Traversing the Mall from the capitol toward the Washington Monument, you enter the Bhutan area and the first thing you see is this replica of a traditional monastic chapel. Granted, in Bhutan the building would be hugging some precarious precipice along a steep mountain trail in the Himilayan Mountains....so there is a little need to use one's imagination. This need dissolves once you enter and experience the dual-tone humming/chants of the monk chior as they demonstrate prayer, worship and meditation. It was a line well worth standing in!
My next stop was the Bhutanese food pavillion. I snacked on an order of traditional pork dumplings called Momos. The dumplings were steamed and came with a stewed tomato side dish liberally spiced with medium hot chilies. It gave me a certain pause. You're talking Bhutan. The MOST isolated nation on the planet, and yet a dish made of Tomatoes and Chiles is considered traditional--fruits unknown to the whole of Asia, Europe or Africa until after the invasion of the America's by Europeans in the 16th century.... folklife indeed!
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