In many ways Yeshi is more British than I am. He’s certainly more obsessed with the weather.

To some extent this is because weather matters in rural Tibet in ways that it doesn’t in urban England. Rain, or the lack of it, can make or break a farming season. Warm, dry conditions accelerate the processes used to preserve fruit, meat, and so on.

But also the weather is just better in Tibet: rarely is it too hot or too cold, and generally speaking the sun shines and the sky is blue. According to Yeshi, anyway.

Last year we visited his family in their home for the first time (we’d met with them before, but elsewhere). For me, this was an important moment in my relationship with Yeshi. At last, pieces of the jigsaw started to fit together. I’d been asking him about his childhood in the village from the day that we’d met. This was my attempt at getting to understand him better, and these Postcards – and the Taste Tibet cookbook – have served the same purpose.

Fifteen years after our first meeting, I finally got to see things from the inside. The nomadic, yet communal way of life he describes and that I do my best to unpick and document, came alive before my eyes. I also got to meet many of the people I’ve waved to on FaceTime but couldn’t place in the family structure.

The weather, I’ve got to say, was a let-down. Most days were overcast, and here and there it rained. “Very unusual”, said Yeshi, as I pulled on another layer.

Yeshi and his brother Nyima were back home again in Tibet this month, and by all accounts the sun shone brightly every day. We had the same conditions over here for most of the time that they were away, but by Easter, when they arrived back, normal miserable service had resumed. Yeshi complained a lot about the cold. “We’re at zero altitude here,” I had to remind him (later I discovered that Oxford is in fact a whole 70m above sea level). “Obviously you’re not going to get sunshine as strong as you do at 2,000 metres”.

But sunny conditions have returned, and all is good with the world. Blue skies make everyone happier, but they help Yeshi especially, particularly when he’s just spent extended time in the heaven he calls home.

Thank you to the weather gods for coming good, and do join us at the restaurant this week for momos and Lucky Buddha Beer in the sunshine.

Our opening hours are as follows:

Weds – Fri: 5-9.30pm (dinner only)
Saturday: 12-3 / 5-9.30pm
Sunday: 12-3 / 5-9pm

This week’s menu is up on the website – check it.

The Taste Tibet freezers: we’re doing our best to feed them, but last week was a case of everything going out as soon as it had gone in. We are continually restocking, and the good news is that we have plenty of momos, famous chicken curry, dal and other important staples such as Tibetan sesame chicken. Come and have a forage. We also have limited supplies of sepen chilli oil and house pickle.

Finally, if you’re in the market for TT discounts and freebies just subscribe to our weekly Substack to receive all of this and more direct to your inbox.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Julie and Yeshi

Opening hours this week:
Weds – Fri: 5-9.30pm
Saturday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9.30pm
Sunday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9pm
☏ 01865 499318

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