Tibetan Monks, Mattie students visit WHS Culinary Arts Department

Exiled monks tour the U.S. to share faith, culture,
food
by NATHAN WRIGHT, Staff Writer
Of all possible guest speakers to visit Windsor High School,
Marie Ganister’s culinary arts class may have received the least
expected last week when a group of Tibetan monks came to class on
Tuesday.
“We have four Tibetan monks here today,” said Ganister. “Because
of the political situation in Tibet they’re living in exile in
India.”
The monks were featured in several programs at the Santa Rosa
Church of Religious Science last week. They stayed at the home of
Windsor resident Joella Olsen.
“The monks of Drepung Gomang are presently on tour in the United
States to share the compassion and wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, to
demonstrate the artistic accomplishments of the people of Tibet and
to generate funds to insure the survival of Tibetan culture,” said
Olsen.
Olsen is an active member of the Windsor schools community, and
she asked Ganister if she would like them to visit her cooking
class. “She called and told me she had some monks staying with
her,” said Ganister. “I got very excited.”
The monks not only came to class, but they prepared a
traditional soup. The recipe called for yak meat, but the class
made due with chicken. “It’s really hard to find yak meat at
Raley’s,” said Principal Jeff Harding.
The monks are enjoying their stay in Northern California. “We
share Tibetan art, food, religion, and slide shows,” of our
culture, said Dorje, one of the monks. “It (California) is a
beautiful place.”
The students enjoyed the visit, and the food. “It was really
different,” said student Kelly Straley, who cooked with the monks.
“It was fun. I never thought I’d do it. What if I mess up?”
Ganister praised the meal. “It was a very simple dish, but the
flavors were incredible,” she said. “It’s not every day you get to
meet Tibetan monks.”
The monks are currently on a nine-month tour of the United
States, their second to the country. This is also Olsen’s second
time hosting a group of monks. She was new to the community the
first time, but this time she took the opportunity to show the men
around and introduce them to some local Windsor culture.
Ganister also invited kindergartners and first graders from
Mattie Washburn Elementary School to come cook with the high school
students last Monday.
The kids showed up in white chef’s hats around 10:30 a.m. and
stuck around for a pizza lunch prepared by the high school
students.
The high school students have worked with kids from Mattie
Washburn a few times this year, and they showed the youngsters a
video of those earlier activities.