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In Cambodia life, Expat Life, Food and Remembrance, Sreisaatv2, Uncategorized

Homesick Recipes, Entry 1: Pancit Canton

Author CzarinaPosted on Leave a comment

I called in sick today. Nothing serious – just that mix of fatigue, fever, and fuzziness that makes you want to curl up under a blanket. But sick days as an expat in Cambodia don’t come with the luxury of switching off completely. Emails still pile up, messages still need replies, and before I knew it, my “sick day” had morphed into a sick-work-from-home arrangement. 😅

Whenever I feel poorly, my body and my heart both crave the familiar. For me, that means food from home. Today, the answer was pancit canton.

Picked this up for just US $3.40 (240 g pack) at Royal Mart, TTP. Not bad at all!
Can’t cook? No problem. The instructions are right there on the packet — easy-peasy! 

Now, my version was stripped-down — the poor (wo)man’s pancit — just a handful of chicken cut into small pieces, some cabbage, and carrots. Basic, but comforting. If my dad or brother were here, it would be a whole different affair. Their pancit canton is legendary, brimming with prawns, chicken liver, squid balls, chorizo, and even lechon belly. A fiesta in a wok. Mine, by contrast, is basic. Minimalistic (kasi fecha de peligro, iykyk…) and felt more like a quiet, comforting hug. Luckily for me, and other Filipinos here, pancit canton noodles are now sold in local stores here in Phnom Penh. I just followed the instructions on the back of the pack. Easy-peasy, no stress.

That’s the beauty of pancit canton. It doesn’t need to be extravagant to work its magic. Filipinos eat it at any time of day — breakfast, lunch, dinner, or merienda. And true to our love affair with carbs, it’s often paired with rice or pan de sal (yes, noodles with bread or rice, carbs-on-carbs, y’all ), and chased with an ice-cold Coke. Always best finished with a squeeze of kalamansi or lime, that citrusy kick instantly brightens the dish.

But here’s why pancit canton is more than just stir-fried noodles. It’s a cultural shorthand for family, gathering, and celebration. In the Philippines, noodles symbolise long life, so pancit always appears at birthdays, fiestas, Christmas, and New Year’s. Every household has its own signature version — some lush and festive, others simple and practical, but all of them are loaded with memory. Kitchens buzzing with chatter and laughter, unexpected guests welcomed with a quick stir-fry, midnight hunger pangs solved in one wok.

Today, standing in my Phnom Penh apartment with my pared-down pancit, I felt a little bit of that warmth (no, it’s not the weather! lol). It wasn’t just food. It was a link to my parents’s kitchen, to family meals back home, to traditions that make me feel rooted even when I’m far away.

This is the first of what I’m calling my Homesick Recipes — a small archive of the dishes that keep me grounded as a homesick expat. Some are simple, some celebratory, but all carry the flavour of home.

Stay tuned — next time, I might tell you about the time I made adobo with Vietnamese soy sauce and a dash of improvisation.

In Cambodia life, Expat Life, Memories and Healing, Sreisaatv2, Uncategorized, Up Close and Personal

A Quiet Morning with Rain and Remembrance

Author CzarinaPosted on Leave a comment

Sunday, and I’m sitting at my little kitchen table, with the rain tapping softly on the kitchen window. My morning cup lingers, postcards and pens scattered around me, a card (from my pen pal) with a tiny bird sketched on a branch catching my eye. Somehow, just holding a pen and writing a few words makes me feel a little closer to family and friends I am writing to, even those far, far away.

Having lived away from home for a long time, I was used to feeling her absence. But now that Mama is gone, the absence feels sharper, deeper. Yet, more than ever, and in the strangest and gentlest way, I find her presence everywhere. In the small, random things I take time to notice, in the care she taught me to put into everything I make with my hands, and in the love that flows through those little acts. Cooking, writing, crafting… it’s all a way of sending love, a way of connecting even across miles. She taught me that love isn’t only spoken. It flows quietly through the work of our hands, into the world, into the people we care for.

So every postcard or letter I send, every word I write, is a little thread tying me back to home, to family, and to her. To my favourite people. Even here in far away Cambodia, I realise home isn’t just a place I left behind, it’s these moments of stillness, these gestures of care, and the quiet beauty tucked into everyday life. And I like to think she’s watching over me, smiling quietly, as I try to carry on what she taught me. 🌧️✉️💛

In Blogging and the Web, Geek Talk, hobby, Sreisaatv2, Uncategorized

Sunday Stamps: Gazing up at the Botswanan night skies

Author CzarinaPosted on 8 Comments

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and felt a sense of awe and wonder? The stars, the moon, and the vast expanse of the heavens have captivated humanity for millennia. In Botswana, the starry skies have been a source of inspiration for countless folktales and legends.

The Botswana Post’s “Sky at Night” series is a beautiful tribute to this rich astronomical heritage. Released in 2009, this series features stunning stamps depicting the country’s celestial wonders and the stories associated with them.

For thousands of years people have looked heaven-ward and questioned their place in the cosmos. The stars, the moon and sun, and the immense dome of the Kalahari were all celestial signs that united people with nature. It is not surprising that the Naro of D’kar call this greatest of nature’s phenomena, “Nqarri Kgei kwe”… the Face of God.

The starlore of Botswana includes stories about stars and constellations, planets, the sun and moon, as well as bodies with apparent motion such as meteors and comets. These accounts are typically expressive rather than physical in understanding, with most descriptions having a metaphorical or narrative idiom. Many have whimsical associations, some have deeper intrinsic meaning in explaining cosmological origins [emphasis mine] whilst others serve practical purposes such as markers for direction in space and time. – Botswana Post

I was lucky to receive one of the stamps in the series sent by my very good friend, Marife, who resided in Botswana with her family. Marife was one of my closest expat-friends here in Cambodia and after her husband’s contract has expired in 2006, her husband chose not to renew and accepted a new assignment in Botswana instead.

About the stamp:
References to the moon are ubiquitous in local cultures. This stamp depicts a Setswana group of women who, it is said, bring a gentle light to the home, unlike the oppressive heat of the sun. The lunar waxing and waning also coincides with the monthly fortunes, the waxing moon being U-shaped, carries problems and diseases, whereas the waning moon spills these misfortunes on the people. Here the moon is accompanied by the recent concatenation with Jupiter and Venus. “Maphatlalatsane“, the brightest celestial object after the sun and moon. Unfortunately the link to the source is broken, and so is the link to the Botswana Post – I had these links in my notebook for a long time, so probably the website is now down.

See the complete set below. I would have loved to get the rest to complete the series. From the Southern Cross and four giraffes to the meteorite and shamans shooting arrows, each stamp tells a unique tale. One of my favourites is “The Moon and the Women of Setsana,” shown above, which depicts a group of women who are believed to bring a gentle light to their homes. The moon’s waxing and waning are also said to be connected to monthly fortunes and misfortunes.

From left to right: The Southern Cross and the four giraffes; the meteorite and shamans shooting arrows; the solar eclipse and the magical lions; and the moon with the four Setsana women.

More sky stamps over at Sunday Stamps hangout 🙂

My dear friend Marife passed away in 2022. We shared a deep bond during her time in Cambodia, and I cherish the memories we created together. I like to think that she’s looking down on me from the heavens, watching over me with the same warmth and kindness she always showed. Rest in God’s peace, my dear friend. You’re always in my heart.