KOREA FOUNDATION

Cambodia, located in the southwest of the Indochinese peninsula, shares borders with Thailand and Laos to the northwest and Vietnam to the southeast. It has an area of 181,035 km2 (for comparison, South Korea measures 100,210 km2), a population of 15.28 million, and a per capita income of $1,500 (as per the Korean Statistical Information Service, 2018). With a tropical climate, Cambodia’s average annual temperature is a relatively hot 28°C. The nation also experiences monsoons during its rainy season (May to mid-November) and spends the remainder of the year in the dry season (late-November to April). Over 90% of the nation is Buddhist. The history of Cambodia can be traced back to the ancient Hindu kingdom of Funan, which later grew into the Angkor Empire (802–1431), a period of historical splendor. Cambodian lives are closely oriented around the country’s climate, religion, and historical background.

   Cambodian clothing tends to be easy to wear and to remove due to the hot weather. The most representative example of this clothing is the sompot, a rectangular piece of cotton wrapped around the waist and long enough to cover the lower body down to the ankle. These were traditionally made out of silk or cotton, but polyester fabrics are increasingly common today. Women wearing sompot with a blouse and a krama scarf are easily spotted in rural areas. Krama are worn on the head to avoid the heat and block out sunlight while working in the fields, as well as occasionally serving as a towel as well. Krama with various patterns are popular tourist products in Cambodia, sold in great quantities in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

   In contrast to the comfortable and practical everyday clothes of most Cambodians, Cambodian wedding attire is very fancy. Women wear off-the-shoulder dresses with intricate designs while men wear pants down to the knees and glossy shirts in various colors, such as red, brown, yellow, and green, featuring eye-catching geometric patterns. The origin of such traditional clothing seems to be the era of the Angkor Empire, as this apparel resembles the costumes used in traditional Apsara dance.

   The morning of a Cambodian street market is full of energy. Meat, fish, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables are everywhere, with prices so cheap that you’ll have to think twice before buying or you’re likely to be unable to carry everything you choose. All the fruit looks sweet and appetizing, and the freshly caught fish look delicious.

   Traditional markets here lack refrigerators, so vendors sell fresh fish caught in the morning, and beef and pork before the afternoon. The food area in the market is crowded with people enjoying breakfasts of rice noodles, porridge, and chicken rice bowls. There’s also a long line of street vendors at the entrance selling snacks. If you get thirsty while walking around the market, teuk ampau, a beverage made with sugarcane juice, is an excellent choice. This natural drink is often used to quench people’s thirst in the hot weather. It’s said to be good for health and is sold at very cheap prices.

   The Cambodian diet is similar to Korea’s: most people eat three meals a day. Breakfast staples include babor (rice porridge) and kuy teav (rice noodles) with pork bone broth, meat, and vegetables. For lunch and dinner, common dishes include rice bowls with charcoal grilled beef, pork, and chicken, without any sides. These three meals are quite simple.

   The most popular dish in Cambodia is a type of fried rice called bai cha, which also perfectly suits Korean tastes. Pork, vegetables, and eggs are mainly used, but sometimes beef is included as well. Prahok, a salted and fermented fish paste, is used as a seasoning. Because it’s fermented, it stores well even in the heat of the summer, but the strong smell of this traditional Cambodian food may deter foreigners. Other meals include lok lak sach ko, which tastes similar to Korean bulgogi, and chabonlae, a delicious pork and vegetable stir-fry.

   The best opportunity to try various Cambodian foods is at a wedding. The food at Cambodian weddings is as fancy as the clothing. It’s served to order at round tables that seat seven or eight people, but pace yourself! If you eat too much in the beginning, you won’t be able to finish the rest. Fish from Tonlé Sap Lake is always served as a side dish at these kinds of parties. The boiled and deep-fried fish is quite big, so it’s enough to make sure everyone at the table can eat their full.

   During my two years as an international volunteer for KOICA, I used to eat a breakfast of rice noodles sold at a shabby-looking street restaurant. I would share a small table with the locals on their way to work, who sometimes, curious about my strange foreign appearance, would initiate a conversation. Lunch was at a small restaurant near my school with just two or three tables. It served marinated pork or chicken on white rice along with pickled radish or mangos. They say that Cambodian rice is light and not sticky, but that isn’t necessarily true; if you soak the rice for about 30 minutes before cooking, it becomes quite sticky, almost to the degree of Korean rice. Because the rice is so delicious, even though there are only few side dishes, the meal as a whole is still great and satisfying. This simple and delicious fare suits the unpretentious nature of the Cambodian people.

   Cambodian housing shows distinct differences in rural areas versus cities. Recently built houses often have two levels and are made with cement, but most houses in rural areas are traditional wooden structures. Traditional houses are built on stilts made of long wooden pillars, which leaves the first floor empty by necessity. This method is used to help residents avoid the heat and stay safe from wild animals. The first floor then becomes a resting area with a low wooden bench and hammock on one side. It also serves as a kitchen, furnished with simple household goods and a wood-burning stove. With open space in all directions, the structure provides shade and a cool breeze. The second floor consists of one large room without dividers. As Cambodia is hot all year round, the room is constructed in such a way that you can lie down anywhere without bedding.

   Rural areas in Cambodia lack water and electricity. Because water can be particularly scarce during the dry season, rainwater or groundwater is stored in big water jars called pyaung. You can see these large pots in the front yard of every house in rural areas. It’s easy to see how long-held Cambodian wisdom has come to influence modern diets, dress, and housing.