2008-5-11 19:23
chinarain1
Taking Tibetan staples to the next level- Gesangmedo
Taking Tibetan staples to the next level- Gesangmedo HK7WDe*]
Break down Tibetan food into its essence and you can count the ingredients on one hand. Geography and isolation left a spartan diet that poses a conundrum for modern day restaurateurs. How to capture the richness of Tibetan culture through its food? The answer, as Gesangmedo aptly demonstrates, is to improvise.Mixing Tibetan staples, like mutton and tsampa, with Indian and Chinese influences, Gesangmedo creates a culinary smorgasbord worthy of a discerning palate and is a welcome addition to Beijing's small number of Tibetan restaurants. The baobing yangrou, a creamy pastry filled with lamb and spices, and the zhuchajuan, tofu rolls stuffed with pork, mushrooms, and the occasional crab stick (though these would be best left out) are dripping with flavor, albeit of a hearty, rustic variety.
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Best washed down with beer, owner Deng Jun tries to impress upon diners the values of yak butter tea. Usually described as 'rancid' by seasoned travelers, it is a mixture of tea, salt, milk, and yak's butter and for once, the travel guides are right, it's undrinkable. However according to Deng Jun, the drink is immensely popular with clients. }Q%v,f"S.l
Deng has used Gesangmedo to turn a lifelong passion for Tibetan art into a profession. Under a wooden beamed ceiling, painted with traditional motifs, diners recline on primary coloured sofas, surrounded by dozens of curios collected on Deng's annual mountaineering expeditions to Tibet. Prayer flags and a shrine welcome you when you first step in.
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The enthusiasm for Tibetan culture does not stop at the dinner table. At around 9pm, a procession of Tibetan musicians appear to perform a kind of 'music', akin to nails being raked across a blackboard, while at another table, inebriated customers puffed away on Tibetan horns in a mind-blowing cacophony of noise and cultural immersion. What's Tibetan for 'cheers?' ,V5zf#Wc!wC
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Gesangmedo