Tibetan leader’s family prepares restaurants for visit
Mirrors line the walls, the lights remain dim and soft music resonates as diners enjoy authentic Tibetan cuisine.
The Snow Lion restaurant, 113 S. Grant St., may be serene on a Tuesday night, but come Friday, it may be a bit livelier.
“This weekend will be very busy,” said Jigme Norbu, owner of the Snow Lion and the Bazaar Café, 408 E. 6th Street. Norbu is not only the owner of two local restaurants, but also the nephew of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Jigme is coordinating the event, bringing the spiritual leader and thousands of visitors to Bloomington Sunday for the dedication of the Chamtse Ling temple.
“We have a lot of people who come for the food, for the atmosphere, for the service,” he said. “Many are also interested in Tibetan culture itself.”
Jigme moved to Bloomington with his parents and brothers in 1965 because his father (the Dalai Lama’s brother), Thubten Norbu, was invited to be a professor at IU. He was on his way to Geneva, Switzerland to serve as a representative for the Dalai Lama when he received the offer.
“He said, ‘It is a great place. Let’s raise the children here,'” Thubten’s wife, Kunyang Norbu, said.
“Most of our lives we’ve been brought up here,” Jigme said, noting a few years of overseas travel.
“He basically built the Tibetan studies program,” said Kunyang of her husband. “He was a very popular professor.” Thubten retired in the early 1990s.
In 1979, Thubten founded, and still presides as president of, the Bloomington Tibetan Cultural Center. The program serves as a center for information about the history and culture of Tibet.
The center is a meeting place for Sunday meditations but Kunyang said, “This place is open to anybody and everybody.”
Her two other sons help with the center, though Lhundup Norbu is a realtor and Kunga Norbu works at Sherwin-Williams paint store.
The Norbus started to notice the lack of ethnic restaurants in town and decided to open Snow Lion in 1987.
“In Bloomington, there are so many restaurants and cafes coming and going,” Kunyang said. “Fortunately, the Snow Lion’s been very popular.”
Kunyang owns and operates Café Django, 116 N. Grant St. “I like people and I like playing with food,” she said. “And I love the music.”
Kunyang explains the jazz café as “culture experienced through food.” The restaurant was opened in 1999 and has become a popular place. “Once (customers) find us, they become regulars,” Kunyang said.
Café Django and Snow Lion have become landmarks in town, with Snow Lion being featured on “Jeopardy.” It also boasts film stars Richard Gere, Harrison Ford and Steven Seagal as customers.
Bloomington resident Dan Vuich began working at the Bazaar Cafe about six weeks ago and said he has already noticed an increase in its popularity. “It used to be all familiar faces, but now it’s newer people,” he said. “It’s not just students, either.” Vuich estimated between four and six customers would come in during one of his shifts when he began work. Now he guesses at least 20 customers come in.
He said the coffee shop has a positive impact on the community. “We try to do everything locally. We get everything we can from the co-op.”
“It’s a small menu but it’s naturally prepared,” Kunyang said of Café Django. “We have different dishes for different tastes.”
While Kunyang said she advertises for Café Django; the Snow Lion and the Bazaar Café rely solely on referrals.
Kunyang said this solid reputation creates opportunities to teach customers about ethnic cultures, including Tibet.
“It’s very fortunate for people to have so many choices in a small town like this,” Kunyang said. “Even through food you can educate the public.”
The Norbus have become an integral part of the community they wish to reach.
“This is a wonderful town, a very nice place,” said Kunyang. “Once we started the center we had to stay here.”
“His Holiness and 150,000 Tibetans are in exile right now — because we’re under Communist rule — and most are living in India,” Jigme said, though his family has found a home in Bloomington.
“Once you don’t have a country to call home, anywhere you go becomes your home … so now Bloomington has become our home,” said Kunyang. “But as Tibetans we never give up hope. We always have hope that one day we can go back.”
