Last night’s dinner was great. The hotel owner’s uncle is opening a bar addition to his restaurant a few blocks away, and so to celebrate, many of the hotel’s guests were invited for a traditional Newari meal. Newari is a cultural group within Nepal--I don’t know what makes it distinct, but we frequently see signs that say “Nepali and Newari food,” so it is different. The meal was quite good, though I have no idea what I ate. It consisted of many courses, each only a few bites. For starters there were fried soybeans, a fried piece of hard-boiled egg, and some crunchy flakes that we think were a kind of flat, uncooked rice. Then came some meat (lamb?) and various breads, then some french fry looking potatoes, some dumplings that were stuffed with chicken, and some other items and couldn’t identify. It was all mildly spicy and tasty. It ended with a dessert which tasted like a sweet yogurt.
Right before the meal, our host had everyone join him in a toast - little shallow bowls were put in front of everyone and filled to the brim with a clear liquor - the server then dipped his fingers into a last bowl and then set the liquor on his fingertips on fire to demonstrate the “purity” (which also told us whatever this stuff was has a pretty high proof...). Everyone then toasted and drank it down like a shot. The drinks kept coming after that, although we both declined any more of the “rice wine.” During dinner we were treated to several choreographed traditional dances, with four men and four women, and a silent comedy routine that involved a giant peacock outfit.
We also enjoyed the company. There were about 15 people or so, and Michelle and Pujan (our hosts and hotel owners) asked us to sit next to people that we weren’t traveling with to improve the conversation. I talked a lot to the Canadians, who were students studying law and literature. Across from me was an Australian who grew up in the outback and had come to Nepal with her three siblings. They are going whitewater rafting tomorrow. We also talked at length with a couple who just moved to Nepal to explore job opportunities in the region. The husband is Australian and the wife is from Indiana. They just came from China where they lived for six months, studying Chinese. They are in the process to adopt an Ethiopian child. Quite an interesting couple. On my right was a couple from Miami who had just arrived in Nepal today, tourists like us. The wife works for the World Health Organization, and her area of focus is women’s health, so she and Melissa had a lot to talk about. Potentially a good contact for Melissa in the future. Melissa was sitting in a group that included a Canadian medical student, a college student from South Africa, Michelle (our hostess), and an ex-pat social worker living in Germany who travels the world helping to arrange adoptions for other ex-pat Americans.
I expected to find other foreigners in Nepal, but I hadn’t expected to so smoothly fall into such an interesting combination of expatriates. I’m sure it will continue to enrich our experience abroad, as people who come to Nepal are by nature adventurous and cool people (if I do say so myself).
The drinks kept coming after that, although we both declined any more of the “rice wine.”
ReplyDeleteInteligent move. I would of done the same thing.
Loved the descriptions of culinary delights and all the different people you've met. Glad to have found your posts despite technical difficulties. You were the hot topic at Sunday supper!!
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