[Music] what are monks not supposed to do because I've seen people eating some needs I've seen people who are smoking but what is absolutely forbidden as a monk [Music] our best of the Myanmar food tour comes to a close as I head to one of the country's monasteries to uncover the food secrets of Buddhist monk behind me are all the elder monks after they began eating the head monk gave me permission to eat here in Myanmar 90% of the population is Buddhist there are more monks here per capita than you'll find in any other country
alter by me these are nuns from a local monastery and they're growing around collecting food that's happening all over in the MRF the religion these people they are an inseparable part of everyday life throughout the country today for the first time I'll uncover the dietary practices taking place here traditions that few have seen before this might sound like a weird question but dessert a favorite food that you're hoping somebody contributes but learning their secrets won't be easy I'll have to commit 100% transforming myself to become one of them becoming among 4 a.m. no iPhone alarms
to greet the morning roosters perform their daily duty their first crows signaling that dawn is upon us life in the monastery begin good morning from Mandalay in Myanmar right now I don't know if I'm supposed to be quiet or not everyone's awake but it's like a holy place so let me take it down a notch right now they're preparing a fire behind me because they're gonna prepare breakfast for everybody everyone here has their own way of welcoming the day nearby villagers are cooking their breakfast in the monastery it's much the same but the monks will
dine on a special recipe reserved for only them this is hin pump the main breakfast dish it has water peanut oil the always present Roselle leaves and this a vibrant orange colored mixture what is it I'll explain soon in the meantime the aroma from this mysterious dish has me completely captivated [Music] Mandalay is Myanmar's cultural and religious center for Buddhism with numerous monasteries dotting the landscape along with more than 700 pagodas right now I'm in Amman Tarzan monastery housed here 75 bunks in total from the ages of 35 to over 100 each man here has
his own morning duties acts that contribute to the greater good of this community but when the food is ready they all take time to gather round [Music] good morning all right now we're in the area or the monks of eight behind me are all the elder monks the elder monks are not allowed to eat food that's been served by another monk it needs to be kind of served by a layperson so after the prayer me and another guy we lifted up the table put it back down and that kind of symbolizes a non monk person
serving them so they can then eat after they began eating the abbot the head monk gave me permission to eat here but I cannot actually eat with the monks I'm not really doing like an in-depth food review but I do want to eat the food because it looks quite good actually hi this is pork mmm pork and some fish in there this is what we saw them preparing it's a very common type of dish that you would see here I'm gonna try that out mm-hmm I'll tell you one thing you don't have to give up
to be a monk here that's delicious food to be honest I don't know a ton about Buddhism and that's why I'm here to kind of learn more about it things I've heard in the past we're all monks cannot eat meat they can do certain things although this morning already I see some people are eating meat I saw a guy walking by earlier who is smoking a cigar so that seems to be okay so to get that more close intimate experience with the monks I need to become a monk in a way not purely but I
can give it a go let's see oh womp they're quick eaters they're like me we have something in common [Music] the history of Buddhism and Myanmar extends back more than 2,000 years everywhere I go throughout the country I can see and feel its influence temples pagodas statues people worshipping monks and nuns performing their daily rituals men and women young and old most everyone partakes at some level here in Myanmar every man is expected to serve as a monk twice in his life as a look awesome once as a novice from the ages of 10 to
16 next they're expected to serve as an ordained monk after which they can decide to return to normal life or stay and serve [Music] [Applause] [Music] first of all thank you for having me here today welcoming me to the monastery every new monk needs a mentor and he is mine upin yaar second he's been a monk for three years his main duty in the monastery is taking care of the cooking what are monks not supposed to do exciting people eating some move I've seen people smoking so what is absolutely forbidden as a monk no yogi
done aha turkey no alcohol no close physical contact with emails and also respecting the elders may be younger than you in real life but because he's been in one court longer than me you should pay him respect likewise he has to pay respect to the ones who's been a monk longer than him you've been here three years how long did it take you to get used to the new lifestyle and new routines that are part of the first week was the hardest but then after a month is normalised it's all about having control because he
is eating the food from all the donors and the villages around who have to remind himself to send loving-kindness to the people who are doing good deed to the monastery [Music] one of the foundational daily practices here is collecting alms every morning wrapped in their traditional garb these men carry alms bowls walking barefoot through the village calling out to the locals [Music] as we move out of the monastery villagers are already awaiting our arrival [Music] these are not wealthy people but they give anyways sharing food and using this opportunity to teach children about reverence [Music]
why do people give you food why do they want to contribute hallelujah he's a good deeds and they gain good merit no Mallory no further speech that you can donate food to the amount both in this life or in the next life you will be the gift of beauty the gift of wealth the gift of longevity good health and good minds is there a favorite food that you're hoping somebody contributes is that allowed not really because you don't order I taught them that it's all about you have to eat whatever has been given to you
what about if it's pouring if it's raining are you still going out in the rain [Music] [Applause] my aim is simple join these men and have this experience genuinely and an ironically I'm well aware that I look ridiculous I feel ridiculous too but on this day I felt no judgment from the villagers no amusement at my expense just an open welcoming by people completely unknown to me eager to share what little they have with a complete stranger [Music] when kindness is portrayed as pine glitter to the rain rice boiled chickpeas fried samosas fried chicken tons
of soups and salads there's more food here than we could eat in a day [Music] bunch begins after a prayer from the head monk everyone eats in silence it may surprise you to know that even with this Hardy trove of food this meal is the last meal these monks will eat until breakfast the next day that's the way it is every day [Music] in Buddhism this is considered a simple and moderate way of eating which is said to aid one's meditation and overall health this centuries-old tradition is not unlike the intermittent fasting craze that's become
a popular trend today [Music] after eating they'll put all the leftovers in a big pot so every single separate dish from the day is now combined into one master dish remember our breakfast this is what we saw them preparing this is the very beginning of Kim Poong [Music] cooking it in peanut oil helps the food last longer since there are no refrigerators here [Music] it's simmered for an hour combining the flavors and recipes from dozens of households and eventually served the next day for breakfast what's the difference between your life now and your life before
becoming a monk when he was a layperson Louis's hanging around and mucking about with his friends but now that he's become a monk he has become a lot more disciplined and a lot more religious did you drink before you were a monk do you ever miss that he does but because he's now a monk and his Rhodes is a reminder that he's no longer am a person who meditates and then he tries to remove all these thoughts and try very very hard to divert his attention I'd always thought of monks as those who had reached
enlightenment thoughtful people people who move and speak with grace and precision people with complete control over their carnal cravings and those who are never seduced by temptations or desire what I found out is that monks are human they dedicated their lives to daily discipline and striving for an ideal but there's nothing easy about it just like all of us they still have urges they still have temptations but through mindfulness through meditation and communal accountability they fight daily stay aligned on the path to [Music] - pinata Sokka thank you thank you amazing experience thank you for
being my mentor okay [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] guys I'm here let's talk about it first of all Cheers gotta say my time as a monk did not last long I have a lot of temptation and desires and then usually I just satisfy those desires by doing the thing I don't recommend it right now we've come to a streetside restaurant in mandalay in myanmar we're gonna do a few course meal here and try out some of the local food first on the menu stir-fried chicken butts chicken butts stir-fried with ginger garlic chilies onion carrots and bell
peppers the last time I had chicken fight I was in the Philippines they just call it chicken ass there they're like what are you offended then don't eat the ass but I like to eat some ass so here we go [Applause] oh it's a bony ass oh my god I gotta say that is flippin delicious I thought it was a funny food the taste is delicious its fatty is juicy and very nice with beer let's talk about this what an experience hanging out with the monks of Myanmar I learned a lot the most valuable lesson
I learned is that they're just people like everybody else they struggle as much as anyone else but they're just more dedicated than everyone else I believe in Buddhism there are some teachings about balance right so I was a monk for half a day now I must balance that with grilled of and sparrow the birds are marinated in garlic ginger paprika and rice wine then grilled to perfection here doves the animal that symbolizes peace is now in many pieces actually four pieces that I can see can you see more no it's four I'm gonna give you
guys a deep try it up um-hmm Oh with the sauce very nice sweet salty spicy and sour all in one really am they hit all the main flavor compartments okay that's not what I'm really here for sparrow what do you eat this sparrow is so tiny well sparrow there's another bird I'd like you to meet called the swallow it real crunchy well it tastes like beef jerky it's a dark meat that's become so Drive wow this is one of the most unique kind of random street foods I've found it anywhere I did not expect to
see this at this restaurant that's wild what a way to finish a day of being pure and good unlike the monks I'm not ready to give up my worldly urges at least not all of them if Myanmar has taught me anything it's that life requires balance balance with community friends and family balance with intoxicants balance in work balance in play and if you are a monk at least here in Myanmar the one thing you don't have to give up is darn good food [Music] kabobs in Iran on me in Vietnam a lot of boudin sausage
in the US I live a lot there's one thing that connects us all it brings out the best in us showing that despite our differences you want to testify at the end of the day we're all people sometimes very hungry people this is an ode to the part of life that unifies us all from researching and shooting to editing and mastering our 10-person best ever food review show team works hard to roll out the highest-quality travel food entertainment twice a week if you like what we do here please consider supporting our patreon patreon allows fans
of the show to contribute a monthly sum and receive a load of extras like early video releases private q and A's and beyond to learn more about our patreon check out the link in the description box down below and if you can't give or don't even feel like it that's okay too we're just happy you're here guys that is a wrap on Myanmar I want to say thank you so much - gugu sitting next to me because of Google we were able to come here and explore very unique sites of Myanmar that I think many
people have not seen before guys that's it for this one thank you so much for watching I'm gonna see you next time a piece oh you said it very like properly a piece [Music] put some color on the streamers [Music] you
