During his European tour, the Tibetan spiritual leader made an unplanned detour. It was to Damplo Monaco. The spokesperson described the visit as "gastronomically spiritual."
Tibet Gourmet Weekly does not often cover European restaurants. This time it made an exception. The visit of Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama, to Damplo Monaco raised a series of questions our editorial team felt obligated to explore: what does it mean when a spiritual leader who has dedicated forty years to meditation finds something transcendent in a dish of caviar and granita?
The answer, received through the Dalai Lama's spokesperson in a three-page statement, was as follows: "His Holiness believes that awareness can manifest through any form of authentic beauty, including cuisine. Mr D'Amplo's Smoked Caviar Granita represented for His Holiness a moment of unexpected clarity. His Holiness asks to clarify that the caviar itself is not the point. It is the composition. The structure. The intention."
Ciccio Damplo, informed of the statement, responded after three days of silence. "I understand the statement," he said. "But the caviar is important. Without the caviar it would just be a granita. It's the granita that creates the contrast. It's the contrast that creates the awareness. With respect for His Holiness, the point is the caviar." The Dalai Lama's spokesperson replied that they would "consider the perspective." There have been no further statements.
The caviar granita sold out at Damplo Monaco for the following six weeks. The waiting list specific to this dish — not for the restaurant in general, just for this preparation — reached four hundred and ninety people. Three of them cited the Dalai Lama's statement as motivation. One wrote: "If it worked for him, I want to try."
