Although I knew about Nepali youths coming into Japan for migrant workers, never had I expected to meet someone like that living so close to where I did. For context, two of my really good friends from Nepal, one of my far cousins, a distant family relative and one of my far sister is living in Japan for the same.
The guys that I met near to my dorm owned an Indian curry restaurant. The first time I was there was with another hungry friend. The food there was so good and we were treated like guests, as we do in Nepal back home which reminded me of how much I miss home.
In the next coming weeks, Gopal, the cook from Nepal working at Agrim, the restaurant, would invite me during his “personal” dinner where he would make cuisines from Nepal. It had been so long that I had authentic Nepalese food and I assure you that it was a moment. Sometimes he would make chicken chilli, sometimes he would make momo. Momo, mind you, looks like small dumplings but is another species in itself with juicy inside that will keep you wanting for more. Most of the nights, we used to drink beer and talk about our life in Nepal, something that I missed doing so, and furthermore I finally found someone to speak Nepali with around Kansai Gaidai.
Sometimes I would go there as a customer along with some of my friends who I would to have discovered the place. All of the friends that I have been there with appreciated the service, the hospitality and, more importantly, the food there.
It makes me proud to say that Nepal is well known for its hospitality and it comforts me to see it still alive in the Diaspora.