The Sophian

Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: Features

There are few restaurants these days that make you feel as though you are walking into someone's home. We have become accustomed to the large, institutionalized fast food joints and the pretentious bistro that will slap you on the wrist for not sitting up straight. Either way, we eat the food placed in front of us, not thinking about from where or whom it came, ultimately making the experience extremely impersonal and the meal forgettable.

I will remember my meal at Lhasa Café. As I gave in to the adventurous flavors of Tibetan cuisine, I felt as though I were experiencing something personal - a family's history - making this guest feel right at home.

Thondup and Dolma Tsering opened Lhasa Café, named for the capital city in Tibet. Both have family roots in Tibet, but grew up in India due to the Chinese invasion in 1959. As the owners of the only Tibetan restaurant in Western Massachusetts, and one of the few in the country, the Tserings use their food to spread awareness to Westerners about Tibetan traditions, culture and current issues. Knowing absolutely nothing about Tibet or its cuisine, I could not wait to dig into this ancient sector of the culinary world.

The quaint restaurant was warm and inviting on a cloudy, cold afternoon. Soft music playing in the background immediately set the mood, and I opened my menu with gusto, knowing that my company would pay for every last bite - thanks, Mom.

Perusing the menu, you can tell that the food is distinctly Asian, with influences from China and India. Yet there are certain aspects of Tibetan food that make it stand out from other forms of Asian cuisine. We started our meal with Bocha, a Tibetan tea mixed with milk, butter and salt. Warm and filling, the unique flavor was instantly comforting, although I did add some sugar to mine. I was already becoming a Tibetan convert, and no food had even been placed on the table.

Next came the mo-mos, the national dish of Tibet. Do not be alarmed by the name; they are merely dumplings, not unlike ones you would find at your favorite Chinese take-out joint. However, these tasty morsels are handmade in light, steamed dough and come with a fantastic spicy tomato-based dipping sauce. Subtle ginger and garlic flavors lurk around the different fillings, which include vegetable, chicken and yak.

Yes, that's right: Lhasa Café serves yak, and lots of it. In fact, there is an entire menu page devoted to the animal. Tibet is known for its nomadic people, roaming about the cold, mountainous terrain. Therefore, they rely on a food supply that would survive in these conditions, including roots such as ginger and garlic, as well as the mountain cattle yak, or "nor," as it is collectively known in Tibet.

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