Will Cambodian food catch on in NYC?

In short, no.

In New York, transplanted Hong Kong hands have a couple of Chinatowns to choose from. Colombians can head out to Queens for an oblea caramel wafer and yucca bread under the elevated train tracks. Eastern Europeans longing for a borscht can ride the F train to Brighton Beach. West Africans have the Bronx, North Africans have the East Village — and even the Uighurs, the Sephardim of the Silk Road, can find home cooking out in Rego Park. But for Cambodians (and nostalgic travelers like me), a taste of home remains elusive.

Matthew Fishbane attempts to answer the eternal question about Cambodian food: why isn’t it anywhere apart from Cambodia? He answers with a good round-up of the trials and tribulations of Cambodian restauranteurs in the USA.

See also: Khmer food is good, you just suck at eating it, On the trail of Cambodian food in New York

2 thoughts on “Will Cambodian food catch on in NYC?”

  1. There was a similar article in the IHT the other day complaining about the dearth of proper Chinese restaurants in the USA, perhaps the same reasons for this apparent lacunae can be applied to Khmer food too???? Somehow I doubt the USA will be eager to start a skilled Cambodian chef migration program, because it would mean having to import mainly little old Cambodian ladies

    http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/18/opinion/edzagat.php

  2. There’s a Cambodian owned fish and chip shop in Oxford, UK that has some stuff on the menu!

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