The Market in Battambang, Cambodia- June 2012
The day after I went up the mountain to the Killing Caves outside Battambang, I was able to visit the Battambang market with a kind woman from the Green Mango Cafe & Bakery on her daily market run. She has a very efficient system to her market run, which includes visiting regular vendors who she knows and having the Tuk Tuk driver appropriately parked and ready to come assist in retrieving the good when they’re ready. She has friends with whom she leaves some of her buys to pick up on the way out, so she doesn’t have to carry everything around with her. I appreciated her willingness to slow down a bit so I could capture some of the many sights of the market with my camera. Please note that if you don’t enjoy the sight of raw meat, you may not want to proceed to some of the final photos… don’t say I didn’t warn you! 🙂
First, a photo of the lovely, kind woman who took me to the mountain and allowed me to tag along with her at the market the next day:
my wonderful market guide
This is where the Tuk Tuk driver dropped us off.
I have no idea how she sat there by the grill with long sleeves on in the Cambodian heat.
Yes, I believe those are yellow chickens… and yes, I wish that the pajamas as normal day wear trend would reach the U.S.
I love tropical fruit.
Buddhists monks walk around in the mornings asking for donations for the temple.
I can’t remember what these are… i think it might be some kind of fish paste? Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
They sell everything in those markets!
A meat section… not exactly the USA supermarket meat department!
Yes, I did take a photo of the pig heads and I posted it here… just want you to get the full experience like I did!
And finally we picked up a treat for the girls at the restaurant- fried bananas.
The Green Mango Cafe & Bakery in Battambang, Cambodia
As promised, it’s time to share about the great things happening in Cambodia that I was able to see this past June and July when I visited. (Click here to see the previous posts from my trip, in succession.)
The Center for Global Impact has a fantastic thing going on in the city of Battambang in northern Cambodia. Their website describes it well, so I’ll quote them here: “The Culinary Training Center (CTC) is the largest project undertaken by CGI to date. Students are enrolled in a two-year training program that will prepare them to enter into the most distinguished kitchens in Cambodia. The CTC plays a significant role in establishing a successful strategy for developing future employment opportunities for orphans, at-risk, and formerly trafficked women .”
My friends, Katy and Alan, and I were able to spend a few days in Battambang seeing The Green Mango Cafe & Bakery in action. It was so fun to hang out with the head chef and teacher, Ryana, and get to know the girls in the school a bit. During those days, we ate a lot and I had a fun adventure at the market and on a bamboo train that I’ll post about in the future. The food was SO delicious and the atmosphere was very comfortable. It was fun to see how much business they were getting after the few short months they had been open. Check out their website here.
I hope you enjoy a look at this great project that is providing work for some wonderful young women in Cambodia! Oh, and since you probably can’t stop by for a food sampling anytime soon, please check out the Green Mango Cafe & Bakery Cookbook available for purchase here. You won’t regret it!
The food there is seriously delicious. I’m still craving the pickles and sauce (bottom left photo). You really should go buy their cookbook (see link above). 🙂
They had a big group that day!
Chef and teacher, Ryana, does a great job keeping things running smoothly.
The girls are able to build relationships with each other and volunteers. Through the school, they also have life skills and English classes, culinary teaching, and devotional times with mentors.
They sell byTavi items there, another project of The Center for Global Impact.
Place-mats out to dry.
This makes you want to go buy the cookbook now, doesn’t it?
The tuktuk is a moving advertisement for them. It goes to the market at least once a day! Stay tuned for a blog post about the sights, sounds, and smells of a Cambodian market. 🙂
jenni mansell photography 