OK, maybe the battle’s a myth, but the tradition of ceremonial Khmer mask-making fuels the mind’s eye; one can imagine the spectacular vision of colourfully masked warriors embroiled in a furious melee.

Although traditional masks may not be the hottest thing to hit the Kingdom this year, or even this century, tutor An Sitha is working to ensure Cambodia’s youths don’t forget the artisanal skill that has helped sustain Cambodia’s traditional stories, such as the clash of the kings in Reamke, for centuries.

An Sitha teaches students in the Department of Plastic Arts at the Royal University of Fine Arts, and his disciples take the preservation of Cambodian’s heritage seriously. Mask-making students, who are required to have graduated from secondary school, must spend two years learning ancient drawing techniques before beginning three years of training in Khmer mask-making.

In An Sitha’s classes, each mask is a masterpiece. First, the basic shape of the monster, monkey or king’s head is sculpted in wet clay. A cement mould is then made of the front and back of the head, and strips of paper soaked in glue are pressed and painted into the mould form, building up the skin of the mask until there are at least 10 layers of paper. The visage is then allowed to dry a little until the basic mask form, still damp, is gently removed and left to harden before the detail is added.

An Sitha said he tries to produce masks that are as historically exact as possible, but it’s not easy. “The ancient techniques are costly and difficult to produce, and require a lot of concentration and time. We always light incense to concentrate our minds before we make a mask.”

A lack of materials also hampers An Sitha and his students in their mission to mimic primeval procedures. Raw materials such as lacquer and rare woods can be expensive and difficult to find.

The pricey materials and demanding procedures make the masks rather expensive. An Sitha said that most of the buyers are actors, artists, foreigners, middle-class Cambodians and art-lovers. “But for some customers who want cheaper mask, we also make it from cheaper materials,” adding that the more money people pay, the better the quality of the product.

An Sitha’s students must also be well-versed in Khmer traditional stories and know the characters, their specific colours and their particular ornaments. Three hundred years of culture depends on An Sitha’s students. “Our history of masks goes back to the 7th century,” says An Sitha. “We make masks based on the old documents. Until now, we haven’t created or designed new techniques. When we compare the old techniques to new techniques, the old products evoke more emotions and spirit,” said An Sitha.

Neighbouring countries Myanmar and Thailand, where An Sitha has been exhibiting his Khmer mask collection, have different ways of making masks because they refer to newer documents from the 18th century. “We have unique styles and techniques; our masks are smaller than theirs, for example,” said An Sitha.

Smaller they may be, but they are no less important – especially in a country where culture is often all too ephemeral. An Sitha’s family is one of the few still making traditional masks in Cambodia. If you want to take part in the legacy and see their work, visit their shop at No 25, E1 on Street 178 in Phnom Penh.

(the original article is from the Phnom Penh Post)

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She’s referring to the strange candy-coloured confections that perhaps could loosely be described in a Western context as ball gowns, the dresses that bedeck the gals who gather misty-eyed at weddings, or appear in the many, many karaoke videos featured on local TV.

“I’m convinced those dresses are inspired by a lot of old outdated TV shows,” says Kiester, who is also the proprietor of Wanderlust clothes store.

“I think the young Khmer women get the designer feel from those programmes, not realising that they were filmed 20 years ago.”

Secretly, Kiester would love to liberate the Khmer gals from their fashion hell, but she knows it’s not going to happen overnight.

“But look, I’m willing to help them cut some of those sleeves off to make the dresses a little more interesting.”

Actually, with a little help from her friends at the new American NGO, the Coalition for Financial Independence (CFI), she is already making some headway.

“Those horrible ball gowns are often made from Ikat silk, and while I can’t help them with those dresses, I can help them make the prints that are on those dresses a little more not-so-dated, and from a more global design perspective,” she said.

“I am working on a project with CFI … in Takeo where the women weave and work in ikat. I’m trying to help them to be a little bit more modern in their colour palettes and sensibility.”

A new style of ikat material, a blend of cotton and silk, has already been produced as part of the project.

CFI’s executive director, Pierre Mainguy, recently travelled with Kiester to New York to show people in the design and interior design industries what is being done with modern ikat, and the feedback has been positive.

(Original article is from The Phnom Penh Post)

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However, her story is hardly the stuff fairy tales are made of. When Sapor was 10, her father died and she was adopted by her rich, business-savvy Sino-Cambodian neighbours.

She voyaged to Australia with her new foster family – the boat almost sunk on the way there – and, upon her return to Cambodia in 1995, Sapor, endowed with newfound confidence, started her own modelling agency.

Since then, she’s been the first lady of Khmer fashion, grooming local beauties for the catwalk.

This weekend Sapor launches her debut fashion collection, tempting the Kingdom’s clothing boutiques with a range of designs for slinky cocktail dresses.

Tell us a little bit about your forthcoming fashion show.
It is called Sapor’s Collection. Back in 2000, I started a very small collection but had to postpone it because my modelling agency was so busy. Now I’ve got it back on track, after two years of planning.

I’ve been working on the designs for the last six months.

Saturday’s show is to raise awareness of my designs, which are elegant and sexy. It will mainly be casual cocktail and evening gowns.

Will your designs be stocked locally?
I’m talking to shops in both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh but nothing’s finalised yet.

If shops take my designs on, they benefit from the extra publicity I generate through magazines and newspapers; also, my models are on TV every Sunday.

They have nothing to lose: They can take my tailor-made designs on a consignment basis and test the market.
If not, I’ll just start up my own shop and do it myself.

Do you think the local fashion scene is ready for your sexy designs?
My dresses are quite revealing, which goes with my personality: I like to dress sexy.

I think that nowadays people dress better in Cambodia; There’s more fashion awareness, more confidence – it feels like a good time to do this.

I favour European cuts, which are nothing like most domestic Cambodian styles. Many people are doing modern traditional long silk gowns already; I want to do something different.

Has modelling become a profitable profession for Khmers?
I think so, although modelling is just a part-time occupation for them.
We don’t have enough work for full-time modelling, partly because of the economy.

The more professional models on our books can earn US$200 to $300 a month; it depends how many events they are assigned to. Although from that, they need to support their families and their education.

Last year we had models working on a big project earning full-time wages on a short-term basis, so they earned $400 a month, which is great.

What physical attributes are most prized by the average Khmer?
Traditional Cambodians think that a chubby, round face with big eyes and a nice broad nose is pretty.

That doesn’t really work for my agency; I prefer sharper features, high cheekbones – a more international look. But then if a model is good at everything and happens to have a round face, we’ll still put her on the catwalk.

Do you have a personal style icon?
Oh, so many! I like Angelina Jolie. In fact, I know her; we met about five years ago in Siem Reap. She’s very beautiful, both inside and out, and her style is very casual and down to earth.

I also admire Jennifer Lopez. As a model, Kate Moss is petite but she’s great. And Tyra Banks, of course … Victoria Beckham. I’ve even been told I look like Halle Berry once or twice.

What are your favourite shopping, dining and nightlife venues in Phnom Penh?
I go to Sovanna pretty often. If I buy clothes in Cambodia, I just buy casual stuff – usually I design and make garments by myself.

I also buy directly from Khmer designers like Ambre and Jasmine.
I’m not fussy about restaurants; I can go anywhere. For Western food, I like Metro.

And bars? If I want to dance to hip-hop music, I like the Riverhouse Lounge or Pontoon. I also like a local club called Spark, as well as one called Rock.

What do you love and hate about Phnom Penh?
Phnom Penh feels like my own town in my own country.
I’m well-known here, which makes me feel really comfortable.

What I don’t like is that, nowadays, there’s too many young kids leaving home, doing drugs, driving fast on motorbikes and having accidents. They don’t really go to school.

I want them to help their families, have a good education so they can have good jobs in the future.

Who’s been the greatest influence on your life?
Does it sound stupid if I say my mum? She gave birth to me and I’ve gotten this far because of her.

Also, my foster mum, who adopted me when I was 12 years old. I’m very thankful to her for giving me confidence.
I love them both and I will never forget them.

(the original article is from the phnom penh post)

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W

“When my sister and her family moved back to Cambodia from Southern France, they approached me with the idea of opening a restaurant,” said Toan Sophie, while simultaneously greeting the flood of hungry lunchtime patrons pouring through the door. “I told them that what is missing here is typical Khmer food in a nice setting, but at reasonable prices.”

Located in the Hong Kong Centre on Sothearos Boulevard, the intimate bistro-like setting exudes good taste, with dark wooden chairs and tables, original paintings depicting Cambodian daily life and elegant reed place mats.

At first glance, the restaurant might seem to be quite high-end, with its smooth lines, crisp air-conditioning, sleek modern plates and wine glasses at each place setting; but the artfully prepared Khmer dishes are actually a steal at only US$4-$6.50 a plate.

“My plan was not just to make money, but also to promote Khmer food,” said Toan Sophie. “I want more people to taste Khmer food, and so I want to offer dishes at prices that everyone can afford.”

Mixed cuisine
The fare at Kravanh is a mix of popular Khmer dishes that can be found all over Cambodia, as well as a few dishes that are not commonly served in most Khmer restaurants.

Starters include Neang Lao, a mixture of sauteed ground pork with peanuts, wrapped in steamed sweet potato leaves, and served with crispy golden sheets of fried sticky rice, or the more commonly known pork spring rolls with vegetables, although grilled rather than deep fried.

“Normally spring rolls can be quite greasy, so we decided to grill them instead to cut out all the fat and make them healthier,” said Toan Sophie.

She explained that while some Khmer food is fried, most dishes are actually very natural and healthy, as they are made with fresh herbs and vegetables.

“If you freeze or refrigerate your ingredients, you lose about half of the taste, and then you don’t get the true Khmer tastes and smells,” she said.

Main courses at Kravanh rely heavily on fresh ingredients, as is evident with the popular nom banchok curry, a steaming bowl of rice vermicelli noodles topped with sizable chunks of sweet potato, eggplant, crunchy green beans and bean sprouts, julienne cucumber, and tender, juicy chicken literally falling off the bone, all swimming in a mild yellow curry broth.

Toan Sophie says that the most popular dish with Khmer visitors has been the Soup of the Forest, a spicy and hearty soup with sliced beef and fresh green morning glory in a slightly sour and tangy tamarind-flavoured base.

“In the future, I hope to include more regional dishes,” said Toan Sophie. “For example, in Battambang they make a dish with fried honeycomb and bananas that is very delicious, and in Siem Reap and in some parts of the west, coconut cream is used quite often in curries and soups. But for now, we’re just testing out popular Khmer dishes you might find anywhere in Cambodia.”

Although the menu at Kravanh is truly Khmer, evidence of the time that Toan Sophie and her family spent in France is apparent from the simple yet discerning wine list, and the aesthetically pleasing, cosy wooden bar that offers a collection of fine spirits and aperitifs, freshly brewed coffee and various sodas and juices.

As snippets of jovial French conversation audibly blend with Khmer and English in the background, Toan Sophie reiterates her love for Khmer cuisine.

“I love to cook and our family loves to eat, so I hope that people will visit us and enjoy the true Khmer tastes that we love so much,” she said.

Enjoy traditional Khmer cuisine in the elegant yet reasonably priced Kravanh at 110 Sothearos Boulevard.

Source: The Phnom Penh Post

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T

Whatever image comes to mind, one thing is for certain:  Phnom Penh’s huge Chinese population means that tasty dim sum is usually only a stone’s throw away.

Originating in Southern China, the term dim sum translates literally to “touch heart”, a metaphor for small plates of food meant to re-energise travellers on the old Silk Road.

Today, dim sum has become synonymous with Chinese brunch, or Asian tapas, a culinary tradition that centres on small plates of tasty Southern Chinese fare, shared with friends or family, and washed down with plenty of Chinese tea.

Sok Mean, the Cambodian-Chinese owner of Mekong Village Restaurant, says that dim sum are traditionally served at breakfast.

“I get many Chinese and Cambodian customers who come here in the morning between 6am and 1pm to eat Hong Kong-style dim sum. Some people also order it for lunch or dinner, along with other dishes such as rice or soup.”

Mekong Village employs authentic Chinese chefs to cook up dim sum favourites such as siew mai – delicately spiced, ground pork wrapped in yellow dumpling wrappers, steamed, topped with a whole shrimp and garnished with orange fish roe.

Another popular dim sum mainstay at Mekong Village are leek dumplings – thin, translucent rice papers bursting with finely chopped leeks and spring onions, fragrant minced garlic and earthy brown mushrooms, steamed and served hot.

“My wife and I eat dim sum every day and we like the classic dim sum dishes, but we also like to experiment with new styles,” said Sok Mean.

Unique innovations at Mekong Village include rabbit and goldfish dumplings, a twist on the popular dim sum dish har gao.
Conventional har gao is made out of ground pork or shrimp, wrapped in a transparent rice paper and steamed.

“Dim Sum dishes can also be sweet rather than savoury,” said Sok Mean. “For example, sweet egg custard tarts in the Macau style and taro paste buns are very popular as dim sum dishes as well.”

Dishes at Mekong Village range from US$1.50 to US$3 a plate, and come with complimentary pickled cucumber, and sides of garlic, chilli and soy sauce. An a la carte menu of Chinese specialities such as Peking duck and tripe is also available daily.

Yi Sang Chinese Restaurant also offers dim sum daily in their elegant aquarium-lined dining room in the Almond Hotel.

Dishes at Yi Sang include rice rolls – thick sheets of rice noodles, filled with barbecued pork and cilantro, steamed and covered in sweet soy sauce, as well as deep-fried Cantonese shrimp balls, and savoury, minced shrimp and pork dumplings.

Guangzhou style
“Our dim sum cuisine is mainly Guangzhou style, from Guangdong province,” said Tit Vy, manager of Yi Sang restaurant.
“This is why our menu contains a lot of traditional Chinese dishes like har gao, shrimp toast and, of course, fried chicken feet, which are very popular with Chinese and Khmer customers,” he said.

With his team of Guangdong province chefs, Tit Vy also creates six new dim sum creations each week.

“Our regular dim sum menu and specials are well liked by all sorts of people; Chinese, Khmer and especially on weekends we get a lot of Western clientele who come to enjoy a relaxing brunch and great food,” he said.

At US$2.50 a plate, the dishes at Yi Sang are served with sides of spicy chilli oil, chilli sauce, complimentary tea and a small dessert.

Sam Doo is another popular dim sum haunt, offering 18 fried and steamed delicacies on its special dim sum menu.

Dishes at the busy two-level restaurant include char siu bao, fluffy steamed white buns filled with tangy Cantonese barbecue pork; fun co, steamed dumplings filled with pork, shrimp, peanuts and mushrooms; and deep fried sesame rolls to name a few.

The menu also includes classic Cantonese fried meat and vegetable dishes and tasty soups. All dim sum meals are served with bottomless Chinese tea, and are good value at US$1.50 a plate.

“I think people like dim sum because the dishes are small, light and inexpensive, and they can be shared,” said Sok Mean.
“This is the real Chinese way to eat fresh and delicious dim sum, together with family and friends.”

Source: the phnom penh post

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Word has it false lashes are currently all the rage from London to New York, to the extent that “lash labs”, salons focusing solely on getting those extensions on, are springing up in the middle of a recession.

Mascaras have long promised us fuller, thicker, wider, longer and more beautiful lashes. Though they, of course, serve a purpose, they don’t live up to the durability of false lashes – particularly not in a hot country like Cambodia, where anything applied to your eyes is likely to end up on your cheeks after a few minutes anyway.

Falsies are essentially available in two formats – fakes and extensions.
The former is what you generally see at weddings, the thick strips of fake eyelashes glued onto the eyelids. Most local beauty parlours offer these for a buck or two.

Attaching them involves the beautician cutting a strip of lashes (hopefully) to size, applying glue on it and attaching it to your eyelid. It’s a fairly straightforward and easy procedure, though the result can sometimes be a bit wonky.

A more proactive hands-on approach is to buy your own set of fake lashes at the market and try DIY application, which may or may not achieve better results.

Whichever way you go, the lashes rarely last the night and are often also rather heavy on your eyelids.

The second option is eyelash extensions. The difference between fake lashes and extensions is that the latter are glued not onto your eyelids but onto the lashes themselves.

This procedure takes significantly longer and involves a whole lot more poking in the eye.

To start with, the beautician needs to separate your lower lashes from your upper ones, to ensure she doesn’t glue your eyes shut.

Given that your eyes are shut during the procedure, the cling film that is applied over your lower lashes to keep them from touching your upper ones invariably goes into your eye.

With cling film scratching your eye, the actual application of the lashes is hardly noticeable. Fast forward an uncomfortable hour-and-a-half, and you are lash-tastic.

Think spider eyes, Twiggy and Liza Minelli. You may have some trouble wearing shades with the extra lengths on, but otherwise you can barely feel them.

Surprisingly, not many places in Phnom Penh do eyelash extensions. In fact, many top-end salons consider it bad for the lashes – nice for a few weeks, but really not fun once your lashes start falling out.

Some of the small hair and beauty salons in Sorya Mall, as well as Christina’s Beauty Salon on Sihanouk Boulevard, couldn’t care less. Here the customer is king – well, queen – and lash-tasticity is on the menu, though it doesn’t come cheap.  Set aside US$25-$30 for the treatment.

People say eyes are the windows to the soul. Surely every window deserves good curtains?

Source: The Phnom Penh Post

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