HERE, EAT THIS

AUGUST 1 - We arrived Siem Reap Town from Preah Vihear temple about 6:00 p.m. I invited Mony, my driver, to dinner...his choice. That meant traditional Khmer food...which is what I'm eating daily anyway except for my morning yogurt with daily vitamins. Traditional Khmer food is based largely on sour or fermented fish, soup, vegetables, rice...except for the largest portion of the diet which is steamed rice for every meal.

Mony selected a sidewalk Khmer restaurant for carry out which we set up on one of the tables in the restaurant area of Siem Reap Riverside Guest House.

Steamed rice came out of one plastic bag and was piled onto our two plates. Meat with leaves (Khmer refer to as "vegetables")--contents of another plastic bag were dumped into a bowl. Small, small plastic bag gave up lemon sauce with red chilies. Another plastic bag emptied of fresh green papaya salad.

I picked up my chop sticks and began adding to the top of my steamed rice the one thing in the meat bag I could identify...chunks of pig intestines. Within a nanosecond Mony plopped other looking chunks on top of my steamed rice saying, "here, Deanna, take this, it's good; pig's nose, tongue and ears...it's good meat! Here, eat this!"

I did...all.

P.S. Passing on the pictures this time.