Honest Food Tales – Married With Luggage

This is the first installment of our new series, Honest Food Tales, where writers, bloggers, travelers and chefs share their stories about food.  If you have a story and would like to share, check out our guidelines page.

Treated To Mongolian Fare

We stood outside the family ger and watched the evening ritual as the children herded the sheep and goats into their pen. The goats needed to be separated from the sheep. Then the males were separated so that only the females were inside the pen. For us it was a big event, while for the kids (no pun intended) this was simply a daily chore required of the children of a Mongolian family. They seemed to make a game of it, enjoying an opportunity to run and chase the animals.

Needless to say, chores in Mongolia put my experiences as a child to shame. Despite all my grumblings as a youth about having to take out the garbage or wash the dishes these inanimate objects never decided to fight back. These children chased, cajoled, and screamed to get the animals to follow their lead. It was a sight to behold for 2 people who’ve spent very little time on farms and had just arrived in the wilds of Mongolia.

Near the end of the elaborate operation we noticed one sheep who was certainly struggling to keep up with the others. This obviously older (dare I say, geriatric) sheep lagged significantly behind the others despite all the goading from the children. Finally, one of the young herders tied the sheep up to a post and then carried with his duties. Betsy and I continued to watch the proceedings but our eyes kept drifting back to the sheep tied to the post.

Why would they do that?

Then, like a flash, it dawned on us. This was dinner…for the next week. We were about to discover the main staple of Mongolian diets – old, tough, and gamey sheep. Though they try to pretty it up with the rather more pleasant name of mutton, the truth was tied to the post beside a pen of bleating goats.

Mongolian Fare

Over the next month we were “treated” to many Mongolian meals and welcome ceremonies and came to a few conclusions about the food:

• Mutton-flavored coffee is not an ideal way to start the day
• Cheese that must be sucked on for an hour before it can be chewed should not be called cheese.
• Vodka should not be served in bowls
• We will not be memorizing the recipe for boiled old sheep to recreate in other parts of the world
• Fermented mare’s milk, aka airag, is not a cool and refreshing drink in the middle of the Gobi Desert

Needless to say we were less than thrilled with the available fare. It was, however, fascinating to realize that food in Mongolia has changed little since the time of the Mongolian Empire. The hard cheese and meat is designed to allow herders today (and warriors 1,000 years ago) to take food with them for days at a time. It keeps very well. The airag is made from readily available horse’s milk to keep them warm in the blistering cold winters. And the bits of meat and fat floating in the hot water, left over from the boiling of the mutton the evening before, are simply protein bonuses for your morning Nescafe.

Mongolian Beauty

However, one’s thoughts of the food recede to the back of your mind once you step outside your ger and behold the stunning scenery that is Mongolia. This country remains the most beautiful country we have visited in the last 2.5 years of travel and is calling us to return. The unspoiled terrain, the simpler lifestyle, the peaceful existence, the welcoming people, and endless kilometers of hiking make for the perfect destination for nature lovers, like us.

It is easy to envision Genghis Khan and his horde riding across the plains as you travel around the country, from the rolling hills of the steppes to the big blue sky above the Gobi Desert. And this is but a fraction of what is available to all who visit. Little seems to have changed in the last 1,000 years and this makes it rare in a world constantly evolving with each new invention. We loved meeting people who live and eat much like their ancestors – herding animals, moving with the seasons, and singing together to pass the time.

Our only hope is that the promise of mutton floating in your coffee will keep more of you from traveling to see Mongolia in order to maintain the unspoiled and untouched majesty that is this incredible country.

About the Author: Warren Talbot escaped corporate America in 2010 after an 18-year career in the software industry. Today he and his wife travel the world exploring new cultures and enjoying the lives they always craved. Together they are the authors of 3 books, including Dream Save Do: An Action Plan for Dreamers, which helps dreamers take action towards the big goals in their lives. Find out more about their books, newsletter, and podcast at their website MarriedWithLuggage.com.