#phayul

Phayul: Restaurant Review

note: all pictures were taken by me, and you can click on them to see their captions.

On a cold and rainy day, instead of heading to Flushing as we usually do, I asked my friend, “Do you want to head to Jackson Heights instead of Flushing? I heard there’s some pretty good Tibetan food there, and plus, I can talk about it for my class’s project!” 

At first, my friend was reluctant, given that it was very cold and rainy, but he soon agreed. There’s a treasure trove of Tibetan food in Jackson Heights, Queens, along with other Himalayan food, such as Nepali food, so we decided to burst out of the Manhattan bubble and travel to Queens to try out some of the food. We’re not the only ones; culinary experts and tour guides from around the nation come specifically to Jackson Heights to try out the Tibetan and Nepali food. 

As we got off the 7, I instantly felt the same feeling I do whenever I go to Flushing: the hustle and bustle of people selling wares, grocery stores much cheaper than our Westside Market, streets filled with pedestrians clearly with their own stories and narratives. Neighborhoods like Jackson Heights are prime locations for poorer immigrants, because the rent is cheaper, and there’s already high ethnic diversity. The ethnic makeup of the neighborhood in 2010 was 56.5% Hispanic Latino, 17.2% White, 2.0% African American, 22% Native American, and the rest were from other races or two or more races (NYC Department of City Planning). 

Given the opportunity, Jackson Heights is a location where many people immigrate to, in hopes of finding prospects and communities in America. 

My friend and I decided to go to the Phayul Restaurant, which was fairly difficult to find and a ways walk from the subway station. Here is a picture of Phayul from the outside: 

Once inside, however, the restaurant was a mid-sized and nice place, with a smiling Nepalese waitress and a kitchen space right next to our seats. 

It was fairly dimly lit, and by the time we arrived, it was around 4pm, when most of the staff were eating, but the waitress was very accommodating and entertained many of my questions about Tibetan food. 

Here are the menus from Phayul: 

We first ordered the butter tea, which reminded me of Chinese milk tea, but thinner with a strong taste of butter and salt. The reason why it seemed familiar to me is probably because the tea is made by churning Chinese brick tea, butter, and salt or sugar together in a wooden cylinder. The tea is then mixed with a wood piston, then poured into a kettle (Williams 323). In the picture above where you can see the kitchen, you can see that the tea is kept in the portable beverage dispenser, reflecting how modern life changes the way food is made. 

Next, we ordered the Mango Lassi, which is actually a staple drink from India. The inclusion of Mango Lassi on the menu shows how important Indian culture, as well as religion, has been for Tibet. The Lassi tasted just like the Mango Lassi I’m used to: buttery, milky, with mango and sugar. Yum!

Of course, one cannot go to a Tibetan restaurant without trying the momo. These are apparently a treat in Tibet, even influencing a proverb, where Tibetans tell talkative people to “Keep your mouth closed like a momo”. At a formal meal or celebration, one of the dishes will be momo, and the momo are different shapes to fit the occasions. Tibetans learn how to make momo from a young age, and momo can be steamed, boiled, or even baked (Dorje 82). We tried the fried alu (potato) momo, which were very yummy and actually reminded of Irish potato balls. These momo were fairly dry, with crispy fried dough on the outside, and creamy mashed potatoes on the inside. The filling also included chopped bok choy and carrots on the inside. These momo, as you can see from the picture on the way top, are actually shaped like Chinese steamed buns, but they had a distinctly different flavor. 

My friend ate the Shak Trak, which is beef fried with red onions, tomatoes, and green peppers. I almost felt like I tasted the Shak Trak before -- in China, that is. It was clear from the Shak Trak that Tibetan cuisine is closely related to Chinese cuisine, because my mom cooks something very similar to Shak Trak at home. The beef was tenderly cooked, with some spicy pepper inside. The sauce was delicious, because the beef, peppers, garlic, and spices were stewed inside, creating a good dipping sauce for the momos. 

Finally, since it was such a cold day, I tried the Thenthuk with Beef, which was hand-drawn noodle with either vegetables, beef, or chicken. Again, I found it very similar to Chinese hand-drawn noodles. These noodles are made from one piece of dough, and the chef cuts the noodle by paring the dough with a knife at frenetic speed. The piece of dough is supported with one hand, and the other hand holds a carving knife, which slices noodle directly into the pot (Hsiung 42). The noodle was thick and doughy, but tasty, with spinach, carrots, wintermelon, and beef. I noticed that a lot of the food had sliced carrots in it, and upon looking up the reason, Dorje says that carrots and peppers are often used as substitutes for other vegetables. The soup, however, didn’t seem to be stewed, but rather mostly made of water. 

Overall, my friend and I had a great time at Phayul, and we would definitely come back there to eat! The food was delicious, I found an interesting blend of Tibetan, Chinese, and Indian cuisine, and it was also very cheap. Interestingly, we noticed that the only person who could speak English was Nepalese, while the chefs, who were Tibetan, communicated amongst themselves.

- SC (Stephanie Chen), sgc2131

Tibetan women haven't always pushed for equality. I personally didn't know that the way Tibetan women are treated isn't normal until I witnessed the independence and respect women enjoy in other parts of the world. I was abused sexually and physically by several Tibetan men in both Tibet and in India, and I accepted it because I didn't know any better. I didn't like it but I quietly accepted it because I thought the way I was treated was just the way the world works. Now that I know mistreatment of women, and the mentality underlying abusive behaviors, is not normal or okay, I've decided it's time for me to speak up. Times are changing and, one by one, Tibetan women like me are starting to raise our voices for better treatment. In response, some Tibetan men have shown their support without hesitation, others have listened and thought about what women are saying before re-examining their views, and then there are those who make excuses for ignoring women's rights. Although the people making the usual excuses repeat them confidently, their excuses are hardly convincing. Here are seven of the worst: 1. The look-the-other-way excuse: This is the excuse of people who deny gender inequality exists in Tibetan society. We all know that Tibetan women are often treated like servants, pressured for sex, and physically abused, except for the people making the look-the-other-way excuse. When mistreatment of women happens they say they don't see it, and when other men talk about mistreating women they say they don't hear it. Instead, they talk about vague abstract notions of equality, and will continue talking all night while women cook and clean up around them. I believe that there is at least a certain sincerity behind this view. So many Tibetans have grown up with gender inequality that many can't even recognise it when it's right in front of them. Maybe they know Tibetan women are shy so don't think it's abusive if men are sexually aggressive, or they know that Tibetan men are passionate so they don't think it's abusive if passion turns to violence. They don't think to second guess behaviors they are accustomed to, but if they would only take a moment to consider how these behaviors look from a woman's perspective, they would understand how wrong they really are. 2. The biologist's excuse: Some men point to the physical differences between men and women to justify inequality. It's an appealing argument to them because it provides two benefits: it allows men to avoid taking responsibility for their own harmful behaviors, and presents inequality as an inevitable condition caused by nature which isn't open to debate. It's one of one the most well-established of the arguments here; the biologist's excuse has been a long-time standard showing up at various times and places throughout the history of women's rights struggles. What's surprising is that this argument is still being presented in 2013; the time when it could be taken seriously already passed long ago. Women have been leading international corporations and governments worldwide for decades. Look at the first world nations, and at Africa, and Latin America, and even India, and there will be women proving daily that they are absolutely as capable as men. Tibetan women are no less competent than women anywhere else and deserve no less dignity. 3. The antique artifact excuse: In the same way a historical item might be preserved inside a glass case at a museum, the antique artifact excuse argues that Tibetan culture needs to be carefully preserved forever exactly the way it is now. Feeling threatened by Chinese efforts to erase Tibetan culture and the pressures on refugees to adapt to foreign societies, supporters of this excuse are determined to resist any change to Tibetan culture solely because they oppose change itself. They are unwilling to consider the merits of specific changes, including women's rights, which would help our society grow. What they don't realise is that Tibetan culture is alive, the product of a living community of people involved in a complex and changing world; not some dead relic from the past ready for display on a dusty shelf. As long as our culture is alive it will keep on changing. The focus should be on ensuring that the changes are healthy and help us move forward. 4. The purist's excuse: We've all meet people who would rather live their lives being wrong than admit someone else is right. This is the excuse for them. The purist's excuse dismisses calls for women's rights, not because it's a bad idea, but because it's seen as a Western idea. Western ideas, they believe, are sure to be terrible; they won't even think about causes they believe originated with Western thinking. Arrogantly convinced they are always right, purists are the kind of people who can see the dirt on the bottom of another person's shoes, and meanwhile have no idea that they are walking around with a bad smell coming from the back of their own pants. Convinced that their culture is always right, they are quick to find faults elsewhere while they have no idea how disgusting their own behavior is. Of course no one likes to be criticised or admit that they're wrong. However, if we are going to grow and improve, acknowledging problems and occasionally accepting outside ideas are necessary. It would be foolish to impede our growth simply because we are too proud to adopt good ideas we didn't think of first. I don't mean that every Western idea is good, but we can benefit from the ones that are. Democratic government is an example of a good Western idea, and so is gender equality. 5. The vow of silence excuse: The Tibetan community can be funny about the West; on the one hand we have the purist's excuse, and on the other we also have a tendency to care too much about what the West thinks of us. This tendency to care too much about what the West thinks gives us the vow of silence excuse. As soon as someone points out one of our weaknesses, the vow of silence people react by telling him or her to be quiet to avoid making Tibetan culture look bad. They don't care if it's the truth, they don't want the ugly truths to be spoken out loud. The problem is that we can't change what we don't acknowledge. Looking good to others is a terrible reason to be silent about serious issues when talking about them could lead to productive changes. A community that refuses to address its problems is just as unreasonable as an individual person who hides his or her faults. By hiding abuses of women, the Tibetan community is acting like a fat person who eats vegetables in front of friends then later eats cake and cookies alone. 6. The heavy load excuse: “We have too many problems to worry about already. Other problems are bigger or more urgent. This isn't the right time. There aren't enough hours in the day to add this on top of everything else. We can look at women's issues just as soon as other things are under control...” No matter how it's said, the point of the heavy load excuse is always the same: women's rights have to wait while we face more important problems. To me, the reality that Tibetan women are being raped and beaten is an important problem. Not only is it an important problem, it's a problem we are in a position to solve ourselves. We don't have control over the decisions Barack Obama makes and we don't have control over the decisions Xi Jinping makes. We don't even have control over decisions our neighbours make. All that we have control over is our own behaviour. Changing our own behavior is the one thing we can do right now. No magical day is coming when all our other worries will be over. Now is the time to act. 7. The blame women excuse: The blame women excuse looks at the consequences of systemic gender inequality, ranging from government without female representation to tolerance of physical abuse, and holds women themselves responsible instead of the systemic inequality. This is perhaps the oldest and most tiring of all the excuses. Women have long been blamed for provoking men who hit them, for leading on men who rape them, and now women are being blamed for failing in a society stacked against them. It's insult added to injury. The true blame lies with the people who promote the circumstances holding women back. If circumstances were equal, there is no reason why Tibetan women wouldn't succeed where men and women elsewhere do. What people need to realise is that tolerating inequality in silence is part of helping it continue. We have had enough of excuses and delays, we need to move forward. When we move forward with women's rights the entire community will gain from it. Women's rights benefit the community by building strong families and strong mothers, leading to a strong future for all Tibetans. The struggle for gender equality is not a form of gender conflict. By working together for women's rights, Tibetan men and Tibetan women can make our great culture even better.

Kunsang Dolma is the author of her memoir "A Hundred Thousand White Stones." She has launched a new website, yimbe.wordpress.com, addressing women's rights in the Tibetan community. Kunsang currently lives in the United States with her husband and two daughters, but will soon be moving back to India. 

This was originally posted on Phayul.com

♫ In Tibetan, the word ཕ་ཡུལ pʰayul means ‘fatherland’, as in this song by Tibetan singer Kunga Phuntsok.

A Tibetan Writer Gudrup becomes the 55th person to self-immolate in Tibet.

Gudrup was heard shouting, “Wherever we go, we have no freedom,” “Freedom for Tibet,” “Let His Holiness the Dalai Lama return to Tibet.”

He left a last message addressed to all Tibetans calling for unity and pride in one's race on qq.com, China’s largest online network.

“My brothers and sisters of the land of snows, although looking back at our past, we have nothing but a sense of loss, anger, sadness, and tears, I pray that the coming new year of the Water Dragon brings you health, success, and the fulfillment of your aspirations, and I also hope you can maintain your pride in your culture. However you may suffer and however much you lose, do not lose faith, we must become more unified.”

Original article at Phayul.com

Phayul, an exile Tibetan news platform mentions Ai's quote in his interview with Foreign Policy

Sometimes some of you guys really confuse me. A friend showed me this phayul form post (why was my friend even in there? That is the question). The person writes:

"Woeser is a heartless Tibetan woman who tries to show up all other Tibetan women with her proud intelligence. She's against our precious tradition of seeming meekness and braindeadedness. She is even starting to question our incarnate Prime Minister. Its hard to believe a nobody like Woeser can make Beijing pause more effectively than the Dalai Lama. I don't like her, and poems are for dreamers."

First of all "INCARNATE PRIME MINISTER" What the fuck is this about? When did he attain divine incarnation? Last I heard he ran and won his campaign on being a "commoner".

"Woeser is a heartless Tibetan woman" ok, you try living in the belly of the beast and try making noise. Yea, thanks.

As for this person not understanding poems....well buddy, can't help you there.