Day 4: Bee-aah and How to fit an Ancient Wheelchair in the Kitchen

WE started off today with a Cambodian Cooking Class. We met some great people, see list of friends in earlier post, and learned to make vegetable spring rollls and fish amok on a rooftop. Jenny, our instructor, started the class by taking us on a field trip to the nearby market to buy some ingredients and learn about the local cuisine and native foods. We learned about/tasted different fruits, seeds, fish, etc. Some of the stuff, namely fruits and spices, were imported from different surrounding countries like Vietnam and Laos. We learned that Thai food is actually largely based on Cambodian food, but is more spicy. Apples and grapes were imported from farther away, Europe or the US and were therefore more expensive. We stuck to rambutan and something else we can't remember the name, and even tried spicy lotus seeds.

We eventually made our way back to the kitchen in the sky up two twisty and steep flights of stairs to a view overlooking the city and surrounding tile tops. Sharon was suffering from an infected blister which was a huge problem but we made it work. She was a trooper. She was a super trooper. We made vegetarian spring rolls filled with tarrow and carrots which took literally forever to shred. We made a spicy ginger-chili-fish sauce to go with them that was so good Helen might have just drank it straight. Not really. Well, maybe. Then after enjoying our appetizers we made fish amok. We mixed diced lime skin, garlic, shallots, chilis, lemon grass, more chilis, some Cambodian spices, tumeric that wasn't ginger but looked like it, coconut creme, fish sauce, shrimp paste (yummy), and cane sugar. We had to use a mortar and pestle to turn it into mush in order to make the sauce that we used on the tiger fish. Jenny showed us how to heat banana leaves (and burn ourselves) to make them flexible which we then used to make little banana boats/boxes/containers for the food. Basically, you throw everything in the banana boat and steam it. Eaten with a platefull of rice it was a great lunch. By the end of the cooking class, we all feel semi-confident that we could make passable Khmer food. Even better than yo grannie's cookin.

At this point, Sharon's blister was the size of Cambodia's largest hill, and we had to tuktuk to the National Museum. Walking was not an option, so we eventually figured out the Cambodian word for wheelchair. Just kidding! It was too hard to learn, but we found a wheelchair for Sharon. They staff pulled it out of the basement and it had probably been around since before the Khmer Rouge. (Hey, at least it worked and squeaked loudly!) PS. Caya drives the wheelchair better than Elliot, who hit people with it. The museum offered a great chance for us to learn about pre-Angkor period religion and art. Cambodia was influenced majorly by Hinduism prior to the Angkor period (1100ish). There were many lingas and Shiva statues (Siva). Cambodian art didnt really depict Brahman, but the trio was presented as Vishnu, Siva, and Lakshmi (Goddess). After the Angkor period there was a surge in Buddhist art (Naga, the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, etc). These statues were really fascinating. We also saw some pictures from Siem Reap and are excited to go in a few days. We met Alan (see friend post) and were able to move Sharon (in wheelchair) up and down stairs. WOAH!

That night the students went to the FCC (Foreign Correspondent's Club and ordered pizza. Sharon was sleeping after her long day and didn't attend. The end!

The National Museum and the ancient wheelchair