Monasteries have always been associated with a sense of calmness and serenity. But have you wondered what monks living inside a monastery eat? Ten Zin, a monk residing in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti, has shared a video offering a sneak peek into a Buddhist monastery's kitchen where the breakfast preparations were underway.
Breakfast Inside A Monastery
The video shows how the monks work together to prepare the food for everyone. Fresh, hot rotis and tea are prepared. The rotis, also called bolep korkun, are thicker than normal chapatis. The food varies daily. Sometimes, the monks eat rotis with vegetables. Biryani is also served on other days. On special occasions, there is chura baklap, a Tibetan flatbread field with a special cheese called chura.
A voiceover by Ten Zin explains that Chura Baklap is a simple dish, but when the entire kitchen team works together to make it, the delicacy tastes even better. Speaking about the kitchen of the monastery, he says that every person has their own share of duties, be it making rotis or preparing fried rice.
A montage shows how the food is prepared daily. Some monks are engaged in chopping vegetables, while a few others cook the dishes. Ten Zin shared the clip with the caption, “We don't eat the same food every day at our monastery! Today, let's take you through our monastery meals, one dish at a time. Simple food, lots of love, and a whole lot of teamwork!“
Special Rotis At The Monastery
Ten Zin dropped another video showing the thick rotis served at his monastery. He starts the video by saying that people joke that one needs a saw to cut the rotis. According to Ten Zin, breakfast preparation at the monastery starts at around 1 AM or 2 AM daily. The monks work together to quickly roll the flatbreads and cook them on the pan. Despite appearances, the thick rotis are easy to tear off and eat, as Ten Zin shows.
Ten Zin also explains that the monks have kitchen duties twice a month and often classes in the evening as well. The video shows how food preparation in the monastery is all about coordination and teamwork.