Kampuchea Crossings

Bump to baby on the beaten expat track

A common sight

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Photos courtesy of H. Prytherch

This is a common sight along the roads of Cambodia– a patient riding on the back of a moto on the way home, hooked up to an IV. There’s large demand for IVs and injections in the country, and people seek it out whether or not it is medically necessary. The problem of overuse of drugs/IVs is more prevalent in rural areas where educational levels are much lower.

We asked some people in the communities when they typically get IVs, and we were told it’s good for making the body strong again after many days out fishing or working in the fields. We’re told they can be bought at any pharmacy or clinic, and the colored IVs are better because the medicine in it makes it more potent. (Unknown to them, oftentimes it is due to food coloring by unscrupulous drug vendors capitalising on the poor knowledge of drug use.)

…I can almost see the image of this in the bas reliefs of Angkor Wat!

How to vote in Cambodia’s national elections

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Tomorrow the country holds its 4th national elections since the 1991 Paris Peace Accords were signed, ending decades of civil war and foreign occupation. In the runup to this weekend our counterparts in the Ministry of Health and all health professionals were required to partake in campaigning for their parties. (This meant that all activities agreed upon were essentially put on hold for two months).

I asked one of them, a hospital director, what it is he does when he goes out to the villages and communities to campaign. “I teach people how to vote”, was the response. Really? How do you teach them how to vote? “I show them which box on the ballot to check”. Do you like to do that? [[He hesitates, then…]] “It doesn’t seem right… But it’s good for CPP to win so that we won’t have violence again. And I’m a doctor and I have responsibilities so I should vote for CPP.”

The dominant CPP party had to settle for a coalition government with FUNCINPEC because they didn’t win the required 2/3 majority in the 2003 elections, and the PM has taken steps to ensure that won’t happen again. CPP’s campaign was largely about threatening violence if CPP does not take a majority.

Needless to say, people in a generally subdued mode…

How to catch sparrows

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A little bit of life in Phnom Penh…. I was sitting at a cafe overlooking Sisowath Quay (riverside), when I watched how they catch what’s nicknamed in the birding world as LBJs (Little Brown Jobbies), or the ubiquitous common sparrows. Keith told me how he’d watch them do this but it seemed like such a tediously unrewarding way to catch birds so I didn’t believe him.

Small Khmer kids with long thin bamboo sticks patiently waited at some short bushes by the river. When a sparrow came along, they poked it with their stick. On the end of the stick is a blob of glue which, when it gets onto the bird’s feathers, effectively renders them incapable of flying. As the bird hops away trying to get the glue off, the kids would poke it again with the glue, and again and again. Eventually the bird’s fate is sealed.


Fried, one can eat every single part of this little bird. It looks horrible, but for a country that doesn’t have many choices as far as food, especially the poor, anything that moves is fair game. Thus it became part of the culinary repertoire.


Along the river, in between all the fancy restaurants, bars and cafes catering to expatriates, are a smattering of food stalls with plastic chairs and tables. On any given night scores of young Khmers either on dates or just out with friends have this for dinner. A can of Black Panther (stout) was 3000Riel, or $0.75, in 2007. The plate of about 5 fried sparrows was 5000Riel, or $1.25, served with a pepper and lime juice sauce and a salad of green herbs and vegetables. (There is also another bird in there, a quail, cut in half).

Tourists would walk past the tables and the horrified look on their faces as they caught a glimpse of what was frying or served up were really funny to watch. Even funnier is their double-take and attempt to look non-chalant when they saw fellow foreigner Keith at one of the tables with his camera, putting away one of these delicacies.


This contraption is their barbecue grill. It’s essentially what we would have back home as a clay planter except ten times thicker, with a hole cut out of the base to stick in the charcoal, and set inside an aluminum casing. Shown here steaming are fertilised duck eggs. They are usually sold 3 for 4000Riel or $1.00.

FDA Globalization Act of 2008

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Many of you know I’ve recently developed sensitivities and have to be very careful about what goes on my skin and into my body. As a result I’ve had to either formulate or purchase from crafters any and all hair, cosmetics and beauty products. (Thank GOD for my recent trip back home!)

I firmly believe that the body absorbs (daily) around hundred-or-so harmful compounds from endless fillers in beauty, hair and cosmetic products. Does your product tout the anti-aging benefits of Vitamins C/E, antioxidants, Argilene, Hyaluronic Acid? How far down the list after scores of synthetic or chemical fragrances and preservatives are these? This is hotly contested by the conventional beauty industry, but I can’t ignore the vast improvement in skin complaints, allergies, and overall clarity since this lifestyle change of just a few months. Rather than the hundreds$$ in Z.Bigatti, Valmont, La Mer products the active ingredients we all seek are crafted for much much less in concentrated buffered serums by small, family- or women-owned businesses, who will be adversely impacted by this legislation.

I oppose the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 in its current form, as it presently impacts small businesses, and want regulation with fair consideration to small operations who cannot compete in an atmosphere of high regulation fees and surcharges. Diversity, local sourcing, and sustainable lifestyle choices on health, food and beauty products are what I’d like to see as a consumer.

For more information or what you can do, see Indie Beauty’s business blog and forum (the owner of Indie Beauty Network, Donna Maria, is a well known natural cosmetics author and was a D.C. attorney). Sign their petition on the blog and also write to congress (the House, especially to the representatives on the energy and commerce committee) and tell them what you think! Read Indie Beauty’s forum for in depth discussion of the issue, and viewpoints of cosmetic owners and suppliers.

See the House’s Energy and Commerce committee to read the draft of the proposed law

Small-business owner’s viewpoint: Li, crafter/formulator and student of homeopathy, herbalism and traditional medicines of Nordic cultures

Book Review: Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success

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I’m fortunate for my background where good enough is simply not enough, and to constantly aim high. Working in foreign aid and development has opened my eyes to poverty and the reasons behind it, perpetuating it, situations that unintentionally(?) encourage it. When most peoples’ realities means that the basic aim of survival is aiming high, it’s difficult to keep occasional bouts of disillusionment and apathy at bay. To keep upbeat, I seek out the occasional motivational book from the meager selections of used bookstores in Phnom Penh.

While the motivational messages (e.g. productivity, financing/ investing, self-help) tend to be regurgitated and re-packaged by points of view in different books, the nuggets of advice are useful reading for anyone working in developing countries hoping to motivate counterparts to aim high.

Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success
My first review here, ironically enough for being in Cambodia, is by Donald Trump; it’s an entertainingly inspiring read.

It’s a useful glimpse into the attitude and willpower it takes to realize big goals. Don’t expect original advice or a detailed how-to guide. To sharpen your game this book offers a package outlook on living life large with extraordinary goals, substantiated by Trump’s experiences in real estate and business.

Message: Success starts with vision and a subsequent smart and aggressive focus on your goals / targets; if grounded with a lot of passion, thirst for knowledge, tenacity and resilience, then the foundations for personal and business success are laid.

Delivery: Arrogant at times yes– this is someone who enjoys life and its many challenges, honing success factors not inherent to many people. He deliberate places himself front-center where luck can’t help but find him and this is a great life strategy, whether born with a silver spoon or not. The grit and passion comes through in the first-person narration and effectively hammers his points across.

5 Ways to Eat a Mango!

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Typically existing in two races, the mango finds its roots in Burma and South India, and in Southeast Asia particularly the Philippines.

Mango season is one of my favorite things about living in Asia! All the charm and sensuous sweetness that is the essence of the tropics– in one fruit. Mangoes signal a reprieve from the hot season, heralding the summer monsoons. It kicks off the festive Khmer New Year and launches the summer fruit bounty: rambutan, lychee, mangosteen and durian. Long bamboo sticks with a cage-like trap at the end ensure reach into the highest cluster (these evergreen trees grow to 60 feet tall).

Street vendors now walk their bicycle-loads of mangoes, and market sellers pile them on mats and in baskets. National roads are lined with stands stacked high, selling for as little as 1000Riel or $0.25 per kg. Because techniques to increase mango yields are so successful, and growers don’t have the capacity to export the fruit, its prices are largely insulated from inflation and the depreciating dollar.

So what to do with all those mangoes?

1. Eat it raw, it’s packed with nutrients! Khmer taste buds are inclined towards bitter and salty flavors, so a popular way to eat it here is unripe, sliced and dipped into a mixture of salt and chili. But many of us prefer it melt-in-your-mouth golden sweet and custardy!

2. Toss cubes of ripe sweet mango into your favorite curry for a smack of fresh tropical sweetness.

3. Make a Mango Chutney and serve with brie on a cheese platter or with grilled chicken or fish. From the Food Network:

2 1/2 cups diced mangos
1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
Freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick, about 25 minutes, stirring often to keep from sticking. Let cool, and store in an airtight container.

4. For a sumptuous dessert pair it with the decadent richness of coconut by making Sticky Rice and Mango (Recipe by Sophat). This combination of the fresh sweetness of mango with the rich creaminess of coconut milk is really a fabulous treat. Sticky rice is a staple to Laos and Thailand. Sticky Rice and Mango is credited generally to southern Thailand where sticky rice is served with mango as a dessert, with condensed or coconut milk poured over it.

1 1/2 cups sticky rice
1 1/2 cups canned coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
2 to 4 ripe mangoes, depending on size, peeled, pitted, sliced.

(To make your own coconut milk: Take a cup of unsweetened shredded dried coconut and stir in two cups of boiling water. Let sit for a few minutes then strain with a cheesecloth to extract all the liquid. Sweeten to taste ~around 3Tbsp~ with white sugar. This is much better than canned coconut, but the latter can be substituted. Set aside.)

Steam the rice (this needs less water than regular rice) and set aside to cool for half an hour or so.

In a pan, gently warm coconut milk with sugar and salt until they dissolve. Stir in half the coconut milk mixture over the warm sticky rice. Divide sweetened rice to individual serving bowls. Add mango slices. Pour the rest of the coconut milk over the mango. Serve.

5. Whip up a Mango Lassi (Recipe by K Kelly). Lassis are a tasty shake, good as a filling snack on those hot days. It’s a traditional North Indian beverage, and it’s found in ancient Indian texts. Yogurt sweetened with honey is still used in Hindu rituals.

2 cups milk
1 individual container plain yogurt
2 mangoes, diced
2 tsp honey

Mix all in a blender. Serves 2.

And if you have an event coming up that requires a cake, mango complements chocolate very nicely. It’s also excellent paired with coconut, passion fruit or taro in a moist layered cake, with mango incorporated into the icing. I unfortunately am not a good baker and have only had cakes professionaly catered, so can’t offer a recipe. If anyone has a good one I’m game to try!


There are over 1000 varieties, ranging from a deep golden yellow to green to red. Svay teethai and svay kailchun in Cambodia are known to be sweet.


One of many fruit sellers at Psar Toul Tumpung (Russian Market), with pre-season harvests.