Before you start reading this, go get a steak, Thai food, pizza, a good beer, or wine that doesn’t taste like it was made by Welch’s, and then come back. Seriously this can wait, sating you appetite with something that isn’t from the head of a sheep can’t. Not that all the food here is horrible, some of it is actually very good, but as they say, the highs are high and the lows are… well, are usually made of some unidentifiable organ.
But I’ll start with the good news, possibly my favorite food in country, which I actually have cravings of, is pluff. This, as the name suggests is a kind of pilaf, made with rice, carrots, sheep meat, and green onions. Pluff is always a winner and was my requested birthday meal. Next is monte, which are steamed dumplings with all sorts of fillings ranging from chives and pumpkin to sheep fat, (called mai) which is actually not bad in moderation. The homemade yogurt, is also very good, it is significantly more watery than yogurt in the states but is a nice healthy change to the constant marathon-prep-carb-loading that usually occurs every day.
Now for the not so exciting part. From day one we had all been warned about the sheep’s eye (think of a grape wrapped with calamari, chewy with a wet burst in the middle). But what we weren’t warned about was far worse. My first experience with the exotic was at PST, I walked into my youngest host sister crying because her older brother had stolen her last bit of … wait for it… spinal cord. They then proceeded to fight over a couple of connected vertebrae so they could suck on the spinal column for those last bits of nerve. Thankfully my host mother had saved some for me. A couple of weeks ago, I sat down to lunch which was a pile of noodles (typical) with a pile of steaming intestine on top (not typical… but not unusual, I’ve been told). I just hoped I wouldn’t find partially digested grass inside, like I said you should have probably eaten prior to reading this. Another national favorite is the mai, as aforementioned this winner is nothing but the pure fat that most people in the states cut off their steaks. But in KG, mai is the most sought after portion, right behind the eyeball that is, and my family says is also good for your heart. Coronary heart disease, and heart attacks only happen west of the International Date Line, western scientists are still looking into this phenomena.
Aside from the random, “What part of the animal did this come from?” moments, the food is better than I expected. Although I have given up on things like good cheese, protein, and salads, and when frying is the preferred method of cooking, it’s difficult not to be constantly eating something dripping with oil. Carbs are the staple nutrient in country, potatoes with pasta or rice and bread on the side is the go to combo. The only way to battle the endless carb overload is to keep active and embrace the permanent naan baby.
