For a Tibetan chef, the greatest fear is the food running out.
Much of this is cultural. In Tibet, as elsewhere in Asia, the practice of preparing and cooking food is a love language, arguably the highest of its kind.
But for Tibetans it’s also deeply tangible, with periods of scarcity still within recent memory. Yeshi’s brother Nyima, who’s almost 15 years his senior, is old enough to remember the aftermath of the Great Chinese Famine (1958-1962), widely recognised as one of the most catastrophic man-made disasters in modern history.
When Yeshi was growing up in 1980s Tibet, food continued to be in limited supply. Meat was a rarity, and fruit and veg were impossible to come by outside of their season.
Moving to India as a young adult (pictured), he was less satisfied still. Without family to look out for him, and with few pennies in his pocket, he often felt hungry.
Happily, feeding the big guy is no longer an issue. Now he’s built himself a restaurant to ensure that food is always available. But these experiences have their own legacy, and they’ve shaped our family life as well as our business.
When friends come to the house for dinner, he pushes the boat out. There may be just a couple of extra people at the table, but he’ll cook like he’s invited everyone on the street.
At Taste Tibet, the same applies. On a regular Wednesday night Yeshi will prep for weekend numbers. When a college orders a thousand portions of momos for their ball, he’ll throw in an extra hundred just because.
Don’t worry – our tendency to over-cater does not lead to waste. Visitors to our home will always get a doggy bag. Restaurant leftovers make their way into the display freezer – you can buy them at a discounted price. And as for those surplus momos, since when did students ever turn down a little extra?
In Tibet, throwing food away is just not a thing. Last night’s noodles are perfect as today’s breakfast. Stir-fried scraps can be fashioned into a new dish, even more delicious second time around. In the last resort, the pigs will eat anything.
At the restaurant, we’re always delighted when customers ask us to bag up what they can’t finish (and there are often leftovers – try as I might, I cannot get Chef Nyima to reduce the size of those biryanis). We’re so happy that pretty much everyone takes home what they cannot manage in one sitting.
If this model sounds like something we should see more of on the high street, do share this post. Taste Tibet has won multiple awards, and we’re always happy to talk sustainability with other cafés and restaurants.
TASTE TIBET IS CLOSED THIS WEEK – we’re away catering at Groundswell. The restaurant will be back open on Friday 10th July with just a couple of weekends left to see us before we shut for a summer of festivals. Make sure you don’t miss our open/closed updates – Instagram is a great place to keep up to date, or subscribe to our Substack.
Have a great weekend – sorry we’re away – and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Julie and Yeshi
