Lunch With Herb, Irene, Ellen, and Bill

Quotation To Remember: Many people think the mind can be controlled. That is not a useful idea. Like the monkey, the mind can never actually be controlled; it can only be directed. If you want to try to control your mind, you will regret the results. Forget the word “control” and learn to direct your mind and energy on all levels.

Did You Know? - Nepali food is practical rather than gourmet fare--which is not to say it isn't tasty. The national dish is daal bhaat, boiled rice (bhaat) with a thin lentil sauce (daal), accompanied by curried vegetables (tarkaari) and possibly a dab of pungent pickle (achaar). In rice-growing areas daal bhaat is eaten twice a day, the first meal at around 10:30 a.m. And the second shortly after sunset.

Sweet, milky tea and snacks like beaten or popped rice, flat bread, or curried potatoes tide the hungry over until mealtime. Beyond this there isn't a tremendous variety of dishes. Ethnic groups have their own specialties, but basically it's all subsistence food. Nepalis know the value of food as fuel: trek for just a few days and you'll learn it too.

Did You Know? - Grain, preferably rice, provides 90% of the calories in the national diet. Rice's fundamental role is underscored by the language: daal bhaat is khaanaa, "food," and a common greeting is "Bhaat khaayo?" ? literally, "Have you eaten rice?"

Did You Know? - Mustard Greens: The leaves, the seeds, and the stem of this mustard variety are edible. The plant appears in some form in African, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and soul food cuisine. Cultivars of B. juncea are grown as greens, and for the production of oilseed.

In Russia this is the main variety grown for production of mustard oil, which after refining is considered one of the best vegetable oils around and is widely used in canning, baking and margarine production; and the majority of table mustard there is also made from this species of mustard plant.

Did You Know? - The overwhelming majority of the Nepalese population follows Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country. Nepal is home to the famous Lord Shiva temple, the Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage.

Did You Know? - A thukpa recipe belongs to Tibet. It is popular in all the Himalayan countries. Tibetan noodle soup dish can be of different shape like pasta. This is also a common dish in Sikkim, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh states of India. This nutritious noodle soup is available in all the restaurants of these places.

Thukpa is a nutritious soup beneficial for mind and body. A thukpa is low in calories and is a rich source of nutrients and dietary fiber. It is a light snack which can be easily digested.

Did You Know? - About Tibet: Emerging with control over most of mainland China after the Chinese Civil War, the People's Republic of China incorporated Tibet in 1950 and negotiated the Seventeen Point Agreement with the newly enthroned 14th Dalai Lama's government, affirming the People's Republic of China's sovereignty but granting the area autonomy. Subsequently, on his journey into exile, the 14th Dalai Lama completely repudiated the agreement, which he has repeated on many occasions.

Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000?ft).

Did You Know? - The Himalayas in Hindu tradition are much more than a majestic mountain range that extends in a 2,410-km curve across South Asia. Hindus revere it not just for being a home to rare sanative herbs, nor even as a haven for exciting winter sports. To the Hindus this great grandfather-like figure has always been an abode of gods. So they referred to the Himalayas as devatma or God-souled.