Category Archives: Commentary
Life as a Baby Duck Fetus Eater
“You see that dish? That’s dog meat,” said Raksume who was standing me dinner at his family’s palm leaf shack on the edge of the village. “Oh” I said. And then, “Hey, where’s your dog?”. Raksume gestured unceremoniously towards the…
The Best Laid Plans of Bats and Dams – A Day Off in the Provinces
May 1st: International Labour Day when workers of the world unite and wave socialist banners, bearded ale quaffers watch young maidens prance around a phallus with ribbons, andeveryday folk get a day out of the office. In Cambodia it’s a…
Down and Out in South East Asia by Alex Watts
In the sequel to bestselling food book Down And Out In Padstow And London, failed chef and hack Lennie Nash sets off to eat his way through SE Asia, with a half-baked plan to buy a restaurant. Along the way,…
Am I Wrong to Secretly Wish For A Chair Fight?
I teach two grades – grade six and kindergarten one. Whilst the kindergarten class keep me on my toes with their brilliantly un-developed sense of acceptable behaviour, my sixth grade class sometimes leaves me feeling a little flat. It is…
Driving Monks to the Beach
I sat down to begin a day of work in the small office of the NGO where I volunteer. It was the day after Khmer New Year, when all through the pagoda, not a creature was stirring – not even…
How to Win Friends in the Bar Game
So, you’re bored of the 9-5 drudgery of life in the civilized western world of say the UK, USA or Australia. The weather sucks, the women are fat and gobby and the price of an unhealthy lifestyle is astronomically expensive….
All Out of (Cooking) Gas
While popping a batch of popcorn for a lunchtime snack and with a dinner party at our home only hours away, I make the startling discovery that we were really, really low on propane. As in,almost completely out of gas….
3 Reasons to Quit Cambodia with Zero Notice via Dumping a Beer on Your Bosses’ Head
Easy come? Easy go? Keep a bag packed. You never know. Should you stay? Should you go? Prayers go unanswered by old St. Joe. First, let me preface my ridiculous rhyming by saying that things in life are never so…
Growing Up as a French Teenager in Phnom Penh
Here is a brief insight on my life and of my few years as a troubled teenager in Cambodia, for whoever might give a damn and be patient enough to read the cluttered product of a foggy mind. Yes, I…
Importing a Car to Cambodia from Abroad: Is it Worth it?
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Let’s say you’ve been looking around for a vehicle at locally and are getting nowhere. Maybe you have an old girl sitting at home under a tarp that you miss terribly. Maybe on that jaunt home last time you fell…