In 1980s Tibet, the closest Yeshi ever got to a game of sports was the turnip patch.
Turnips were good value: you could bat them with a piece of wood, roll them down the hill, play catch with them. They also made excellent wheels if you wanted to build yourself a mini tractor.
Yeshi’s childhood was full of play, but organised sports – even just a proper ball – were not available to him.
Until he was about ten, that is. That summer he went to visit relatives in a nearby valley. His cousin had a basketball, and Yeshi had so much fun with it that he let him take it home.
Yeshi loved that basketball but there weren’t any hoops back in his village so there were limits to what he could do with it. It got thrown around inside the family home, and after a few breakages, he stopped playing with it.
In Tibet, objects gathering dust tend to be put to use in other ways. Having long spied the ball’s potential as a useful pair of feeding troughs for his horses, Yeshi’s dad eventually cut it in two.
Some years later, after Yeshi had walked over the Himalayas to his new home in India, he joined the school basketball team (pictured top left, second man in). Here he experienced the thrill of competition for the first time.
He turns out to be pretty good at any game he turns his hand to. As a child in Tibet he’d never heard of football or tennis, but as a dad in the UK he’s given everything his best shot. Mostly, though, he’s a keen spectator.
Our house has been buzzing with World Cup action these last few weeks. Late at night, after he’s got in from work, Yeshi can be heard shouting at the TV through the floorboards. He’s a natural supporter of the underdog, an experience to which he can relate.
A couple of weeks ago, Yeshi took the kids to watch the tennis at Queen’s. This Sunday he and his brother Nyima are back in London for a one-day international at Lord’s. These are big occasions – they’re the first time that either of our chefs have ever attended a live game. They’re making up for lost time.
All of which is a long way of saying that the restaurant will wind up for a summer of festivals this coming Saturday night, a day earlier than we might have planned, as Yeshi and Nyima are off to the cricket.
Make sure you join us this weekend. The Rusty Bicycle is holding their annual street party on Saturday, with live music starting at 12pm. We can’t think of a better way to close out our summer on Magdalen Road.
If you want to keep tabs us during the nomadic summer months, make sure you’re subscribed to Postcards From Tibet. As usual, we’ll be taking you behind the scenes at all our favourite festivals.
This week’s opening hours are as follows:
Fri: 5-9.30pm (dinner only)
Saturday: 12-3 / 5-9.30pm
Our menu is up on the website – check it. Come by for dine in or take away, and be sure to clear space in your freezers before your visit as this is your last chance to stock up on freezer food until September. Sepen chilli oil is also available – get it while you can.
Looking forward to seeing you soon for one last blast of summer!
Julie and Yeshi
Opening hours this week:
Fri: 5-9.30pm
Saturday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9.30pm
☏ 01865 499318
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