Amidst the fervor of planning my trip to India, we were introduced to a Nepalese treat that until this weekend was a fabled delicacy that I could barely wrap my mind around. As featured in a NY Times article just days ago, momos are dumplings from Nepal and Tibet that are similar to traditional Chinese ones, but blend cumin, coriander, and other spices that embolden them with South Asian flavors. The beloved snacks purportedly drive even devout vegetarians (like the Dalai Lama) to break their habits on special occasions to indulge in their meaty innards. According to my friend, they are best made with water buffalo, although we were satisfied with using pork and chicken as substitutes. Between devouring the momos, Nepalese pulled pork, homemade chai, and our cherry clafoutis (no, not exactly following the theme), we enjoyed some good company and videos of human tetris from the land of the rising sun before braving the rain storm to return home. The remainder of the past few weeks has otherwise been uneventful, with a lackluster Madonna performance at the Superbowl half-time show and a even more dated act by Billy Crystal at the Oscars, demonstrating once again that the Academy is lagging way behind the times. I guess it’s back to Skyrim for the time being!