Khana khanu bhayo?*

*have you eaten your meal?

I’ve been eating so well since I arrived and I feel great for it! Mainly vegetarian with the occasional serving of chicken, mutton (goat) or fish. Some dairy with my daily fix of caffeine…well, a girl can’t be too Puritanical! But virtually no sugar or processed foods, or alcohol.

Most Nepali’s will eat a cooked meal twice a day. Commonly this is daal bhat tarkari. But sometimes it might be momos, pulau or some other special food - particularly if there’s a festival. A lot of schools and office jobs don’t start until 10am so a big meal “lunch” is taken before heading off and then again in the evening. During the day there’s tea and snacks – savoury donuts, samosa, pastries, bread, fruit, beaten rice with curd…lots of yummy goodness! My routine’s a little bit different because I start at 8am and also don’t have the skill to cook my own curries!

Instead, I start the day with a large milk-coffee. Fresh milk is delivered to my door at 7am.

milk so fresh that some days it's still warm!

And I mean fresh: some days it’s still warm! It reminds me of being a kid in the 70s. In the days when it was possible (common) to buy unpasteurised milk…anyone else remember the green-top bottles? In the days before industrialisation of milk production made it necessary for all dairy products to be sterilised before sale…to render them safe for consumption. The milk I get is creamy and tasty. And I love that it is home delivered…call me old fashioned! And for those who are worried about me drinking raw milk, there’s no need: I end up cooking it for the coffee; with the remainder I make yoghurt or ricotta…but I have had the occasional glass (which hasn’t been heated) and I am fine and living to tell the story!

Mid-morning, usually at around 10.30am, Anita brings the chiya.

I don’t know what she does to make the tea taste so great but it’s fantastic; I really look forward to it. It’s poured from one of those industrial-sized teapots that anyone who worked in a hospital or government department pre-1990 would be familiar with. I love that teapot as much as the tea itself! I also love the opportunity it provides for me to get out of my cabin (office) and meet up with whoever else is in the Faculty building: to have a chat; share snacks or homegrown fruits; to get a “sunbath” and dose of Vit D – particularly now the weather is cooling.

Lunch can follow soon after or be as late as 2pm depending on my teaching schedule or other commitments. It’s the highlight of my day! For 60NPR (<$1) I have a huge plate of daal bhat tarkari, plus achar (pickle). Unless it’s “momo day” – but about those another time… The team in the canteen are great cooks and I’ve been amazed at how varied in taste and texture lentil soup, rice and curried vegetables can be. The photos really don’t do the food justice, but I think they go some way to show what gastronomic delights I’m enjoying.

Because I have a very substantial lunch - and often eat late, and also because I don’t have the requisite skills to know how best to cook the local produce…but mainly because I’m preternaturally lazy and can’t be bothered…in the evening I just have something that's quick and easy: homemade yoghurt, fruit, porridge, hummus, cheese, eggs. I’ve been teaching myself how to make sourdough, so toast has featured a lot lately. All perfectly adequate foodstuffs. Filling. Nutritious enough. Tasty enough.

But they don't hold a candle to daal bhat!