One of the great joys of returning to the Africa Mercy Ship was reuniting with my Nepalese friends, Lok, Krishna, Ganesh and Chitra. The Gurkahs, known for their bravery and strength (and now their amazing culinary skills), are soldiers who serve in the British and Indian armies. They also serve around the world providing security for ships in foreign ports. They are away from their families in Nepal for 9 months a year to serve aboard the Africa Mercy Ship. Their friendship is a gift and I am delighted that we are now neighbors, living in cabins down the hall from each other. I have already enjoyed ice cream and an authentic Nepalese meal in their cabin. When we learned that they would be cooking dinner for the entire crew on Saturday, we asked if we could join them in the galley to learn their culinary ways. My Gurkha friends are truly the bravest of the brave and most generous of the generous. We are overwhelmed by their generosity, hospitality and humility. I am so grateful for their service to keep us all safe and their presence in the ship community.
Lok and Krishna preparing the curried cauliflower
Ginger preparing to shell hundreds of hard boiled eggs
Chitra prepares a mountain of chicken the size of Everest
Chitra boxes with the bread dough for puri, a fried Nepalese bread
Ganesh rolls out the puri
Sharon and I give it a try
into the hot oil
and there is always time for dancing!
The meal was a delicious and tremendous success!
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