Catering business helps soldier send children to university

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  • Monday, February 13, 2012
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  • angco.co
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  • PHNOM PENH (Herald) - With most cooked meals in Cambodia being sold from outlets near factories, markets or other places where people congregate, meal delivery services are rare.

    In Takhmau district in Kandal province, however, many families have long relied on meals prepared by the family of Hem Kun, a 65-year-old former military nurse.

    "I've run this food delivery service for 20 years since my children were small and the've all now graduated from university," he says. "Business is not certain. Some days, the food is sold out. And when it rains, food gets left over but it's no big deal."

    Hem Kun said about 15 types of dishes are prepared every day. "My wife goes to the market in the early morning to buy vegetables and meat," he said. "The food is done by about 11."

    Filling the meals into small packs for clients, he says they go through about two pots of rice a day. "A pack of rice costs only 500 riel but I can earn from 10,000 to 12,000 riel from each type of dish," he says. "The food is prepared hygienically so it's popular with clients."

    In addition to delivering meals by motorcycle, Hem Kun and his wife Phorn Roeun sell meals from the sidewalk in front of Takmao market every day. "In the evening, my oldest daughter comes to help us because we are old now," he said. At night, he also has to pay about 3,000 riel for a security guard.

    "Before I ran this business, my family were poor and I could not support them. Due to the low salary, I stopped working as a military nurse and decided to sell food instead.  I can now earn a good income and have been able to pay for my children to go to university."



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