With one of the largest Cambodian communities outside of SE Asia, the Seattle area is an ideal place to be introduced to Khmer cuisine. Twenty-five years ago, family-run Phnom Penh Noodle House in the Chinatown/International District was the city's first Cambodian restaurant. My favorite standby when I revisit my erstwhile hometown is "Battambang's Favorite"--the menu description reads: "Ground shrimp and pan roasted peanut with salted radish and pickled cucumber served over a bed of roasted sweet soy sauce thin rice noodles and bean sprouts. Finished with a hardboiled egg, green onion, and cilantro."

Surprise the staff by saying "Jeum riep sua"--"Hello" in Cambodian.

(The owner, Seng "Sam" Ung, has recently written a memoir about surviving the Pol Pot regime: "I survived the Killing Fields.")