Monkey dreams

Not sure where it came from. Might have been from the Tarzan movie, but when I was a child all I really ever wanted was a monkey. Not a puppy, not a cat. A monkey.

I always imagined I would dress it in jeans overalls and a small T-shirt and walk it around the neighborhood holding its monkey hand.

Needless to say, that never happened. So I gave up on my monkey dream.

Once I realized Kathmandu is full of monkeys, my monkey dream was again awoken. I was so excited to go to the Monkey temple where monkeys roam around freely and are not afraid of humans. But then someone spoiled the whole thing telling me monkeys are actually quite aggressive and dangerous.

I got so freaked out that I no longer wanted to see monkeys outside of the cages. At the monkey temple, I kept looking over my shoulder and ducking when birds would fly over me thinking it’s a full monkey attack. I was somewhat relieved to see there were people there, and they are not being attacked, but still I kept my eyes wide open.

One thing about these monkeys is they are big. They are not cute little creatures you see in Hollywood comedies. No, no, these are some big pieces of monkey ass. And they look mean too, walking around claiming their space. You can see them if you go to certain parts of town, like Monkey temple area, or sometimes you can spot them jumping around telephone poles.

Momo: My new favorite food

MOMO! How could I possibly forget that mouthwatering food of gods!? Just thinking about it makes my stomach growl and my lips smack in delight. Often times I have dreams of lying on a cloud surrounded by endless supply of momo. OK, ok, that's a little bit out there, but the point is:

I LOVE MOMOS.

Say whaaaaat? You don’t know what momo is? Apparently there is this land where they take pasta dough, roll it out thin, fill it with perfectly spiced meat or veggies, and then close it up like neat little packets. And then they steam it! And it comes out to be this amazing steaming hot, spicy and juicy concoction that is then dipped in equally wonderful sauces and eaten in one bite.

Here’s a little less amateurish description of this amazing and very popular Nepali snack. The dough for momos is quite simple and is made of water and flour, possibly with a tiny bit of salt, and sometimes a bit of yeast. It’s rolled out thin and cut into circles that are then filled with a variety of different fillings. Meat ones could be made from minced pork, chicken, goat, or buffalo, garlic, ginger and a bunch of other spices. Veggie version is usually made of potatoes or cabbage.

Anyways, to make momo shape, circles are closed into half-moon dumplings, or little round packages. Nepali people are very skilled at making the edge all nice and decorative. Very impressive. Momos are then steamed over a boiling pot of water or stock, and served with chili sauce.

When in Nepal, or a Nepali restaurant, absolutely and without hesitation order yourself a plate of momos. And Happy momoing!