Dharamsala 2: Food and conversations

This time trip to Dharamsala was marked with conversations and chats over elaborate meals and short tea drop-ins. Freshly made-with-lots-of-care-and-concern food at the Tibetan eateries firmly conquered our hearts and we ventured in exploring the specialties and places in McLeod Ganj.

A morning glass of hot ginger lemon tea warmed up throat and ensured stamina sufficient to cope with any amount of the rainfall to come. Omelets and pancakes, such Western treats in principle, however not only fitted into the concept of cozy Tibetan food, but also had a special charm when served in the typically Tibetan cafes looking akin to simple dining rooms in very basic houses. Brown bread or white flat cakes have been purchased from a bakery that consisted of nothing but walls, breads and an aristocratic lady in an elegant dark-blue dress. Bread was carefully packed and taken away to share during the day.

The break between the happenings of the first and the second half of the day had to accommodate talks about the experiences amassed by far and food intake to further sustain the flow of the experiences. A café with green painted walls, two Hindu waiters and a Tibetan lady as a boss was our favorite as it allowed both – lengthy discussions and yummy food. Our lunch sessions were held there until we found another place – a second-floor café with an odd stone staircase without peril, without menu, yet with the most spectacular cooking process at the kitchen involving at least 7 people, rows of bowls with raised in cones spices, plates with fresh noodles and chopped tomatoes and resulting in the greatest (and cheapest) food in town. Before-noon happening was typically discussed over a gigantic plate with all-sort-stuffed momos and chowmein served with sticks.

Cafes on the roof-terraces were strongly preferred for the evening meals as giving sufficient space and perspective on the day passed. Funny-shaped steamed bread (thimo) shared by the whole table let us frame the discussion of the major impressions encountered by far. Further evening conversations were fired up by the soup with squire noodles (thanthuk). Mint tea and butter tea concluding the dinners were bringing the ultimate peace in our stomachs and hearts, helped us better understand and digest the peculiarities of Tibetan culture and largely influenced the content of the dreams for the coming night.