Our House....

...in the middle of the street. Well, not in the middle of the street. Actually off the main road and behind a local restaurant - fitting, isn't it? Early the first morning I was convinced there was a pterodactyl in our yard. I should preface this by saying it was very early in the morning - probably 4am or so - and I was half asleep. Turns out it was just the neighbors rooster. By the way, its a bold faced lie that roosters only crow in the morning. They crow all day and all night. And if there is another rooster in the area they love the call and response...

Here are some photos of the apartment:

http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=560101163228324570/
l=222321360/g=10809889/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

A Tour Group and an Accident

We have officially passed our first test as the chefs of the Warehouse! Two nights ago a tour group of 13 made a reservation to have dinner with us and I don't think it would be going to far to classify the night as a smashing success. (Especially since we haven't really had the chance to feed more than 5 or so customers on any given night.) The group was from Australia and is known as Indochina Tours. Their target is the retiree crowd that has money and they set up groups to travel throughout Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Its not a bad life on an Indochina Tour - 4 and 5 star resort hotels and equally fancy food and tour arrangements. So really its no wonder they choose to come to Mr. and Ms. Cook for their dinner....

We served them a set menu that included the following: As a starter we gave them a tomato and pineapple salad served with a spicy Asian dressing. The entree was a choice of pan roasted Grouper with a Khmer style caramel sauce or roast pork with an hoisin based BBQ sauce. Both of these were served with rice and sauteed vegetables. Desert was Mr. Cook's idea - a kabocha (Cambodian pumpkin) creme brulee. The menu went over really well and there were absolutely no hitches or issues during our first official event. (Unless you count the coffee pots, which I believe you actually have to be Khmer to pour them correctly.) You can hear the collective sigh of relief, right?

On a much sadder note, it appears as though all the comments about road safetly rules, etc has come to somewhat of a reality. Our friend Lin, a Cambodian who worked with us this summer at camp and who tends bar at the Warehouse, was in a really bad moto accident yesterday. He suffered serious head injuries and was helicoptered to Phnom Penh where he is currently stable after having surgery to release pressure on his brain. They won't have any answers on long term effects until they take him out of sedation, which probably won't be for a few more days.

So here's my request. All of you who pray, or cross fingers, or simply think good thoughts, send some over this way for Lin is the hopes that the end to this story is a good one...

Photos

Here is another round of photos on Snapfish. As requested, this group has photos of The Warehouse and even some of the food off of our new menu. We didn't get any complaints about this way of sharing photos, so we're going with the assumption that this worked pretty well for everyone. As I mentioned before, if you have any problems with the link email either one of us and we will send one directly to your email.

http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=8671162892597875/
l=222118252/g=10809889/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Water Festival Photo

Here is a photo from the Water Festival that I mentioned in the last post. Unfortunately it doesn't truly capture what we saw, but at least it gives you an idea...

Water Festival

Last night we had our first experience with a Cambodian festival/holiday. This one is known as Bon Om Tuk, or the Water Festival. Here's a little primer from the Phnom Penh Post:

"The beloved, 800-year-old Water Festival is held at the end of the monsoon season on November's full moon. It marks one of the most dramatic - and certainly most popular - riparian events on earth. The Tonle Sap water system reverses its course with the onset of the rainy season about April, flooding the Great Lake to the north with vast quantities of fresh water pouring down the Mekong from Tibet. When the dry season arrives, the Tonle Sap returns to its southward course, draining the lake - along with rich alluvial soil - back into the Mekong."

So there you have it, I couldn't have put it better myself. The realities of the last few days of the festival have been far more interesting than that though...

We've learned that Cambodians take their holidays VERY seriously. This isn't President's Day or Memorial Day, where you get a day off of work and maybe go to a car sale or have a BBQ. This is a huge event that involves traveling from all over the country to the cities (apparently there were between 2 and 3 million revelers in Phnom Penh - and on a stinkier note, only 200 porta potties). In fact, if you are unable to get time off work, you contemplate quitting your job.

After dinner last night we walked along the river and saw one of the most beautiful sites of the festival. Thousands of candles set atop all sorts of contraptions - ranging in size from a paper plate to a small television - floating along the river. That combined with the full moon, fireworks, and large illuminated floats on the opposite river bank made for a true sight to behold. In addition to all that was a sort of street fair happening along side the river. For those of you from NYC, I can best liken it to the Colombus Street Fair. Lots of people, street food, music, dancing, and general celebration of simply being all together.

It was really fun to see and hear and even smell - and made us glad to have taken the night off work as well...

The Great Wall of Stink

We have alluded to it in previous posts, but everything is really very different over here.
The daily life and death journeys on the roads, traffic laws may or may not exist it is unclear. But they are certainly not enforced. The infractions range from vehicle type, an entire extended family on a trailer drawn by a self propelled lawn mower, to which side of the road the steering wheel is on. Both sides are available here in Cambodia. Which side of the road you drive on is also a matter of preference. Ostensibly I believe it is supposed to be the same as the US, but if it is really inconvenient to be on that side or if you are in a hurry you can drive on the other side or the sidewalk if that better suits your needs. The important thing is to keep honking to let people know your there.
"honk" I am passing on your right!
"honk" I am running this red light!
"honk" I am going to turn and cut you off!
"honk" I am behind you on the sidewalk!
"honk" That guy looks familiar!
"honk" I believe we are all carbon based life forms!
"honk" no reason other than I like the sound!

It is important to know that the quality of driving is also astounding. The common story is that of the bus driver that after hitting a scooter and dragging it for a couple of miles stops his bus runs into the jungle and is never seen again. Probably an urban legend given that I have heard from a couple of different people.

Our main form of conveyance is a Tuk-Tuk. A "taxi" of sorts, rally a handsome cab pulled by a vespa like scooter. Our main driver is Fila, an extremely likeable young man that drives slower and saner then most of the rest. We give him a call at the end of the evening and fifteen to twenty minutes later he will pick us up.
It is very pleasant way to see the sights and at night at this time of year it is actually cool and comfortable...
Until , for reasons unseen by the naked eye, you run into the Great Wall of Stink. A barrier of smell completely unknown in the occidental world. Sure we have all walked past a dumpster on a hot day, or low tide, or a smelly guy on a bus. But this is a combination of all that and more. Another added excitement to the tuktuk rides.

The aforementioned honking isn't just relegated to motorized traffic either. The inventor of the squeaky toy is making a mint over here. All the cart vendors on any and all random streets regardless of population density and customer base have the squeaker. And they like them.
"squeak" mystery ice cream
"squeak" fried spider ( they really have those here)
"squeak" shellfish that I have cooked on this steel siding in the sun
"squeak" random goo

I think I may be rambling and giving the wrong impression. All this is the relish that makes the dish worthwhile. This isn't "cooks in cape girardeau" after all.
Its the water festival this weekend a local holiday that kills business and signifies the reversal of flow of water in the lake.

Roast dinner time