: I would say we never set up a goal or separate works like that. For example, some people prepare a demo, some people write a melody. We just go in there and try to have some fun and everybody just naturally finds their position. When we’re jamming, some people are trying to work on a bigger picture and some people are just having their own good time strumming really loud guitar chords and not giving a shit. But even like that, the music’s still good, so I think it’s pretty fun.

KWAK: Your album covers and music videos are so absorbing. You guys appear like indigenous mountain dwellers in one image and extraterrestrial beings in another. What was your ideation process behind that? 

OH: The album cover from last year, there’s one guy called Chanhee and there’s a group called Balming Tiger from Korea. So me and Chanhee worked on this AI image. In total, we made almost 157 images. So there’s the main cover and then the vinyl cover, which is a little bit different, and both made from these weird AI images.

KWAK: I also loved the sticky side buns that’s in one of your music videos. It reminded me of a Mexican film I watched a couple years ago called I’m No Longer Here. They have a very similar vibe, but I’m wondering where the inspiration came from for you.

OH: Actually, it’s that movie.

KUO: Bingo! 

OH: Yeah, bingo. I watched it like, I don’t know, like 20, 21 something. And at the time I’m really into this kind of big baggy pants and then a really small hoodie, this kind of outfit. And then after I watched this movie, I felt really interesting about this Colombian style music and also people who listen to this kind of music, what they’re wearing. So we used a little bit for our styling. 

KWAK: Speaking of remixing different aesthetics, I watched a song you produced with IU using amapiano. Do you listen to Tyla? Her song Water is heavily inspired by amapiano.

OH: Yes, yes. 

KWAK: Do you fuck with her music?

OH: Tyla is super cool. She’s super cute and the music is really good. I saw she came to Seoul a couple weeks ago, but I missed it.

KWAK: I also want to ask about both of your personal styles. How would you describe it in a few words?

KUO: I’m still kind of nerdy, but I’m in my late thirties now, so my [version of] nerdy getting a little bit expensive. I’m nerdy, but trying to wearing a Rolex as well. I’m trying to integrate luxury items into my daily, nerdy, trolling vibe and make something expensive into something funny.

KWAK: Like satire. 

KUO: Yeah, satire. It’s Asian satire.

KWAK: What did you both grow up listening to? 

KUO: My approach was kind of weird because I grew up in a church in a Christian family and my mom worked with the YMCA. I was listening to Lincoln Park and Limp Bizkit and I was using a downloading app called Kaza. And I remember one teacher came to me and said, “Stop listening to this bullshit.” And so he started introducing me to Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles. He was a super white dude, but his eyes were red all the time.

KWAK: Who takes the aux when you’re between shows?

KUO: Usually all of us. 

OH: Kuo taught me a lot of new albums and new music but we don’t have much time to discover everything, so I’m listening to everything. For example, after the show one time we went to the Sunset’s music office and all listened to Gong Gong Gong together. And also Mong Tong and Primal Scream.

KWAK: What’s on your tour rider?

KUO: There’s a special Chinese medicine thing called Pei Pa Koa. It makes your throat really smooth and wet and it takes two months to make. So there’s a lot of Chinese medicine somewhere in between. Before the show we just make it with some hot water, stir it, and drink.

KWAK: Which songs are you most excited to perform? Which ones get the best reactions?

OH: To me, I think it’s always “Clair de Lune” and then “Kite War,” which is the very first track. 

KUO: Mine is “Citizen Kane,” for sure. Since I’m almost 37 now, it makes me feel young.

KWAK: Your songs are so romantic, by the way. They’re like love letters.

OH: Yes. 

KUO: I hate that. Just kidding.

KWAK: Where are you most looking forward to playing next?

OH: Japan.

KUO: Probably Thailand. I had a wedding in Ko Samui a few months ago and I went back to Bangkok and I just lost my wife’s jewelry in the restaurant. So that’s why I need to go to Bangkok.

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

161 of 2023

How much as your life been influenced by other cultures? [True or False]

Created by joybucket

🇫🇷 France 🇫🇷 You've had a French manicure. You like to eat French toast. 🥪 You like to eat French fries. 🍟 (except that they’re not even French) You've ordered French dip at a restaurant. You've taken a ballet class. 🩰 Something you own has a picture of the Eiffel Tower on it. You've either visited Paris OR you'd like to visit Paris. You like to eat croissants. 🥐 You know how to French-braid hair. You've had your hair French-braided. You've been to a live performance of the Nutcracker. You've tried macarons. (didn’t like them) You've made your own macarons. You like macarons. You've worn a beret. You can speak French. (well, it’s debatable XD) You took a French class in school. (mandatory here)

🇨🇳 China 🇨🇳 You own something that was made in China. You love Chinese food. 🥡 🥢 You've eaten at a Chinese restaurant. You've been to a Chinatown in a big city. You know how to eat with chopsticks. 🥢 You own a Chinese paper lantern. 🏮 You know what your Chinese zodiac sign is. You've read Chinese historical fiction. 📕 You've flown a dragon kite. 🐉🪁 You celebrate the Chinese New Year. 🧧

🇯🇵 Japan 🇯🇵 You like to read anime/manga. You've dressed up as an anime character. You've been to a cosplay event. You like to draw anime characters. You've listened to Jpop music. You like Japanese street fashion. You've tried sushi. 🍣 You like sushi. 🍱 You've tried pockey. You like pockey. You think kimonos look cool. 👘 You've worn a kimono. 👘 You've taken a martial arts class. 🥋 There are cherry blossom trees in your neighborhood. 🌸 🍒 You love cherry blossoms. You've been friends with a Japanese exchange student. You've shopped at a Sanrio store. You've ordered something online from an Asian website. You've experimented with the feng shui style of decorating. You've used the Tokyo Tower emoji. 🗼 You know what "konichiwa" means. You've tried jasmine green tea. 🍵 You've drank Arizona Green Tea. You've tried origami. You know how to make a paper crane. You've sang karaoke at a karaoke bar. 🎤 You think Japanese symbols look really cool.

🇨🇳🇯🇵🇹🇭🇰🇷🇰🇵 Asia 🇻🇳🇰🇭🇹🇼🇲🇾🇵🇭 You like Indian food. 🍲 You like Thai food. 🍲 You've tried yoga. 🧘‍♀️ You regularly practice yoga. 🧘‍♂️ You've experimented with Buddhism. 🕉 You're a Buddhist. You like elephants. 🐘 You own a shirt with an elephant on it. 🐘 You've experimented with Hinduism. 🕉 You're a Hindu. You own a pair of pants with elephants on them. 🐘 You've ridden an elephant. 🐘 You like to drink green tea. 🍵 You like Yogi tea. ☕️ You own a set of matryoshka dolls. 🪆 You like to watch sumo wrestling. You have an Asian symbol tattooed on your body. You own a set of Japanese dolls. 🎎 You've worn a sari.��� You've read Indian historical fiction. You've read Japanese historical fiction. You own something that was made in Taiwan. You own something that was made in Cambodia. You own a Buddhist statue. You've taken a belly dancing class. You've worn a shimmy belt. You like Indian music. There is a park with a pagoda in your neighborhood. You've had an Asian friend. You've saved a fortune from a fortune cookie that you really liked. 🥠 You're on a quest to find spiritual enlightenment. You've tried to balance your chakras. You've burned incense. You've made curry. You like curry. You've used the spice Turmeric. You own something made of bamboo. You own something that has an Asian symbol on it. You've played the flute.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 You speak English. (obviously lol) You like to drink tea. ☕️ You like English Breakfast Tea. ☕️ You've been to London. You want to go to London. You've had your picture taken next to a red telephone booth. You like to eat scones. You love British accents. You like English muffins. You own something with a picture of either Big Ben, a red telephone booth, or a British guard on it. 💂‍♀️ You've read English historical fiction. You own something with the British flag on it. 🇬🇧 You like the British flag. 🇬🇧 Your country's flag has the colors of the British flag on it. 🇬🇧 You've attended a university that had a big Clock Tower in the middle of campus. You've read the Harry Potter series. 📚

🇩🇪 Germany 🇩🇪 You know someone who is German. (well, my mum is half-German if it counts) You learned about the Holocaust in school. You've been to Germany. You've been friends with a foreign exchange student from Germany. You've been to a town that is known for its German architecture. You had to read The Dairy of Anne Franke for school.

🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇪 You like Celtic music. 🎻 You know someone who can play the violin. 🎻 You've taken violin lessons. You've taken an Irish dance class. You've tried Irish soda bread. ...and you liked it. You celebrate St. Patrick's Day. You have red hair. 👩‍🦰 You like redheads. You've dyed your hair red. You know the legend of St.Patrick. You've been to a pub. 🍺 You've been to Ireland. 🇮🇪 You want to visit Ireland someday. You've danced an Irish jig. You've found a four-leaf clover. 🍀 You own a claddagh ring. You've tied a Celtic knot. You've worn a kilt ....or any plaid skirt. You know how to play the bagpipes. (I wish) You like the color green.

🇲🇽 Mexico 🇲🇽 You love Mexican food. 🌮 You like tacos. 🌮 You've owned a chihuahua. You've played the maracas. You like to eat beans. 🫘 You've worn a sombrero. You've worn a shirt with bright-colored embroidery on it. You can speak Spanish. You took a Spanish class in school. You like sugar skulls. You've had a birthday party with a piñata. 🪅 You've hit a piñata at someone else's birthday party. 🪅 You've met someone named Maria. You like Mexican music. You know someone who can speak Spanish fluently. You know how to count to ten in Spanish. You've had a friend who's Mexican. You've been to Mexico.

[katelyn-scstudyabroad]

Phu Quoc and Ho Chi Minh City

After leaving Singapore I returned to Vietnam to travel around and see more of the country that I’m calling home for the next few months.

I started in Phu Quoc, an island in the South of Vietnam located off the shores of Cambodia. I stayed in Duong Dong, which is the centrally located main town on the island. I think if I returned I would stay in a different area, however, as Duong Dong was more touristy and kind of gave me Myrtle Beach vibes. The beach there was still nice to go and this is where the Phu Quoc Night Market is located. The best street food I’ve had so far in Vietnam was at this night market. They have fresh seafood spreads that they grill in front you, fresh fruit juices and smoothies, and much more. There was one crepe stand that I really liked. Street food is a big part of Vietnamese culture and one shouldn’t shy away from trying it while here.

Phu Quoc was really just a relax at the beach kind of trip, rather than sightseeing as I have been doing. I mostly stayed at the pool and beach access by my hotel, but I did make it across the island to the fishing town of Ham Ninh. There wasn’t much there except for some seafood restaurants that were suspended over the water on piers, but I did stop in one to enjoy some fresh clams and look out at the open ocean.

In general Phu Quoc was okay for a few days of relaxation by the beach and eating great seafood. And the one highlight of Duong Dong was that I could watch the sun rise over the mountains and set over the ocean, which was a beautiful way to start and end my day.

Phu Quoc was a short plane ride away from my next destination: Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. While it’s official name is Ho Chi Minh City, a lot of people still call it Saigon and it’s airport code is even “SGN”. A lot of businesses there also use Saigon in their name.

HCMC is the most populous city in Vietnam and has a much bigger city feel. I think it is also more popular for tourists and expats, as I saw a lot more foreigners around than in Hanoi.

I spent a lot of time just walking around seeing the city. Singapore softened me so I had to reacclimate to Vietnamese traffic. As a pedestrian in cities here you have to always be on high alert as you never know where a car or motorbike will appear from. My first day in Saigon I bent down to tie my shoe and was nearly grazed by a BMW driving down the sidewalk. Despite this I was still able to make my way around to a lot of good spots around the city.

For my last day in Ho Chi Minh I booked a guided tour of Mui Ne, a beach town about a five hour bus ride from the city. The many hours in the bus were worthwhile, as Mui Ne was absolutely beautiful. Our group’s guides took as around in Jeeps to all the main spots in the area. We walked along the Fairy Stream, stopped by a fishing village, rode ATVs around the white sand dunes, and watched the sunset from the red sand dunes. Every stop was great and I took so many photos. Mui Ne is definitely an underrated area in Vietnam that I’m glad I was able to see.

I still have an entire week (!) off of class, so my travels will continue.

[alexracheltravel]

We Went Chasing a Waterfall and We Only had enough energy for this terrible joke

Today was day two of our Cambodian tour. We enjoyed our tour of Angkor Wat so much that we booked a second day with the same company and the same guide. Nak, our guide, was incredible over these two days and we appreciate him greatly.

After breakfast, we left Siem Reap and went north to Phnom Kulen, a national park, Cambodia's largest protected forest (or jungle. Unclear about the difference) and a holy site with historical and religious significance. It was a long drive and we spent it talking to Nak and our driver about various Buddhist rules and rites. For example, it is no longer illegal to eat meat in Buddhism. Now, the only animals that are not allowed include: dog, snake, bear, elephant, tiger, and leopard. This, of course, only refers to observant Buddhists. As far as we know, monks must abstain from killing animals, chopping wood, holding money, and even starting fire. We noticed parallels between these values and the traditional values of Judaism.

The first stop we made was a touristy viewpoint, in which we stopped and posed in front of a cliff face, gazing at the vast valley below. It was easy to see the beauty that Cambodia had to offer, with picturesque views and a skyline that could rival any country.

It wasn't long from there until we got to a very religious site. The reclining Buddha of Phnom Kulen drew crowds from around Cambodia and the rest of the world. It was a pilgrimage to go there. We spent some time on the temple grounds. Villagers played music. Children ran about. Pious individuals kneeled before their idols, clasping their hands and bowing again and again, muttering their prayers under their breath. We climbed a long set of stairs up to the top of the mountain. The Buddha was carved centuries ago, straight into the mountainside. It was about eighty feet long and portrayed the Buddha in a sublime state of Nirvana. At the end, we banged a gong, a ritual that signified our thanks to the Temple. Nak said it was a "good deed." We should have told him about the word "mitzvah." Along the way down, Nak introduced us to some street food that villagers made for the tourists. We ate waffles made from rice, and a coconut filled crepe called "khanom bueang." They were delicious and vegan!

We returned to the car and made our way down the hill towards a site called "the river of 1000 lingas." This specific site was important to Cambodian and Khmer culture, as it was the place where the first king of the empire declared his rule. The lingas were religious objects that purified water, the same way a mikvah might prepare one to bathe. The most interesting part was that the riverbed contained so many carvings, not just of these religious pillars (which represented phalluses) but also of the gods: Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. It was not a long trip, but the serenity of the river and the calmness of the water relaxed us before our next exciting excursion.

Waterfalls! Yes! Phnom Kulen is home to a large, hundred-meter high waterfall! Visitors to the area gathered to the pool to take a dip. The water was cold, but perfect on the 87-degree day. We dipped out heads below the waterfall and felt the rush of the water hit our bodies. Is this what our island vacation will feel like?

Alas, it was time to leave the national park, and we hopped into the car and drove down. We ate a mediocre lunch, and then moved on to the last sight of our tour: Banteay Srei. The name translates to "citadel of women," but like many of these temples, they have other names, and this temple was among the earliest temples in all of Siem Reap. While it was quite dilapidated, many of the ancient carvings were still intact, or restored, showcasing incredible intricate images of gods, carved into brightly-colored stones. It quickly became one of our favorite temples that we had seen over the two day period.

We said goodbye to Nak, and our driver for guiding us over the last two days. He really made our trip special. We breaked in the hotel, showered, relaxed, and then, Alex had one last trip for his bucket list.

Cambodia's street food contains many delectable treats, but among them is one unique one: insects! For $5 he grabbed a bag of insects: grasshoppers, crickets, mealworms, larger mole crickets (or pillbugs), some roach-like creature, and tiny frogs. Yes, the latter are not insects but they were still part of the package. The morsels we're all along the night market, and customers can pick and choose which they wanted. They came mixed with fried Thai basil, scallion, and hot sliced chili. Mixed and combined, the treats were flavorful, seasoned, crispy, and aromatic. To be honest, the crickets and frogs tasted best. The mealworms were too soft and the others were too big. But all were part of the true Cambodia experience.

An easy dinner at the hotel and an early night followed. Tomorrow we make our way to Thailand.

Alex: On our tour today you said the Banteay Srei temple was one of your favorites. What did you most amazing about that temple? I mean I liked it too but let's tell the people what you think.

Rachel: First off, I did like it the most, but for different reasons than I did like Angkor Wat. The first and what feels the most obvious is the incredibly intricate carvings, each with a story from Hindu mythology.

A: I liked that part too and we saw some of that at Angkor Wat, and that was my favorite aspect of each temple. This one was not my favorite but I think it was absolutely worth seeing even if it was off the beaten path. It is not in the main temple area of Siem Reap and is about 45 minutes away. It certainly felt worth traveling to!

R: Agreed. And I think it paired nicely with the reclining Buddha we saw earlier in the day.

A: I did forget to check out where the Buddha was facing. Did you know that he faces Angkor Wat?

R: Yes I knew that. I think the other thing that felt nice was starting to better understand how to identify some of the gods in all of the carvings—today, Angkor Wat, and all of the other temples. Especially for the Hindu gods.

A: We even got a crash course and lesson on how Ganesha, the elephant god, got his cool head. I like this mythology, but I certainly don't believe in any of it. But it's really cool to see it as a part of history, and how it is inscribed into the architecture of the buildings.

R: I think in general this day 2 of our only two full days in Siem Reap allowed us to experience a lot of what the area had to offer.

A: What I am happy about is also seeing tourism return. Little by little I have seen more people every day since we arrived. Two days ago there was practically no one around at 8pm. Now, it feels like a real tourist city. That's good for the people who make a living here but I think I'm ready to ditch town.

R: Agreed!

[00towns]

2024: media in review

A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines, Anthony Bourdain 

A Venn diagram of my taste in television and my dad’s would look like two circles straining at the seams to get away from each other. The items that keep the two pinned firmly together are two programs: FX’s The Bear and Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown.

The last time I was home for Christmas, we sat on the couch in a post-dinner haze and watched as Bourdain explored the Lower East Side, finding and commenting on the best of what every street corner in the city has to offer. Neither my dad or I are particularly discerning eaters, but we were entranced: my dad in that funny way that New Yorkers get when they see their city represented on TV, belonging to themselves as much as it seems to belong to everyone else, and myself by the way that Bourdain seemed determined to fill out his life at every corner, expanding and contracting to fit the space he’s in, and consume enthusiastically in a way that I would describe as high-octane and not excessive, a fine, fine line to draw.

A Cook’s Tour is a detailed account of the behind-the-scenes of filming for Parts Unknown, where Bourdain sheds his television personality to take up a writing one which prides itself on being more candid, honest, and critical while maintaining the same dynamic, intensely focused way of experiencing the world. The book is sequenced in bits and pieces, following Bourdain’s original proposal for the show following the success of Kitchen Confidential to vignettes in Portugal, Russia, Japan, and more. While much of the novel follows the by-line of ‘extreme’ cuisines, the shiny parts of his story are when Bourdain looks at other facets of foreign foodways: concepts of luxury, moral approaches to meat-eating, and family. In Vietnam, he eats his way through a floating market and emphasizes the fresh ingredients and the foodways required to get them; in Portugal he kills a pig and notices the way that the life he takes feeds the entire community for several days and beyond. Along the way, he takes aim at fast food conglomerates, celebrity chefs who are more celebrity than chef, and the American empire that shaped the food politics of many of the locales he visits. Bourdain writes about food, certainly, but much of the beauty of his prose comes not from long-winded descriptors of flavors or textures, but the sense of place surrounding each meal he enjoys. In fact, much of his eating seems to do less evocation of taste and more of sensory experience, beyond the five senses to catalog humor, affect, generosity, place. He escapes his corporate overlords in this way – forcing the reader to pay attention to context, despite jumping around the world in vignettes. Every bite is in the direct shadow of the bite that came before it. Every open seat at a table inviting you to sit down is the result of generations and generations of community, an impossibly complex web of foodways, and importantly, chance. Not only is it one of the best ways to do food media, I’ll argue it’s the only way to write about it. Bourdain does a lot with words that much food communication struggles to do with pictures, videos, and audio. 

Not everything in A Cook’s Tour is perfect; I think the reason that his writing is considered edgy is for the same reasons I often found it grating. I cringe when he advocates for blindly running as far away from tourists as possible without a particular thought of what exactly one is running into. Much of the travel and eating advice sprinkled throughout his work is astonishingly male, including the suggestion to go into salaryman’s bars and just start drinking in order to experience Japanese culture. A particularly tense portion of his novel takes place in Cambodia, where he tramples over cultural and political custom to try to make his way to the heart of Khmer Rogue territory to film and eat, then cracks a joke about a ‘cowardly’ cab driver who his team forces to drive into dangerous terrain. This made my skin crawl; I know the feeling of wearing Americanness in Southeast Asia like armor and it’s disgusting, not empowering. It’s also unsurprising that Bourdain’s takes on much of Asia lack nuance and read as terribly outdated; in No Reservations he claims to have been bewitched by his travel in Asia, “even [falling in love with] not-so-pretty Taiwan and Korea”. Who are we kidding? No Reservations was written in 2007 – SNSD was already performing Into the New World. It takes a forgiving eye to read beyond Bourdain’s less-than-discerning writing for the middle American reader to his leftist takes on Kissenger in Cambodia, loser white dudes in Vietnam, and migrant workers in professional kitchens. Some of his descriptions of adventurous food feel just a hair on the wrong side of politically correct, but I’m not eager to take up the job of explaining exactly why they feel this way, given that I’ve never eaten half as adventurously as he has. 

Bourdain’s approach to living seems to be on an upwards trend right now, six years after his death. I feel like I understand deeply why, although I don’t agree entirely with everything he writes. Perhaps his words echo strongly with young people doing their best to live a life of slow richness (in the sense of food, not money), savoring every bite in a culture of excess, the type to order seconds but never takeout. Bourdain’s aspirations to connect deeply to where things come from and why feels like a valuable ethos for right now, but raise questions about how to do so when the fact of the gaze always remains. For Bourdain, his viewer has a name, which is a team of television producers and cameras that follow him and document his every interaction with his surroundings, making his gaze not just a handful of people in a room but hundreds of thousands across the English-speaking world. Can we all slow down? Can we all connect to new places and locales the way Bourdain does, or does that make those places tourist joints, too? 

I chewed through A Cook’s Life in a park in Seoul, at my desk in Yokkaichi, lying down in the forest in Naeba. He ate tete de veau in France while I chugged down vinegary cold noodles, he sipped at bird’s nest soup as I ordered the best vegan ice cream I’ve ever had twice in a row. Bourdain’s world is just as wide as mine, but traveling while reading travel writing feels like reading fantasy. Bourdain writes about his travels in a way that I find myself jealous of; not for the fact that he eats and drinks for a living, but the fact that he’s able to write so brazenly, without hesitation, full of conviction in what he says and feels, humility without fear. At time of writing, I’ve become slightly obsessed with Bourdain. I’m working on his other books, too, and the only thing stopping me from delving into his cookbooks is my disdain for French cooking. My dad and I watch Parts Unknown to unwind, but I would never wish a book like A Cook’s Tour on anyone looking to relax. Bourdain is the traveler’s travel writer for a reason. 

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, R.F. Kuang

I’ll start with what I enjoyed: I thought the function of the magical realist elements were delightful. In Babel, magic is woven into the real world of 1830s England through match-pairs, or pairings of words between English and other languages inscribed onto bricks of silver. The silver is able to capture what is ‘lost in translation’, which in turn creates magical outcomes based on the difference in nuance between the two words, like making ships go faster, food stay fresher, buildings last longer. The main character, Robin Swift, is a native Cantonese and Mandarin speaker who learns English from a young age through being partially raised by an English maid in Canton, making him a prime candidate for the fictional Babel School of Translation at the nonfictional Oxford University. The book came at a good time for me. At time of writing I’m about ten months into a twenty-four month period in Japan, and am hitting (what I perceive to be) a critical point in my language acquisition where things are actually starting to make a lot of sense while still being wildly confusing, so the themes of embodied language and the politics of fluency overlaid onto a magical setting struck close to home. The role of magic and the translation school in the larger setting of colonial Britain sets Kuang up for strong commentary on a number of different thematic elements of empire, including the invisible hand of academia, wasians, and the frenetic potential in being able to speak a second or third language so easily it comes like breathing. A few weeks ago, I met someone who is a native speaker of Mandarin, Japanese, and English, and I’ll tell you, it’s easy to imagine what she can do as magic. 

I spent a few days after finishing Babel wallowing in self pity that I would never be a native speaker of another language, despite my best efforts. The world constructed in the novel is just so textually rich and layered with the power of language and openings for meaning; truly, while reading I felt a deep melancholy that I would never have the depth of intimacy with another language that Kuang portrays as so powerful and out of the reach of many that it constitutes magic. I couldn’t even find it in me to blame my parents, who are equally the victims of language (in)access as I am, despite my mom’s ridiculous talent for five or so Chinese dialects. Robin’s half-brother Griffin at one point admits that he was a failed project of true bilingualism because his dreams – that ultimate, truth-telling space – weren’t in Chinese. Griffin yearns to be a truly native Chinese speaker, but his subconscious space remains just out of reach. I closed Babel with a sort of forlorn determination in my journey of language acquisition. 

Onto my critiques: Babel makes its goals clear. The long-winded title informs the reader of not only its overarching plot, but also the tortuously simple political messaging being swung at. Kuang insists on a similar level of hand-holding throughout, from the comically racist white British colonizers, the pages-long dialogues of spirited academic debates where Kuang is so painfully literal she could stand to cite her sources, to the core set of archetypal characters that make up the Oxford cohort the story follows. If you’ve read Yellowface, you’ll know all about Kuang, projecting, and absolutely rinsing white women, which is tee’d up so obviously for such an unforgivable smackdown in both pieces I almost want to ask for mercy. In Yellowface, the white woman narrator hates Chinese food while pretending to be Asian online, in Babel, the British professor fathers Robin with a Chinese woman while looking down on their intellect and civility; in both cases I think Kuang forgets that the most insidious white person is the one who genuinely believes that they love ethnic cultures while looking down on them. 

I want to be clear; I do not think that RF Kuang is a good writer, but I knew generally what to forgive given the limitations of the YA genre. The majority of my issues with Babel come at the last quarter of the book. Much potential for nuance is lost as the novel descends into a cartoonish parody of rebellion, complete with the barricading of a building at Oxford, betrayal from the white woman intelligentsia, and an embarrassingly brazen allyship with a group of working class white men. Babel is not for anyone looking for high level commentary or a truly built-out portrayal of revolution in a magical world. Ursula K Le Guin suggests (speaking on science fiction but applicable to this magical realist historical fiction) that a successful piece in the genre is not one that extrapolates from a logical extreme to inevitably end in massive destruction, but is rather one that uses extrapolation as one tool of many to reflect a present reality. “[...] let’s say this or that is such and so, and see what happens…  In a story so conceived, thought and intuition can move freely within bounds set only by the terms of the experiment, which may be very large indeed.” Taking this analytic, where Babel fails is in its overcommitment to “the necessity of violence” as a singular political message, so such exaggerated that the goal of the novel at some points seems to be impressing upon the reader that political message rather than actually portraying it in the text, the other commentary on community building and revolutionary sacrifice taking the form of stray bullets. Kuang spends the first four hundred pages of the book building out a colossal magical world with movement between the Global North and South, a cast of characters from across the world brought to Oxford under suspicious circumstances, and a colonial power capable of incredible cruelty in the real world, now armed with a magically enhanced abilities. The bounds of Kuang’s experiment are nonexistent, but its one-track minded focus on Oxford as an institution leads to a particularly cringeworthy climax where Robin literally climbs on a table in a library to soapbox to the workers. In this way, I felt as if the internal intuition of the world of Babel is forgone for an attempt to impress the relevance of its main commentary to the modern world. It draws a sharp contrast to other similarly YA-targeted novels about dystopian rebellion, such as The Hunger Games, where commentary about disenfranchisement and power is both genre-appropriate and nuanced. 

All things considered, I wouldn’t have made a particular note of Babel if I hadn’t been moved by the novel overall despite its many flaws. Perhaps my experience would be further enhanced if I delved deeper into this literary subgenre about books about/through/upon language and language acquisition. I welcome recommendations. 

Thank you, C, for this recommendation. Eat shit, Half Price Books! 

Big Ideas (2024), Remi Wolf 

Remi was scheduled to appear at Fuji Rock Festival, at which I was also scheduled to appear, but on the shinkansen to Tokyo I took a nap and woke up to the news of her cancellation. The night before, I had danced around my apartment packing, doing odds and ends of laundry, and folding things at random, blasting Big Ideas on repeat, giddy with excitement. I put my head down on the tray table, tried to ignore my friends cooing over me in pity, and let myself be super bummed for about ten minutes. Then I picked myself up, accepted a canned beer, and got ready to enjoy myself. 

Fuji Rock was a blast, although it did have a tender Remi-shaped hole. I’m still obsessed with this album in the way that I think a lot of people felt about The Rise and Fall of Midwest Princess. There’s not a single low point, each track showing off a different element of artistry from gritty vocals to funky instrumentals. My favorite song is Frog Rock, who’s instrumental chorus of ribbits is familiar to a few weeks in late spring when the tiny green Japanese tree frogs sing unceasingly in the rice paddies. I enjoy how slightly nauseating the lyrics are, poking at that weird line between the ick and an amphibian. A few weeks ago, a Japanese tree frog spent a summer sabbatical living on my monstera on my balcony, and he was christened (for a few precious days) Wolf. 

On the last day of Fuji Rock, I bought a Remi Wolf T-shirt despite not seeing her. It was a consolation prize. I didn’t see a single person wearing the same one until Summer Sonic, where I was reeling from PinkPantheress’s cancellation instead. Save our girls! 

AAA Tour in Tokyo, Hyukoh and Sunset Rollercoaster 

If you know me, you already know how annoying I’ve been about this show. I like Hyukoh but I love Sunset Rollercoaster, and I was eager to see them again after catching the Infinity Sunset tour at the Howard Theater in 2022. I also fell hard for Hyukoh’s guitarist after seeing his other project band Bongjeingan as rookie guests at Fuji Rock. 

Through the course of the two and a half hour show, both bands run through the hits from their own discographies, covering each other’s parts and ad-libbing where necessary. It was a riot knowing what beats to expect but not exactly where, or in what style. They also play the entirety of the six track collaboration EP, including the dreamscapey Aaaaaannnnteeeennnnaaaa, mixed live. I found the visuals and stage setting to carry a sense of humor, a lot like the EP itself, while still being serious about the music. They’re all wearing these stupid hats that aren’t mentioned or acknowledged once, including a crocheted beard for the bassist, a brain beanie for Hyunjae, and a hat from the merch stand with added devil horns made from fake hair on Hyuk. Throughout the show, no one talks to the audience except for a handful of sentences and one or two odd jokes, which often have to be cued through the teleprompter. Kuokuo asks us to buy merch so that he has more money to spend at Matsuya. (I was in Taiwan this summer – I’m like 95% sure they have Matsuya there). After the encore, Haoting Facetimes Inwoo, Hyukoh’s drummer who doesn’t tour abroad for health reasons. He yells into the phone in English over the crowd. Kuokuo picks up an acoustic and starts playing Wonderwall. 

The first night, two extremely drunk girls behind me catcall Haoting, the saxophonist, all night. A white lady standing next to me studying East Asian history at Sophia University (lol) tries to strike up a conversation with me – she cracks a weird joke about mainland China within the first five minutes of our interaction. The second night, a woman next to me covers her face with the AAA vinyl or her hand the entire time, blushes hard whenever any of the members approach us, then records Hyuk with shaking hands during the encore. The moment I leave the venue, it stinks like menthols. In addition, the calling from the crowd to the stage covers just about every language base that I can manage: the bands speak in English, the songs are in Mandarin and Korean, the crowd yells in a mix of all three plus Japanese. I feel bizarrely attached to each word that I can pick up. You dropped this! I want to yell. But I got it! 

As of October, this EP is easily my favorite music project of the year. Long live Taiwan! 

Look Back (2024), Fujimoto Tatsuki 

��I watched Look Back in decidedly strange circumstances. I don’t usually find narratives about writers writing about writing to be compelling, but I walked away from Look Back certain this is his best work. 

Look Back is short, sweet, and emotionally demanding. It asks a lot of its audience in its runtime of just under an hour, and commands attunement to everything packed into its narrow frame, from the middle Japan setting, the familiar yet foreign school life vignettes, and the boisterous insistence of adolescent pride. Blink, and you’ll miss a moment rich in text and subtext, all pulling desperately towards the final cut of Fujino at her desk, pen tapping away at her illustration tablet. Despite the tragedy of the story, she's not more renewed, focused, or desperate than she was, at least not in a way that we can see. What is there to do after a fundamental shift in the world but to continue on? 

Look Back is titled in katakana, meaning that it doesn’t have a native Japanese title and takes English loanwords instead. I thought this was interesting to consider from a Japanese speaker’s perspective: while ‘look back’ in English conjures a distinct image of a person with their head turned to view what’s behind them, several scenes and themes of the film also reference ‘look back’ in a more linguistically roundabout way. In one of Kyomoto’s later four-panel mangas, she draws the scene in which Fujino, in superhero caricature, defeats the axe murderer at her college by crashing into him with a swift kick. The punchline arrives when she turns around, and the axe is sticking out of her back. We are again invited to ‘look (at her) back’, an interpretation allowed by the looser grammatical rules of Japanglish. It’s where the humor in tragedy is, twentytwenty in hindsight, what we can attain when we look back. In montage scenes of Fujino and Kyomoto running in the snow or parading around town, the former constantly looks back at the latter to symbolize their power dynamic and build to the eventual climatic argument, but again, a different interpretation of the title also invites us to put ourselves in Kyomoto’s shoes: she is look(ing) (at) Fujino’s back, always. Her ambition is not stunted by being a follower, it’s also provoked by being allowed to support someone whose work she admires. We again meet this emphasis on Kyomoto’s role as a lesser but not inferior match to Fujino’s artistry: she draws the backgrounds for every manga they publish, and goes to art school with the goal of improving her ability to do exactly that. Kyomoto only ever has the intention of supporting Fujino’s work: (a) look (at the) back(ground). 

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about look back (grammar rules ignored)  as a way of relating to others. The circular narrative laid out in Look Back seems to urge us to this conclusion despite its interruption, and asks us to hang our hopes on Fujino and Kyomoto reunited as more mature, fully realized adults in a partnership that may never be equal but will be mutual. For some, the rays of their partner are enough to eclipse personal ambition; the blessing of drifting in their orbit is a life well lived. This feels fundamentally incongruent to who I am as a person, but I have to ask if there is a world out there where I meet someone for whom it becomes possible for me to take a very, very happy passenger seat to their life. Am I looking for a partner who I can watch from the edges of the party? Or am I looking for someone who might join me there? 

(I swear I’m not intentionally trying to bring up Hadestown in a year-end review for the third year in a row, but it does fit nicely. Can we be assured that when we look back, what we are leading will still be there? Do I have the strength to be faithful that whatever I have turned away from will remain?) 

Even more, what do we do lieu of all these questions and uncertainties? I think we keep drawing. 

Honorable mentions (some media, some not, all very Textual to me) 

Taiwanese streetwear brand Goopi.co 

Working out twice in one day 

The salt melonpan from Pea Green Bakery 

The Acolyte Season 1  

Mugicha 

Meal consisting of canned corn, fried Spam, rice with furikake, and two sunny side up eggs 

Spiritfarer (2020) 

Costco membership

Mark - 200 

Password manager Chrome extension 

Conclusion

This year, I wrote about my 'best of' as they came to me throughout the year instead of waiting until writing this recap. I think this produced a list based much more on an emotional response to media than an assessment of their quality or artistic merit, which I may have (self-consciously) done in past years when selecting at time of writing. In this way, this year's recap feels a lot more genuine and a lot more vulnerable, despite containing some of my more unintentional or quick reads. I did consume a lot of excellent media this year which might be considered to have 'high' artistic value and I also had an emotional response to, but the thing about high art is that I'll always be scraping at the heels of someone smarter than myself. I feel like I can tell when an idea is present but escaping me. Perhaps that emotional response is my failure to put an idea into words, but to allow myself to process it in other ways.

Postscript: 2024 music recap

Festivals: 4

Concerts: 25

Best live set: AAA tour, never young beach 

Worst live set: Noname

2025 want to see: tofubeats, mass of the fermenting dregs, poison girlfriend, helsinki lambda club, pink pantheress, remi wolf, wave to earth, se so neon, deca joins, kendrick & sza, weyes blood, chappell roan, khruangbin

[hopefultimetravelpeace]

Master Chef’s Street Food: Wok-Fried Duck Rice & Noodle Soup Skills!

[thecrazycollectorunknown]

Which City Has the Best Lunch? Phnom Penh vs. Siem Reap vs. Kampot! https://youtu.be/ec0UOxaOVOk?si=fzDhSKRkkExtaqyL

[thenewpathfinder2024-2034]

The day of the 24th

Sky train, tuk tuk, water taxi, river boat, motorcycle taxi, lots of walking

1 palace

3 temples

1 shoping mall

Street food

Street markets

1 thai or american breakfast

Wold famous restuarant

Thai massage 1 or 2 hour is cheap 600baht 2 hour

These are not in order exact places are.on the picture.

All day long so have your temple wear avalible for the first day you are here.

When you get here eat and go to sleep, early morning wake up to start Bangkok tour.

My personal "Have to have"

●Water resistant small day pack or sling bag. (I have a avalible if you need)

●Big scarf (I have a avalible if you need

●Hat, boonie or cap (I have a avalible if you need)

●Sunglasses

●A hoddie, long sleve shirt, or light jacket

■Phone wifi available at restuarants

■Camera

●Wetones travel pack

■Watch

●Money, passport, ( or copy and alternate id) and insurace info.

☆●Suncreen

☆● Bug spray

☆●Tiger balm for scrapes, bites, or stings.

☆●Water and drink powders including coffee if you have a long day trip.

● gum

■ could be in all one device.

these items i already have for you each

Welcome package to Thailand....Contains:

Tiger balm

Bug spray

Sun lotion

Chocolate candy

Chocolate stir sticks

Thai tea powder drink

Water

Logbook diving

Sea sick pills

Thai fish chips

Cashews

Shark neckace good luck

Friendship bracelet

Noodle bowl

Dried mango snack

Blueberry or strawberry snack

Couple of plastic bags

All in a colorful sling bag (brent has less colorful its turtles and burgundy

Oh the thai baht has slipped in value as of last night to 30 per dollar so make sure to exchange at least 500 at the airport when you arrive after imagration and before the baggae pick up. Exchange 100s as smaller bills get less in the exchange rate. So excited to see yall. I know my facebook has not been exciting unless your a foodie, but i have had a lot of business and thinks to take care of in bangkok that are boring except for food and my brief trip to Cambodia "vegas."

Thats all c

Going to change now as we are going to have a whirlwind of exciting and fabulous new experiences together. Thank you in advance for taking a chance to see asia as very few americans do. I have seen only 1 in a whole month here.

Make sure to review places on trip advisor please

Adang sea divers

Adang sea eco village

Khoa lak scuba adventures

Khoa lak guru

Soms guesthouse

Oh the thai baht has slipped in value as of last night to 30 per dollar so make sure to exchange at least 500 at the airport when you arrive after imagration and before the baggae pick up. Exchange 100s as smaller bills get less in the exchange rate. So excited to see yall. I know my facebook has not been exciting unless your a foodie, but i have had a lot of business and thinks to take care of in bangkok that are boring except for food and my brief trip to Cambodia "vegas."

Thats all c

Going to change now as we are going to have a whirlwind of exciting and fabulous new experiences together. Thank you in advance for taking a chance to see asia as very few americans do. I have seen only 1 in a whole month here.

Save this in your phone where you can find it quikly with out internet service. In your photos or screen saver. Once here you qill not need but is your first destination. Also remeber to put in a location the airport instructions that you can use in airplane mode. Like a notes app

I will be waiting for you in the bar/comman area of guesthouse with food and to give a hand to take your bags to the room. Safe tavels and sleep as much as you can on last leg of the flight.

Korea is 4 hours

Japan is six hours

Stay together on way to the guesthouse and get a suv for you and your luggage. Dont pay more than 500 baht for taxi here use the public transportation taxi and make sure they use the meter.

[candy-floss-crazy]

Waffles are one of our most popular dessert offerings. We started with Belgian waffles, then added waffles on a stick. Perfect as a walk around whilst you eat kinda food. Currently we are starting a roadshow for a major financial company, with visits to some 20 universities around the UK offering waffles on a stick. But it got me thinking, what do waffles around the world look like. So here is a quick look at some of the weird and wonderful options from around the world. Belgian Waffles Belgian Waffles Carts For Hire Probably the best known of the waffles. Introduced at the 1958 Expo in Brussels. They were introduced into America in 1962 by Belgian Walter Cleyman and served with strawberries and cream. Still a popular option today. They were based on a simplified recipe for the Brussels waffle, legend has it that the name in the States was changed to the Bel-Gem due to the average American being unable to identify Brussels as being in Belgium. Bergische A specialty of the German region of Bergische, these are heart shaped and served with cherries, cream and rice pudding as part of the traditional Sunday's dinner in the region. Less dense and crispier than their Belgian counterparts. Pandan Waffles Or 'Green Vietnamese Waffles', a popular street food in Vietnam. The Pandan flavouring and coconut milk in the batter give it the distinctive green appearance. Unlike most waffles elsewhere these are typically eaten plain. Gofri Waffles Next up is Italy's entry. Or to be more precise the Piedmont region. Containing no egg or milk they are lighter and crispier in texture than other variants. Moffles This one is something different, by the Japanese (Who else). a Mochi rice cake cooked in a waffle iron. A crispy exterior with a glutinous mochi insides. Served both as a dessert with condiments, or as a savoury offering with ham, cheese or cod roe. Stroopwafels From one of our favourite countries (The Netherlands) comes the stroopwafel. Originally from the Dutch city of Gouda. Made from flour, butter, brown sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs. Balls of batter are placed on an iron, whilst it is still warm, it is cut in half, and the filling spread over the surfaces gluing them together. Taiyaki A Japanese entry dating from 1909, this is shaped like a Sea bream fish, and commonly sold as a street food. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened adzuki beans. Though Custard, chocolate and cheese are also offered. Kanom Rung Peung Hailing from Thailand, the name means literally 'Bee Hive Snack', and they are made with coconut milk, palm sugar, coconut, and sweet corn. Being sweet they can usually be eaten without additional toppings. Liege Waffles Another entry from that little European country of Belgium. See, they are famous for more than just sprouts. Liege waffles are made using a yeast dough and pearl sugar, giving them mush more of a chewy consistency than most of their competitors. Num Poum Made with coconut and rice water, this hails from Cambodia. Another popular Khmer street food. Pizzelle Italy's take on our favourite food. The Pizzelle, made from flour, eggs, sugar and butter and typically flavoured with anise, lemon or vanilla. These are flat, crispy, and commonly sprinkled with sugar. Hong Kong Bubble Waffle A rather unique shaped snack, called "gai daan jai" in Cantonese these taste a little like a cross between a cookie and a sponge cake. Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside the little bubbles. They are all waffly good, which one is your favourite? Read the full article

[visitlocaltravel]

Planning a Holiday in Summer to Cambodia

Are you dreaming of a tropical getaway this summer? Look no further than Cambodia! With its stunning temples, beautiful beaches, and vibrant culture, Cambodia is the perfect destination for your next holiday. In this article, we will provide you with expert tips and advice on planning the ultimate summer vacation to Cambodia.

Why Choose Cambodia for Your Summer Holiday?

Cambodia is a hidden gem in Southeast Asia, offering a unique blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. From the iconic temples of Angkor Wat to the pristine beaches of Sihanoukville, there is something for everyone in Cambodia. Whether you are a history buff, a beach lover, or an adventure seeker, Cambodia has it all.

When is the Best Time to Visit Cambodia?

The best time to visit Cambodia is during the dry season, which runs from November to April. If you are planning a summer holiday to Cambodia, aim to visit in June or July when the weather is hot and sunny. Keep in mind that it can get quite humid during the summer months, so be sure to pack plenty of lightweight and breathable clothing.

What to See and Do in Cambodia?

When visiting Cambodia, be sure to explore the temples of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. Take a boat cruise on the Tonle Sap Lake and witness the floating villages and stunning sunsets. Relax on the beautiful beaches of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, where you can swim, snorkel, and soak up the sun.

Where to Stay in Cambodia?

Cambodia offers a wide range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and preferences. From luxurious beach resorts to charming guesthouses, you will find the perfect place to stay in Cambodia. For a unique experience, consider staying in a traditional Khmer homestay and immerse yourself in the local culture.

What to Eat in Cambodia?

Cambodian cuisine is a delicious fusion of flavors and influences, with dishes such as fish amok, beef lok lak, and Khmer red curry. Be sure to sample the street food in Cambodia, including tasty snacks like fried insects, grilled meats, and fresh fruit shakes. Don't forget to try the famous Cambodian coffee, which is rich, strong, and full of flavor.

How to Stay Safe in Cambodia?

While Cambodia is a safe destination for tourists, it is important to take precautions to ensure your safety, especially in crowded tourist areas, and be cautious of petty theft and scams. Make sure to drink bottled water, wear sunscreen, and apply insect repellent to protect yourself from sunburn and mosquito bites.

In conclusion, planning a holiday on summer to Cambodia is a fantastic choice for those seeking adventure, culture, and relaxation. With its diverse attractions, friendly locals, and delicious cuisine, Cambodia has something for everyone to enjoy. So pack your bags, book your tickets, and get ready for the trip of a lifetime in beautiful Cambodia!