‘Lung Ta’ Vegetarian Japanese Restaurant, McLeod Ganj
Lungta symbolizes positive life energy. In places of Buddhist significance, the lungta symbol is found depicted on prayer flags. Those of us who have visited a Tibetan Buddhist monastery would have noticed the magnificent sight of colorful flags strung in the air. It is believed that each time these flags with texts and symbols on them flutter, they disseminate goodness in the air and bless the surroundings.
Continuing from our last post on Namgyal Café, McLeod Ganj is a place that attracts people from every corner of the world. Some of these visitors follow the Buddhist faith; some come enchanted by the Buddhist way of life. Buddhists (the religion that The Buddha propagated), all over the world follow a basic code of ethics commonly known as The Precepts. The very first precept in Buddhism is “Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi” that translated means, “I will abstain from taking any form of life until the end of my life”. This led us to believe that McLeod Ganj is perhaps a place where we shall find something interesting. We sure did, and how?
A casual chit-chat with a group of backpackers led us to Lung Ta, a vegetarian Japanese restaurant. Wait a minute! Vegetarian and Japanese? That sounded incongruous. We double-checked whether what they said was right? They chuckled and said “Yes!”
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| Lung Ta Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant |
Lung Ta is close to downtown and on entering the restaurant, it looked like a little Japan in itself. Now, part of the fun in eating at Lung Ta is in finding an empty table. The chances of getting one at first entry is next to none. However, people are welcoming to share their table with strangers. A bunch of Japanese travelers who had come to meet His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, happily offered to share their table with us. They informed us that the food at Lung Ta is authentic Japanese and most Japanese tourists at McLeod Ganj come here regularly as they find it a home away from home. There are no quiet souls in this restaurant; everybody is a tourist here and eating is accompanied by the happy exchange of myriad stories with virtual strangers, you may say. Even as strangers, we felt connected by the common human spirit of inquiry and friendliness.
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| Udon |
We quickly skimmed through the menu. Surprise! Almost every dish listed in the menu was vegan. Dishes with cheese, there were none! Tofu is used in many of the preparations. We ordered Udon – thick flattened wheat noodles in a delicious soy-based soup. We also ordered Miso Soup made by first, grinding cooked soya beans, rice or barley, and salt, and finally fermenting the mixture. The dishes arrived in no time and tasted heavenly. Our Japanese friends wanted to check whether we liked the food. We loved it! We wished we could sample every dish in the menu!
We were told that the menu changes everyday. Although there are daily specials, the main course remains a constant and consists of vegetarian Miso Soup, Sushi, Tempura, and Vegetable and Tofu Steak. With such great company and tremendous food, time just flew.
We could not resist ourselves and walked up to the proprietor of the restaurant who introduced himself as Mr. Sonam. We asked what made him serve vegetarian foods when Japanese food all over the world is known for being otherwise. He explained that his is a second-generation Tibetan family in India and they follow Buddhism in its truest form. In a country like India which is so well endowed with vegetables, fruits, and grains, there is absolutely no “excuse” to eat otherwise, he said. He candidly added that the sum total of all human religions is ‘respect for all life forms’ in any case.
Later we found out that the proceeds from Lung Ta go to an NGO that helps rehabilitate ex-political prisoners from Tibet.
Lung Ta restaurant contact and food order details
Address: Jogibara Road, McLeod Ganj
Timings: 12:00noon to 8:30pm
Cost factor: A hearty meal for two costs around Rs.200/-.
Caution: This is a lacto-ovo vegetarian eatery; at the time of placing the order, please put in a word to ensure that your preparation is free of dairy and eggs.