For old Tibetans, a wooden bowl is as precious as his or her lover and one can only use one bowl in a whole lifetime. Though young Tibetans have broken this old convention, the wooden bowl culture will be preserved and past down.
Although jade and porcelain bowls are now common in Tibetan households, wooden bowls still play an important role in Tibetan culture and Tibetan people’s life. They are in every household (even when cheaper porcelain bowls are sold everywhere), Tibetan carry them in journeys and they have an integral role in ceremonies and cultural protocols. The bowl is usually used to drink buttered tea (the most popular drink in Tibet made from tea leaves, butter, water, and salt) and for many Tibetans, buttered tea drank from a wooden bowl tastes better. Tibetan men liken their sweethearts as wooden bowls, wishing to take her in his bosom wherever he goes.
