Cambodian fishermen's precious existence, southern mackerel, dedicated to living together for life! Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy located on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia, bordering Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. In Phnom Penh, the capital and largest city of the magnificent kingdom of Cambodia, there is the Mekong River that makes people live. The Mekong River is called the 'mother of all rivers', but it has a greater meaning to the Cambodian people. The 'Bon Om Tok' water festival is held during the full moon of October in the Khmer calendar. The Bon Om Tok festival is one of the biggest holidays of the year in Cambodia. Since the Tonle Sap River swells to about 26 times the size of Seoul during the rainy season, the Bon Om Tok festival is held in the capital city of Phnom Penh during the dry season in Cambodia. The highlight of the Bon Om Tok festival, which has been going on for a thousand years, is none other than the dragon boat race! Tens of thousands of people from all over the country gather to watch this competition where each village rides a boat symbolizing their village and competes to see which village is the fastest. Also, the festival does not lack the pleasure of eating. It is said that the traditional food called 'Nom Grip', which looks similar to our puffed rice cakes, is only eaten at the Bon Om Tok Festival. At the end of this festival that is pleasing to the eyes and mouth, people float wish lanterns on the river and make their own wishes. Cambodians are more familiar with freshwater fish than saltwater fish. However, Cambodians also eat southern mackerel as raw fish or steamed. Southern mackerel is caught and processed in Tom Nap Rolok, which is about a 3-hour drive southwest of Phnom Penh. In the workshop, the mackerel is cleaned and boiled in salt water in a large tank for about 30 minutes. Impurities are removed periodically and boiling water is poured over the mackerel. It is said that this boiling method has been used for less than 50 years. However, southern mackerel is an indispensable and precious means of living for the village women and workers... How is the Cambodian southern mackerel, which is sent to Phnom Penh and all over Cambodia, caught? As dusk approaches, the crew prepares to head out to sea. Once they go out, the time they can return depends on the results of their fishing, but they can spend up to 15 days at sea. While traveling by boat for over 6 hours, the fishermen take a short nap in the hammocks that Cambodians love. Due to the unpredictable weather, Captain Yongtan decides that they must lower their nets quickly. Since the mackerel will not come out when the sun rises, they must quickly lower their nets in the early morning. However, the darkness can also be dangerous... They must be careful not to suffer the misfortune of having their nets overlapped by other boats. However, the mackerel are not caught as expected, and the expression on the face of fisherman Peng Zantia, who has been fishing for 15 years, is more serious than that of other fishermen. Peng Zantia has a cute late-born son like a rabbit, and he needs to earn a lot of money for his child's education. Peng Zantia and his wife, Young Simeon, had no intention of having children so as not to make their child suffer, but the blessing of life came suddenly. Since becoming parents, the couple has been working hard every day, even while increasing their workload. Mackerel is a source of gratitude, hope, and future for Cambodian fishermen. Mackerel allows them to work and support their families... The story of Cambodian fishermen and people who live their entire lives with southern mackerel #Humans and the sea #Gift from the sea #Cambodian southern mackerel #Cambodian fishermen #Southern mackerel #Phnom Penh #Mother of all rivers #Mekong River #Tom Nap Rolok