20 March 2010

Cambodians and Cornflakes

Cornflakes and milk. Toast, butter and marmalade or peanut butter. Standard breakfast fare for most Westerners. But it's not for most Cambodians and for the girls that have been coming to stay the night at our place it's all alien.

So the evening before we pass around a few cornflakes with a dash of milk so that they can try. They all look at it with suspicion and you can tell that the taste is like no other that they have experienced. It's the same with the marmalade and peanut butter as they try a little dab. Could be that breakfast for some will be a hungry affair.

Next morning we make toast. This is fascinating for the girls; they have never seen a toaster or even eaten toast. Hesitant but hungry they are soon spreading, albeit it thinly, butter, marmalade and peanut butter over toast. And then they take seconds and thirds; the toast is a success.

Cornflakes and milk is another matter; the cornflakes go down well, but understandably milk is to them just, well, weird. Still, some liked it and no one starved. It was something different for them all, which is one of the reasons why they come to stay and now that they have all been here twice they tuck into breakfast keenly.

Cornflakes, please, but easy on the milk.

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