When I meet someone who is obviously not born and bred in America, I like to talk to them and ask them more questions than they probably care to answer.
Maybe it’s because I am one of them.
Doing so creates a sense of connection for me.
At any rate, I was recently in a Lyft and the driver had a thick Indian accent. I asked him where he was from.
“I was born in Bhutan, and grew up in Nepal,” he replied.
My ears perked up as those are two countries very high on my bucket list. I have not been, but somehow feel a sense of belonging in that part of the world (I have been asked if I am Assamese!).
We chatted a while, exchanging our coming to the U.S. stories. He used to live in Hawaii, he said, then in Georgia.
But he moved to Ohio to be with his family.
Of course, the conversation flowed to food. I happen to enjoy Nepalese food, although I am no expert. I had gone to a couple of Nepalese places in Columbus. It’s quite close to Indian food, but also different. It’s lighter and definitely delicious.
I asked him for his recommendation: “Where’s your favourite place for Nepalese food around here?”
He paused, looked through the rearview mirror to make eye contact with me in the back seat, and said:
“Home. That’s my favourite place to eat Nepalese food.”
My heart melted.
Of course, it’s home where he finds his favourite food.
“My mother cooks every day,” he said and told me the different dishes she makes from scratch.
I agree with him: home-cooked food tastes better, especially when it’s made with love. Food, with family, nourishes and nurtures. It is fuel and it is love.
I am so glad to have asked him that question because he reminded me of the importance of home-cooked food for me as well. My mind went back to all the childhood days in my grandmother’s kitchen in Thailand.
Just thinking about those memories brought about feelings of home and being loved. I didn’t need to eat anything to feel it.
It’s the thoughts from my memories that created those wonderful feelings.
Before I left his car, he added: “By the way, I also like Subway.”
I laughed out loud. Of course, he does. He’s in America, after all.
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My husband two years in Nepal and I visited while he was there. As such we are always in search of good Nepalese food. HImalayan Grille by far is our favorite. We tried Everest Cusine this past Thursday. Their Thali is not as good as we have had at Himalayan Grille. We have plans to go to Mom’s Ghar next weekend. That said, I agree nothing like eating at home, so I have spent that last 20 years of marriage mastering the art of a good dal. No where near as good as the food our longtime Nepali friends have served us in their homes or what we get in the restaurant, but I keep trying. 🙂
I love that you share this, Dawn! Happy dal making – it’s an art, so I don’t think it’s ever wrong to keep trying and enjoying the process.