I'm taking a series of three Tibetan cooking classes - so far I've learned to make "momos" which are steamed dumplings and three kinds of bread :)My teacher is a Tibetan refugee and his story is amazing. He escaped Tibet 10 years ago when he was only 13 y/o, he came alone without any family and his sister financed the trip. He crossed the Himalayas with a group of 10 others and a guide. They had a lot of trouble -- they had to wait for several days in the mountains for Chinese guards to leave an area; they ran out of food and b/c the elevation was so high the older members had a really hard time breathing. Miraculously, a group of Western mountaineers came along and shared some of their oxygen tanks and some food. This helped them continue on. When they got to the Nepal border, they were met by a gang posing as police who took them into custody and took almost all of the group's money they had with them to start their new lives. My teacher hid a small amount of money like 50 YEN in the spout of the tea pot he brought with him, and the Nepalese didn't find it. That was all he came to India with - 50 YEN and tea pot.
He's here now in Dharmasala and is doing really well with his cooking classes. He's married to a gorgeous Tibetan woman who came over six years ago via a similar route. Their families have been interrogated about their whereabouts so they can never go home or contact home again. They seem happy here, but def miss their home.
Pics fo what I've made :)
