The romantic notion of Tibet as a land where the pace of life is slow and there’s little to do but sip butter tea and click prayer beads is of course just a part of the story. It is true that Tibetan people do not embrace “busy” for busy’s sake, and that things are never so fraught that there’s no time to eat, to tell jokes or to pray. But make no mistake: nomadic life is tough, and long periods away from home herding animals in sometimes extreme weather conditions can be very wearing.
Yeshi is well prepared, then, for festival season.
It’s a nomadic existence of a different kind, but about 100% less romantic than the one Yeshi remembers in Tibet. Mostly it looks like non-stop momo-making in the industrial kitchen, endless trips to the cash and carry (sometimes mercy missions in far-flung corners of the countryside), hours spent on the road and in queues getting on and off festival sites, and the hard labour that is the constant setting up and taking down of our field kitchen.
The big events are well underway now, and our stall in Gloucester Green will be on a break throughout July and August – sorry! If you are an Oxford local who is going to miss your momo, make sure you come and see us in the market this Wednesday 26th June for our last hurrah of the summer.
Otherwise, do look out for us if you’re at a festival over the next couple of months. We really miss our regular customers when we’re away, and there’s always a chai waiting for any familiar face who finds us out there in the fields!
Our blog will also take a pause over the next while, so make sure you check in on us on our social media so that you’re ready for our return to Gloucester Green in September.
Over and out, and a happy summer to all!
#tastetibet #tibet #festivals
