“When you cook something, has there ever been some food where you eat it and makes you go, “Oh I remember this good time or bad time?” I asked

“Yeah. When I was in Cambodia, I would cook with my mom and it would be really good. Now when I cook here, I miss my mom” my mother replied. 

Growing up, my mom did not have an easy life and constantly had to worry about whether she and her family were going to have enough money to survive the next day. So, my mom and her mom and sister had to stay close and rely on each other to survive. One of the ways that they bonded and helped each other was through cooking. By cooking a good meal, they were able to forget their troubles for a little bit, relax and just enjoy how good the food tastes.  

Because of that, my mom always has a lot of memories that come up when she cooks Cambodian styled meals so it was hard for her to pick one meal that she wanted to use to share her story. She said she loved the recipes equally and that they all remind her of times when she would cook with her mother and sister who are very important to her. 

In fact, they were so important to her that she left the comfort of her home and family to travel to America to make a living. Not only did she have to provide for herself but she had to provide for her younger sister’s education so she could make a living to provide for her family.  A couple of years later, that dream came true and her sister graduated and is now working in a company that deals with selling technology, making above normal income in Cambodia. Now, my aunt is married and takes care and provides for her family including her mom and her three children. 

After some thought, out of either pure randomness or on purpose, my mom chose Samlor Kako.