Siem Reap Food Tour

Food might be my number one reason to travel.  It's our one common activity between all humans on this earth but it differs drastically between regions and cultures so it becomes a method to learn and experience those differences.  Taking a food tour in a new city not only lets you sample the local cuisine and find out of the way establishments but it lets you learn the city, the people, the history and the overall vibe beyond the tourist catering restaurants and markets.

We decided on a tour company that whisked us around Siem Reap on Vespa scooters in the evening and found some new food experiences along the way.  It started out in a laid back bar with large lounging beds suspended from the ceiling with ropes to kick back on and enjoy a cocktail.  

But after that things got weird....  The locals night markets is a buzzing and chaotic few streets of food and goods vendors that appear at dusk and vanish late in the evening. We wandered through sampling exotic fruits covering in salts, chili oils and with the ever present flavor of tamarind. These sour, spicing and sweet bits were just the palate cleanser for the next section of food stalls.  

Grasshoppers, crickets, baby frogs, beetles and silkworms were all fried up to a nice crisp texture and piled up in heaps to sample. Getting beyond the initial hesitation of placing such items in your mouth is not easy but they all turn out to be quite good, and are no different then crunchy salty western snacks (or at least I keep telling myself this).

We ended the evening at an after work locals hangout to grab beers and sample a beef and vegetable dish that was finished off with a sauce that was loaded with red ants.  Our guide was tricky and waited till we were several bites in to the dish before mentioning the 'special' ingredient.  He made up for it by taking us to a flavored rice wine tasting to wash it all down.