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# BR’s quiet power: a Buddhist temple, a shared table
- URL: https://www.redeyebr.com/brs-quiet-power-a-buddhist-temple-a-shared-table/
- Published: 2026-03-03T15:01:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-03T15:01:22.000Z
- Author: Mukul Verma
- Tags: Food, Get Out

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c8/1d/c81d6c92-592f-461e-97d4-7573bc659b2b/content/images/2026/03/temple---waffles-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c8/1d/c81d6c92-592f-461e-97d4-7573bc659b2b/content/images/2026/03/temple---buddha.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c8/1d/c81d6c92-592f-461e-97d4-7573bc659b2b/content/images/2026/03/temple---dumpling-soup.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c8/1d/c81d6c92-592f-461e-97d4-7573bc659b2b/content/images/2026/03/temple---food-serving-.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c8/1d/c81d6c92-592f-461e-97d4-7573bc659b2b/content/images/2026/03/temple---lanterns.jpg)

A Buddhist temple in Baton Rouge practices hospitality as a form of devotion: feeding people well while drawing a diverse Asian community into one shared space.

**The details:** On some Sundays, vendors sell home-cooked delights at Tam Bao Temple’s community center on Monterrey Boulevard, just off Florida Boulevard. You can grab a seat at the long tables or take food home. There’s:

- **Kimchi**—fermented cabbage that pairs with rice and soups. Also surprisingly good on scrambled eggs.
- **Dumpling soup**—warm broth with soft dumplings; simple, filling comfort food that travels well.
- **Pho**—Vietnam’s classic noodle soup. The version we had was vegetarian, but still deeply flavored and satisfying.
- **Sticky rice bundles with beans and coconut**—sweet-leaning, chewy packets with a mellow bean filling and coconut richness.
- **Vietnamese coffee (including custard-topped)**—strong, sweet coffee that hits like dessert; the custard version (egg coffee) comes with a soft, creamy cap floating on the dark brew.

**How it works:** There’s no menu board in English and no need for a translator. Point, ask what’s inside, and you’ll get a cheerful explanation from the cooks and sellers.

**The wider scene:** Tam Bao is both a community hub and a spiritual site. All are welcome for food and events, and for Friday evening meditation, regardless of faith. Buddhism, as its adherents like to note, is often treated less as a creed than as a way of living.

**Why it matters:** Cities market themselves with marquee events and glossy slogans. But they’re built more quietly in places like this, where strangers share a table and, dish by dish, come to become friends.