New Delhi, Oct. 31 -- There are two ways into Mustang-by air and by road. But I didn't get to choose my entry point. Most people fly into Jomsom, a sleepy, windy town that serves as the gateway to Upper Mustang and the Annapurna circuit, its morning-only flights timed to beat the gusts that come funnelling up the Kali Gandaki gorge in the afternoon. I arrived in the middle of sudden, torrential rain that grounded every flight and turned the roads treacherous, which meant driving up from Pokhara through rain, waterfalls and stretches where the road had simply gone missing. Terrifying, but strangely appetite-inducing, the way mountain roads often are. It was also a glimpse into the ethos of the local cuisine, because everything on the table...