Sun is shining and everyone is crawling out of the shadows. We had a packed house last weekend that spilled out into the restaurant’s large outdoor seating area.
This is not a post about the sunshine (just get out there and enjoy it) but it is about the great outdoors, about living as close to nature as humans can get. Because this is how life was for Yeshi before he walked across the Himalayas to India (not a journey you’d undertake unless you knew your way around a mountain or what to do in the event of a leopard attack).
When he was a child, Yeshi didn’t go to school, but this doesn’t mean he wasn’t educated. From a young age he spent most of his time high up on the mountains building fences, milking dri (the female yak) and chopping firewood. He learned to cook inside a yak hair tent, just beside his makeshift bed.
Today we strive to recreate these experiences in our urban environments. When our kids were little I took them to a “forest school”. Yeshi found the idea about as bemusing as the NCT classes I also roped him into. Why would you need to be taught? He thought of it all as instinctive, but none of this stuff comes naturally if you’ve never been exposed to it.
The key word here is instinct. Yeshi is an excellent judge of people, what the sky is about to do, and when to exit a smelly situation, all the stuff that school doesn’t usually touch. This is a priceless quality in business, especially one that’s conducted in a field exposed to the British elements for so many months of the year.
But where does it come from? Yeshi’s early years were characterised by plenty of freedom and unsupervised play, as well as significant responsibilities. Adults who’ve grown up in rural environments outside of Tibet will have experienced the same and understand the value of such a childhood. Left to our own devices we try, we fail, we learn. We gain the practical skills and confidence that are vital for our future independence.
Life rarely looks like this today. We keep our kids close at hand now, fearing what’s out there and managing their risk for them. Yeshi is always amazed at the stuff our kids learn at school, but he despairs when they fail to find the thing they’re looking and it’s right under their nose.
Come and see us this week, sit outside and have a momo or four. We’re open all the usual hours, 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. Stop by for take-away, dine-in or you can order home delivery through Deliveroo.
Our freezers are also packed with all the nutritious meals you don’t have time to make yourselves – come have a forage.
Finally, if you’re in the market for TT discounts and freebies just subscribe to our weekly Substack to receive news and offers direct to your inbox.
Looking forward to seeing you all 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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