MILK available?

[RRainey]

I am wondering is fresh milk available in teahouses in the Khumbu? I am taking powdered milk and cereal but was wondering about Milk for my coffee.

I know hot cereal is available, but I can not eat that,no way.

If its available is it safe to drink? raw? RR

[Escher]

Nope. Never had fresh milk. Sickly instant only. I hate it.

[kiwigirl]

why can you not eat the hot cereal? it was the best porridge that I have ever tasted! come to Australia where the porridge tastes like glue! We had cappachinos often in Namche. and the Nepalese tea which seems to be made with milk is so nice :)




I am wondering is fresh milk available in teahouses in the Khumbu? I am taking powdered milk and cereal but was wondering about Milk for my coffee.

I know hot cereal is available, but I can not eat that,no way.

If its available is it safe to drink? raw? RR

[Oli]

Best breakfast on the trail is Tibetan bread, with honey. I also like the tsampa porridge. The "Nepali tea" is usually made quite milky with a lovely blend of spices. If you are seeking the best local dairy produce then go to Bhaktapur and try the "juju-dhau", it is (literally) the king of all yogurt.

[yakshaver]

We've had some kind of fresh milk, probably mixed with water, at a couple of lodges on the AC. My son got sick, but I seem to be imune. Can't remember if we'e ever had it in Khumbu, I think it was just the instant variety added to coffee.

You can probably bring some long-life milk from home. Just get an extra porter, and he can carry upto 20 litres for you. Or better, bring a cow in tow for the trek. It would be an item that would build you instant raport (rather than instant powder milk) with the locals. I have no idea about the acclimatisation of the animal and there may be a few other logistical problems. Nothing insurmontable though, nothing too much, if you think of a fresh cup of milk in one's porridge. But you'd have to watch those pesty animal rights activists back home... Else you'll end up on "60 minutes" or at least on the news. Actually what an idea!!! I was wondering about my 15 minutes of fame...

The rolled oats with water or instant milk were quie ok for me. Sometimes they were very good, as kiwigirl says. Sometimes just passable for me. But I could eat them ok, especially with fresh cut slices of apple on top. Once or twice I could not touch them, but it was probably more due to the effects of altitude, and not being able to eat much. By the way, this will probably be your biggest problem above a certain altitude. Especially the first time around, when you don't quite know what to expect. On my first trek in the Himal, once we left Namche Bazaar I could eat only some chocolate until the day we were back in Namche. It was horrible but what a trek we've had!!! Ah, those were the days... When men were men, and you'd have dahl bhaat for breakfastlunchanddinner. Appart from the odd piece of very debatable Indian made chocolate.

[julia]

On my last trip to Nepal, we ate a diet of tibetan bread with jam and a boiled egg for breakfast, veg noodle soup for lunch, and dal bhat for dinner every day! I drank black tea, not keen on the milky tea, mainly because the lodge owners always seemed to put sugar in it, even if you asked for no sugar, they still put it in!

Might sound boring, but I think it did my stomach a favour sticking to that menu, also the lodges are dab hands at cooking it, whereas some Western recipes they struggle with, we had the most bizarre veg burger, that was the only occaision we had something different on the whole trek!

[KhadOz]

On my EBC-Gokyo trek, I was an absolute fanatic of French toasts for breakfast.

I am French, I live in Australia and the French toasts in Nepal are much more authentic than the ones you can find in Sydney, and they are yummy!
;)

[webmaster]

Thanks for the suggestion yakshaver. This is a whole new opportunity for trekking guides. Which one will be the first to start a "rent-a-cow" service.

Rishi and Pasang Dendi should get in on this one.

[yakshaver]

On my last trip to Nepal, we ate a diet of tibetan bread with jam and a boiled egg for breakfast, veg noodle soup for lunch, and dal bhat for dinner every day! I drank black tea, not keen on the milky tea, mainly because the lodge owners always seemed to put sugar in it, even if you asked for no sugar, they still put it in!

Had the experience with the sugar added to the coffee or tea a couple of times only. I made such a horrified noise upon tasing it, that the owners were convinced that my god has been greatly offended by me drinking touching the stuff. That's probably because they did rush to me asking what's going on, and I keept pointing to the offending cup, clasping my hands in desperate prayer and rolling my eyes towards heaven. They never did it again.

[RRainey]

I'll eat hot cereal

1. If I am in prison

2. If it has been a very long time since we ate (3 weeks?)

I just have some sort of aversion to hot cereal of all types, I can not even stand the smell

As we are having one porter for each of us I am taking, the following,laugh if you like but I'm sure folks will look upon me with envy

1. lexan french press- 1 leter type
2. enough non fat powered milk to make 18 quarts
3. grape Nuts cold cereal a large container
4. 1 lb whole powered milk

Yakshaver, you remembered correctly this is my first Nepal trip- But I've been on top of Mt Kenya and Kilimanjaro with narry altitude sickness or decreased appetite.
I not saving i'm immune. I have had a mild case when going from sea level to the top of Mt whitney 14495ft in just over 24 hrs.

[Suginami]

Tibetan bread with peanut butter.
Porridge is usually very good.
Snickers bars above 3000m and black tea.
Dahl baht with lots of spice is good. I like this the best.
Charas

[yakshaver]

It sounds very good RRainey. I would be envious. I thought just Aussies and Kiwis eat their breakfast cereal with cold milk.

[julia]

Cornflakes and really cold milk, yum!

Porridge has to be the only cereal with hot milk, everything else cold!

Just as everyone else does, I have my food preferences, but I can't say I would go to the effort of taking my own food, it is nice to eat the local grub and they do make an effort to please us trekkers dont they!

[Escher]

Just as everyone else does, I have my food preferences, but I can't say I would go to the effort of taking my own food, it is nice to eat the local grub and they do make an effort to please us trekkers dont they!

Damn right, there is fussy and there is fussy! It reminds of the Brits who go to Spain for a "foreign holiday" and only eat egg and chips. It's like going to Blackpool but someone has turned the sun up a bit. I love dal bhat and I miss it when I get home, I really enjoy eating it every day and tasting the many different ways it is cooked and the - sometimes very interesting - pickles you get. And I feel much more healthy for eating it every day too. I love to eat the local fare when abroad and I will try most things. It's all part of the fun and the experience.

Sugi. You seem to want to make a confession? That's a couple of times you've mentioned charas. It is the only thing that will make me eat the second huge helping of dal bhat and not feel like I want to explode. Perhaps that explains why October is peak trekking season as at that time it is free and plentiful along the trail especially in the West. Doing this is also a good recipe for getting up early to take photos. After a massive helping of dal bhat the night before you will be up at dawn whether you want to or not.

[Suginami]

Its the little extra that makes birding so interesting. My concentration level goes really high and Verditer Flycatchers look so lovely anyway.

I make porridge with water. Never milk. Salt too and then honey.

Salty peanut butter is so good.

[RRainey]

Well I certainly am not bringing all my food! I am sure 95% will be local.

Why can't you guys get dal baht at home?. In LA its available.


I wish I liked hot cereal.To not be too graphic lets just say it wouldn't stay in my stomach long!

Are there eggs available? (don't worry I won't bring my own chickens!)

[Escher]

Why can't you guys get dal baht at home?. In LA its available.


Oh you can, and I make a pretty good one myself. But of course it isn't just dal bhat I miss, it's eating dal bhat in Nepal whilst trekking!


Are there eggs available? (don't worry I won't bring my own chickens!)

Yep. Boiled eggs for breakfast, and chapati and omelette for lunch are my staples.

[Sharon]

I have in the past taken my Starbucks coffee and insulated french press. That was on camping treks. I do find that I drink little coffee at altitude. Take a little maple syrup or coconut to make the porridge tasty.
The food is amazingly good for the challenges faced from delivery through cooking and serving.
Tibetan bread is a staple for breakfast for me on tea house treks.

[RRainey]

NO, I'm afraid no amount of maple syrup or any other additive does it for me, the stuff just gags me.

[Spaceman347]

Eggs are good, particularly for their protein content as I don't eat meat when on trek. The fried eggs can be very very oily though so the boiled option is often a better one. Sherpa stew is one of my favourites when available. Tibetan bread and honey mmmm :)

[RRainey]

Boiled sounds great, but how long does it take? I know in the Dolomites at 9000 feet or so it took 15 minutes and the egg wasn't even done!

[kiwigirl]

the food in the mountains really is fabulous. most of them have vegetable gardens and the food is cooked straight from the gardens. I really missed it when I came back to Australia to supermarket veges that have been on the shelves too long. they made a lot of chocolate pancakes for us and they were so yummy. it takes a long time for their cooking because they cook from scratch. no refridgerators or stoves. so very fresh. they probably had to fetch the eggs from the chooks :) I think you will miss something very special if you take your food in.

[Suginami]

chapatis and eggs are good. no meat of course. potato curry and pickle. beer. glucose biscuits. not bad at all. funny that some people cannot eat porridge. I love it.

the milk must be buffalo milk.

pancakes, now they might be good but not better than Tibetan bread.

In KTM head to the Dwarika and get vegetable green Thai curry. Fabulous. Bottle of wine, more charas now we are talking. After the trip to Pashi and Kopaan

[Spaceman347]

...... Bottle of wine, more charas now we are talking. After the trip to Pashi and Kopaan
OK, so I'm a bit slow and didn't know the word charas, a couple of the previous comments make a whole lot more sense now that I looked it up.

[Suginami]

I say charas because people who have been there regularly will probably know it won't be alarmed and fanning themselves in fear. Aperatif?

[un-j]

I think this thread will be OK to ask you about meals during the treks. So far I was twice in Nepal. First was short trek Jomsom - Kagbeni - Muktinath - Jomsom and in all this places I could eat meat (I recommend yak steak at New Annapurna Hotel in Kagbeni - hard as sole, but tastes perfect). On the second time (Langtang - Gosaikund - Helambu) I haven't seen any meat until Melamchi Pul Bazar. I can't say that was any problem for me, but in the latter part of the trek I was losing appetite and couldn't finish big plates for lunch or dinner.

So how it looks on the Manang part of AC, ABC, EBC and Gokyo?
What about tent treks - dal bhat over and over again?

Regards
http://www.pbase.com/unjay/nepal

[Escher]

So how it looks on the Manang part of AC, ABC, EBC and Gokyo?
What about tent treks - dal bhat over and over again?

Regards
http://www.pbase.com/unjay/nepal

I never eat meat trekking, although I do at home. I eat eggs to supplement for protein. The menus in the tea house trekking areas are pretty much standard everywhere, with more variety in the bigger settlements - Manang, Namche - (apple pie and such) and the most variety probably on the Jomsom side of the AC, so if you've read them one place you'll know what to expect. I am surprised you found so much meat on one of your treks. I don't think it is the norm at all. Food hygiene is more problematic with meat so I think it is best avoided personally. What question are you exactly asking? What food is available in these places? Is meat available?

Camping treks normally offer quite a variety of food and I don't think I actually had dal bhat at all. The cook staff pride themselves on cooking all sorts of different things. If staying in locals houses and bhattis on the less travelled treks you might have to eat dal bhat for breakfast and dinner as that is all there is. I love dal bhat though and eat it every day if I can.

[yakshaver]

Once you go over the 3500m altitude, food in lodges seem to be more of the same kind of semi or un successful atempts at western type foods. So I tend to prefer dahl bhaat, tibetan bread, gem, and the occasional egg, sunny side up. Potatoe chips as well.

Tenting trips offer, apparently, very good food compared to the lodges (see Escher's post), but it would be difficult to justify a tenting trip unless you do Makalu, Kanchendjunga, Manaslu or some such. Even on Manaslu, you can probably sleepin lodges most of the way, bar one or two nights.

[un-j]

Escher, Yakshaver - thanks for your replies. Later on I was looking on the whole Yak cheese thread and pics I've seen definitely will keep me away from meat. :D