Kreung’s purpose is multi-faceted and runs deep. 

While it’s primary purpose is to collect the funds to source a tractor for my family in Cambodia, what’s been revealed along the way, is that it’s also a way to connect and address inter-generational trauma caused by the Khmer Rouge. 

When I prepare this kind of food, it’s a natural conduit into to having real dialogue with my parents about the atrocities they’ve endured; the comfort and familiarity of the smells and flavors seems to lessen the pain, and the conversation flows. 

At the pop-ups we host, the meals we serve – I’ve discovered that the authenticity of the food sparks conversation not only with my parents, but also among displaced Cambodians within my generation and in my broader community. 

The shared vulnerability and discourse is empowering, and it allows me to feel like through this fortifying tool, I’m able to affect real healing, and gather a deeper understanding of my heritage and of myself.