FOOD!

Food is such a great thing to experience in any country you visit. You get a glimpse into their daily life. The sounds and smells that emerge from a local kitchen give you a souvenir that you can take home. We have come to know the smells and sounds of Nepali cuisine. Whether it is the sound of the pressure cooker letting out steam, the smell of boiling rice or the smell of curry coming from the kitchen, Nepali food now holds a place in our hearts and, probably more so, our stomachs. The daily food here is a simple food, dahl bhat. We love it and look forward to eating it. It is a curried lentil that is poured over rice. We eat this 3-4 times a week, but Nepalis would eat this everyday. Yum!

We are also served a tadhakari, or vegetable dish, with the dahl bhat. We really enjoy this food and luckily our didi is a wonderful cook and we love eating her dahl bhat tadhakari!

We also have some tandoori places around us. We have a favorite spot that makes some killer naan. It is amazing and cheap to buy here. Oh man, naan is the best!

We had the privilege to go to a Newari restaurant and eat some pretty unique things. Newari is the people group that have lived in the Kathmandu Valley for many centuries. They eat a lot of meat, so we ate EVERYTHING! Brains, tongue, lungs, fried intestine filled marrow and of course meat. I can't say everything was exactly tasty, but I am glad to say I tried it! Tongue and brains pictured below.

I am able to buy our produce at a local shop. The produce is seasonal, so things are not available year round. The interesting thing is that Nepal is able to get a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. The high altitudes of the Himals and the tropical areas of India allow for so many great fruits. From apples to mangos and pineapples to berries we can have fresh fruit. We do have to disinfect all our fruit before we eat it, but I am telling you, the mangos are the best!!!! Some people walk around neighborhoods with their bikes laden with goods. I love seeing them walking around.

One more thing that keeps me fascinated here is that everyone can sit in a crouched position and eat. Most people eat with their hands and they are really amazing at mixing the dahl and bhat to create the perfect scoop to put in their mouth. Our kids are getting the hang of it!

Look at Sienna, she is doing the perfect squat! And just because we live in Nepal here is a pretty picture.  Until next time!