wanderlust

I hired a guide (a taxi driver) to show me around to the temples today (Weds.) and the rest of the week. Last night he took me to a local restaurant - a charming outdoors kind of place at the end of a dark street, with lights strung across the large patio.

Not being at all familiar with Cambodian cuisine I put myself in his hands. He ordered us about 4 different dishes. The first arrived - grilled sliced beef with chile peppers and basil. OK, it was about as good as grilled beef can be - tender, juicy. Finish beer #1.

The next course arrived - stewed spicy local farmed frog with basil and whole garlic. Finish beer #2 before taking a bite; helps the prepare the palate for what was actually a tasty morsel of frog.

Third course arrived - now is a good time to mention that this restaurant is dark and so making out the shape and form of the dishes, especially after now 3 beers, was incredibly difficult. I hesitated to ask, but did - my guide, Pon, replied "oh it is a local Cambodian specialty." It was greasy but not too much, slimy but firm, and had a strange game taste. "Local snake, grilled with special sauce," he says after we finish. Down beer #4.

By now the beer is kicking in and life is good. Each dish, accompanied with a beer, tastes better than the last. The final dish arrives - I can see it is small, only a few pieces on the plate. The smell is at once pungent garlicky and sweet. Turns out this is a true delicacy but he tells me he cannot think of the English word for it. "Is it an animal or a plant," I ask hesitantly.

"A little bit both, it is a Cambodian special dish."

I survived intact, no illness setting in yet. It is worth saying that the food was, in sum, fantastic - flavors were fresh and alive, not to mention inexpensive - the total for 7 beers (4 for me, 3 for him) and 4 dishes was USD10. If only I can get out of him what that last bit of food was...