Three Squares a Day

Cup Serves as Plate for Bread
(there is a cup under that piece of bread)

Breakfast consists of round, unleavened barley bread; looks a little like a primitive pita. This is served with either a small helping of lentils, or kidney beans, or peanut butter; very occasionally red jam – the one I love to hate. It's a mixed fruit jam and evidently my taste buds are not properly developed to enjoy this conglomeration. Hot butter tea, little black tea, butter and a salt is available and also sugar tea, little black tea, milk and way too much sugar. 'Course you could opt out for just a cup of hot water which goes a long way on a freezing cold morning.

Dal Baht

Lunch is always dal baht; rice with a watery lentil soup to pour over the rice. The lentil mixture changes, color, consistency, and taste daily. Out of respect, the staff table is served first. However we do not begin eating until all the student bowls are served and prayers have been said. This usually translates into a dish of cold rice, and a moderately warm lentil mixture. This is my greatest challenge; ok one of my challenges. When I first arrived and it was not so cold the food stayed a little warmer, but now…

There is usually a vegetable mixture with the rice, most often cauliflower and very firm; perhaps some onions, occasionally potatoes, and rarely carrots. A small orange, comparable to our tangelo or a small banana is available 90% of the time; both are quite good.

Dinner is the meal I love to miss. It is always Tibetan noodle soup; rather wide homemade barley noodles in a saucy mixture, some unrecognizable or some bitter green vegetables floating around. It is served steaming hot and remains so. Once or twice a week white steamed dumplings accompany the meal. In all fairness I must say that Lucca loves this meal. In the beginning I just ate it, then I was reduced to eating some of the noodles, now every day I hope that I am not hungry at dinner.

But thankfully for growing boys there are always seconds.