Young, handsome and still convinced that every local speciality deserved a fair chance, I met one of Cambodia’s most famous snacks at the Skuon Spider Market. It had eight legs. I had second thoughts.
Skuon Spider Market welcomed me with a local speciality that required neither a knife nor a fork—just courage, determination and the temporary suspension of common sense. There I stood, young, handsome and apparently convinced that bringing a fried tarantula close to my mouth was a perfectly reasonable travel decision.
This photograph was taken around 2010, when Cambodia became only the third Asian country I had visited, after India and China. My travelling experience was still relatively modest, but my curiosity was already operating without a safety switch. Having survived unfamiliar menus in two enormous countries, I may have started believing that my stomach had acquired diplomatic immunity.
The smile of the market vendor says more than any description could. She knew exactly what was about to happen, while I was still negotiating with myself and wondering which part of the spider should go first. The legs looked crunchy, the body looked suspicious, and stepping back would have ruined a perfectly good photograph.
Today I remember this moment with affection and a little disbelief. It was one of those early journeys that taught me an important lesson: travelling opens the mind, broadens your horizons and occasionally puts far too many legs on your lunch.
Bon appétit? Well… I guess.
- Date
- 2010-01-01