An evening in a Lachungpa family kitchen

In Lachung houses the kitchen is the warm heart of the home. A wood or iron stove burns most of the day, a kettle of tea is always ready, and guests in a homestay are welcome to sit there while dinner is cooked. Expect simple food from the valley: rice, dal, potatoes, seasonal greens, eggs or chicken, thukpa noodle soup and sometimes churpi, a hard cheese made from yak or cow milk.

Conversation flows easily if you ask good questions. How does the Dzumsa choose the Pipon? When do the herds go up to the summer pastures? How did the village cope when the road was cut? What does a family grow in the short summer? Your hosts are not performers, so let the evening be what it is, and help with the dishes if invited.

If you are staying in a hotel, we can sometimes arrange a dinner visit with a family we know, paid directly to the hosts. It works best for small groups of two to four people and needs a day's notice. Carry a small gift from home rather than sweets bought in Gangtok.