Lakpah’s Momos on the way to Mt. Everest

Mattea Kramer — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:37:33 +0000

Nestled in the labyrinth of Namche Bazaar, Nepal, at 3,600 meters above sea level and on the trail that leads to Mt. Everest, a shop is announced by a small blue sign in Nepali cursive. Enter below the Nepali lettering to find a small kitchen: A basin sink to your left, and straight ahead an open-fire stove, atop of which sits an aluminum pressure cooker and a round steamer for momos, Tibetan-style dumplings. Make a right before the stove into a large room. Two walls are lined with squat wooden benches, and more benches in front of them serve as tables—for eating, for cups of tea, for school exercises completed by a small child.
Lakpah Sherpa, owner of the shop, cook and hostess and also a wife and mother of two, presides over the space with a wide, toothy smile and a booming laugh. Her hair pulled back in a long black ponytail, her only adornment is the pair of gold hoops hanging from her ears. She has one set of clothing: Brown corduroy pants, dirtied where she wipes her flour-covered hands, and a black goose-down jacket with the American brand North Face embroidered on the chest.
Lakpah’s shop is a watering hole for many Sherpas. The Sherpas are a race of people indigenous to the Himalayas, many of whom work as porters on the Everest trail. The route to the highest point on earth is a major destination for tourists from all over the world, and that means the trail is busy year-round with the traffic of residents and trekkers, and the porters who carry supplies to service both groups. The porters make a ten-day journey from Jiri, the nearest town accessible by motorized vehicle, carrying up to 100 kilos on their backs along the steep, punishing route to Namche Bazaar, which serves as a commercial hub for the region. When they’ve dropped off their load—diesel fuel, cases of beer, bottles of Coca-Cola, and a rainbow of other goods— they often duck into Lakpah’s shop for sweet milk tea, boiled potatoes, or a plate of yak-meat momos, and sometimes for a night’s sleep on her floor.

HM's Food & Wine Magazine » Mattea Kramer

Lakpah’s Momos on the way to Mt. Everest