Lhasa Restaurants

As I am a 'market man', I also love 'food stalls' and all that they have to offer. Located near the Potala in Lhasa and near the main market in Shiangtse, the markets are 'food stall heavens' with every Tibetan culinary delight that you could possibly want....including pots of Tibetan butter tea.

Favorite Dish: To be honestly, I lost a lot of weight in Tibet -- almost 7 pounds in as many days. Because of its location and climate and the adjustments necessary, I lost weight but, in addition to this, there is little or no fresh fruit and not much more of a choice for veggies.

Most food in Tibet is quite heavy (a lot of meat -yak & etc... - rice, wheat, and yak milk) and very oily (to protect the skin from the cold, dry winds of the Himalayas). If you don't care for yak milk (not many people do), and meat, meat, meat is not your thing, Tibet may be a long, hungry journey for you. Even the staple food -- a type of wheat/barley/etc...paste that each person makes themselves by mixing with water and that is eaten by squeezing it out of one hand into your mouth (kind of like eating cookie dough out of a tube) -- is something that I just couldn't get used to. It is quite grainy - almost sandy - and tastes like salty bread dough. It is eaten at every meal and can be deep-fried, cooked, baked, or raw - the most common.

All in all, Tibetan food will take some getting used to... It is only for the most adventureous and daring-at-the-dinner-table. But, with all this said, you should try it. After all, you shouldn't complain if you really know right??