My sister asked me a while ago, “When’s your next blog post. It’s already middle of March”. Wow. Time has flown by the couple weeks. It feels like yesterday that I was on a jaunt to Hong Kong (where I travelled to refresh my Mongolian visa, a whole other post to be written someday). And in two more sleeps my husband will arrive! I can’t wait.
Over the course of this trek, I’ve been keeping a list of topic ideas for my travel blog. I started grouping them into categories because I realized that it is easier to write about things with a common thread. This post is about 4 interesting things I’ve discovered while living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
1. Mongolian Cuisine and Food Portions
Having visited Japan last year, I assumed that the food here would consist of rice, seafood, and be small portions. Little did I know that Mongolia’s main food sources is mutton, beef, and dairy-related products. This is due to the extreme continental climate, the fact that Mongolia has practically no arable land, and the large livestock population. I was also surprised to learn that the food portions are almost double the size of an average Canadian meal (other than the multi-national fast food chains). I find the portions to be similar to those in the US. I’m guessing the portions are large so that Mongolians bulk up for the harsh winter.
I feel like my stomach has expanded since I’ve been here. It has been fun trying out different types of food and drinks. If you ever have the opportunity, try Arig. I’m quite astonished that Mongolians drink it by the litre. It is fermented mare’s milk, that takes hours to make. From what I understand, each province puts its own twist on it.
2. Alcohol Prohibition
On the first of each month, alcohol is prohibited from being sold in grocery stores or being served in restaurants and bars. I’ve been told the idea behind this law is to address alcohol abuse in Mongolia (most Mongolians are have a high alcohol tolerance—the traditional staples are vodka and arig); it is intended to encourage Mongolians to spend their hard-earned monthly paychecks on paying bills and their personal obligations. I admit that I have no support to confirm the purpose of this strange law.
I wonder if the Government has conducted any studies on the effectiveness of the law. On the second of the month everything goes back to business as usual…
3. Gypsy Taxis
My colleague, Nicole, introduced me to gypsy taxis. In her words, “Gypsy taxi is Mongolia’s version of uber. And it started long before Uber (the app) was made.” Essentially, the idea is that lay people, who are willing to pick up others and drive them around, will drive them to a destination for cash (they are not official taxis). To catch a gypsy taxi, all you need to do is stand on the curb and wave your your hand around. When I walk home from work, I’ll often see 4-5 people along Chinggis Avenue trying to hail a gypsy cab.
Although I’ve taken gypsy taxis with friends and colleagues, I haven’t tried it by myself. There’s a 90% chance the driver only knows Mongolian, and I am far from fluent. Even if the driver knew English, I wouldn’t have the familiarity with the streets to direct them where to go.
I marvel at the community-approach to transit. It is well-accepted and perfectly safe (now if only I could improve my knowledge of UB’s map, I could partake in gypsy taxis more often).
4. Dogs
The majority of Mongolians do not keep dogs as pets, and so far I haven’t met any Mongolian who is the proud owner of a cat. Since the countryside is full of stray dogs, most Mongolians are scared and nervous around dogs. While Nicole was living in Mongolia, she adopted a Russian spaniel puppy who was found homeless. She suspected that a family had adopted the puppy, but later left her outside because they couldn’t handle her.
She also told me about the time when a group of kids in her apartment building were quite hestitant to pet her dog when they saw her for the first time. Once they realized that the dog was friendly and gentle, they warmed to her from them on.
I have seen many a stray dog in the countryside. Most of them look like survivor, mountain dogs and are happy to accept food from humans. And thankfully they all seem to have thick coats of fur–prepared for the extreme cold.