Nurturing Nepaliness

No matter where you go, you are always a Nepali. Delicacies of New York restaurants can hardly kill your lingering
taste for momos—Nepali version of dumplings. You may still long for a strong cup of tea and yearn for gundruk
—fermented vegetable leaves. Eight thousand miles away from your homeland, here in this city too, there is no
dearth of Nepali restaurants to serve you.
Things were different when Kamal Pathak, a medical doctor, came to the US in the 1970s to further his study on
Ear, Nose and Throat. He had left home with his wife Jyoti just a week after they tied the knot. America was a
promised land for the couple to start their life anew.
He joined the George Washington University for a five year long training. "It was totally a different place with no
acquaintance around," says Jyoti, who now lives in Ithaca, New York. "We were homesick," she adds. But relishing
dal, bhat and tarkari—at least once a day—gave them the feeling of being at home.
The first day she decided to cook at her apartment, Jyoti
remembers, she visited a grocery in the neighborhood.
She filled up shopping carts with chicken, potatoes,
onions, tomatoes, vegetables and fruits. She was
however not a good cook. The Pathaks had to gratify
themselves with chicken soup and rice only. Months
passed by. Though they met a few Nepali families, they
could not find a Nepali cook book.
Jyoti knew almost nothing about Nepali cuisine four
decades ago. But to an utter surprise of her relatives and
friends in Nepal “Taste of Nepal”—a book on Nepali
cuisine—hit the bookstores six months ago. It is an
attempt to fill the dearth of information on Nepali food.
The book published by Hippocrene Books hashes out 350
Nepali recipes. It won the 2008 "Best Foreign Cuisine
Book" of Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. "People are
surprised at the diverse culinary heritage of a small
country like ours," says a jolly Jyoti.
Earlier, Mike Frame, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, had written "Cooking in Nepal and Then Some".
Mike, who owned Mike's Breakfast at Naxal in the Nepali capital, passed away three months ago. Born to a
peasant's family in Minnesota in the US, he knew Nepali life in Dhankuta, developed liking to local cuisine and
came up with the cook book.
Jyoti followed Mike's footsteps. She would ask what condiments and ingredients were used in the food served in
several Nepali social gatherings in the US. She would jot down the details. The note-taking culminated in the book
about Nepali cuisine. It took her seven years to complete the book. So far, three thousand copies of the book have
been sold, mainly in the US. She is elated by the positive feedbacks she is from the readers.
But she is bemused by the commonly held belief about Nepali food in the
West. The belief is based on the narration from tourists visiting Nepal.
"They complain of it as ‘dull dal-bhat' but Nepali food is more than that,"
she says. She wants to prove that Nepali food can satiate people with
catholic taste also. In her opinion it is a balanced diet. “Taste of Nepal”
showcases the diversity in Nepali food. "A foodie would very much relish
our food," she says.
Nepali restaurants have cropped up in American cities, though some
identify themselves as Indians to make the clients understand.
It was a pleasant surprise for Jyoti to find a couple of Nepali restaurants in
Baltimore, Maryland when she was there to attend an annual convention of
the Association of Nepalese in America. "Nepali cuisine is well-liked by
Europeans and Americans who love to travel far and wide," says Jyoti.
Despite the fact that Dal-bhat-tarkari is the daily staple for most Nepalis in
the US, many people in Nepal hold the belief that only burger and pizza are
available in Western countries. "Almost everything people eat in Nepal is
available here," says she, "The only difference is that vegetables are kept
frozen here whereas you can buy fresh ones in Nepal". The condiments and
ingredients for Nepali cuisine are available in Indian groceries.