Good Eats?

I’ll admit, I didn’t have high expectations for the meals in Mongolia. I guess I was pleasantly surprised to some degree, but not blown away. Here are some of my observations:

• Fresh produce is rare. And expensive. Lots of pickled, canned, dried fruits and veggies in the supermarket. And “natural” fruit juices. Aloe Vera juice is popular here, and new to me.
• Dairy products aren’t always refrigerated here.
• Alcohol is dirt-cheap. And there is a huge alcoholism problem here. Go figure.
• Best food find so far: Luna Blanca Vegan Restaurant, near Sukhbataar Square. I hate to call this place my favorite restaurant in the city, because it is far from authentic.
• I have of course tried traditional Mongolian food, which is anything but vegan. Mutton is big here and so are dumplings. Its hearty and heavy fare. I had a mutton stew on the first day, just to give it a try. It was a fatty broth with four bone-in cuts of meat, which were basically completely fat.
• Lots and lots of fat. I’ve learned that the fat is the most prized part of the meat here. It makes sense I guess, considering the physical toll of the harsh climate.
• As much as I hate to say it being the adventurous eater that I am, it was really nice to have a place where I could count on something light and healthy that was a little more familiar. Believe me, I got my fill of mutton stew, mutton dumplings, and fermented mare’s milk. I promise that my culinary experience was sufficiently adventurous, Kari.
• I will say that my favorite traditional Mongolian food item is called “buuz,” which we pronounced “bows,” even though I think its supposed to sound more like “bodes.” This is a delicious steamed dumpling containing ground mutton (what else?).  They are warm and soft and total comfort food. Like steamed pork buns, but with less spice flavor and more meat flavor.
• There aren’t really any spices in Mongolian food. Even the Mongolian version of Chinese food was fairly bland.
• Mongolians like to share. Refusal is futile.
• The coolest meal I had was probably a traditional stone-cooked sheep stew/BBQ thing. Unfortunately, I missed the whole procedure of cooking because I was busy climbing a mountain with Sarah and Stuart (!!). It would have been right up my alley to watch them cook it though. Apparently smooth river stones are placed some sort of outdoor oven or smoker-like thing along with a whole sheep, which is cooked by the heat of the stones.

Regardless of the taste of the food, I had a blast exploring it and trying new things. Every meal was an adventure! I was lucky to have found some good foodie buddies who shared my zeal for unique eats. I’m such a dork. I hope to have more to report on the culinary front in the coming months when we start to visit places that are known for their cooking!