Streetside Snacks
A running race of foods on carts, wheels or trays occurs every minute in this country. And they offer some of the most delicious local foods that anyone could find!


There is one treasure in every city of the world. New York has the hot dog stands, Philadelphia the cheese steak, London the fish and chips sellers and Moscow the dumplings and assorted fried foods that are sold on corners. I am of course talking about street food. Not literally food eaten from the very grips of the street, but of edible things sold by persons or places; moveable, quick, and the backbone of every working man's daily bread!
Here in Cambodia, food, or substances thereof, are a constant part of the average Khmer day. Much like surrounding Asia, Cambodia is rich in edible things to be had at any moment virtually twenty four hours of the day. The chattering wooden percussion instrument heard at three and four in the moring will, at one point, roam through every street rhythmically announcing, "fried noodles!" for sale. On solitary streets where easily seen is the smoke of one man, customers come and enjoy a very early morning snack throughout the entire city. These fried noodles mixed with green vegetables are served piping hot in a dish that will be washed when given and washed when received back, and all for just 2000 riel (50c).
In the days of a pavement-less Phnom Penh, engulfed in roads of dust and mud, the water used to wash most dishes in the city was less than clean. It was always fresh out of the steaming Tonle Sap river and came in the lovely brown hue of poorly done tea! Luckily for the hungry at night the water is now purified due to some wonderful post-upheaval reconstruction of the pipelines.
And for those of you for whom midnight munching holds little appeal, there's an extraordinary variety of food and drink to be had during daylight. There are pastries, cakes, ice creams, corn, pt sandwiches, deep fried meats, fried rice, lemonade, fresh soy milk and countless Asian desserts. By far the most commonly available roving food is in the shape of sweet orange slices of papaya, perfectly cut green mangoes (to be eaten with salt and chili of course), and pineapple so dripping in fructose that you would think it was soaked in honey. All of these earth grown goodies come from a simple push cart, sealed with glass compartments to keep the fruit out of the hands of pollution and flies. The seller will take your 500 riel with a big grin and off you are back to the day with a quarter of a pineapple skewered on a tiny wooden stake.
There is however one moving eatery which is most dangerous, due to the desirable looking foods pickled in jars and hanging from the peaked roof. The reason for the danger lies in small jelly-looking pink bits wrapped in banana leaf. These snacks are raw pork that has been beaten into a pulp, blended someone might say, and mixed with spices. This delicacy is then stuffed with one whole green chili and wrapped in banana leaf. For those seeking adventure it would be best to go with the ice-cream sandwich, seeing as how Cambodia has no dairy market and makes none of their own ice-creams! Thus begging the question of "is this ice-cream bread truly a dairy substance?"
Everywhere you look food is sold on the streets of Cambodia, the vast majority of which is delicious and clean, yet still not frequented by strangers or foreigners. The sheer variety of food available can be overwhelming, and 2000R should always purchase something and make them happy about your business!
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