I've been trying to be "adventurous" in what I eat here, with a mind towards avoiding foods I think could make me sick. For instance, I haven't eaten the apple slices since they might be washed in "normal" water, and not drinking water.
The Indian food (and few Tibetan dishes) has been very good. I've eaten some of the "Western" dishes, like pizza, and have discovered that pizza is delicious, even when the toppings are baby corn and peas. Many of the Indian dishes are variations of each other - we frequently have the same red sauce (which is spicy and delicious) on different veggies. The first time it was red sauce on small round mushrooms, so the second time I assumed it was the same thing. I bite in... and meatball? I was a little concerned, since the had the texture of raw meatball. It turns out it was made of cabbage (they do a good job of posting a sign "non vege" when a dish has meat in it). We've also had red sauce on cauliflower and baby corn. There is an orange sauce, tonight with paneer, that is amazing.
I'm still not sure about bitter melon. It was served for dinner the other night, and I tried a small amount (and then had a second small serving). The bitterness is mostly in the aftertaste, and some bites are much more bitter than others. Today I had a big serving... and in the end, wasn't sure if that was a good idea.
I've now tried all of the herbal teas available. One tastes like a fairly "normal" herbal tea, another (loong tea) is a bit bitter and tastes decidedly medicinal. I rather like it. Today I tried the remaining tea - a "skinny" tea. The instructions recommend exercise and eating healthy, so it seems like a legitimate "weight loss" tea. I was surprised when I opened the small packet and there were granules, rather than a tea bag. The granules only partially dissolved in the water. The instructions recommended to add honey, which I didn't do. The ingredients all listed the Latin names of the plants, so I wasn't sure what was in it. I think the tea is made of bitter melon! I like bitter drinks (like Campari and mate), but this was far too much for me.
At dinner, John passed out some mangoes he brought back from a different monastery. It smelled amazing and felt very ripe. I'm used to getting unripe mangoes in the US that are still half-unripe when the other half has rotted. This mango was unlike any I have ever eaten - I practically inhaled it, getting juice all over my face and hands. I'm fairly sure it was safe (unlike the apple) since it was peeled. I even washed my hands between peeling it and shoving it in my face. Even if I get terribly sick, it was worth it.
The Indian food (and few Tibetan dishes) has been very good. I've eaten some of the "Western" dishes, like pizza, and have discovered that pizza is delicious, even when the toppings are baby corn and peas. Many of the Indian dishes are variations of each other - we frequently have the same red sauce (which is spicy and delicious) on different veggies. The first time it was red sauce on small round mushrooms, so the second time I assumed it was the same thing. I bite in... and meatball? I was a little concerned, since the had the texture of raw meatball. It turns out it was made of cabbage (they do a good job of posting a sign "non vege" when a dish has meat in it). We've also had red sauce on cauliflower and baby corn. There is an orange sauce, tonight with paneer, that is amazing.
I'm still not sure about bitter melon. It was served for dinner the other night, and I tried a small amount (and then had a second small serving). The bitterness is mostly in the aftertaste, and some bites are much more bitter than others. Today I had a big serving... and in the end, wasn't sure if that was a good idea.
I've now tried all of the herbal teas available. One tastes like a fairly "normal" herbal tea, another (loong tea) is a bit bitter and tastes decidedly medicinal. I rather like it. Today I tried the remaining tea - a "skinny" tea. The instructions recommend exercise and eating healthy, so it seems like a legitimate "weight loss" tea. I was surprised when I opened the small packet and there were granules, rather than a tea bag. The granules only partially dissolved in the water. The instructions recommended to add honey, which I didn't do. The ingredients all listed the Latin names of the plants, so I wasn't sure what was in it. I think the tea is made of bitter melon! I like bitter drinks (like Campari and mate), but this was far too much for me.
At dinner, John passed out some mangoes he brought back from a different monastery. It smelled amazing and felt very ripe. I'm used to getting unripe mangoes in the US that are still half-unripe when the other half has rotted. This mango was unlike any I have ever eaten - I practically inhaled it, getting juice all over my face and hands. I'm fairly sure it was safe (unlike the apple) since it was peeled. I even washed my hands between peeling it and shoving it in my face. Even if I get terribly sick, it was worth it.
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