November 22, 2014
Knowledge Power
Leaving the menu to others
Dear little friends,
Bruce was perfectly correct when he said that if you go with the flow in Burma good things happen, mostly anyway. We were supposed to be lying around like roadkill yesterday after our long day riding from Kalaw. In the early afternoon though, I had a yen for some guacamole. Every time we come to Inle Lake we eat at Pancake Kingdom, it was the first place in town years ago to cook western food for homesick travelers, using the amazing produce grown out on the floating gardens of Inle. Avocados, tomatoes, greens, and all matter of wonderful things flow into the markets and restaurants here, and Pancake Kingdom not only made guacamole, it is served with these huge crispy rice crackers as big as our Bike Friday wheels. And, they make grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, my fave comfort food of all time.
So we headed to Pancake Kingdom with me formulating my order well ahead of time. Our lunch was splendid, of course, and right about the time we were leaving the owner showed up, he is a pretty amazing guy, he taught himself English and computers before there were any computers in Myanmar and started schools where he has taught over 1500 students English and technology.
Five minutes after we saw him again he invited us to the Shan New Year Festival in nearby Taunggyi. We were still tired but thought about it for about 30 seconds and remembered about going with the flow and being ready to say yes, and we said yes. He picked us up at our hotel a bit later and off we went.
Taunggyi is famous for its November full moon balloon festival, which zillions of locals and tourists attend to see the huge homemade hot-air balloons festooned with candles and fireworks that they light and send up into the sky, apparently it's quite a spectacle. Every tourist we met in early November was planning to go there, but unfortunately it rained this year and many of the balloons did not go up and were saved for this big New Year shindig, so, lucky us!
Our host's name is Go Now, I mean, it's really Ko Naung but Go Now is a better name for him because he is always on the go. Go Now really gone went because he said his students would not speak English with us if he was around so he disappeared and we sat and talked with them for a bit. Every single time I've spoken to young people in English classes in Burma it's been a truly delightful experience and we talked about all sorts of things. Then it was time for us to go to the festival.
We were all pretty excited, we walked up the street and crowds started appearing. First the students wanted to treat us to a traditional Shan meal. Since we had already had a conversation about tourists' propensities for food poisoning, they were quick to reassure us that this place would be clean and we would not get sick. And it did seem that the food was coming out in massive quantities from a smoking hot kitchen area so probably was fresh, and when in thrall to young people who want to treat you to their traditional food you take one for the team and accept the hospitality and let tomorrow take care of itself.
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There was a fish-based soup that was very tasty, and a pork-based rice dish that had these little dumplings of ground rice and pork that had been steamed in banana leaves and then served on a bed of upland rice that was colorful and brownish. It was really unusual food but we loved it and tucked in. Then it was off to the festival.
Shan State is the largest state in Myanmar and is full of different ethnic groups, and the Shan people themselves are divided up into several different sub-groups. They are mountain people for the most part and can come off as a bit on the rough side but all of the Shan folks I have met have been sharp cookies who do not take any crap from anybody, and they have been trying to form their own federation for 70 years. There were tons of Shan State flag stickers on cheeks, and flags on sticks, and Shan ethnic costumes worn, it was awesome. The place was swinging with Shan Pride.
Our cadre of young people guarded us like the Secret Service as we wended our way through the most pressing crowds I have ever experienced. We took a gander at some carnival attractions, threw a few darts at balloons (we sucked at this, they did not), ate some snacks and treats, watched different Shan groups from around the region including China's Xixuangbanna and Thailand's Lanna areas dance and sing, and viewed a pretty sophisticated temporary museum display on Shan history and culture. There was also a rock concert going on that looked far too crowded and manic for us to really enter, the singers were famous Shan stars that sang stirring songs of independence and pride and the crowd went wild. They had a Jumbo-tron sort of screen so we could see and hear them pretty well, and the ocean of Shan flags wildly waving below the stage.
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We also got to see one of the famous handmade hot-air balloons go up. They are made of something, silk? Paper? and are quite large, as they go up strings of candles in small glass jars are attached to the sides in patterns and since they are unmanned once they go up they stay up until they come down, presumably with all their candles and lit things finished off. Maybe that's why it's so smoky out today, hm. Bruce says that at the earlier balloon festival they also attach very dangerous fireworks that often go off prematurely into the crowd but the one we saw was quietly beautiful as it soared up into the flocks of huge gorgeous moths that flitted around their lit candles in utter confusion.
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Each member of our student group had a role to play in the evening. One of them was thin and wiry and he was our line leader who could wile us through the densest crowds. Another was fatherly and teacherly and kept us going from one interesting thing to the next. There was only one girl, in full Shan costume of long striped longyi and quirky headdress, and an adorable playful demeanor that was also full of joyful kindness. A couple of the boys were quieter and less likely to speak English but when they did they had thought very carefully about what they wanted to say. Like benevolent ninjas they were behind us at all times and I felt completely serene and fearless knowing they had our backs.
When Go Now finally Came Back he told us that this particular student group had really bonded as a friendship and learning group. During the question-and-answer session they asked us things and we asked them things. Were they all Shan? It turns out only three of them were. Two were Bamar, which is the main ethnic group in Myanmar, they refer to themselves as "Burmese". One was Rakhine. One was Pa'O. We talked a lot about tolerance for other types of people, how it can be a struggle when you are struggling with other things in life as well. Democracy is far from functionary in Myanmar but it's an upstream goal many good people there are swimming toward, sadly it is being hampered by persistent atrocities and violence between different ethnic groups or by the military.
Yet here was this little group of pals, laughing easily together, supporting each other, guiding us and the entire group through the chaos of the huge crowds of Shan out to party. One of the more charming aspects of Myanmar is how friendship is physically expressed. Girls walk hand in hand down the street, boys lean one arm or hand on their friend's shoulder. Romantic boyfriend/girlfriend public contact is uncommon though. Our group felt very comfortable walking conga-style through the crowds or clutching onto us or each other, very different from our hands-off western culture. It felt like we were all instant best friends even though I never knew and never will know any of their names.
They also give constantly. As we sat in the Shan restaurant waiting for our food I saw out of the corner of my eye a small girl in terribly ragged clothing approach our table, hand outstretched. Lightning-fast one boy turned to another and murmured something, the second boy reached into his Shan shoulder bag and pulled out a small package of ramen noodles he had probably been saving for lunch tomorrow, and it was in the little girl's hand and by the time I turned my head she had vaporized into the night. Did I even see it?
I have a lot of respect for the Shan today that I didn't have yesterday morning when the plan was to lie about and be tired. I have a lot of respect for the teacher who told this disparate group of students that if they wanted to learn together despite their differences they had to support each other. I have a huge sense of gratitude for their hospitality and willingness to escort us through a venue and menu we would have hesitated to negotiate by ourselves.
And it would never have happened without that longing for guacamole, so let's not forget to thank avocados and Mexico. Our stomachs are fine today, by the way. Happy Shan New Year 2109!
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Incredible how this simple outing for guacamole evolved into such a fascinating day.
5 years ago