A cultural tidbit for Khmer readers: the title of the Egg Man interview
http://www.expat-advisory.com/cambodia/phnom-penh/i-am-the-egg-man.php
comes from a classic pop song.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_the_Walrus

http://lyrics.rockmagic.net/lyrics/beatles/magical_mystery_tour_1967.html

Hello

Critics of my original Egg Man letter implied that

(1) because Cambodia is poor anyone should be able to earn a living anyway he wants whatever the consequences

(2) foreigners should save their firepower for weighty matters - unrepaired roads, illegal logging, the rich and powerful.

The first is plainly wrong. No one addressed the basic point: there’d be mayhem - probably murder - in this fine city if every vendor mounted piercing loudspeakers on his vehicle to maximise profits. So if all don’t do it, why should a few get away with it? City Hall knows that. That’s why it banned mobile commercial PA systems. All I ask is that Phnom Penh’s mayor enforces his own law, not that he bans Egg Men from selling their delicious eggs.

The second contention is strange. Aren’t outsiders’ views on everyday life welcome in Cambodia ? “No” implies a lack of confidence in society, not a good omen for the country's future.

In any case someone, local or foreigner (non-PC word in the UK these days), should speak up for the Cambodian majority. It is oppressed by a selfish minority which takes advantage of the Buddhist sufferance of unreasonableness. If my critics had not rushed into print, they might have better understood the Egg Man plea illustrated a general theme about Khmer behaviour.

Since my letter appeared, several colleagues have whispered: “I’ve always hated the Egg Men’s noise.” “Why haven’t you complained?” I ask. They shrug and go passive.

It’s the maddening thing Cambodians do. It makes foreigners long to shake up the stuffing in them, at the same time as loving them dearly.

Matthew Robinson

Elevating the level of the Egg Man's battery-powered mini-horn to the "loudspeaker" category is overstating things just a bit. That you can even hear the thing over the racing motorbikes, honking land cruisers, screaming children and general din of the city really is amazing. What do you have, bionic ears?

People that sell food are wonderful. Just take a minute to take to them and compliment their culinary wizardy, you'll be amply rewarded. 13 eggs in my dozen!

When I get the gastronomic bug, my favorite egg is blended with curry and some hot sauce, put back in the shell, boiled for 30 minutes, cooled and eaten for lunch the next day. Yum.

And your favorite egg is????

The ban on loudspeakers on trucks, as I recall, was brought in around the time Kem Sokha was using them to broadcast what were considered anti government slogans. A motorbike with an attached trailer clearly is not a truck, so would presumably be exempt from this ban anyway. In my district, near Psah Dam Kor, we are regaled everyday by egg vendors, trucks advertising the latest cinema release, various vehicles with tannoy speakers imploring people to give money to restore their pagoda etc etc...it's one of the things you have to accept if you want to live here.

hello dtm39

Thanks for bringing your wisdom to bear on the matter.

Actually, the ban on loudspeaker "trucks" was originally aimed at a sudden army of mobile commercial vehicles (inter alia those cinema vans you say you're regaled with) which even Khmers were beginning to find intolerable.

In my area, since the by-law came in, the cinema vans have vanished - thank Buddha. Are you sure they're still operating in your part of PP?

As for having to accept things as you find them, bad news for the NGO industry, wouldn't you say?

Hello Antistatic

Interesting points. I rather value my bionic ears, thank you, in order to distinguish, say, violins from violas when I choose to listen to music.

The difference between Delicious Egg Enterprises and motorbikes, land cruisers and children is that it's a commercial operation, "mini-horns" deliberately designed to emit ear-piercing noise, while the others, though annoying, are not.

The basic point stands: If one selfish oaf does it and gets away with it, what's to stop all vendors doing it?

At what point does it become unbearable for you and you start to complain? Never? I doubt it.

Matthew

'Pong Mouen Ang Psoum Kreung Piseh [egg chicken grilled made from ingredients special] mean rucheat chhnguy chnine [have flavor smell good taste good].'

... the firm owning Delicious Egg Enterprises also owns loads of chicken farms and is itself owned by someone very VERY high up in government.

Puts paid to the well-meaning but misguided notion of helpless Cambodian vendors trying to turn an honest penny at the same time as putting paid to my notion of appealing to PP's mayor to apply his own by-laws.

And, in the meantime, after a blessed one-year absence, the Noodle Man is back along my street, with an extra-loud wood block and stick.

1.54 a.m. last night ...

It's cambodia accept it. Matthew - buy ear plugs.

XWP

"It's cambodia accept it. Matthew - buy ear plugs."

I appreciate you joining the thread/debate but can't you do better than that?

Are you saying there is no level of intrusion whatsoever that would make you complain about other people's behaviour in this country?

That we as ex-pats have to suffer anything that's thrown at us by selfish locals?

Eggman-In-Chief has now threatened to put 36 more egg carts on the street.

36 MORE MOBILE BLARING LOUSPEAKERS - what!!!

You seemed to have missed another point: several Khmer colleagues, since my original letter was published, have told me that they find the eggmen's noise as intolerable as I do. But they suffer in silence because they're afraid to complain.

Matthew

Why not lower your rent and go live over the Japanese bridge..

Why bother to contribute if you won't make sensible points?

personally, I think lowering the rent and moving over the bridge, and /or buying earplugs are quite sensible and valid points. Does XWP have to write an essay to have a valid point Matthew?

or are my few lines not valid either?

Thanks Anthony.
As they say if you don't like the heat stay out of the kitchen. I'll make a point of buying some of the eggs tonight to make sure egg man stays in business. Let's have a save the egg man rally... now where did I put the loud speaker?

Her remarks are facetious, Anthony.

In effect they're saying that anyone in this town should be allowed to do anything he likes without regard to any amount of disturbance to others.

Neither do they address the point that, if one set of unscrupulous mobile vendors gets away with it, the whole lot may be encouraged to blare their wares 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 52-weeks a year thus making life intolerable for everyone.

Her remarks are also cover for a convenient ex-pat conscience - rich foreigners daring to criticize poor locals who should be applauded for turning an honest penny.

The Egg Man Company (a large organisation owned by a top politician) argues that its vendors can't sell product without loudspeakers.

Rubbish. There are hundreds of mobile vendors selling plenty without amplification.

The EMC is selfish and greedy. It needs to be stopped, not from selling eggs, but from blasting everyone's ear drums in its anti-social grab for profit.

Matthew,
I am not sure how long you have been in town but from time to time it is good to take some "time out". Every now and then you should get on a plane, bus or taxi and go over the border.
Believe me it will help your ears and your mind. You seem to fixated on this EMC company. Not sure why. Bad egg one day?
I am sure that there are many more worthwhile causes that you can direct your energy to.

I live on the river front and from time to time when I hear the egg man tune I pop down the stairs and scoff an egg or two and buy a couple for the urchins in the street.
Go and meet an egg man...say hello, ask him how his day was today. Buy and egg or two. Put a smile on someones face.

The other choices you have as I see it, are buy ear plugs, pay a bit more rent and get a decent place to live, or get outta town.

We are visitors here and sometimes need to remember that.

Time to let go Matthew. Let the egg man be ... it will help, trust me.

Anthony

Matthew just wont let go will he?

http://cambodiafilms.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-am-egg-man-hater.htm

throw eggs at the egg man

I love the Egg Man--

The Walrus

(ko ko ki choo)