Cambodia 1991: Cambodian Cuisine 💚 Complete Story

My brother Paul, friend Richard and I were walking down the garbage strewn streets of Phnom Phen. What a mess. Traffic control was nonexistent. Hundreds of Honda Super Cub motorcycles scrambling everywhere in organized chaos, with the odd car, steering wheel on side it didn’t belong adding to the danger of crossing the street. There may have been no infrastructure but food stalls and small café’s were in full swing. Smells of chili and garlic mingled with the rotting piles of garbage. I spied about half a dozen men sitting around a table in an open-air corner café. As I looked to see what they were eating, they waved me us over. (Being Farangs in Cambodia in 1991 made us a bit of a novelty)  They were eating BBQ’D birds about 1 ½” long. I smiled “Atoon tran” It was the only Kampucian I knew. They greeted me back, smiled and one of them handed me a baby bird and a small shot glass of sauce. “What the hell” I dipped the bird in the sauce. In the crowd we were gathering, people stated laughing. I just shrugged my shoulders and stuffed it in my mouth. “Not bad, bones are a little crunchy but good flavor”

But as I returned to chewing, I felt something hard. I chomped, POP!! It exploded like a cherry tomato. It was the birds head! Brains gushed through my mouth. I knew I was going to have to swallow it quick or I was going to blow chunks. I tasted bile rising up from my stomach. I swallowed hard, but half way down the bird reversed course. Out of my mouth it flew (pun intended) landing neatly in the garbage pile in the middle of the street. I’m coughing “Son of a bitch” everyone in the crowd is laughing hysterically. Richard patting me on the back, smiling. Grabs a bird, pops it in his mouth, chews then swallows it, chasing it down with the sauce. Hell, it wasn’t sauce it was wine. That’s what stared ever one laughing. Now every one is cheering. Richard is grinning ear-to-ear “What’s wrong with you, Bruce? That was good.”