AVY'S KITCHEN

Avy is a busy lady.  She is the cook for the Best Center for 2 meals, 5 days per week.  Each morning she gets on her motorcycle and goes to the marketplace and buys food for the day. She brings large plastic bags of food back to the Center where she immediately begins preparing the meal.  It looks like we will be eating fish for at least a couple of meals.  We try to arrive each morning in time assist in carrying in the food.  

I think that it is the season for corn on the cob as we have had that lately.  It is good corn but not quite as sweet as our sweet corn.  She brought back a bag of garlic as well.  There are usually a couple of bags of some sort of greens as well.  They will be cooked in soups as well as served fresh.  I recognize only a few of the varieties.

Avy does have students who help with food preparation and service each day.  The students and staff also assist with clean up.  

Can you tell me what kind of fish this is?  It looks good, but I could not answer that question for Avy and neither could Tom.  My guess is that this fish will be grilled.  Avy usually debones the fish that she serves to Tom and me.  She is afraid that we will choke on the bones.  She also does that for the small children.  Avy looks out after us.  For those who know Tom, she also saves back portions for him before she adds onion to the soups, etc.  How thoughtful.

Just an example of other items today.  Watermelons are a favorite.  There is no such thing as seedless watermelon in Cambodia that I know of, but they are good.  I am not sure what the vegetable is below.  It may be Jack Fruit.  It is used in soups primarily.

I have not shown you the 110 pound bags of rice or the LARGE rice cooker that is used daily. 

The kitchen is equipped with a 4 burner range with an oven (which is seldom used due to the heat production), sink with running water, 2 refrigerators and a freezer.  

Dish washing is done outside under a canopy.  There is a sink system there as well.  Everyone takes turns cleaning up after each meal.  It seems like a well oiled machine as they each do their duty.  

We are being fed well, but it is not like we would prepare in Kansas.

This eating area is set up before each meal and taken down afterward so that the room can be used for classes, etc.  We eat 10 meals per week together.  Each person is responsible for their own breakfast.  On weekends the girls prepare food one weekend and the boys the next.  The meal is served buffet style.  There is always rice, usually soup and sometimes side dishes.  Fruit is the usual dessert.