Khmer Diary

[Faidenk]

A Khmer Wedding Pt 2

When I came back to the room, she was taking her costume out from her carry-all. A bustier top, and a elaborate sarong. I didn’t have my camera on hand so here's a pic I took off the web. The costume is called the sampot. The sampot dates back to the Funan era when a Cambodian king allegedly ordered the people of his kingdom to wear the sampot at the request of Chinese envoys. I made several attempts to zip her up cause it’s so damn tight, reckoned she must have put on a little weight since she last wore it. Funny, because she eats nothing but vegetables and the barest of fish that I practically have to forcefeed her.



I called my taxi and off we went. The dinner was held at the the Mondial Center, a popular venue for weddings. I reckoned there must be 50 tables or more in the banquet hall. Cambodian wedding banquets are usually held at home, with the reception and banquet under a rented tent outside the house with all the trims. The blessings of the couple by the monks, parents and relatives take up 3 days. But I guess this newly-wed couple can afford the extra expenditure by having it here.

Inside, we were ushered to a table with vacant seats. As it were, there were 2 young couples already seated. I greeted them like a dumb foreigner would and sat down. Roth, her name, rattled off in Khmer to them and soon they were chatting like good friends. I’m sure she might have told them to forgive this dumb foreigner, he speaks no Khmer. On the table were a couple of cans of soft drinks and Tiger beer, and replenished whenever it needs to be. Soon after, 2 matronly women and a husband with a teenage daughter, joined the table. I heard Sangapor (how it’s pronounced here) mentioned a couple of times, my Roth asking forgiveness again for her foreigner boyfriend, tsk, tsk. I just smiled ignorantly.

The waiter brought a bottle of Chivas. Nobody touched it for quite a while. I liked a shot but, being a foreigner, didn’t want to be the one who initiate it, not knowing the custom where this is concerned. I didn’t want to be a cause for embarrassment for dear Roth. Finally, bearing it no further, I asked my neigbour the young man whether he wanted to drink. He shrugged, so I took the bottle, tore the seal off and poured a healthy 3 fingers, add some ice and soda. Now everyone seemed to want a shot too.

Cambodian wedding dinners are quite similar to the Malays’. Those held at home usually starts off early in the day. Food is served the moment the table is fully occupied; those who find themselves at a table with empty seats will just have to wait. The invitation cards comes with an envelope you put your money for the couple. The norm is 20 dollars in Phnom Penh, more if you’re a foreigner but it could be 5 or less out in the provinces.

The starters arrived just as I had a sip. They were all vegetarian, a pan fried corn sort of pancake, a little salt and sugar and I guess with the inevitable MSG; a plate of fish fritters, they look really like fish – the cross section reveals some seaweed; a plate of chicken drumsticks, the ‘bone’ made from a piece of pared-down sugar cane; and a plate of stir-fried kalian with shitake mushrooms. After the starters, regular dishes (roast chicken, steamed fish and other dishes not unlike a typical Chinese banquet in SG) followed.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for the foreigner to start the ball rolling and I didn’t want to disappoint. A little self-conscious at first but after a while it became second nature. I supposed if any table etiquette were broken I suppose they could always blame it on the ignorant barang, these sneaky natives.

In between dishes, the bride and bridegroom with the entourage of immediate relatives went up to the stage to toast and thank the guests. There were more than a few chiobu’s strutting their walk, you know the type, they know they’re great looking so they walked around greeting everyone they know and probably some they don’t, to get maximum eyeball mileage.

Just about when the last dish was served, some tables near the stage were cleared near the stage for the ruambong. The ruambong is a traditional dance in which all dancers (there are no partners) dance around a round table, usually with a bouquet of flowers on it, in a anti-clockwise direction. Men, women and children alike dance in a sorta 3 steps forward and 2 back, hands in a 5-dollars-out, 3-dollars-in fashion, very similar to the Thai dance, so it takes quite a while to complete a full circle. Well, I was pulled in but what the hell, it’s quite fun once you get into it.

And that, I think, is how a typical Phnom Penh wedding banquet is like.

[conric]

Dear Faidenk,

Good to see your update again. Thanks for your time and yes i have a wonderful time with you. Anyway coming again to Cambodia from 1st Feb to end of the month.Will try to catch up with you again if i have the time. Anyway , just want to know if there is any action in Kep. Will appreciate if you could enlightened me.

[Faidenk]

Originally Posted by conric

Dear Faidenk,

Good to see your update again. Thanks for your time and yes i have a wonderful time with you. Anyway coming again to Cambodia from 1st Feb to end of the month.Will try to catch up with you again if i have the time. Anyway , just want to know if there is any action in Kep. Will appreciate if you could enlightened me.

Never been there but I suppose it should be a quieter version of Sihanoukville. Look it up at http://www.kepcambodia.com/ or a host of other sites. Maybe www.khmer440.com will have something on it.

[Singkieu]

Originally Posted by taxi69

i oso want to go leh,u never jio me

You become Philippines Resident maciam balikbayan liao how to jio you??

[taxi69]

Originally Posted by Singkieu

You become Philippines Resident maciam balikbayan liao how to jio you??

u dun want to bring me go,say lah........ no need to suan me like tat one

[choichoi4u]

Originally Posted by Faidenk

A Khmer Wedding Pt 2

I called my taxi and off we went. The dinner was held at the the Mondial Center, a popular venue for weddings. I reckoned there must be 50 tables or more in the banquet hall. Cambodian wedding banquets are usually held at home, with the reception and banquet under a rented tent outside the house with all the trims. The blessings of the couple by the monks, parents and relatives take up 3 days. But I guess this newly-wed couple can afford the extra expenditure by having it here.

And that, I think, is how a typical Phnom Penh wedding banquet is like.

Hi faidenk

Nice write up of a typical cambodian wedding. I was also invited to one a few weeks back before CNY and quite similar situation as you were in but did not attend due to work commitments. But mine was a bit different, as the girl is young and not married and the parents were the one invited me to their relative wedding. Well at least now I know what to expect from it... But I made up for it for not attending the wedding by having 3 days of lunch over at her place during CNY.

This period from November onwards are plenty of wedding because the weather is fine and not much rain. Once in a while in the morning you will get blarring music and chanting from the monks for wedding ceremony and in the nite the dinner with plently of blarring music. Wa I did not know the last wedding hold near my place, the married couple got ripped off by ali baba of their ang pows after the guard that was hired to guard the ang pows got drunk also...

Keep up the updates, nice to know the cambodian customs.

c.c.4u

[Faidenk]

Bro,
You based in Phnom Penh?

Wishing you a Happy CNY

Originally Posted by choichoi4u

Hi faidenk

Nice write up of a typical cambodian wedding. I was also invited to one a few weeks back before CNY and quite similar situation as you were in but did not attend due to work commitments. But mine was a bit different, as the girl is young and not married and the parents were the one invited me to their relative wedding. Well at least now I know what to expect from it... But I made up for it for not attending the wedding by having 3 days of lunch over at her place during CNY.

This period from November onwards are plenty of wedding because the weather is fine and not much rain. Once in a while in the morning you will get blarring music and chanting from the monks for wedding ceremony and in the nite the dinner with plently of blarring music. Wa I did not know the last wedding hold near my place, the married couple got ripped off by ali baba of their ang pows after the guard that was hired to guard the ang pows got drunk also...

Keep up the updates, nice to know the cambodian customs.

c.c.4u

[choichoi4u]

Originally Posted by Faidenk

Bro,
You based in Phnom Penh?

Wishing you a Happy CNY

Yes for the time being, doing some work, was here since last year, coming in and out of PP but stayed the longest this time from oct 11 till now.

Wishing you a Happy Chinese New Year too.

c.c.4u

[Mischievous]

thank u! entertaining and informative thread

[Singkieu]

Originally Posted by taxi69

u dun want to bring me go,say lah........ no need to suan me like tat one

I told you and bochuns in AC liao, anytime you want, just let me know.

Bro FaidenK, this is taxi69, my Angeles City Philippines cheong buddy.

Bro taxi69, this is Faidenk, threadstarter and PP long-time expat and expert.

[taxi69]

Originally Posted by Singkieu

I told you and bochuns in AC liao, anytime you want, just let me know.

Bro FaidenK, this is taxi69, my Angeles City Philippines cheong buddy.

Bro taxi69, this is Faidenk, threadstarter and PP long-time expat and expert.

ok,let me discuss with bochuns & will let u noe
it's my honour to noe the TS of tis thread,all i noe abt PP is written by him

[Faidenk]

Originally Posted by taxi69

ok,let me discuss with bochuns & will let u noe
it's my honour to noe the TS of tis thread,all i noe abt PP is written by him

I reread all my previous posts on this thread and, for your info, there were many, too many errors. I attribute it to being a newbie at the time. So please take my info with a large handful of salt.

And taxi69, good to know you.

[Faidenk]

Originally Posted by choichoi4u

Yes for the time being, doing some work, was here since last year, coming in and out of PP but stayed the longest this time from oct 11 till now.

Wishing you a Happy Chinese New Year too.

c.c.4u

Didn't go back for CNY?

The few times I went back, I find things very expensive. Maybe it's because I'm used to the US$1.50 jug of beer, the 50 cts packet of Winston Light, the $1 taxi flag down, the 20 cts vegetables, the $2/kg of patin fish, the $1~2 tips for the hostesses in the bars, my $150/mth rent for a 3 bedroom double-storey apartment..... the list goes on......

[bochuns]

Originally Posted by Singkieu

I told you and bochuns in AC liao, anytime you want, just let me know.

Bro FaidenK, this is taxi69, my Angeles City Philippines cheong buddy.

Bro taxi69, this is Faidenk, threadstarter and PP long-time expat and expert.

Are you sure you can catch up our foot step, we every month cheong different country. Don't play play will injure your di di loh but temporally no to Jakarta or Surabaya as you know my oc will hang me. Ok youur slot will Aug as I'm fully book till that month.

[choichoi4u]

Originally Posted by Faidenk

Didn't go back for CNY?

Yes did not go back for CNY. Not an official holiday here but some banks are closed and chinese bosses business are also closed. Just had a one day rest on the eve.

Some KTV's, all the chinese and vietnamese girls all go back. Only left a few cambodians. So spent my evenings in Naga trying my luck, but the big jack pot for caribbean spud has been taken by chinese tourist a couple of weeks back, USD140K plus. Now is only USD50K plus...

Now is back to work as usual.

You went back for CNY? Stuff are affordable here if you know where to get it.

c.c.4u