Kathmandu, March 30 -- Growing up in Barlanchi, Tanahun some two and a half decades ago, there were few avenues for us kids to indulge in chocolates, instant noodles, bread and biscuits. The shops in my village didn't stock these guilty pleasures. The nearest shop that did sell these chocolates and biscuits was nearly an hour away--across the Risti River that marked the boundary between Tanahun and Lamjung--in Sotipasal. Even if we made it there, it was not like we could afford these indulgences.

For my brother and I, our tiffin of choice was corn. After coming home from public school wearing a pair of sandals and blue shorts, we'd sit down to a snack of roasted makai, washed down with a cool refreshing glass of buttermilk (moi) or a nic...