Tasty Dog in the Kingdom

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #46

tastydog@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:21:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #46. So concludes the political series, well, kind of. We welcome yet another guest, because who doesnât know more about this than Delilah? Michael Golding drops by to give his two cents about Cambodian politics and gives a pretty comprehensive overview of whatâs going onâ. So youâll hear why the 2008 elections donât really matter, what was so important about the 1998 elections and a few tips and techniques for intimidating voters.

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Women of â72 sung by Sen Sisamuth opens and closes the show. I think Iâve played this one before, but it does give me a lot of joy, and I thought Iâd share.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #45

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:33:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #45. Delilah Marie continues on with election madness. She rustles up a Cambodian guest to give his two cents about the campaign and the upcoming elections. So you get to hear a bit more about this topic, from why heâs not going to vote, but then of course expands to include corruption, the under the table funds and the inevitable land issues. And you thought it was only me that loves to talk about land.

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For your listening pleasure, you again get Preap Sovath singing his heart out. And you even get a little bit of the, shall we say, horn solo, zipped on at the end. Because I care.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #44

tastydog@gmail.com — Thu, 3 Jul 2008 02:46:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #44. Delilah teases with just a bit of her personal lifeâa very simple chronology of how, and why, she got to Cambodia, then since âtis the season, she gives but a brief overview â really, very brief â of Cambodian politics from 1993 to the current day, including a light dusting of parties, people and how to say election in Khmer. Youâll also hear why you still need your earplugs and who is giving out sarongs and hats and money?

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The opening music is Sen Sisamuth. You missed him, didnât you? The title is something like aht nii jah pgoo loan, which means something like missing the thunder. Magic.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #43

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:14:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodia Life #43. Delilah covers a bit of this and a bit of that. She gives you her latest favorite fruit, though thankfully doesnât talk and eat at the same time because she is a professional. She also gives a recommendation for a not to miss Phnom Penh bar, discusses a rally, finds a new organization but didnât ask if they were hiring, then fills in the missing mode of transportation from last week, and you will even hear why it makes her feel anxious and nervous. Also, hereâs a website for Cambodian bloggers, as promised: http://www.cambodiablogger.com/

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The opening music is from Preap Sovath because I know that you missed him. And lucky you, I put the intro at the beginning so you have to wait for the end to even get him singingâ. I have to be honest, aside from the cheesy horn and other searing instrumentation, I do like his voice. Is it just me or is it time to leave Cambodia?

TD-TV #6

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:46:00 GMT

Tasty Dog TV #6: Delilah has been promising the fun and joy of early evening exercises in the Olympic Stadium forever and now here it is. You too can pay your 1000 riel and pick one of the dances you like and follow along. Beware though, some of these young men and women are quite good at shaking it. And donât let the people charge you at the gate, saying that for foreigners, thereâs a charge, thatâs a lie.

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Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #42

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:29:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #42. Delilah gives a rundown on some of the vehicles that you will find on your visit to Cambodia. In this episode, you can hear why you just might want to purchase a double seat in a public taxi, how to hail a mototaxi in Cambodia (the short answer, you donât really need to, they find you), and how mototaxis are still your friend, even if you are wearing a skirt. At the end, you get a history of the Japanese Friendship Bridge given by a stewardess on the bus.

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The music is something youâve heard before, from Cambodia Rocks Volume 1, itâs the Ciclo song, very much in keeping with the transportation theme. If you listen carefully to his first couple of phrases, you get to hear how to say: Turn Left and Turn Right in Khmer, which is very useful on a motorbike taxi.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #41

tastydog@gmail.com — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:02:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #41. Delilah Marie introduces a couple of things this week, related but by a thread. She describes some trials and tribulations sheâs experienced in her patient and much-thwarted attempt to learn Khmer, recommends a hotel in Siem Reap (www.theonehotelangkor.com and www.hotelbeangkor.com), then visits a newborn baby. She holds the baby even and doesnât drop it. Finally, she kvetches a bit about the taxi driver who so obsequiously angles for a tip he doesnât deserve, regardless of the huge gold and gemstone ring he is sporting around. Who needs banks when you have gold?

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The music, with a bit at the beginning AND the end (perhaps a new format!) for your listening pleasure is Ros Sereysothea singing about New Yearâs Day from Cambodia Rocks Volume 1. Itâs not even near one of the variety of New Yearâs Days but Iâm actually happy I found a month without a new year of some sort in it.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #40

tastydog@gmail.com — Sun, 1 Jun 2008 03:54:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #40. Delilah returns with the predictions for Cambodiaâs harvest for 2008. Do we have weeping widows or skipping children? The Venerable Somnieng returns and tells us about the life of the playboys that become monks. He also gives some insight into his childhood and why he became a monk and why he remains a monk to this day. I swear, I donât think he has a dark side.

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The opening music is of the Pinpeat genre from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts (www.cla.org). Yun Theara, Saom Vanna, Soy Sareth, Proeun Pruon, Nhok Sinat, Chum Prasoeur and Pumtheara Chenda are performing Damneou Khnong.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #39

tastydog@gmail.com — Sun, 25 May 2008 07:27:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #39. Cambodia has 25 national holidays, and this week there is Visak Bochea day and then the Royal Ploughing Ceremony. Delilah also welcomes a guest in orange to the show, the Venerable Somnieng gives an overview of Buddhism, the two traditions of Buddhism and describes how Buddhism is really integrated into Cambodiaâs past and present. You hear about Noble Paths and Noble Truths, though enlightenment isnât covered. Nirvana is elusive, isnât it?

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I think you need some chanting monks to open up this special Buddhism edition.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #38

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:27:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #38. Yet another titillating episode of a day in Cambodia awaits you. Trying to encourage some interactivity among the audience, Delilah encourages you to send your ideas for the new tourism Cambodia campaign to the communication guy at the Ministry of Tourism (marketing@mot.gov.kh). In her excitement about having garbage collection in Phnom Penh, she also covers the garbage story, and a new, perhaps temporary, law that has some lasting effect on a strange visitor.

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Your daily fix of Cambodian music is Ros Sereysothea singing about the Night That We Met. Apparently, itâs also a bit of a folk song from Battambang, but it does make me want to get some white go-go boots.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #37

tastydog@gmail.com — Sun, 11 May 2008 10:24:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #37. Kept at work because of the onset of the rainy season, Delilah makes good productive use of her time recording a show and launches into staffing issues, sharing a few anecdotes about the good, the bad and the corrupt. You have to laugh, or else cry and despair. And find out who said, âItâs International Womenâs Day and I am a woman. Can I have a bonus?â?.

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Preap Sovath sings to you, sweetly, after a rock hard guitar, flute and drum machine introduction. Itâs cheesy as hell, but makes the girls melt.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #36

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 5 May 2008 09:51:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #36. Delilah Marie shares more stories of Phnom Penh. Your lesson starts out with some statistics on life expectancy and population, but if you find that too dry, stay tuned for the ultimate status symbol which Delilah does not have, then options for Phnom Penh living quarters from squatting in shacks to shacking up in a thoroughly insulated, guarded community on the outskirts. Make it to the end and you get some advice for driving drunk, furnished by Mr. Sushi.

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Sen Sisamuth greets you again with his smooth-as-butter voice, singing a song called 3am last night. Iâm sure his intentions, and his words, are pure as the driven snow.

Tasty Dog TV #5

tastydog@gmail.com — Fri, 2 May 2008 08:05:00 GMT

Tasty Dog TV #5. A trip to the temples. With Delilah as your untutored tour guide, she takes a spin through four levels of the Bayon, starting at the top, where the 150+ carved faces of Jayavarman VII (aka J-7) stare over groups of tourists, and ending up at the bottom to try to get some perspective, after a few stops in the middle levels to see some of the centuries old carvings that adorn the walls.

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Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #35

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodia Life #35. Delilah Marie recounts some of the Royal Astrologerâs predictions for the upcoming year of the Rat in the Kingdom, tips her hat to the police for their deft handling of a deadly rumor, all of which touches upon the superstition of the Khmer people, and then gives a bit of a background on elections and the legislative set up of the government, peppering fact with some conjecture.

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The opening music is a lovely srey-srey singing about - I think and am always proven wrong when I do my own translations â how she can only spend a small bit of time with her boyfriend.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #34

tastydog@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:03:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #34. Delilah Marie has made the move to the Big City, then solicits the audience their opinion on a not-so-moral quandary. Thereâs a half assed description of Khmer New Year, since it occurs in the hottest part of the year, one canât be bothered to be a cultural participant. Finally you can hear a bit about a day trip from Phnom Penh, to another temple and an animal sanctuary.

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The music, with just a slice of the guitar solo left in, is Ros Sereysothea singing about being sixteen and how much fun it is because everyone loves a 16-year-old girl. She does rock. (Though I can imagine her spinning in her Buddhist grave with the thought of all the aging, balding and fat barang men who also have a penchant for those same 16-year-oldsâ)

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #33

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:45:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #33. Delilah starts this episode off with her secret to long smooth plane flights and a bit of morning noise taped from some weeks ago, just to give a sample of the surrounding noise at 6 am â also note the difference between 6am voice and 6pm voice. Then she waxes a bit nostalgic about leaving Siem Reap â friends, rice fields and water buffalo â so skip it if you want. But if you hang in there, you get to hear about the new Landmark of Cambodia.

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The opening music is back with the favorite, Sen Sisamuthâ.this little gem is from Cambodia Rocks Volume II. It says the title is Always Hope, but give a listen and I bet you can figure out what it REALLY is. If you canât, I donât want to know you.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #32

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 7 Apr 2008 02:22:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #32. Sorry about the abrupt and explained opening chantâ Itâs a famous Buddhist layperson chanting â no, itâs not an auction, though it sounds a bit like it â at the Siem Reap monastery, Wat Damnak, where a very special ceremony is in full swing. But before getting into the bit about the ceremony, Delilah revels in the fruits of the hot season, being the literal fruits that are in season in March and April, rather than the other fruits of the hot season, including heat rash, sunburn and a general colonial type whining about the heat. Finally, you get to hear what that three story gold stupa in Wat Damnak is for.

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And then thereâs more chanting at the end. This time it was another Achar (Buddhist layperson) who felt inspired to chant alongside a stream of 300 monks as crowds and crowds of people lined up to offer money, food and water during this special ceremony. I joined in and was welcomed with smiles and the usual laughter. But really, nothing compares to changing a $10 bill into a stack of 500 riel notes and then distributing it into the begging bowls of 300 monks.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #31

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:10:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #31. Part 2 of Mr. - or shall we call him Dr. - Jackâs interview. And you thought development issues for the general population was depressing, conflicting and oh-so-many shades of grey, wait til you hear about the issues with the indigenous minorities tucked innocently into the mountains of the border regions. Yes, depressing but I still find it thought provoking and interesting, so listen and learn. Will try to go lighter next week. A visit to Phnom Penh Waterpark! Buying pigâs ears in the market! A visit to a brothel! So many to choose. So little time.

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The opening music is the Krueng Ensemble from Ratanakiri (in keeping with the THEME), and itâs a bit different from the other stuff Iâve been playing. The music is from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts (www.cla.org).

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #30

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:48:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #30. Delilah gets a smaht person on the show. And guess what? Even somebody smart desires anonymity when spouting on Tasty Dog. And somebody smart also wants to be named after their dog. Welcome to Mr. Jack, who in part 1 of 2 (yes, two weeks of smart) discusses just a glance of development, what it means for the developer and developee. The topic ranged a bit wider than I thought so next week, we will actually discuss a bit about the ethnic minorities as promised in the beginning of this episode.

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The opening music, which I also stuck on some more on the end, is one of my favorite Cambodian oldies, and I mean it this time. It's called Cyclo and it's about the cyclo (pedicab). When my friend was buying this CD in the market, all the Cambodians started singing every word when she was testing it out. Let me know if you need the guitar solo.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #29

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 06:58:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #29. Delilah recounts her motorbike trip to Pailin, former Khmer Rouge stronghold, which included a stop in Battambang, as well as a huge number of stops for fixing the motorbike and asking for directions. She perhaps includes a bit too much of the motorbike health issues but it was rather, oh, consuming for those 3 days. But you also get a bit about mines, scenery, road conditions (again, not terribly interesting for the listener but consuming!), maps and directions and what hell looks like on top of a mountain in Pailin.

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The opening music is another gem from Sen Sisamuth and Pbain Roan, singing tra jiek jet bomnong. Itâs about LOVE, and something about keeping a cool heart when it comes to anger and jealousy. (yes, I had someone else tell me what the song was about!). But note the guitar solo at the beginning. Cool, huh?

Tasty Dog TV #4

tastydog@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:23:00 GMT

Tasty Dog TV #4: Welcome to Battambang, a lovely laidback city in the middle of Cambodiaâs ricebowl along the Sangkae River. Get a sample of Cambodiaâs second largest city (without the overwhelming influence of mass tourism that is undeniably Siem Reap) and take a ride with Delilah as she drives along the riverfront. See some cool architecture (oh, my favorite), as well as the ubiquitous banks and cell phone shops.

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Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #28

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 8 Mar 2008 06:56:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #28. Today, Delilah generously gives of herself which results in yet another ramble. There is a first short diatribe concerning the forces of the Cold War and how that led to a couple overlapping governors in Siem Reap, followed by some lyrical waxing on royalty and their servants, then to bring back the long lost feral girl from Ratanakiri. NOT ME. But thanks for thinking Iâm feral.

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The opening music is Chek Mach performing Sorlyong in the bassac genre from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts (www.cla.org). You get some at the beginning AND the end. Donât say I never gave you nothing.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #27

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 1 Mar 2008 05:56:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #27. Delilah makes some personal announcements regarding her life, after dabbling a bit in the social calendar of Siem Reap. There are things to do! Art openings! Parades! Then she moves on to issues of a bit more importance than attending art opening and giant puppet parades, land tenure and forcible evictions. Sorry, not so fun, but you do get to here a lovely quote from a Senior Governmental Official then a quickie lesson house hunting in Cambodia.

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The opening music is a sweet mournful ballad by your favorite and mine, Sen Sisamuth. Track #2. I recently got a copy of a cd called, Cambodia Rocks Vol 1, which you can order from Amazon. It has all the favorites, but since you can buy it from Amazon, I think it is NOT podsafe, so will not be test driving it on tastydog. But look it up, you too can own it.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #26

tastydog@gmail.com — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:31:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #26. Celebrating 6 months of Tasty Dog, Delilah ones again revisits the issue of prostitutes and beer girls (also known as brothel workers and beer promoters) with some up to date statistics about selling sex. Maybe just a vehicle for being pedantic, but it is interesting nonetheless. You get a new Cambodian word in honor of Valentineâs Day and then a discussion of road building 101 in honor of the new road near Delilahâs house which she has been using to, believe it or not, actually walk on.

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The opening music is a very catchy duet with Sen Sisamuth and Rosarai Sothea. I know I played this one already, but itâs good. I left the bongo drum intro in for you and with my highly technical cutting and pasting skills, I even included the bongo outro. Enjoy it in good faith.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #25

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 04:17:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #25. Yet another tasty Tasty Dog is simmering away for you, with Katana from the Sugar Palm Restaurant in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. This edition covers Fish Amok, a pretty common coconut curry steamed with a bunch of herbs. Of course it comes out very well when Katana does it, but when Delilah tried it, it wasâwell, ok. As Katana says, there are no exact measurements in Khmer cooking, you test it and adjust it to suit your taste. Try it. Youâll like it. Plus, there is a little bonus at the end, where itâs proven that Delilahâs dog is a pansy when faced with a visitor from outside the screen door.

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The music is a lovely contemporary duet, featuring Preap Sovath, I believe, and someone else, who as of yet, I am not familiar with. I finally learned the title of this album and itâs something like sra nah gâlin mâawm, which means something like feeling nostalgic or missing the smell of a flower from the mâawm tree. Yes, nostalgia never was my strong suit.

Tasty Dog TV #3

tastydog@gmail.com — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:36:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: Tasty Dog TV #3. Welcome to the House of Delilah. You heard right. Youâre invited on a quick tour of la residence. You can see the dog, a mango tree, the spirit house with the plaster flamingoes at the bottom, the motor bike, the TV and DVD player. Try not to comment on the overabundance of rattan furniture though. Alas, Tasty Dog TV doesnât capture the staring neighbors though, which is really Delilah TV for them. Another time.

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Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #24

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 9 Feb 2008 06:27:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #24. A bunch of little stuff is thrown at the wall in this episode, ranging from Cambodian pop music, some of which you can find in the U.S., to Cambodian rap, hip hop and break dancing which is being guided and mentored along by returnees from America. Delilah also shares selections of Cambodian law pertaining to prostitution and reveals a rather nasty way of resolving personal disputes in Cambodia.

The birds are singing rather lustily, and a bit of fire cracker noise attributed to the celebrations for the Chinese New Year rounds out the background noise. Welcome to the Year of the Rat.

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Sen Sisamuth and Pbain Roan enlighten you with a cheerful and jaunty duet. So you get a bit more than the usual 30 seconds.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #23

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 2 Feb 2008 04:45:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #23. Delilah tackles a rather pressing, personal and relevant issue: the dating scene in Siem Reap. Donât even think itâs exciting. She gives about 2% fact and 98% opinion. Expect the best, get the worst. The real excitement covered deals more with the law on prostitution here (which is inaccurate but will be corrected in the next episode) and her favorite new snack du jour.

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The opening music is an old favorite that you may have already heard but deserves a second listen. Sen Sisamuth and Rosarai Sothea are singing something about the rice in the fields, but as a Khmer speaking friend said, âItâs not what they say, itâs what they donât say thatâs important.â? Iâm sure that helps you to find the deeper meaning.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #22

tastydog@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:30:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #22. Delilah welcomes the mango rain â which is seemingly named by âexpats in the knowâ?. Please note the sarcasm. Regardless, it keeps the dust down. Other topics briefly covered include Sanskrit inscriptions on the temples, the history of the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, built by famous Khmer architect Vann Molyvann from the golden age of Khmer architecture in the 50s and 60s and the story of a nice Cambodian who came to Delilahâs rescue when she face planted into the ground.

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The opening music is Track 09 from the album Svay Jet, more Cambodian Oldies to keep the dream alive. Note the funky beat coming from what sounds like an accordion. Of course, the keyboard is nothing to sneeze at either.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #21

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 08:07:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom; This Cambodian Life #21. Delilah Marie gives some reviews and news about Krong Kep where she visited for Christmas. But first she tells you about the bright Christmas lights in Phnom Penh, and the dust mask that keeps dust out of your mouth and nose when you are on a moto. Some guesthouses are recommended (though she takes no blame for the very LOUD family of Korean tourists who took a lot of pictures and trotted out both Grandmas for various poses), some food is reviewed (and in Kep, itâs fish and crab, right from the ocean).

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The opening music is the title song from an album called Svay Jet, which probably means welcome to my heart or something mushy like that by Choeun Vanna. I think itâs another oldie but goodie, about love. Do you see a theme here?

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #20

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 5 Jan 2008 08:52:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #20. Tasty two-oh. Part 2. We welcome Chean back to hear the rest of his Odyssey. If you donât laugh and cry, you donât have a heart. He sees American wrestling for the first time (whoâs not psyched about that cultural export?!), gets three girlfriends at once, and then the whole family gets tossed out of Singapore with nothing but some dry noodles and an apology.

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I think the opening song is by Preap Sovath again. I told you heâd be back. Letâs call it track #11. My Khmer is getting worse since my Khmer teacher is pregnant and unable to teach me now. Call me a cynic but Iâm sure itâs about love. And probably lost or unrequited love at that. For your listening pleasure, I cut out the guitar solo.

Tasty Dog TV #2

tastydog@gmail.com — Tue, 1 Jan 2008 07:17:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: Tasty TV #2. Who says the glamour and pageantry and holiday spirit of the US doesnât reach to all forgotten corners of the world? Who needs the lights of Times Square when you can have the lights of the US Embassy in Phnom Penh? Come and see as Delilah rides by the US Embassy (the biggest US Embassy in Asia, apparently) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia which is single handedly providing the Christmas bonuses for all the staff of Electricity duâ Cambodge this holiday season.

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Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #19

tastydog@gmail.com — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 07:03:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #19. Part 1 of 2. From the frying pan to the fire (remember I did food last week?) More delving into the past. We hear from a new guest who details his experience following the Vietnamese invasion? Liberation? (Itâs all in your perspective) of Cambodia as he and his family seek a NEW LIFE IN AMERICA. Hear some of his story as his family escapes a hail of bullets at the border and gets into one refugee camp only to sneak into another camp and how he made some cash in a Thai prison as his family tried to gain refugee status. Which will leave you wondering how this could have happened to a 13 year old. And just try to remember what you were doing in 1985.

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The opening music is Chek Mach and ensemble playing Sorlyong, of the Bassac style, from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts (www.cla.org).

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #18

tastydog@gmail.com — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:59:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #18. A very tasty Tasty Dog. Delilah takes a takes a cooking lesson and delves into the deep, dark and mysterious world of Khmer cuisine. Two dishes are covered in this episode, explained by Katana the owner and head chef of the Sugar Palm restaurants, which you can find in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Give a listen to how Green Mango Salad and Fish with Ginger are made. These are amazingly simple to make, so a good place to start. Email if you want the recipe to try yourself.

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The opening music is the contemporary Cambodian heart-throb, Preap Sovath (big sigh). Nor is he hard on the eyes. I think we will have to have him on a bit more. Tears are in the title of the song, so it must be about love. Pardon the abruptness, since I cut off the first 15 seconds of computerized trumpet solo, just so you could hear more vocals. I do hope you donât mind.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #17

tastydog@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:26:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #17. More holidays can you believe. Thanksgiving in Cambodia is whatever you can cook without an oven, a plethora of pumpkin and bemoaning the loss of apple pie, followed by the Water Festival and how you can wish for health, money and love in the upcoming year on the banks of the Siem Reap River (and health includes not going into the river), yet another ecology lesson to help you with your Cambodia-learnings and what is the scariest thing when all the people from the provinces come to hang out in the big city. The episode concludes with some noise from the riverbanks during the last night of the Water Festival. No, those arenât gunshots, they are fireworks. Duh.

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The opening music is Sin Sisamuth (I realize I have been misspelling the transliteration of his name this WHOLE time) and another old favorite, Rosarai Sothea about whom there is some 20 minute documentary that I want to see, but havenât yet. If I track it down and watch it, perhaps I will give you my two cent review. So pay your two cents.

Tasty Dog TV #1: Phnom Penh Moto Ride

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:15:00 GMT

Get your helmet on and your rocks off. Take a ride through Phnom Penh with your latest and best buddy with whom you entrust your life, the motodup, and Delilah Marie as she holds the camera in one hand and grabs onto the seat with the other. Please note, this is a leisurely Sunday morning. Just wait for the real rush hour commuteâ.

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Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #16 (repost)

tastydog@gmail.com — Wed, 5 Dec 2007 08:11:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #16. Delilah Marie gets her paranoid old lady on to chronicle some common ailments that you can pick up here, which sound both exotic and not-so-enticing, dispenses advice about where to go if something serious happens (Bangkok, of course), and then has a whinge as she lists the maladies sheâs picked up in the past month. The episode concludes with some evil, barking dogs â but you actually have to listen to the episode to find out why these are included.

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The opening song is about a victim of the heart â giving Pat Benatar a run for her money â and then the dogs, dogs, dogs at the end. I hope I mixed it well or you will be deafened by the vicious beasts.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #15

tastydog@gmail.com — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:09:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #15. Wedding Edition, parte dos. The cultural immersion continues. Delilah gets out of bed at 6am on a Sunday morning to carry a silver tray of fruit, but pities the poor bride who gets up at 3am to âdo the beauty,â? rendering her unrecognizable and ending up with so much fake hair that she is unable to lift her head straight up. You will also find out who is the ultimate documenter of this central Cambodian event.

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Been looking for Love Music to open the wedding edition. Not hard to find. So letâs bring it back to Sen Sisamok (you missed him, didnât you?) in a duet, with I think, Rosari Sothea.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #14

tastydog@gmail.com — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:07:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #14. The Wedding Edition, parte uno. Learn why the onset of the wedding season inspires fear and dread in innocent bystanders, the sites, sounds and tastes of a wedding party where kitsch is king, why itâs ok to bring plus-4 guests instead of just plus-1 and what shape your thank you note takes. (hint: it comes in a green wrapper and you can chew it.)

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This action packed episode ends with a bit of LIVE wedding music. Crank it up.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #12

tastydog@gmail.com — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:38:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #12. Count yourself lucky as a stenchcast from Cambodia is not coming your way soon, Delilah covers parks and greenspace â and the coolest thing to see in the park in the middle of town, the ubiquitous plastic bag makes its presence seen, felt and smelt and why she spent two years peeling off price tags from wine bottles. Also featuring a P.S. where Delilah tells you what that damn chicken from #11 is and followed by a walk in the park.

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The opening music was chosen because I could read the title, which translates to: I do everything for love. (Eat your heart out, Bryan Adams), but then I noticed that songs # 12 and #13 had the same title. Hmmm. Iâm stumped. So you have the song behind door #12.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #13

tastydog@gmail.com — Thu, 8 Nov 2007 01:36:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #13. This is truly life in the fast and frivolous lane, in which Delilah indulges and discusses the most popular outfit in Siem Reap, tells what the straight young guys wear while trying to pick up girls, and reveals her inappropriate costume for Halloween. She also throws some deafening crickets at the very end, if you are patient and make it to the end.

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The opening music is from a live performance of the Phare Ponleu Selpak circus from Battambang, the famous Battambang circus, who now perform the first Saturday night of every month at Abacus Restaurant, Siem Reap, where you can have dinner and drinks and watch the performance. You can see bendy bodies, juggling, balancing and a poor guy in a hot silver suit carrying around the lights and battery pack on his back.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #11

tastydog@gmail.com — Thu, 1 Nov 2007 05:11:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #11. Delilah speaks a bit about the strange place that Siem Reap is, dominated by Asian mass tourism, gives another Cambodian word of the day, tells how to pronounce âAngkorâ?, bemoans the dual pricing structure and then gives you a hint as to where to find a bit of North Korean culture in the Kingdom, not to mention a flammable nightgown.

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The opening serenade is an old song, Kmau owey kmau, (but I think it was redone in the modern times) that has a heck of a flute solo. It was my very first attempt at purchasing Khmer music on my own. Let me tell you, the CD shops arenât as intimidating as one thinks. Though when I asked for recent music by the big rock star now, I did get quite a few giggles.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #10

tastydog@gmail.com — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:32:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #10. Ah ,the thrill of a holiday in Cambodia - not what the Dead Kennedys referred to - it is chanting and Khmer food and life a bit outside of normal. Find out how to expatiate the sins of your ancestors, how to feel like a 12 year old again, and listen to a bit of chanting as Delilah gives a much simplified explanation of the Cambodian day of the dead, a major Khmer holiday.

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The opening is a chant by Buddhist monks for the ancestors of a family as they gather together over the holiday to remember and honor their ancestors.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #9

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 8 Oct 2007 08:47:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #9. You get a brief history lesson, uncited, unreferenced and hopefully not too mangled before launching into more of Daraâs personal story, covering his final years under the Khmer Rouge where he took the correct turn to work on the dam, and how he found himself, alone with a bag of books at 15 years of age, back in Phnom Penh and finally found a place in school.

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The opening music is some contemporary Cambodian srey-srey sa-aht (lovely lad-eee) singing probably about love, loss and fermented fish. I went into the CD shop and said, Oh, I want some music from srey-srey sa-aht and pointed at a picture. And now off to you.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #8

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 1 Oct 2007 03:52:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #8. Delilah Marie gives a very limited selection of current events from the Readers Digest of Cambodian development news, adds one more point to the discussion of last week, still steering clear of answering questions and welcomes her first guest to the show. Mr. Dara directly addresses the Elephant in the Room, talking about life in Cambodia for the past four decades, including his years under the Khmer Rouge.

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The opening music is your favorite and mine, as well as what I have on CD â Sen Sisamok singing something about, um, water, I think, yes, and a girl, too. Maybe.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #7

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:57:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #7. Delilah Marie rambles on a cool evening about stuff, revealing whatâs so good about the early mornings here, giving a short lesson on the ecosystem of the Tonle Sap Lake (donât get too excited) and asking questions but giving no answers about one of the hot topics of the day, the arrest of Brother Number 2.

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The opening music is the haunting PreyKhan from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts (www.cambodianlivingarts.org).

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #6

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:30:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #6. Delilah Marie returns to the Kingdom. Is it warm and welcoming, or just warm? This episode covers first impressions of Cambodia after a month away, where to go to stock your refrigerator after itâs been empty for a month, and you can decide whether you want your fish âpreparedâ? when you buy it. (yes, you do.)

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The music is again from Sen Sisamok from the Best of Cambodian Oldies, Vol 8. Maybe Iâve been in Cambodia too long, but the more I listen to it, the more attached I get to it. Do I need to return to Prozac Nation?

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #5

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:41:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #5. Delilah Marie is on vacation and visiting the U.S. of A. Find out what Indiana is watching out for (and itâs not a Tastydog), what she likes most about visiting her homeland, what is just plain strange and what activities one does when camping as Tasty Dog in New Hampshire. And with all intents of doing so, she gets lazy and has one too many beers and doesnât tape the Savage Elders, Moo and Broo, over the campfire.

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The opening music is our old heartthrob favorite, Sen Sisamok in a duet with Pbain Nai (spelling is definitely incorrect) off the $2 album, The Best of Cambodian Oldies Vol 8 (8!!). It is old, but is it the best? You decide.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #4

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:05:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #4. Fifteen minutes on Golden Street. Delilah Marie, in Phnom Penh city for a few days, speaks of the joys of a real city. She stands on the terrace of the hotel overlooking Street 278, and you can hear why she calls it Golden Street and why to cover your food when the wind is blowing from Wat Lanka.

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The opening music is Tep Mari and class playing the traditional pin peat from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #3

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 02:06:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #3. Delilah Marie recounts the glories of a Sunday in Siem Reap, how to go on a date in Cambodia and the perils of stopping the motorbike when you are unaccompanied by a mechanic (which relates to the boring story of why a kickstart is preferred).

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

The opening music is a famous Cambodian oldie, sung by heartthrob Sen Sisamok (sigh) about the love he feels for the province of Koh Kong.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #2

tastydog@gmail.com — Mon, 6 Aug 2007 02:07:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #2. Delilah Marie rambles on about some of the road rules sheâs encountered in Cambodia. There are actually no complaints about the state of the roads (which may be attributable to blessed shocks) but you may learn why itâs ok to try to outrun a Cambodian cop, what a barang is, and why not to drive with your lights on in the day.

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

The opening music, coming from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts Master Musicianâs Project, is Sinat Nhuck playing the traditional stringed instrument the ksai diew.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom #1

tastydog@gmail.com — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 02:47:00 GMT

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life, #1. Welcome to the first podcast of Delilah Marie, giving just an overview, just a flavor, of life in Siem Reap, Cambodia, covering the weather (as in hot and rainy or hot and dusty), why itâs best not to have a black dog in Cambodia and in what conditions does Delilah Marie live, without really covering what would make some tall, blonde woman from Boston want to live in Siem Reap of all places?

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions and comments to tastydog@gmail.com

The opening music, coming from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts Master Musicianâs Project, is the traditional smot genre by Keot Ran.

It began with...

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 05:30:00 GMT

This is just a quickie introduction, as I spend hours running away from the biting dogs, dodging the terrible traffic, finding good photos, making minute changes to the website that only matter to me and trying to find the humor in all this. Of course, I'm also learning the patience of Buddha as I battle the evil Internet gods in Cambodia. If Buddha had a reliable ISP....ah but then I wouldn't know that patience is one of the virtues that I lack.

soon! soon!