Managing meals in Cambodia

Cheryl Moderator

Member since 15 October 2018

CherylModerator21 November 2025 09:28:56

14936

Hello everyone,

Managing meals day-to-day can sometimes be a real mental challenge, even more so when you land in a new environment, with different schedules, habits or ingredients. How do you manage your meal routine as an expat in Cambodia? We invite you to share your experience in order to help fellow expats and soon-to-be expats.

What are the main changes you have made to your meal routine since settling in Cambodia?

Did you face any challenges to adapt to new meal habits?

Do you cook fresh meals everyday or do you meal prep? Why?

If you live with your family, do you prepare meals for everyone for school or work? Are canteens available?

Do you usually eat out for lunch or dinner or do you prefer eating at home?

What surprised you the most about meals in Cambodia, either in terms of habits, timing, portions, meal composition, food culture, etc.?

Share your insights, experience and meal routines!

Thank you for your contribution.

Cheryl
Expat.com Team

mpmilestogo Active member

Member since 24 October 2023

mpmilestogoActive member25 November 2025 23:47:42

Hi Cheryl. I guess there's not a lot of management I do for meals here. My partner does all that stuff and she enjoys the cooking for me I think. She buys food at local markets like fresh fruit and vegetables and meat and poultry and fish. Potatoes! I kinda felt like waiting to write this since it's almost Thanksgiving in America and my partner interested in food we eat then.

Most of our meals we do at home now. She's an excellent cook and will do a variety of local and western foods for me. Some of her specialties are cooking on the Khmer bbq grill which I love. Making homemade chili and then cooking with the chili on ribs and chicken and fish. Her Khmer cooking is usually something like soups, fish or chicken amok, curries. We don't have those so often.

So for thanksgiving she will make a whole chicken with potatoes and fresh veggies for me. She also is very good at making stuff like apple and banana breads so that's dessert for us.

Some food I do miss but most I can find at Angkor Market here. Probably the most favorite thing is maple syrup since most of the time I get pancakes here it's with honey. One place we go by the river gives maple syrup and they're used to our same same orders.

Anyways, food is fun here and I feel very fortunate to have someone that cooks for me, gives me variety of different foods like fresh salads and pasta dishes. it has made food here never routine and she prides herself in doing the foods. When we do eat out, it's usually something like Italian pasta or pizza which we both love.

Happy thanksgiving everyone. My forever favorite holiday when I lived in America way back when.

JoeKhmer Cambodia Expert

Member since 13 November 2015

JoeKhmerCambodia Expert27 November 2025 12:23:14

2177

@Cheryl

Hello Cheryl.

If one decides to expatriate he should realize the consequences like eating different food.

I never had a problem because i was already used to international food, be it French, Spanish, Mexican, Indonesian, Chinese or Greek food.

So when in Cambodia you realize they have many foreign restaurants. But you should also try the local food and it's not bad at all. Think of Loklak, Fish Amok, delicious dishes.

You don't have to eat spider s or crickets, it's your choice.

Concluding there's a variety of food available, and foreign food is very popular.

Cheers

Joe