Book

The Stilt House: Food and Identity

The Stilt House: Food and Identity is the third issue of The Stilt House, the zine of the Cambodian American Literary Arts Association, edited by Christine M. Su.[1][2] Its Khmer subtitle is Ahar Ning At Tak Sanh Nhan, and it centers on food in Khmer life and culture, in Cambodia and in the diaspora.[3][1]

The zine

The association started The Stilt House to keep alive the power of storytelling in the traditional Khmer home.[4] In Cambodia, Khmer households were built on stilts and still are; raised above the earth and sheltered from the elements, the stilt house stands for the survival of Khmer memory, history and stories.[4] The zine appears in print and online and carries short stories, poetry, photographs, visual art, music, audio recordings and recipes.[4]

About the issue

The theme "Food and Identity" was announced at the beginning of 2020.[1] The issue gathers short poems, community essays on food and culture, and photo art that explore Cambodian American identity.[5] Editor Christine M. Su writes that its authors show food as sustenance, both physical and emotional: food as connection, memory, love and family.[1]

Su's introduction, on narratives of Khmerness and "Cambodian cheese," tells of her first taste of prahok, the fermented fish paste found in many traditional Cambodian dishes.[1] The Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, is one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world, and Cambodians have long caught fish during and just after the rainy season and preserved it as prahok for the dry season.[1] Because of its strong smell, prahok is often compared to cheese, and a newcomer's place in Khmer life may be tested with the question "Jeh nyam prahok?", which asks whether a person can eat prahok.[1] A letter from executive director Lena Sarunn follows the introduction.[1]

Contents

The first piece is "មួយគ្រាប់ One Grain" by Sokunthea Oum, in Khmer with English translation, dated June 2, 2020.[1] Jenny Rathana Par's "Enjoying Khmer Desserts in Battambang, Cambodia" recalls eating nom a kouw, steamed rice cakes.[1][6] In "Broth & Bones," Sasha Rath writes of a mother who, having had so little, learned to use everything.[6] Charlie Pheaktra's poem "Tasting Tarantula" tells of eating a fried tarantula at a market on the road to Siem Reap.[6]

In Mel Taing's "Ode to Durian," the fruit is a bridge to a homeland the writer has never seen.[6] Moleca Mich's poem "Homecoming" returns to family through jasmine rice, somlaw machu and kreung.[6] Malisa Kuch's "Chan Srak" reflects on food and ceremony.[6] Bunthay Cheam's "I'm Not Hungry Anymore" recalls childhood hunger in the Khmer Rouge years.[6] Sithis Yim Samnang's poem "A Simple Recipe (Ginger Meat Stir Fry)" links ginger, meat and rice with family and independence.[6]

The full table of contents lists:[1]

  • Editor's Introduction
  • Letter From the Executive Director
  • "មួយគ្រាប់ One Grain"
  • "Enjoying Khmer Desserts in Battambang, Cambodia"
  • "Broth & Bones"
  • "Tasting Tarantula"
  • "A Party in April" (Djuna Chan)
  • "Soup for Breakfast in Prek Kat Village"
  • "Meals with Loved Ones"
  • "Mju Yuon (Vietnamese Sour Soup)"
  • "Food...The Universal Language of Love"
  • "Food as language"
  • "Food Culture"
  • "I Like Eggs"
  • "This is How We Party" Food Pilot Series
  • "Cambodian BBQ Quails"
  • "Salawmachu"
  • "Homecoming"
  • "I Miss Sweet Potatoes"
  • "Massa Sovada"
  • "Ma's Canh Chua Recipe: April-December 1975"
  • "Chan Srak"
  • "Ode to Durian"
  • "Cambodian Beef Sticks"
  • "I'm Not Hungry Anymore"
  • "Glass of Milk"
  • "More Cheesecake"
  • "A Tribute to My Loving Mom, Ruom Cheng"
  • "Untitled"
  • "មីបំពង (mee bampong)"
  • "Num Pang Pate"
  • "Bánh Xèo"
  • "Hide and Seek"
  • "All in Perspective"
  • "Sweeter than Condensed Milk"
  • "យ៉ៅហន (yao hon)"
  • "A Simple Recipe (Ginger Meat Stir Fry)"
  • "Cambodian Hot Pot Night"
  • "Food for the Soul"
  • "Until the Next Meal, I Wait"
  • "I Love You Paul"
  • "ស្លឹកបះ (sluk bah-- Ivy Leaf)"

Publication

In December 2019 the Lowell Cultural Council awarded the association a $2,720 grant for the issue.[3] The issue is also cited as Stilt House 3 with a date of about 2020.[7] Copies were sold at lala books, 189 Market Street, Lowell, Massachusetts.[1] On March 19, 2022, a copy was donated to the Khmer Post USA Coffee Club at its meeting at lala books.[5] In November 2022, Southeast Asia Globe published a selection of pieces from the issue.[6]

Access

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 CALAA: The Stilt House, Food and Identity
  2. ↑ Beyond the Mekong: Khmer and Cambodian authored books, part 2
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 CALAA: News and events
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 CALAA: The Stilt House Zine, Introduction
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Khmer Post USA: Coffee Club at lala books
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Southeast Asia Globe, An exploration of food and identity among the Cambodian American community (November 28, 2022)
  7. ↑ Minnesota State University, Mankato: thesis on Cambodian American foodways
Retrieved from "https://dev.khmerconnection.com/w/index.php?title=The_Stilt_House:_Food_and_Identity&oldid=7458"
This page was last edited on 26 September 2026, at 23:31.