“Ua hoʻohana au i ʻewalu mahina i ka makahiki i hala ma Nepal ma kahi papahana hoʻonaʻauao ʻōlelo Pelekane. ʻO ka mahina mua - nā hoʻomaʻamaʻa ma Kathmandu, ʻehiku i koe - kahi kauhale liʻiliʻi 2 mau hola mai ke kapikala, kahi aʻu i aʻo ai ma kahi kula kūloko.
ʻO ka ʻohana hoʻokipa aʻu i noho ai he lokomaikaʻi a hoʻokipa. Ua hana koʻu "makuakane Nepal" ma ke ʻano he kanaka lawelawe kīwila, a ʻo koʻu makuahine he wahine hale nāna i mālama i ʻelua mau kaikamahine nani a me kahi kupuna wahine ʻelemakule. Laki loa au i koʻu hele ʻana i loko o kahi ʻohana ʻai liʻiliʻi loa ka ʻiʻo! ʻOiai he holoholona kapu ka bipi ma ʻaneʻi, ua manaʻo ʻia kona waiū he mea pono no nā mākua a me nā keiki. ʻO ka hapa nui o nā ʻohana Nepalese he hoʻokahi bipi a me hoʻokahi bipi ma kā lākou mahiʻai. ʻAʻohe holoholona o kēia ʻohana, a kūʻai lākou i ka waiū a me ka yogurt mai nā mea hoʻolako.
Ua hoʻomaopopo loa koʻu mau mākua Nepalese i koʻu wehewehe ʻana i ke ʻano o ka huaʻōlelo "vegan" iā lākou, ʻoiai ua manaʻo nā ʻohana, nā hoalauna a me kahi kupuna wahine ʻelemakule i kaʻu meaʻai he mea pono ʻole. Loaʻa nā mea kanu i nā wahi āpau ma ʻaneʻi, akā ʻo ka haʻalele ʻana i kahi huahana dairy he mea noʻonoʻo no nā mea he nui. Ua ho'āʻo koʻu "māmā" e hōʻoiaʻiʻo iaʻu he mea pono ka waiū bipi no ka hoʻomohala ʻana (ka calcium a me nā mea a pau), ʻo ia ka manaʻo like i waena o nā ʻAmelika.
I ke kakahiaka a me ke ahiahi ua ʻai au i ka meaʻai kuʻuna (lentil stew, laʻa ʻaoʻao ʻaoʻao, lau ʻai a me ka laiki keʻokeʻo), a lawe pū au i ka ʻaina awakea i ke kula. He kuʻuna maʻamau ka mea hoʻokipa a ʻaʻole i ʻae iaʻu e kuke wale nō, akā e hoʻopā aku i kekahi mea i loko o ka lumi kuke. ʻO ka curry meaʻai maʻamau ka letus sautéed, ka ʻuala, ka piʻi ʻōmaʻomaʻo, ka pī, ka puaʻa, nā halo, a me nā mea kanu ʻē aʻe he nui. Aneane ua ulu nā mea a pau ma kēia ʻāina, no laila e loaʻa mau nā ʻano mea kanu like ʻole ma ʻaneʻi. I ka manawa i ʻae ʻia iaʻu e kuke no ka ʻohana holoʻokoʻa: i ka wā i ʻohi ai ka mea nona nā avocados, ʻaʻole naʻe i ʻike pehea e kuke ai. Ua mālama au i ka ʻohana a pau i ka guacamole i hana ʻia mai nā avocados! ʻAʻole laki loa kekahi o kaʻu mau hoa vegan: ʻai ko lākou ʻohana i ka moa, bufalo a i ʻole kao i kēlā me kēia ʻai!
Aia ʻo Kathmandu ma kahi mamao o mākou a he mea koʻikoʻi kēlā, ʻoi aku ka nui o koʻu loaʻa ʻana i ka meaʻai (ʻekolu manawa) a me ka maʻi maʻi maʻi. Loaʻa iā Kathmandu ka hale ʻaina 1905 e lawelawe ana i nā huaʻai a me nā mea kanu, falafel, soybeans i kālua ʻia, hummus a me ka berena vegan German. Loaʻa ka laiki ʻulaʻula, ʻulaʻula a me ka poni.
Aia pū kekahi Green Organic Café - he pipiʻi nui, hāʻawi ia i nā mea hou a me nā mea kūlohelohe, hiki iā ʻoe ke kauoha i ka pizza vegan me ka ʻole o ka tiiki. Kopa, laiki palaka, buckwheat momo (dumplings), mea kanu a me ka tofu cutlets. ʻOiai he kakaikahi ka mea ʻokoʻa i ka waiū bipi ma Nepal, aia kekahi mau wahi ma Thameli (kahi mākaʻikaʻi ma Kathmandu) e hāʻawi ana i ka waiū soy.
I kēia manawa, makemake wau e kaʻana like i kahi meaʻai no kahi meaʻai maʻalahi a leʻaleʻa Nepalese - kānana kālua a popcorn paha. Ua kaulana kēia kīʻaha i waena o ka poʻe Nepalese i ka mahina o Kepakemapa-ʻOkakopa, i ka wā o ka ʻohi ʻana. No ka hoʻomākaukauʻana i ka bhuteko makai, e palaki i nāʻaoʻao o ka ipuhao me kaʻaila a ninini i ka lalo me kaʻaila. E kau i nā ʻano kulina, paʻakai. I ka wā e hoʻomaka ai ka ʻōpala, e hoʻoulu me kahi puna, e uhi paʻa me kahi poʻi. Ma hope o kekahi mau minuke, hui pū me ka soybeans a i ʻole nati, e lawelawe i mea ʻai.
ʻO ka mea maʻamau, ʻaʻole kā ʻAmelika e kuke i ka letus, akā hoʻohui wale ia i nā sandwiches a i ʻole nā kīʻaha ʻē aʻe. Hoʻomākaukau pinepine ka poʻe Nepalese i ka salakeke a lawelawe i ka wela a i ʻole ke anu me ka berena a i ʻole ka laiki.