when i was in Phnom Penh, i had no idea where to eat. i really wanted to eat good food so i hired a tuk tuk and asked him to take me to eat some good food. first, he stopped at a super expensive touristy chinese restaurant. i told him “no, i want to eat local food.” then he took me to an expensive japanese restaurant. i said “no, not here. i want to eat local food like what you would eat.” he looked confused. so he drove around and took me to a street stand. there was nobody eating there. i asked him “is it good?” he said “yes.” then i asked him “then why isn’t anybody here?” he said “i don’t know because i never ate here before.” OMG! i say “jump back on your tuk tuk and let’s drive around. i seen a super crowded place on the street corner so i said “pull over and let’s eat here.” he looked confused. there were absolutely no tourists here and i told him this is what i was looking for.
i walk up and don’t even know what they were serving. but it must be good for all these people to be here.
i stand in line like a local.
you grab a plate, pick what you want, and they deep fry everything. the tables had all kinds of dipping sauces. cool!
so here’s my plate. i tell my driver to grab a plate too. he was happy.
i eat some excellent local food. it was $7 for both of us, including our cokes. then i told him “i do similar work to what you do so here’s a little advise. find good places, find good food, find local places. test it out, and if it’s good, take your customers. if it’s crowded, usually it’s good. if nobody’s there, forget it. why? because if nobody eats there, the food will sit for days. but if it’s crowded, the food will turn over and be fresh everyday.” then i said “this place is good and i’m sure a lot of people would like to experience it. remember this place because it’s really good.” then he dropped me off at the airport and i said “i’ll call you next time i’m in Phnom Penh and will be looking forward to trying out your new discoveries.” he smiled and said “i’ll be waiting for you.”
