From Nepal to Nøsen with a smile

In Prasad's pots, the distance between India and Valdres is zero. As a matter of course he mixes local produce with exotic spices and makes dishes we can hardly pronounce. The result: we smile, and we need a second helping. Devoted vegetarian sceptics smile too. The secret? We will come to that a little later.

What is it about Prasad that makes everyone so happy? How did the priest's son from a small village in Nepal end up on a mountain in Norway, and what is it really like to live here, far from home and far from little Aaron, soon four?

Life is often a series of coincidences. Perhaps also wisdom and will, or the ability to adapt. In Prasad's life all of these have been important ingredients. He is the youngest son of a Brahmin family (a Hindu priestly family), which means high standing but not necessarily money. When Prasad was 16 and ready to study, the family did not have enough money either for school or for living in the big city of Kathmandu. Instead he moved to New Delhi. There he could stay with relatives, and there he had the chance to train as a chef. That was the start of the career that later led him all the way to the mountain in Norway.

"The first time I got on a plane was the day before I turned 19. By chance I had got a job as a chef in Finland. Now I am 42, and I have not lived in Nepal since that very first flight. But I have flown many times and worked in many places in the world."

When the pandemic hit the world, Prasad was in Norway, and he was one of many who lost their jobs. His wallet grew thinner and thinner, and in an attempt to find work he went from restaurant to restaurant in Oslo with a pile of CVs. One of the restaurants that got his CV was Jewel of India in Bygdøy Allé, where Alexander Medin likes to eat when he is in Oslo.

"Suddenly one evening Alexander called, and guess what, he spoke to me in Sanskrit! He needed a chef for his hotel on the mountain. The very next day we met for an interview at Puro Yoga, and a couple of days later we went to Nøsen together. I had a week to show what I could do. It was a good week! Alexander was happy, I was happy, and here I am."

Prasad has worked at Nøsen since May 2020.

"I love being here. I love all the people, both my colleagues and the guests who come here. They have become my friends. And it is so beautiful here. Every day I get up at four and study dharma and Eastern philosophy. Then I meditate. Afterwards I go down to the fireplace lounge, drink coffee and talk with my colleagues. Then the working day starts."

In 2017 Prasad married in Nepal. The same year his son Aaron was born.

"I miss my son every single day. But I can take better care of him by being here. That way I help him have a good life, and that makes me happy. I talk with him every single day, sometimes several times a day, so we know each other well even though I am far away."

"The best thing I know is cooking. Then my head goes completely quiet. It is like meditation. In my dishes I always use something I learned long, long ago. It is my mother's recipe and the secret that makes everyone smile: turmeric, ginger and cumin."

Photo: Darja Olsevskaja.