I work in a bank in Kathmandu, and it's a perfectly good job, but my real dream is to open a small café that serves only Nepali tea, coffee and snacks. I've even got a name in my head, though I'll keep that a secret for now.
I'd like it to be in a quiet lane in Patan, the old part of the valley, ideally in a traditional brick house with carved wooden windows. I imagine one room downstairs with low wooden tables and cushions on the floor, and a small rooftop where people could sit and see the temple roofs. I'd keep the decoration simple: local pottery, photos of tea gardens, and lots of plants.
On the menu, I'd serve tea from the eastern hills, coffee grown in the middle hills, which very few visitors know Nepal produces, and simple homemade snacks like sel roti, a kind of sweet rice bread, and spicy potato salad. My mother is a wonderful cook, so I'm hoping I can persuade her to help with recipes.
The main reason I'd like to open it is that Nepali tea and coffee are excellent, but most of it is sold abroad cheaply and many people here still drink imported instant coffee. I'd love a place where both locals and tourists could taste what our farmers grow, and I'd buy directly from small farms so they'd get a fairer price. There's also a personal reason. I'm someone who loves making people feel at home, and a café seems like the perfect way to do that every day. I'd need to save for several years first, but I'm already putting money aside.