I am not a fan of eating meals while sitting on the floor. I can't see how this is comfortable at all for anyone.

Haha, I mean there's always been a mat and cushions when I've eaten in khmer homes... so you're not really directly on the floor. I like it, as you can stretch out a little. I don't like sitting in one position too long and this provides for more diversity.

For dislike, I'm going to say the low value that is placed on human life.

I guess the two things that annoy me the most are:

1) the way of sitting at the pagoda, with both legs off to one side. The Khmer must have worked for a thousand years to find the absolute most uncomfortable way to sit, and to my mind they have succeeded. I used to think the Catholics had it mastered with their sitting, kneeling, standing, sitting, kneeling, standing... But the Khmer have them beat by a long way, especially for us westerners who have not grown up enduring this torture.

and 2) they see their entire country is a trash bin. Even when family members meet with others outside at their relatives property, all the trash goes on the ground to be picked up later. In restaurants all the paper, down on the floor, even if there is a trash bin just two feet away, it goes on the ground. Go to a beautiful waterfall or to see ruins, trash everywhere. Once some years ago, I made the people in the car put all the trash in a trash bag instead of throwing it outside. When we got to where we were going they just tossed the whole bag outside.

CaliforniaGuy wrote:I guess the two things that annoy me the most are:

1) the way of sitting at the pagoda, with both legs off to one side. The Khmer must have worked for a thousand years to find the absolute most uncomfortable way to sit, and to my mind they have succeeded. I used to think the Catholics had it mastered with their sitting, kneeling, standing, sitting, kneeling, standing... But the Khmer have them beat by a long way, especially for us westerners who have not grown up enduring this torture.

and 2) they see their entire country is a trash bin. Even when family members meet with others outside at their relatives property, all the trash goes on the ground to be picked up later. In restaurants all the paper, down on the floor, even if there is a trash bin just two feet away, it goes on the ground. Go to a beautiful waterfall or to see ruins, trash everywhere. Once some years ago, I made the people in the car put all the trash in a trash bag instead of throwing it outside. When we got to where we were going they just tossed the whole bag outside.

I'm with you on those two, sitting in a pagoda is agony after a few minutes, and the trash thing is fucked, so many places that could look nice end up like garbage dumps. Nearly every unused lot in the city is covered in piles of trash.

Haha, I mean there's always been a mat and cushions when I've eaten in Khmer homes.

I've eaten in dozens of Khmer homes and don't recall ever using a cushion.

John Bingham wrote: I've eaten in dozens of Khmer homes and don't recall ever using a cushion.

Yep. Usually no cushions in my experiences. Sit right on the wood floor.

It seems like everyone is complaining about how we sit the pagoda. To be honest, i also feel like that sitting that way is not comfortable, however we have to sit that way in the pagoda and when we are getting married. There is meaning behind it. If you sit that way it means you give more respect in general and to God ( in pagoda setting). In the pagoda, you can not sit with your legs crossed. It is considered rude. In my own perspective, the reason that people find sitting on the floor is okay, because they get used to it as they were grown sitting like that, plus because we are poor. So, we might not afford to buy the table and chairs or even we have enough money, we might also not want to waste our money on them as there are other things on the list that we need to pay for.

People throwing rubbishes on the road and everywhere is the thing that i hate the most about my country. it is really appalling when you are trying to keep this country clean and other not.

One thing that really bugs me about Khmer culture is that I can never get those hand movements right when I dance khmer-style... or only when I've had too much to drink, and or at least drank enough so I believe them when Khmers tell me I'm dancing good

Anchor Moy wrote:One thing that really bugs me about Khmer culture is that I can never get those hand movements right when I dance khmer-style... or only when I've had too much to drink, and or at least drank enough so I believe them when Khmers tell me I'm dancing good

No worry. I am Cambodian and i never got it right too. I am really bad at dancing.