Bare feet shuffled down a buffet line, guests held paper plates loaded with steaming hot Tibetan food and were greeted at the end of the line by a monk spooning out hot sauce.
The Gaden KhachoeShing Buddhist monastery, located just outside Bloomington, held its annual Taste of Tibet event and open house Saturday night for a crowd of about 200 visitors.
President of the board of the monastery Suzy Faulkerson said the event also served as a fundraiser for the monastery, which survives solely on donations. The suggested donation for the event was $15. Taste of Tibet is one of two large events the monastery holds. The other is their Tibetan New Year Celebration. The monastery is open all year for classes taught by the monks.
“It’s for people in the community and surrounding areas to have a chance to come and visit the monastery: see the temple, see the grounds, eat some of the delicious food prepared by the monks,” Faulkerson said.
Two visitors, Leslie and Debbie DeMonte, drove from Terre Haute, Indiana after seeing the event advertised on Facebook. It was their first time visiting the monastery and trying Tibetan food.
Jeff Miller, who was part of the construction team that built the monastery building, has been coming to Taste of Tibet since it began when the monks first arrived in the area.
“It’s an opportunity to experience a different culture and a different way of life, first and foremost,” Miller said. “Secondly, people get an initial exposure into what they teach and what they believe, and an invitation for students, faculty, anyone really to come here to learn about the teachings."
Two of the resident monks, Jamyang Lama and Lobzang Dorje, were serving food and talking with guests throughout. Jamyang spooned out phingsha, a beef stew with noodles and potatoes, and chasha, a chicken curry. He later wheeled out a dessert cart loaded with ice cream, fruit and an Indian dessert made of cream of wheat, raisins, pineapples, cashews and ghee.
The buffet included many vegetarian dishes to cater to their diverse crowds, even though it was outside Tibetan tradition. Options included tsel, tofu with onions and vegetables, rice and a vegetarian version of the popular dumplings momos.
“Tibet is almost purely non-vegetarian, because you have to understand it’s a very harsh area and they mostly survive on daily products and meats,” Jamyang said.
The highlight of the night for many visiting was the momos. A staple of Tibetan cuisine, they are dumplings usually filled with meat. Taste of Tibet offered ones filled with beef and others with vegetables. Miller said the momos always run out quickly.
Whether it was for the momos, a tour of the peaceful grounds or to take a picture of the temple, Taste of Tibet had something for every visitor.
“This monastery is designed to help others; ultimately, that’s what everybody here is trying to do,” Miller said.
