| Tibetan culture never ceases to astonish me. Some boys came to sit
with me yesterday, carrying pieces of newspaper containing dog shit
covered in maggots. It surprised me then when they started to pick
at the dog shit and eat small pieces. "Tibetan sausage" they explained, "very tasty - try some." I declined gracefully and peered more closely at the distinctly suspicious food. That it was in fact intestines, blood and other unsavoury body parts of 3rd world animals nourished by sewage and rubbish, with a few grains of rice, didn’t make the brown gunk much more appealing than dog shit and maggot stew. Tibetans love meat and it is in about half of the consistently stodgy and perfunctory meals served by the Institute kitchen. Fortunately the chilli is almost always served on the side. I’ll either leave the meat and eat until I’m just too bored to chew anymore or go to a restaurant in town. |
