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Pimping for Pigs
Most 25-year-old guys are dreaming about girls. Sang Narith spends most of his life pondering the sex life of pigs. Narith is a Ba Chrout - the Cambodian name for the man who accompanies a boar while he services a female pig.
For between $30 to $50 dollars a month, Narith is his boars' nurse, their companion, their sexual therapist and their confidant. He currently looks after five mature males and guides them on their amorous adventures around the Kien Svay district just outside Phnom Penh.
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Bye-bye Pig, Hello Rat
As the Year of the Golden Pig draws to a close I thought some photos of the celebrations that kicked off the year would be in order. I see on western websites this year referred to as The Year of the Boar. In China, it is simply pig, nothing politically correct.
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LA Star to Sing, Phnom Penh Blues
Billy Haynes lists musicians like Lou Rawls and Tina Turner on his CV. He played in the Middle East just months after 9/11 in an attempt to soothe tensions with his music. And now he is in Cambodia looking to overhaul the live music scene.
Billy Haynes is one of the top Rhythm and Blues artists to ever come out of Los Angeles.
"Well, it's a challenge - I mean, this is not a music town," he says of Phnom Penh. "But that's the great thing about it. In LA, London, Amsterdam, if you try to do this, there are already people doing it. This is a one-horse town."
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Nou Hach Journal Interview
EAS confers on culture with Teri Yamada and Kho Dararith of the Nou Hach Literary Journal, which is having its annual meeting this weekend.
Isn't it an utterly unprofitable idea to publish new writing in Cambodia, one of the least literate countries in Southeast Asia?
Without some contemporary literature to read, why bother reading for pleasure?
Why the name Nou Hach?
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A Palace of Potential
It's one of Phnom Penh's most visible architectural relics: a prime project for preservation and a developer's dream. It's known as simply the "Old French Mansion," and now it has a new owner, and a bright future.
After years of interest and negotiations, the FCC Phnom Penh and its parent company Indochina Assets Limited recently obtained the title for the ornate colonial-era villa across from the National Museum at 32 Sothearos Boulevard.
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An New Taste of an Old Favourite
Freebird is an old name in Phnom Penh. If you can get a copy of an old guide book, it will probably be described as "American-style bar with large injections of Australia and New Zealand." Or something very similar. Since its "re-launch" on Independence Day, 2005, the reviews tend to emphasise the "American-ness".
In 2005 the Freebird Bar and Grill was awarded "Best Restaurant" in Phnom Penh. A year later, after the categories were modified to separate bars and restaurants, Freebird was awarded "Best Value for Money".
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Le Cedre - a taste of Lebanon
The diversity and quality of the international cuisine available in Phnom Penh is a constant source of surprise and excitement to me, however cuisine from the Middle East has been notably under-represented.
Needing some sort of pick-up after the aftermath of a rowdy Friday night, I was glad to be going to the opening of Phnom Penh's new Lebanese restaurant, Le Cedre. Greeted by the owners in the stylish front garden, I was quickly ushered to the outdoor dining section, and poured a sharp, but very drinkable red from Lebanon.
More photos of Le Cedre are available in the EAS Photo Gallery.