CAN WE PLEASE GET A REDO! Every one of those dishes is what I grew up with and it hurt me to not see the excitement that someone who knew those dishes would have. She's a beautiful lady but it's like telling someone to judge food that they've never experienced or had. They don't know what to compare it to or even how to eat it properly. Gosh now I'm craving Khmer dishes.
She is adopted and probably doesn’t know much about the food and appreciate it. I live in Oakland and there is a Cambodia restaurant and grocery w a lot of side dishes I pick up. All of this looks thoughtful and time consuming. Yum
Exactly, other than the viewers cultural satisfaction. It factors into nothing into her choosing someone, in actual fact might make it less biased of a choice, purely on taste and first impressions.
IIRC the girl in the Viet video also didn’t understand one of the dishes. Not exactly the same context but in the end it made the end decision a bit skewed. IMO it kind of becomes a double edged sword because on one hand they might not be familiar with the dishes like this girl and miss some cultural context/might not know how to fully enjoy the dish, but on another hand if they are familiar with the cuisine they might be too caught up on whether it’s authentic or not and might not realize there’s regional differences or something like the Viet girl.
@@v2cantthinkofahandle I don't blame the vietnamise girl, because one thing is not knowing about a specific segment of a culture, and the other thing is not knowing anything at all from the food. That shows that maybe the cambodian girl wasn't the one for the role. But the video was still interesting somehow, kinda messy
@@v2cantthinkofahandle i mean yeah but at least the viet girl has some knowledge of her culture. this girl seems like she knows nothing of her culture which u cant blame her for since she was adopted
I feel like the video would’ve gone a lot differently and may have been better if Mary knew what she was actually eating and could compare it to her own cooking or compare the guys’ cooking to her moms or something? I do appreciate a video centered around Cambodians and our food.
@@sensitiveaf4290 yeah I’m aware, I got that from the video when she stated she was adopted. That’s why it makes sense that the producers should have let her know about the dishes or did some kind of introduction to the foods when they presented it to her.
Yes!! Once I seen she was adopted as a baby my automatic thought was that she isn’t going to know what she’s talking about, which wasn’t fair for us or the guys
Host should have let the guys know she was adopted and gotten proper descriptions of the dishes from the guys. For a series that focuses on matching poc up based off of cultural dishes, there needs to be a way to bridge the cultural knowledge gap if the judge isn't as well versed. Now it makes her look bad (when it isn't really her fault) and the dishes didn't get the recognition they deserved! Edit: asian-americans all lie on a spectrum of how connected they are to their asian culture for a myriad of reasons-no need for harsh judgements. I think this video is a really interesting chance to represent that diversity as well. Just means that the structure of this series going forward should take this diversity into consideration to equalize the playing field for everyone and still make content that represents that culture
Asian americans all lie on how connected they are? Thats a reach. And disrespectful to all the asians who are fully connected and understand their culture
this series is a great idea because of all of the cultural diversity, but it's better when the girl has some connection with the food presented 1:50 you can tell the guys are already confused like "i expected she'd know that"
@@user-pe2yx9kt4e i would argue that this wouldnt be the platform for her to connect with her roots. She is a judge and what she says goes. She is in no way educated throughout the process and her own taste buds take over without consideration of the culture the guys plated. In fact, after doing this skit she would just go back to eating dishes she prefers. Just my two cents.
@@user-pe2yx9kt4e ¿Connect with your roots in a framework like this short video???!!! Just making this statement shows the ignorance of some viewers..... If she didn't show any interest for her roots till now (she is grown up now) ... I doubt about her looking deeper into it in the future .... There is no obligation for her in doing so .... But her judging traditional food from a culture alien to her (she didn't grow up in an cambodian environment), is just misplaced and was not fair for the guys who HAVE cultural bonds with the food they plated ....
I feel the host often forgets to tell the contestants a lot of things for this series🤭 Such as dietary restrictions (which is sooo important when it comes to preparing food)
As a khmer woman, this is what my assessment would have been just on plating alone: CONTESTANT 1 - Nom Prachok - This man is clearly connected with his roots and shows love through his food as this is not an easy dish to make. You literally have to pick bones out of the broth base. It's very labour intensive. Being so time consuming to make, hes probably a very caring individual. He's also probably close enough to his family to learn this recipe and has attended temple gatherings because this dish is common at those type of events. He kept traditional sides which tells me tradition matters to him but his plating was also very modern which tells me he must love to cook and takes pride in what he presents himself to be. Attention to detail is also very clear. CONTEST 2 - I would have guessed that he may have a mixed background and done research to create the dish as opposed to cultural references because his beef sticks are much thicker than normal. And if he is a different background, its admirable that he took the time to research using Cambodia's distinct flavour Kreung. Its a good trait in a partner from a different background who puts in that kind of effort. I appreciate the assortment or what is considered Khmer BBQ, which tells me he is a generous person. And if he did indeed create the dish out of research it means he's a thoughtful guy who probably enjoys a variety of different cultures and restaurants. And must have many friends of different backgrounds. Microwaving the meat until dry tells me he probably doesn't cook that much. Traditionally we will include fat pieces with thin slices of beef to reduce dryness when cooking/ reheating. CONTESTANT 3 - Right away this is a healthy guy. Traditionally, we don't use as many variety of veggies to dip, so his inclination to do so speaks to an appreciation for nutrition. The tilapia is not common for prahok either, which tells me he's probably creative to a degree and rediscovering his roots. Maybe he also doesn't have a huge circle of Khmer connections as well, because we know the Prahok hook ups can be quite exclusive through the auntie network LOL but its admirable that he works with what he's got which tells me he is resourceful. He's also probably a go-getter with very little time to cook as this is a more steam, save and refrigerate type of dish. Perhaps hes more of the eater than the cook in a relationship, because he didnt cut the asparagus ends. It's not boring nor bland, it's colorful and healthy!
Sophie N Contestant 2's meat was microwaved because they bring the food from home, and Buzzfeed microwaves it to be hot for the Judge....he didnt cook it microwaved 🤡🤡
@@paradigmshift7541 She just was mistaken about what someone did, you don't have to be rude when correcting someone. If you ever make a mistake, I am sure you appreciate when people don't call you a clown. Being outright rude to someone is true clown behavior though :)
This video was all around messy and it’s neither hers or the contestants’ fault. she shouldn’t be judged or seen as “less asian” just for being an adoptee and for not having been exposed to Khmer dishes growing up; that’s not her fault. however, her lack of knowledge on Khmer cuisine is definitely unfair to the contestants as they expected someone that knew of at least how the dishes were supposed to taste to properly judge and assess them. the adoptee rep is great but this is not the video to be showing it should she not know of the dishes - for all we know this is her first time trying them. Kinda wish the producers thought this one out more thoroughly cause I very much enjoy this series and was surprised to see my own culture featured! But they just used the wrong person for it to be executed correctly like they did with the other ones. Great to see Mary have the chance to connect with Khmer culture tho ☺️ and the boys to showcase some really authentic Khmer dishes!!
Yes! They should definitely do an episode where they let Mary come back (or other adoptees from other countries who aren’t connected to their roots) and do a video where they expose her to Khmer food, kind of like those “kids try” videos.
I liked your balanced breakdown. My only argument is the producers were going for something quite 'meta', which was negatively received by Cambodians, who are obviously quite prideful in their food and culture, making them unable see past the fact the girl is unknowledgeable and seemingly unfazed by the whole experience. Or as you put it, the producers wanted this to be a 'first taste' of her homeland, to make it a "double-whammy" reaction vid. Maybe her reaction not being articulate/interesting enough was the bigger problem. She seemed kinda ditzy and one-dimensional. That's the real reason it flopped IMO. And the lack of cultural connection between the boys and the girl. But maybe that's a problem with the "outsider mentality" of Cambodian culture and not the girl per se? In the same way the West turned her into a typical 'valley' white girl. That's a major issue in the world today, no one can think objectively... It's just about me, me, me, defend my group, my race, my culture, my religion, my gender, my body type. Whatever group you belong to is who you will ultimately side with i.e. your own best interests.
@@vega9912 she did say she's adopted, so maybe the fam who adopted her isn't Cambodian, so she's lived a more westernized life, and she's not familiar with her roots
I was so nervous watching this for the first time haha. I may not have won her heart but I made two awesome friends, and to me, that was the true win ❤️
I wish when people adopted children of another race/culture they would learn first. Make an effort to teach them and even take a trip to their country to connect them to their culture
@@j_m12341 True...it's a little racist to think that people have to "connect to their culture". Just because I was born somewhere doesn't mean I have to know the food, religion, habits etc. of said country.
It's hard though... How would a person from another country understand the culture as well/easily as a local...? It's not impossible, but it's very tough and requires a lot of effort.. and i don't think many people are up for that kind of a challenge..
@@Zlnfgz it’s not that hard to learn about food and clothing from another culture u can also surround yourself with people from that culture they are more than happy to help
@@Zlnfgz we literally have the internet im not even Cambodian but I’m learning about their culture rn. I’ve learned so much just from watching videos and googling. Imagine what I’ll learn if I visit
Was there a reason why the guys weren't made aware that Mary was an adoptee?(based on what I've read in the comments). So they could better understand why she reacted the way she did to the food since she might've grown up not knowing/eating them. I know this is a "dating" series but it feels awkward setting up these folks up like this. Yall did us Cambodians/Asian Americans dirty with this one 😰
Lol appreciate the exposure for Cambodians but it'd be nice to have a Cambodian person with an understanding of Cambodian food. "Nom pachok" is a dish that's most often eatin there so we know she fosho Khmer though lol. It's kind of like a baby figuring out which object belongs to the ancestor she for sure hit it on the spot lol
Right off the bat: "I'm Adopted"=she hasn't spent a day in Cambodia, thus the ignorance towards Cambodian food. At least find some real Khmer girl who knows and understands what she is eating, Come on, Buzzfeed you can do better than this.
I was looking forward to a Khmer video on this series and it was kind of disappointing to see the girl not really know much on our culture. It would’ve been more enjoyable to use a girl who knows what she’s eating. These dishes that were presented to her are common Khmer dishes that most Cambodians have at the very least seen if not eaten. I hope they remake this video with these things in mind.
The lady here had absolutely NO clue about cambodian cuisine, she couldn't even relate culturally to this food, so how could she rate it? This was an unfair competition .....
Improper cast selection was on behalf of the production team. Its not her fault… she knows what she knows. Production team should have screened more thoroughly.
No shade, I'm a Korean-American adoptee, and when I heard she was an adoptee too I was like hmm I wonder if she'll be familiar with the cuisine, especially if she's a transracial adoptee (yes that is a real thing, not the way Oli London says it is though). It def depends on the person. I've done a lot to research Korean food and culture on my own, but not every adoptee has that interest or opportunity.
I was so glad when I saw the tittle because representation matters for every type of Asians but I was very disappointed that she didn’t have no knowledge about Cambodian food
It’s unfortunate that Mary was basically set up to look bad. Like the point of the show is to offer commentary on the food, and she’s just not familiar. I think a lot of commenters are coming for her in a way that’s insensitive to the fact that adoptees are often kept from learning about our own cultures by our adoptive families. The show could have set her up for some level of success by giving her more information about the dishes rather than putting a plate of food she’s never seen in front of her and asking her to evaluate based on nothing, framing her in a less than ideal light. My heart goes out to you, Mary 💕
Dish 3 (called toek kroeung in Khmer) is a very popular dish, both in Cambodia and in the overseas immigrant community, but the guy Rithy didn’t make it with snakehead fish (the traditional fish) but instead used tilapia, which is known to be bland. He also didn’t put shredded basil in it either (a must), and it sounds like it needed way more seasoning with prahok (fermented fish paste). Lastly, toek kroeung is always served with a squeeze of fresh lemon, while the vegetables he chose were based on them being colourful, but traditionally only green vegetables are served to accompany the dish (such as cucumber, winged beans, long beans, water spinach, round green eggplant...maybe carrot). So, all I’m saying is that Dish 3 is actually an amazing, special dish when done right 😉
BuzzFeed doing us dirty during the month of Cambodian New Year. Y’all are based in Los Angeles and have access to Cambodia Town in Long Beach. Partner with somebody like Khmer Renaissance
I am Cambodian and this was a bad episode. If you are gonna do food based on culture, please pick someone that knows the cultural food. It’s not her fault but they should have of picked someone who grew up eating Cambodian food!
They should’ve picked a Cambodian girl who grew up eating Cambodian food; not someone who was adopted from Cambodia. I was initially excited for this video, because I’m Cambodian myself, but disappointed with who they picked to judge. 🤷🏻♀️
I'm not even Cambodian but my fiance is, and I've tried all these dishes and yearn for them even more now that I'm pregnant. C'mon! These dishes need more respect, haha.
Honestly, I don't think I could date a girl who disrespects a "boring 9 to 5" .. considering Asian parents obviously have done the same thing to bring us up. If my take-home pay per day could only afford us a dollar cheeseburger & free cooler water from the office - then that's all we're eating.
Delete or redo this video, Buzzfeed. You really hit the mark by choosing an adopted Cambodian girl who knows nothing - NOTHING, about her cultural heritage and food. Like, can y'all be anymore performative?
As I’m Cambodian and a cooker 👩🍳 , sorry Mary you’re Cambodian but don’t know much Cambodian foods, very sad. I give the guys credit for cooking Cambodian foods👍👍👍proud of u guys
Lmao they got a whitewashed Khmer girl. I respect the attempt for something relevant during Khmer new year but they might as well have picked a random girl off the street. They should’ve coached her on how to eat this.
Why would you get a person not familiar with the food?! She’s ethnically Cambodian, not culturally Cambodian! How is she supposed to know what anything is or how it should taste/how much work it takes to make these dishes.
Everyone in the comment section is so harsh 🤣. One thing about Cambodian people is that they strongly dislike Cambodians that do not understand their own culture regardless of the reason. A Cambodian that does not understand the culture is not seen as a real Khmer. It's seen as a kind of a betrayal.
It's not that we dislike Cambodians that do not understand our culture (nor do we see it as a betrayal), in fact, most Cambodians don't fully understand our culture because of the genocide erasing our history. That is why representation matters. We want to revive any heritage we still have. When the rare opportunity for Khmer food gets represented on a popular western platform, we'd hope that it get represented well and with pride. Buzzfeed did not do justice in the casting, but I'm proud that the male contestants put in effort to do research into making these dishes come alive.
as a cambodian i am pretty disappointed in this video. you guys def could’ve found someone that was way more in tune w/ her cultures cuisine. thumbs down lol
What's the purpose of this video if this girl doesn't even know any of the culture or food... lmfao. The only thing she could say was oh yea its thoughtful and well put together. Lmfao.
idk how i feel about this episode. i feel like she didn’t represent the khmer community. get a khmer girl that’s in touch w her roots and redo this whole video. love the series but this video wasn’t it.
Ya'll definitely picked the wrong female contestant this time around. The person judging should at least have SOME knowledge about the cuisine being presented.
I was excited by the title of this video but it really let me down. The guys put lots of effort in their dishes just to have someone who doesn’t even know our authentic food. It could’ve been way better.
Very disappointed that the guys put in so much effort and research to cook for a cambodian girl and they put in an adopted Cambodian girl who didnt even lookup cambodian dishes 🤦♀️
They picked a Cambodian girl who had no knowledge of Cambodian food 😂. Buzzfeed did all of them wrong. In past videos they always had a girl who was familiar with the cuisine. In this case they might as well had picked a random girl from the street.
not y'all criticizing her as a fake asian because she wasnt exposed to her culture growing up...dont you know what being "adopted" means? shes no less of a cambodian because shes ignorant. if she was white and was an expert on the dishes, would that make her "more cambodian?" instead of gatekeeping from someone who probably grew up with racist white parents that didnt bother to expose her to her roots, maybe you could educate instead. yeah, they couldve gotten a cambodian girl who knew more and it wouldve fit the video concept better, and i agree they shouldve at least explained the basics to her beforehand, but the point is to judge based on personality more anyway. culture is more than just food, its experiences, but also, history. adoptees dont know their history, but that doesnt mean they have no connection to it. interesting how y'all act like theres this hierarchy of authenticity, something that native asians in asia would probably use to criticize you as well for speaking english and immigrating to america. but no, y'all asian americans act like adoptees are so below you, that we cant possibly be worthy of calling ourselves "asian enough". even native asians in asia were affected by european colonialism, does that mean banh mi and budae jjigae arent "real" asian food? guess more of us will stay self hating because we cant "belong".
In the future, please be sensitive to asian-american adoptees and their racial identity. You see all the comments about finding a 'real' Khmer girl....how hurtful is that to hear when she was probably born there herself. Be an advocate for us asian adoptees as well. Make us feel seen, as we have a culture all of our own.
I don’t think it is such a catastrophe that she didn’t knew the dishes, because she was open minded and her critique was fair. She got a very good introduction into the cuisine and because the Cambodian food is so versatile, she maybe wouldn’t have known all of them either way. Beautiful episode I loved the energy of everyone!
No it was bad. Some of the criticisms she was making was very unfair because that's how dishes are served. In contrast ro other episodes where the judge is familiar with traditional dishes, it's less enjoyable to watch, and the judge doesn't really have a baseline on how to judge the unique approaches each man made. So her assessments became inaccurate.
Well this video is all white-washed. None of the food shown would be acceptable. I'll give the noodles a slight pass, but the others are just generic. None of these people would pass as Cambodian. They're all just a bunch of white kids running around in Cambodian skins.
She appreciated the food that was offered to her so that's a good thing. Some guys out there cant even offer a bottle of water. These guys did a lot for her. They put energy. Cooking and cleaning is not easy
Wish adoptive parents when they adopt kids from a different culture would take the time to teach the kids their culture as well. She is an example of a person who has no idea about Cambodia. So she was not the best person to judge food she has no idea about!
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
Can't blame her. She was adopted. But I meannnnnnnnnn find someone who knows their culture
that's the reason why the other videos were much better, like the vietnamese one
@@GameFuMaster oh yeah, 10x better. This is was a pain. Lol
She should have asked them to make American food like burgers then.
CAN WE PLEASE GET A REDO!
Every one of those dishes is what I grew up with and it hurt me to not see the excitement that someone who knew those dishes would have. She's a beautiful lady but it's like telling someone to judge food that they've never experienced or had. They don't know what to compare it to or even how to eat it properly.
Gosh now I'm craving Khmer dishes.
I AGREEEEEE
She is adopted and probably doesn’t know much about the food and appreciate it. I live in Oakland and there is a Cambodia restaurant and grocery w a lot of side dishes I pick up. All of this looks thoughtful and time consuming. Yum
Yes REDO!!!
👌💯
REEE DOOO! SAME FELLAS AND DIFFERENT GIRL LOL
What’s the point if she didn’t even know the traditional dishes lol
Exactly, other than the viewers cultural satisfaction. It factors into nothing into her choosing someone, in actual fact might make it less biased of a choice, purely on taste and first impressions.
This one isn't fair to the guys because she doesn't understand the dishes unlike the Vietnamese and Filipino video
IIRC the girl in the Viet video also didn’t understand one of the dishes. Not exactly the same context but in the end it made the end decision a bit skewed. IMO it kind of becomes a double edged sword because on one hand they might not be familiar with the dishes like this girl and miss some cultural context/might not know how to fully enjoy the dish, but on another hand if they are familiar with the cuisine they might be too caught up on whether it’s authentic or not and might not realize there’s regional differences or something like the Viet girl.
Rite?? @buzzfeedvideo need to fix this.... Asap....
Yeah you right it was lowkey embarrassing to watch
@@v2cantthinkofahandle I don't blame the vietnamise girl, because one thing is not knowing about a specific segment of a culture, and the other thing is not knowing anything at all from the food. That shows that maybe the cambodian girl wasn't the one for the role. But the video was still interesting somehow, kinda messy
@@v2cantthinkofahandle i mean yeah but at least the viet girl has some knowledge of her culture. this girl seems like she knows nothing of her culture which u cant blame her for since she was adopted
I feel like the video would’ve gone a lot differently and may have been better if Mary knew what she was actually eating and could compare it to her own cooking or compare the guys’ cooking to her moms or something? I do appreciate a video centered around Cambodians and our food.
True
Listen she never grown up with Cambodian parents so that’s why. I been grown up with the food most my life, I wish I could judge it.
@@sensitiveaf4290 yeah I’m aware, I got that from the video when she stated she was adopted. That’s why it makes sense that the producers should have let her know about the dishes or did some kind of introduction to the foods when they presented it to her.
@@xandriapriv.5374 I agreed
R you serious?? Did you not hear her in the beginning ? She didn’t grow up with her heritage… Be better man that’s very shallow of you to say…
at least get a Khmer girl that knows Cambodian food😭 RE DO PLSSS for the cambodians♥️
Yes! Please! They finally shine a spotlight on Cambodian cuisine and people, and the girl doesn't understand the cuisine herself! Not cool...
Yes!! Once I seen she was adopted as a baby my automatic thought was that she isn’t going to know what she’s talking about, which wasn’t fair for us or the guys
I liked this episode but yes I would love to see another one as well!
True a real Cambodian girl who knows more Cambodian foods
Exactly！ what's the point of tasting Cambodian food when the gir isn't Khmer?
Host should have let the guys know she was adopted and gotten proper descriptions of the dishes from the guys. For a series that focuses on matching poc up based off of cultural dishes, there needs to be a way to bridge the cultural knowledge gap if the judge isn't as well versed. Now it makes her look bad (when it isn't really her fault) and the dishes didn't get the recognition they deserved!
Edit: asian-americans all lie on a spectrum of how connected they are to their asian culture for a myriad of reasons-no need for harsh judgements. I think this video is a really interesting chance to represent that diversity as well. Just means that the structure of this series going forward should take this diversity into consideration to equalize the playing field for everyone and still make content that represents that culture
Asian americans all lie on how connected they are? Thats a reach. And disrespectful to all the asians who are fully connected and understand their culture
@@kaiyuVFX please re read my comment. That is not what I said. I said they lie on a spectrum. "Lie" as in "are"...
yo they did one where they didn't tell the cooks that the date was vegetarian...
this series is a great idea because of all of the cultural diversity, but it's better when the girl has some connection with the food presented
1:50 you can tell the guys are already confused like "i expected she'd know that"
I think it’s great that she got a chance to connect with her roots as someone who was adopted.
@@user-pe2yx9kt4e i would argue that this wouldnt be the platform for her to connect with her roots. She is a judge and what she says goes. She is in no way educated throughout the process and her own taste buds take over without consideration of the culture the guys plated. In fact, after doing this skit she would just go back to eating dishes she prefers. Just my two cents.
@@user-pe2yx9kt4e ¿Connect with your roots in a framework like this short video???!!! Just making this statement shows the ignorance of some viewers..... If she didn't show any interest for her roots till now (she is grown up now) ... I doubt about her looking deeper into it in the future .... There is no obligation for her in doing so .... But her judging traditional food from a culture alien to her (she didn't grow up in an cambodian environment), is just misplaced and was not fair for the guys who HAVE cultural bonds with the food they plated ....
Host didnt sound like he told the guys that homegirl is adopted lol they should’ve explained the dishes to her this time
I feel the host often forgets to tell the contestants a lot of things for this series🤭 Such as dietary restrictions (which is sooo important when it comes to preparing food)
As a khmer woman, this is what my assessment would have been just on plating alone:
CONTESTANT 1 - Nom Prachok - This man is clearly connected with his roots and shows love through his food as this is not an easy dish to make. You literally have to pick bones out of the broth base. It's very labour intensive. Being so time consuming to make, hes probably a very caring individual. He's also probably close enough to his family to learn this recipe and has attended temple gatherings because this dish is common at those type of events. He kept traditional sides which tells me tradition matters to him but his plating was also very modern which tells me he must love to cook and takes pride in what he presents himself to be. Attention to detail is also very clear.
CONTEST 2 - I would have guessed that he may have a mixed background and done research to create the dish as opposed to cultural references because his beef sticks are much thicker than normal. And if he is a different background, its admirable that he took the time to research using Cambodia's distinct flavour Kreung. Its a good trait in a partner from a different background who puts in that kind of effort. I appreciate the assortment or what is considered Khmer BBQ, which tells me he is a generous person. And if he did indeed create the dish out of research it means he's a thoughtful guy who probably enjoys a variety of different cultures and restaurants. And must have many friends of different backgrounds. Microwaving the meat until dry tells me he probably doesn't cook that much. Traditionally we will include fat pieces with thin slices of beef to reduce dryness when cooking/ reheating.
CONTESTANT 3 - Right away this is a healthy guy. Traditionally, we don't use as many variety of veggies to dip, so his inclination to do so speaks to an appreciation for nutrition. The tilapia is not common for prahok either, which tells me he's probably creative to a degree and rediscovering his roots. Maybe he also doesn't have a huge circle of Khmer connections as well, because we know the Prahok hook ups can be quite exclusive through the auntie network LOL but its admirable that he works with what he's got which tells me he is resourceful. He's also probably a go-getter with very little time to cook as this is a more steam, save and refrigerate type of dish. Perhaps hes more of the eater than the cook in a relationship, because he didnt cut the asparagus ends. It's not boring nor bland, it's colorful and healthy!
Sophie N Contestant 2's meat was microwaved because they bring the food from home, and Buzzfeed microwaves it to be hot for the Judge....he didnt cook it microwaved 🤡🤡
@@paradigmshift7541 She just was mistaken about what someone did, you don't have to be rude when correcting someone. If you ever make a mistake, I am sure you appreciate when people don't call you a clown. Being outright rude to someone is true clown behavior though :)
I wish you were the girl who was doing the judging... Love your thoughtful comments.
Let’s get you on the show and you can be the judge haha.
Thank you for this analysis. Pretty much what I wanted to hear the girl say haha
This video was all around messy and it’s neither hers or the contestants’ fault. she shouldn’t be judged or seen as “less asian” just for being an adoptee and for not having been exposed to Khmer dishes growing up; that’s not her fault. however, her lack of knowledge on Khmer cuisine is definitely unfair to the contestants as they expected someone that knew of at least how the dishes were supposed to taste to properly judge and assess them. the adoptee rep is great but this is not the video to be showing it should she not know of the dishes - for all we know this is her first time trying them. Kinda wish the producers thought this one out more thoroughly cause I very much enjoy this series and was surprised to see my own culture featured! But they just used the wrong person for it to be executed correctly like they did with the other ones. Great to see Mary have the chance to connect with Khmer culture tho ☺️ and the boys to showcase some really authentic Khmer dishes!!
100%, Buzzfeed did not set this up properly AT ALL
Yes! They should definitely do an episode where they let Mary come back (or other adoptees from other countries who aren’t connected to their roots) and do a video where they expose her to Khmer food, kind of like those “kids try” videos.
She's definitely less Asian. She is the epitome of a banana.
I liked your balanced breakdown. My only argument is the producers were going for something quite 'meta', which was negatively received by Cambodians, who are obviously quite prideful in their food and culture, making them unable see past the fact the girl is unknowledgeable and seemingly unfazed by the whole experience. Or as you put it, the producers wanted this to be a 'first taste' of her homeland, to make it a "double-whammy" reaction vid. Maybe her reaction not being articulate/interesting enough was the bigger problem. She seemed kinda ditzy and one-dimensional. That's the real reason it flopped IMO. And the lack of cultural connection between the boys and the girl. But maybe that's a problem with the "outsider mentality" of Cambodian culture and not the girl per se? In the same way the West turned her into a typical 'valley' white girl. That's a major issue in the world today, no one can think objectively... It's just about me, me, me, defend my group, my race, my culture, my religion, my gender, my body type. Whatever group you belong to is who you will ultimately side with i.e. your own best interests.
this episode was so awkward, I felt like the guys were judging her the whole time and the winner was so obviously not interested lol
I honestly just think she was in it too get more followers
@@user-po6lq9ke5w yeah, fitness influencers tend to lack personality since a lot of it is based on aesthetics
because she didnt know what cambodian food is supposed to taste like lol defeats the whole purpose of the show
Yeah his whole demeanour changed as soon as he saw her huh. I couldn’t tell if he was horrified or terrified lol
She doesn't seem to understand Cambodia dishes so defeats the purpose?
Right that caught me off guard. How you Cambodian and don’t know the most basic Khmer dishes 💀
exactly
@@vega9912 she did say she's adopted, so maybe the fam who adopted her isn't Cambodian, so she's lived a more westernized life, and she's not familiar with her roots
@@thecunninlynguist I missed that part of the video. Thanks but they could’ve got a more traditional cambo chick to make the video make sense 💀
I review weed products on my TH-cam channel as my job 🙏screw college, most jobs won’t hire me
I was so nervous watching this for the first time haha. I may not have won her heart but I made two awesome friends, and to me, that was the true win ❤️
Eh , ya dodged a bullet.
If she can't appreciate your teuk krueng or teuk prohok, then she's not worth your time.
😂
Agree with others, dodged a bullet.
You three made delicious looking delicious! Thank you for putting the thought and effort into this.
I wish when people adopted children of another race/culture they would learn first. Make an effort to teach them and even take a trip to their country to connect them to their culture
@@j_m12341 True...it's a little racist to think that people have to "connect to their culture". Just because I was born somewhere doesn't mean I have to know the food, religion, habits etc. of said country.
It's hard though... How would a person from another country understand the culture as well/easily as a local...? It's not impossible, but it's very tough and requires a lot of effort.. and i don't think many people are up for that kind of a challenge..
@@Zlnfgz it’s not that hard to learn about food and clothing from another culture u can also surround yourself with people from that culture they are more than happy to help
@@lei3826 easy to say.. difficult to do..
@@Zlnfgz we literally have the internet im not even Cambodian but I’m learning about their culture rn. I’ve learned so much just from watching videos and googling. Imagine what I’ll learn if I visit
I like these guys lol. They're not so delusional. "nah, that's just how it's normally served" lmao
Had me at born in Phnom Penh but lost me at adopted and raised in the USA 💀 Really great to see Khmer representation and exposure in media though!
I went from hyped -> uncomfortably offended -> sad
she literally has no information for her culture, this is defo the worst one-
Nobody caught the diss at the end? Guy doesn’t like her really. Lmao
That’s what I said! 😭
He was really disrespectful.
Just as everyone has said, you guys should have chosen someone who was familiar with the dishes to make the choices more fair.
as a cambodian, this made me mad that she didn’t know anything even tho she is adopted 😭
Facts
Agreed, it was pretty cringy
She never even visited the country what more did you expect
@@anti_fascist you don’t have to visit the country to eat the food
Was there a reason why the guys weren't made aware that Mary was an adoptee?(based on what I've read in the comments). So they could better understand why she reacted the way she did to the food since she might've grown up not knowing/eating them. I know this is a "dating" series but it feels awkward setting up these folks up like this. Yall did us Cambodians/Asian Americans dirty with this one 😰
y'all couldn't find one Cambodian girl who is familiar with Cambodian food?
My thoughts exactly! Did they even ask her if she was familiar with any Cambodian food?
Lol appreciate the exposure for Cambodians but it'd be nice to have a Cambodian person with an understanding of Cambodian food. "Nom pachok" is a dish that's most often eatin there so we know she fosho Khmer though lol. It's kind of like a baby figuring out which object belongs to the ancestor she for sure hit it on the spot lol
This video had so much potential 🤦🏻♀️ imagine being on a Cambodian cuisine video and not knowing what nompajok is 🥲
Let’s def get a round 2 of Cambodian dishes! This was cute but I enjoyed seeing the girls who knew more about what they were eating ☺️
Right off the bat: "I'm Adopted"=she hasn't spent a day in Cambodia, thus the ignorance towards Cambodian food.
At least find some real Khmer girl who knows and understands what she is eating, Come on, Buzzfeed you can do better than this.
I was looking forward to a Khmer video on this series and it was kind of disappointing to see the girl not really know much on our culture. It would’ve been more enjoyable to use a girl who knows what she’s eating. These dishes that were presented to her are common Khmer dishes that most Cambodians have at the very least seen if not eaten. I hope they remake this video with these things in mind.
The lady here had absolutely NO clue about cambodian cuisine, she couldn't even relate culturally to this food, so how could she rate it? This was an unfair competition .....
I feel sorry for this girl. I hope she doesn't read the comments.
Improper cast selection was on behalf of the production team. Its not her fault… she knows what she knows. Production team should have screened more thoroughly.
She didn't know much about the cuisine. That kind of killed the vibe of this series
No shade, I'm a Korean-American adoptee, and when I heard she was an adoptee too I was like hmm I wonder if she'll be familiar with the cuisine, especially if she's a transracial adoptee (yes that is a real thing, not the way Oli London says it is though). It def depends on the person. I've done a lot to research Korean food and culture on my own, but not every adoptee has that interest or opportunity.
Love the guy at the end that said red lobster and Olive Garden because that’s what she probably grew up eating 😂😂
😂😂
The shade!
I was so glad when I saw the tittle because representation matters for every type of Asians but I was very disappointed that she didn’t have no knowledge about Cambodian food
Her voice sounds like she’s gonna cry at all times
I think it's just nerves.
i was so excited to watch this bc i’m cambodian but we need a redo w someone who actually knows the dishes😭
It’s unfortunate that Mary was basically set up to look bad. Like the point of the show is to offer commentary on the food, and she’s just not familiar. I think a lot of commenters are coming for her in a way that’s insensitive to the fact that adoptees are often kept from learning about our own cultures by our adoptive families. The show could have set her up for some level of success by giving her more information about the dishes rather than putting a plate of food she’s never seen in front of her and asking her to evaluate based on nothing, framing her in a less than ideal light. My heart goes out to you, Mary 💕
I don't think I have ever had Cambodian but the first two dishes look real good
Cambodian food are one of the most flavorful foods. You should try it one of these days you won’t regret it :) I know because I’m Cambodian :)
Dish 3 (called toek kroeung in Khmer) is a very popular dish, both in Cambodia and in the overseas immigrant community, but the guy Rithy didn’t make it with snakehead fish (the traditional fish) but instead used tilapia, which is known to be bland. He also didn’t put shredded basil in it either (a must), and it sounds like it needed way more seasoning with prahok (fermented fish paste). Lastly, toek kroeung is always served with a squeeze of fresh lemon, while the vegetables he chose were based on them being colourful, but traditionally only green vegetables are served to accompany the dish (such as cucumber, winged beans, long beans, water spinach, round green eggplant...maybe carrot). So, all I’m saying is that Dish 3 is actually an amazing, special dish when done right 😉
@@asherouk7308exactly
BuzzFeed doing us dirty during the month of Cambodian New Year. Y’all are based in Los Angeles and have access to Cambodia Town in Long Beach. Partner with somebody like Khmer Renaissance
'There is a fantastic place called Red Lobster" lol
I am Cambodian and this was a bad episode. If you are gonna do food based on culture, please pick someone that knows the cultural food. It’s not her fault but they should have of picked someone who grew up eating Cambodian food!
Exactly
Ya'll need to chill about her. She is adopted and there are barely Khmer homestyle restaurants.
This episode really needs a REDO!!!! I'm not from Cambodia but at least I know Cambodian food🤣 waiting for Thai food episode🤩
As a Cambodian-American, you’re kidding right…
3 great Cambodian guys made 3 incredible looking Cambodian dishes. One girl too uncultured to enjoy them.
I’m a proud Cambodian and was so excited to see this but would def appreciate a redo cause that was not what I was expecting :(
They should’ve picked a Cambodian girl who grew up eating Cambodian food; not someone who was adopted from Cambodia. I was initially excited for this video, because I’m Cambodian myself, but disappointed with who they picked to judge. 🤷🏻♀️
I'm not even Cambodian but my fiance is, and I've tried all these dishes and yearn for them even more now that I'm pregnant. C'mon! These dishes need more respect, haha.
Red Lobster or Olive Garden? Wait, what? After a Cambodian cooking contest? Come on guy.
She didn’t hold back on her food critiques lol I felt like she had more chemistry with the host than her date 😂
This is the most boring episode. The girl didn’t know what she was talking about.
Bro she was never really surrounded by Khmer culture come on man🤦♂️
Honestly, I don't think I could date a girl who disrespects a "boring 9 to 5" .. considering Asian parents obviously have done the same thing to bring us up. If my take-home pay per day could only afford us a dollar cheeseburger & free cooler water from the office - then that's all we're eating.
Y
No need to take it personal lol. Jfc
Really need a redo of this. Not her fault she isn't culturally Khmer.
Delete or redo this video, Buzzfeed. You really hit the mark by choosing an adopted Cambodian girl who knows nothing - NOTHING, about her cultural heritage and food. Like, can y'all be anymore performative?
MasterChef in Cambodia be like: Let's go darling
As I’m Cambodian and a cooker 👩🍳 , sorry Mary you’re Cambodian but don’t know much Cambodian foods, very sad. I give the guys credit for cooking Cambodian foods👍👍👍proud of u guys
She’s adopted… the fault is of buzzfeed for not putting the right people together for this video…
@@tainankingcouldn’t fine 1 Cambodian American girl who actually knows Cambodian food
Lmao they got a whitewashed Khmer girl. I respect the attempt for something relevant during Khmer new year but they might as well have picked a random girl off the street. They should’ve coached her on how to eat this.
It's not her fault her parents failed in connecting her to her culture.
Why would you get a person not familiar with the food?! She’s ethnically Cambodian, not culturally Cambodian! How is she supposed to know what anything is or how it should taste/how much work it takes to make these dishes.
That girl has never had Cambodian food in her life lol
I made the dip that's cooking right ? NO MY GUY that's assembling you didn't even cut the vegetables nicely lol
I think cause she’s adopted so she doesn’t know any authentic Cambodian dishes.
Should've got an actual Cambodian girl. She's American. 😂
Shes Cambodian American. Her being adopted doesn’t erase the fact that she is Cambodian.
Everyone in the comment section is so harsh 🤣. One thing about Cambodian people is that they strongly dislike Cambodians that do not understand their own culture regardless of the reason. A Cambodian that does not understand the culture is not seen as a real Khmer. It's seen as a kind of a betrayal.
It's not that we dislike Cambodians that do not understand our culture (nor do we see it as a betrayal), in fact, most Cambodians don't fully understand our culture because of the genocide erasing our history. That is why representation matters. We want to revive any heritage we still have. When the rare opportunity for Khmer food gets represented on a popular western platform, we'd hope that it get represented well and with pride. Buzzfeed did not do justice in the casting, but I'm proud that the male contestants put in effort to do research into making these dishes come alive.
Cambodian culture underrepresented in a video about Cambodian culture
as a cambodian i am pretty disappointed in this video. you guys def could’ve found someone that was way more in tune w/ her cultures cuisine. thumbs down lol
I lost it at "You're my competition [but] I felt that!!" Also, yes, please defend the rice cooker--Uncle Roger would be proud LOL
Can be the next Cambodian girl 😂 I at least know my roots and khmer food LOL
im sorry but this made me really aggressive, she knew nothing about the dishes. I don’t understand why she was there. (My opinion)
I feel like the guys are being kind of rude... she cant help it that she was adopted. She isnt "not cambodian enough"... shes enjoying the foods.
Bro, she's Cambodian but she barely knows anything about Cambodian food. She's freaking Adopted. NOT FAIRRRRR!!
What's the purpose of this video if this girl doesn't even know any of the culture or food... lmfao. The only thing she could say was oh yea its thoughtful and well put together. Lmfao.
idk how i feel about this episode. i feel like she didn’t represent the khmer community. get a khmer girl that’s in touch w her roots and redo this whole video. love the series but this video wasn’t it.
She is completely American. She knows nothing of Cambodian food. let's do this over again. kinda unfair to the guys.
Well she adopted, she had no clue about Khmer food
Ya'll definitely picked the wrong female contestant this time around. The person judging should at least have SOME knowledge about the cuisine being presented.
I can’t lol, we need a re do. Very judgmental when she didn’t know any of the dishes 😂 don’t blame her though, she wasn’t exposed to the dishes!
I was excited by the title of this video but it really let me down. The guys put lots of effort in their dishes just to have someone who doesn’t even know our authentic food. It could’ve been way better.
Y’all set this poor girl up :/
You can be minimalistic and flavorful 💀
"I think it's pretty surface level but not much else there" woman describing herself
This episode needs a redo. Poor guys!
Very disappointed that the guys put in so much effort and research to cook for a cambodian girl and they put in an adopted Cambodian girl who didnt even lookup cambodian dishes 🤦♀️
They picked a Cambodian girl who had no knowledge of Cambodian food 😂. Buzzfeed did all of them wrong. In past videos they always had a girl who was familiar with the cuisine. In this case they might as well had picked a random girl from the street.
STOP GETTING CLUELESS GIRLS ON THIS SHOW PLEASE
how u gonna pick a Cambodian girl who doesn't even know what nom ban chok is?
Buzzfeed got this wrong...what a shame. Might as well get a Mexican person eating cambodian food and rating it.
Wtf??? No get a real Khmer girl!!! She was adopted, Cambodian culture is so rich and it’s a shame she didn’t know any of the things we grew up with!!
NAH THAT'S HOW IT'S NORMALLY SERVED!
not y'all criticizing her as a fake asian because she wasnt exposed to her culture growing up...dont you know what being "adopted" means? shes no less of a cambodian because shes ignorant. if she was white and was an expert on the dishes, would that make her "more cambodian?" instead of gatekeeping from someone who probably grew up with racist white parents that didnt bother to expose her to her roots, maybe you could educate instead. yeah, they couldve gotten a cambodian girl who knew more and it wouldve fit the video concept better, and i agree they shouldve at least explained the basics to her beforehand, but the point is to judge based on personality more anyway. culture is more than just food, its experiences, but also, history. adoptees dont know their history, but that doesnt mean they have no connection to it. interesting how y'all act like theres this hierarchy of authenticity, something that native asians in asia would probably use to criticize you as well for speaking english and immigrating to america. but no, y'all asian americans act like adoptees are so below you, that we cant possibly be worthy of calling ourselves "asian enough". even native asians in asia were affected by european colonialism, does that mean banh mi and budae jjigae arent "real" asian food? guess more of us will stay self hating because we cant "belong".
In the future, please be sensitive to asian-american adoptees and their racial identity. You see all the comments about finding a 'real' Khmer girl....how hurtful is that to hear when she was probably born there herself. Be an advocate for us asian adoptees as well. Make us feel seen, as we have a culture all of our own.
Cambodian food is so underrated
Wow, her voice is unique….
Lol
I don’t think it is such a catastrophe that she didn’t knew the dishes, because she was open minded and her critique was fair. She got a very good introduction into the cuisine and because the Cambodian food is so versatile, she maybe wouldn’t have known all of them either way. Beautiful episode I loved the energy of everyone!
No, it was a disaster.
No it was bad. Some of the criticisms she was making was very unfair because that's how dishes are served. In contrast ro other episodes where the judge is familiar with traditional dishes, it's less enjoyable to watch, and the judge doesn't really have a baseline on how to judge the unique approaches each man made. So her assessments became inaccurate.
@@sophien5416The dishes were Pretty good , I should know IMAO since I’m Cambodian myself
I’ve never had Cambodian food. Would love to try one day!
Well this video is all white-washed. None of the food shown would be acceptable. I'll give the noodles a slight pass, but the others are just generic. None of these people would pass as Cambodian. They're all just a bunch of white kids running around in Cambodian skins.
Did he say at the end they going to Red Lobster or Olive Garden?? Lol No sir take her to a Khmer restaurant.
She appreciated the food that was offered to her so that's a good thing. Some guys out there cant even offer a bottle of water. These guys did a lot for her. They put energy. Cooking and cleaning is not easy
Wish adoptive parents when they adopt kids from a different culture would take the time to teach the kids their culture as well. She is an example of a person who has no idea about Cambodia. So she was not the best person to judge food she has no idea about!
Wow the guy was really mean at the end with that snide little comment on Red Lobster and Olive Garden. He could have been a little nicer...
I looked at it again, and it didn't seem mean BUT I heard what you heard.
What’s wrong with Red lobster or Olive Garden ? I love Olive Garden.
@@Susiebanks When I listened to what he said again, it hit me like he called the girl a banana.
He’s tryna take her somewhere that suits her palette 😂
He was very disrespectful.
He is cruel and mean spirited and I hope she did not go on a date with him because she felt she was obligated.