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The Stilt House: Food and Identity

From KhmerConnection
The Stilt House: Food and Identity
AuthorChristine M. Su
Book typeShort-story collection
Original languageEnglish
PublisherCambodian American Literary Arts Association
SubjectsLiterature & Storytelling; Food & Foodways; Family & Intergenerational Life; Migration & Diaspora
Creator pagesChristine Su

The Stilt House: Food and Identity is a short-story collection edited by Christine M. Su. (CALAA: The Stilt House, Food and Identity; Beyond the Mekong: Khmer and Cambodian authored books, part 2)

Description

Food and Identity, subtitled Ahar Ning At Tak Sanh Nhan, is the third issue of The Stilt House and centres on food in Khmer life and culture, in Cambodia and in diaspora. Pieces range from Khmer desserts in Battambang and soup for breakfast in Prek Kat village to an essay on prahok, the fermented fish paste whose pungency invites the question “Jeh nyam prahok?” as a measure of belonging, and on how Cambodia's Tonle Sap fishery shaped the practice of preserving fish for the dry season. (CALAA: The Stilt House, Food and Identity)

Publication and editions

The issue was supported by a $2,720 Lowell Cultural Council grant awarded in December 2019 and was edited by Christine M. Su. Copies were sold directly at lala books at 189 Market Street in Lowell, Massachusetts, and the issue was in circulation by March 2022, when it was described as a collection of short poems, community essays about food and culture, and photo art. Research on Cambodian American foodways cites the issue as Stilt House 3, dated approximately 2020. (CALAA: News and events; CALAA: The Stilt House, Food and Identity; Khmer Post USA: Coffee Club at lala books; Minnesota State University Mankato: thesis on Cambodian American foodways)

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