Pa. Route 51, flanked by strip malls and suburban development, is the primary thoroughfare for residents of communities like Brentwood, Whitehall, and Pleasant Hills. It is also the “Main Street” for some of Greater Pittsburgh's newest residents — around 7,000 refugees from Bhutan have made their home along the busy corridor.
Many of these Nepali-speaking Bhutanese nationals, or Lhotshampa, were forced from their homes in southern Bhutan during a period of ethnic cleansing. After being resettled in Pittsburgh far from their home in the Himalayas, many of these refugees and their families have built new lives and put down roots in the region. They've brought with them cultural heritage that includes a unique culinary tradition Pittsburghers can taste at the restaurants and shops lining Route 51.
Khara Timsina, executive director and co-founder of the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh, or BCAP, says Bhutanese refugees began arriving in Pittsburgh in 2008. Many spent time in refugee camps prior to this, having been expelled from their homeland by the government of former Druk Gyalpo ("Dragon King" in Bhutanese) Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
CP Photo: Mars Johnson
Khara Timsina, executive director and co-founder of the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh
Persecution led unhappy Nepali-speaking citizens to organize into political groups. What followed was a massive crackdown during which Timsina says men were jailed without trial, women were raped, and many Lhotshampa were denied the basic means to earn a living.
Timsina says most of the community was forced to sign away their citizenship on forms in English or Bhutanese that many couldn't read. "Some were forced to sign at gunpoint; that's what I was told growing up," Timsina says. "Some had to flee overnight."
The end result was that Timsina and others were sent to refugee camps. Some spent 15 years in exile before joint action by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the U.S. Department of State paved the way for resettlement abroad. Timsina says as many as 97,000 Bhutanese refugees ended up in the United States.
Narayan Dhakal, owner of the Namaste Momo Corner restaurant in Brentwood, says that "when we were resettled, we didn't really have a choice of where to go." Dhakal landed in Colorado because his dad had fond memories of the mountains surrounding Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, and requested placement somewhere similar.
Family eventually drew Dhakal, Timsina, and others to Pennsylvania.
"Later on, when the older generation was here, all the younger generations out there wanted to be closer to their parents or grandparents," Dhakal tells City Paper. He moved to Southwestern Pa. via Columbus, Ohio to join his grandmother.
Trauma and dislocation left many of these refugees in need of services ranging from mental healthcare to assistance with a new country's bureaucracy. Initially, new arrivals to Greater Pittsburgh clustered in several large apartment complexes in Baldwin, Whitehall, Castle Shannon and other nearby communities including Pittsburgh's Carrick neighborhood. At that time, Timsina says BCAP was focused on providing help with literacy and citizenship applications — with the community now better established and more spread out, the organization's services have evolved.
"We gradually transitioned into specific skill development and leadership that includes youth programming, women's empowerment, mental health support, civic engagement, and general informational and educational programs," Timsina says. Since 2019, the organization has also worked with older individuals to help them navigate Social Security and Medicare.
Dhakal, who volunteered at a similar organization in Columbus, says many Bhutanese refugees in Greater Pittsburgh have found stable careers and purchased homes. A large number now work in healthcare.
But others have opened businesses that serve the refugee community and locals more broadly. Dhakal purchased Namaste Momo Corner in the summer and has been tinkering with the menu since taking over.
"I always wanted to do something on my own," he says. After moving from Colorado to Columbus in 2015, Dhakal helped manage an acquaintance's restaurant — "during that time, I felt that, hey, this was something that I must do down the road," he tells CP. He visited Pittsburgh, and the rest was history.
Namaste Momo Corner occupies a small storefront where Route 51 changes names from Saw Mill Run Boulevard to Clairton Boulevard. As the name suggests, their signature dish is the momo, or handmade dumplings.
The restaurant serves momos in a variety of styles. There are steamed and fried dumplings full of meat or veggies, but there are also crisp, beet-red "C-style" chili momos with a kick; Sadeko momos, served with a hearty sauce and homemade slaw; and Jhol momos, which arrive in a savory broth. All come with traditional dipping sauces, some made in house. Also on offer are Nepali-style chow mein, grilled meat dishes, curries, fried rice, and fragrant hot chai.
Dhakal is planning to add a thali, or mini-buffet, in the near future. He estimates that as many as 75% of storefronts in the surrounding plazas are now owned or managed by Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees.
Importing these culinary traditions has provided continuity for Nepali-speaking Bhutanese Pittsburghers. Timsina estimates there are eight restaurants in the area serving Himalayan cuisine, including Himali Kitchen and Everest Kitchen not far from Namaste Momo Corner, Nepali Asian Restaurant in Carrick, and Taste of the Himalayas in Baldwin. (Subba in Deutschtown is another longtime local destination for Himalayan food.) Groceries, boutiques, and convenience stores also serve the community.
There are still lingering issues for Lhotshampa in Pittsburgh — Dhakal says he hasn't seen his grandfather in nearly 35 years, and although government repression has eased, many Nepali-speaking Bhutanese still living in Asia remain dispossessed. He says the Bhutanese government's espousal of a "Gross National Happiness" economic model belies a more sinister reality.
"If you're putting your name out there with 'Gross National Happiness,' who do you count?" he wonders. "Whose happiness counts? Does my grandpa's happiness count?"
Even in the face of tragedy, this resilient community still finds ways to celebrate. Many Bhutanese refugees are now U.S. citizens, but observance of holidays keeps tradition alive.
BCAP, which has now been active for 11 years, stages a public celebration of the Teej holiday — this year's gathering took place in September. "The Teej festival used to be more of a religious thing back in Nepal and Bhutan, but for BCAP, it's more of a community event that focuses on women leadership [and] women's health and well-being," executive director Timsina says.
Next up is the Vijayadashami holiday, a holiday Timsina describes as being "like Christmas," bringing together young and old. This year's celebration falls on Oct. 24 and is likely to see families come together over platters of momos, rice, goat, sweets, and more.
"Food," Timsina tells CP, "is an important part in all of these festivals."
