ELMHURST — The Buddhist monks at the Wat Buddha Thai Thavorn Temple in Elmhurst do much to help feed and aid others. But, under the terms of their faith, they are prohibited from feeding themselves.
Enter Jeannie Ongkeo, 65, who moved to Queens from the Southeast Asian country of Laos in 1976, bringing her recipes with her.
Ongkeo cooks the meals she made at home for "tik bat," a tradition of feeding the Buddhist monks.
She's the focus of the latest video from 1 Minute Meal, an award-winning micro-documentary series focused on food and "the real New York," according to producer Mackenzie Smith.
"Into the Alms" is a brief look at this tradition, filmed at the Wat Buddha Thai Thavorn Temple in Elmhurst.
Even as the Laotian community shrinks throughout the city, Ongkeo visits the temple every few weeks with her family, handing out fistfuls of rice the way her grandmother taught her to do in Laos.
Watch the video below:
1 Minute Meal: "Into My Alms" from James Boo on Vimeo.
