Sunday, December 13, 2009

Yakkety Yak, Don't Talk Back

We had dinner last night at a Tibetan / Nepalese restaurant in St. Paul. Son Andy's apartment is a block up Grand Avenue from this ethnic cafe and he chose it. He and fianace Laura had eaten there previously. I asked if he had eaten Yak. He affirmed he had.
We dined with Laura's family, a congenial group who enjoy new dining experiences. Not wanting to appear out of sync with the rest, I ordered the curried goat. It would taste like chicken, no? NO. Not chicken. More like beef but with a lot of fat and grissle and small bones. Nepalese food is like a blend of Indian and Chinese, flavorful but the meat is chopped up leaving in the little bones.
Everyone enjoyed their meals. I wouldn't recommend the goat.
The garlic mint naan was wonderful and the appetizer tasted like a pastie from mining country, very tasty.
There are a few yak dishes on the menu which made me wonder where the cook would go to find a yak butcher. Andy said there is a farmer in Cold Spring, MN who raises yak.
I have seen bison (buffalo) graising outstate so why not yak. You probably could substitute bison without any diners knowing the difference.
The goats are easier to find. Maybe that is the problem. I expected goat to be lean and it probably is if you order it abroad. I don't think they have to import goat meat. Here in the USA our goats may be dining on leftovers from Mickey D's and have gotten obese. Order the yak.

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