The ceremonial ritual hats that
        the Tibetans wear are the most
      interesting and fantastic. Some
     have lotus-petal-like panels 
    fashioned into a cloth crown,
   while others dip into comma
  and parenthesis shapes. My
 favorite has a pointed cone,
almost half-moonish in 
silhouette. (The pointier
the better, as far as I'm 
concerned.) Adding a certain
Dr. Seuss flavor are their
 even pointier shoes, 
  reminiscent of a genie's, 
   but thicker, not as graceful.

    Not all monks are steeped in
     the past. A few wear oxblood
     (to match their robes) Dr.
      Marten's combat boots, giving
       them the appearance of Jean
        Paul Gaultier models rather
         than devout monks.

    
  
  
Besides having a radical fashion
sense, the Tibetan Buddhists also
 eat some wild shit. Their animal
  fare includes dried yak (yum!) and
  "junk" food is often tea with salt
    and yak butter served with 
     hand-rolled barley dough balls.
      While their diet leaves much 
       to be desired, David insists
        that they don't eat like that 
         all the time and actually
          consume more than their fair 
           share of Western cuisine
          (it makes sense since I've never
          seen a skinny Buddha). At least
          you don't have to eat (or dress) 
          like one to believe. 

         Well...it's been a few years
        and David still isn't dressing
       like the Dalai Lama, and I 
      haven't smelled any yak cooking
     in his kitchen (yet). I still
    can't concentrate long enough
   to actually meditate, but David
  claims you can do it with your
 eyes open, a fact I'm still
investigating.