BHUTAN, THE LAND OF SERENITY - 4

THE BHUTANESE FOOD

I was walking through the Gaulish village of the Asterix comics. It was like walking inside a dream! In a Kurosawa film, the protagonist wanders through Van Gogh paintings, including the wheat fields (with crows) to meet the artist Vincent himself! The Bhutan experience was not exactly alike but it was certainly mind-blowing! The structure and ambience of the Folk Heritage Museum of Bhutan was similar to the habitat of Chief Vitalstatitics and his men.

There was the additional flavour of the local brew Ara ; a fermented drink made from rice, soft snacks such as unpopped rice roasted in zaow (a wooden stove), grinding water-mill, farm equipment, vessels etc. The houses were made in two stairs, the ground floor for keeping the livestock and the upper stair earmarked for living area, kitchen and store. You could see the 150 year old farm-house too, belonged to the Queen-mother which boasted of a Special Guest bath-room. It had an additional stair to keep food grains and weapons! The drainage system was practically absent even for the royal occupant and one could assume that ordinary folks were simply throwing the wastewater out from their first-floor kitchens! Provisions of hot-stone bath was also provided in the open at the back-yard.

While coming out, we were softly persuaded by the ladies at the cloak-room to buy Ara. We obliged. Security measures were bordering on the ridiculous at most of the heritage sites in Bhutan. Photography was invariably banned and you’d have to leave all your bags, mobile phones and footwear at the gate. However, donations were expected from the visitors despite the not-so-modest entry tickets which goes to the welfare fund of the respective employees.

The rustic charm of the museum wanted me to have a visit to a typical farmer’s house in a Bhutanese village. In fact, I had an idea of spending a night enjoying their hospitality but it didn’t have any takers. Karma assured me that he would make a part of my dream come true. He would arrange a house visit in two days’ time. After all, Karma was a man for all seasons!

It was time for lunch. We set out to a private run museum named Simply Bhutan. The heritage atmosphere of the Bhutanese village of yore was recreated there, though not fully. You had already seen them all at the Folk heritage Museum in the morning.    Simply Bhutan catered to the well-heeled tourist. The beautiful hostess offered us the welcome drink, ara in tiny wine-glasses. Refills were permitted, obviously! More than the artefacts, Simply Bhutan USP was the ethnic food, served while traditional Bhutanese dance was being performed before the dining crowd. There were no live musicians in attendance, only recorded music and the performers belonged to both sexes.  It was a slow dance and repetitive to a great extent but the dancers were looking lovely in Bhutanese traditional dress.

Folk dance performed by two ladies in farmer’s attire was also going on at a different venue. Thankfully, the song was live! Farmer-women used to sing such songs when mud, the building material was being processed for construction purposes. The performers held wooden logs in hand, to treat the imaginary mud and to simultaneously provide basic rhythm to their song.

One Indian tourist got high in a moment and climbed on to the elevated platform to mimic their gesture! His wife got furious.

Behave yourself and try to respect culture.

Poor chap was learning his lessons the hard way!

We had a full Bhutanese lunch at Simply Bhutan and it was not a bad experience. Bhutan, strangely enough, is predominantly non-vegetarian. The fish and meat are imported from India. I would advise you to play safe and avoid non-veg stuff as the taste was just passable, not anything special. To add a word of caution, Bhutanese dishes are spicy to the core! If you’re a die-hard non-vegetarian, perhaps the compromise choice is to try Chinese but the gourmet in you won’t be delighted!

I don’t know how far my choice suits you because I’m basically a simple man in food (and other) habits. So, my guidelines are not to be taken literally! Better to follow your inner instincts in matters related to food. And for people suffering from Ailurophobia (persistent, irrational fear of cats), please don’t make a scene at the restaurant; take it easy as the Bhutanese won’t do anything against felines!

We are all familiar with momo and butter tea, both are of Tibetan origin and available in all major cities of India. Momo is actually steamed dumpling made out of wheat flour and stuffed with minced meat. The vegetable filler is also obtainable throughout Bhutan and you can order momo anytime as a quick snack. The butter tea, named suja is made by boiling regular tea-leaves with milk and yak butter. Salt is added to taste! Ideally, a few pieces of momo along with a glass of suja can serve as anybody’s power breakfast!

Alternatively, one can order Khur-le, the Bhutanese equivalent of wheat roti along with a side-dish. The most popular sidees are Ema datshi and Kewa datshi. The first one has a slight edge over the second as Ema datshi can be added to any meal of the day. Contrary to expectations, Kewa datshi turned out to be mild as it contained only potatoes and cheese. You can have Gondo datshi too, which is nothing but butter egg fry. It looks pretty deceptive as you might mistake it for peeled cauliflower! Oddly enough, no chillies are added to Gondo datshi. To pep you up, there’s the reassuring presence of pickles giving you no chance to get crest-fallen!  Ezay is the Bhutanese answer to India in pickles. However, the pièce de résistance is Himalayan red rice, grown at high altitudes. White rice is also available but tastes a distant second to the red variety.

Now, here’s my take for your Bhutanese lunch/dinner. Start with Jaju, a vegetable soup usually made from local spinach and milk. Ask for Khur-le as the main course and Ema datshi for its accompaniment. If you want non-veg to be included, Jasha Maru (Bhutanese chicken curry) would be a good choice. Ginger is liberally added and the taste is okay. One can punctuate the main course with Goon Hogay, the traditional cucumber salad of Bhutan.

Now it’s time to supplement the main fare with red rice. Gando datshi and Ezay are the inseparable companions of Bhutanese rice, red or white. Curd is not available in Bhutanese menu but don’t worry, fried papad is there as a saviour in dire straits.

Lastly, if you’re looking out for exotic desserts in Bhutan you’d be disappointed. There is no culture of serving desserts in that country. All you can get is either sliced farm-fresh apples or water melons.

Why ask for more? You have already eaten a sumptuous meal served with utmost respect and humility. The ladies who bring you food don’t even expect tips for their service! If you’re insistent on giving, they would simply point towards a common-chest kept near the billing section where the money collected would be equally shared among all employees!

The ambience and service notwithstanding, the thought that you are having food in a country where no one is starving is quite gratifying. Nobody begs. No one in rags.

Everybody is taken care of.

                                                                                                                       (contd.)

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HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL