Miserable Man Goes to World's Happiest Country!!

追加: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Right now I'm in the country that claims to be the happiest in all the world, [music] but after traveling here, I have reason to believe that may not be true.

[00:00:07]Every video about this place tends to focus on one thing.

[00:00:10]>> This country is the happiest >> happiest [music] >> happiest >> happiest >> happiest country in the world.

[00:00:17]In the tiny Asian nation of Bhutan, happiness is the prime currency. [music] >> Himalayan kingdom has a unique system that measures development through spiritual and emotional growth instead of material production.

[00:00:28]>> But this country's reputation didn't prepare me for the reality on the ground.

[00:00:34]There are no stoplights in this [music] country. You see a lot of people wearing traditional clothes. Are they wearing that by choice?

[00:00:39]>> Yeah, sort of.

[00:00:40]>> Okay. Today I'm here to find out if Bhutan has cracked the code on happiness.

[00:00:45]>> If this is very sad and this is the most happy possible, [music] where are you?

[00:00:49]>> I'm in I'm in That's probably lower than me and I don't consider myself that happy of a guy. Or if they're just as miserable as everyone else.

[00:00:56]>> Simple question, are you happy? I'm not [music] saying anything.

[00:00:59]>> Okay. And I'm starting by eating what the happiest people on Earth eat every day.

[00:01:04]All across the Himalayas, one dumpling rules them all. From Tibet to Nepal to Bhutan, this is the momo.

[00:01:12]>> [music] >> The kitchen warms up with loads of dough, rolled, >> [music] >> chopped, and flattened into delicate wrappers waiting to be filled.

[00:01:27]Momo is the go-to breakfast in Bhutan, a small landlocked kingdom tucked deep in the Eastern Himalayas. Right now I'm in the capital city of Thimphu.

[00:01:35]>> The last time I ate the momo, I was in >> [music] >> Nepal. I tried the buffalo version and the chicken version. Here we have two that are completely different. We have beef and we have this right here, the cheese option.

[00:01:47]For the cheese momo, shredded cheese is mixed with minced cabbage, tucked into dough [music] wrappers, and sent off for a good steam.

[00:02:00]>> [music] >> Hmm, the cheese was pleasant. I was expecting something potentially intense like goat cheese, but no, that was really nice, mild, and pretty delicious.

[00:02:13]Meanwhile, inside here, we have a Bhutanese death sauce.

[00:02:18]They [music] call it chili paste. This is a country that loves chilies. If you look at the Bhutanese food pyramid, it's like carbs, meat, and then chilies has its own category.

[00:02:32]Ooh, fresh [music] and sour, and then it has a heat that really builds. Ah, that's good. I'm feeling young again.

[00:02:39]The cheese momo was a big win, but now we're moving on to the most famous momo this restaurant serves, [music] the beef momo. The beef momo filling is a mix of minced beef, shallots, salt, MSG, water, and hot oil.

[00:02:54]Once combined, it settles into a waiting dough vessel. Workers here seal the wrappers into different patterns to signal what's inside. Crescents mean beef. Braids mean cheese.

[00:03:06]>> [music] >> Mhm, that's nice. Mild flavor, certainly beefy, but very juicy, too. When you pair it with that spicy, tangy, somewhat sour sauce, it really cuts through that fattiness. I like the momo because it's simple and it's easy to digest. [music] But what's not so easy to digest is a concept of happiness. What's more important, money or happiness?

[00:03:26]Most modern governments want to focus on developing their economies above all else.

[00:03:33]In Bhutan, government policy is measured [music] by the amount of happiness it can create.

[00:03:37]>> That's given Bhutan the reputation as an oasis of tranquility and the happiest place on Earth. On Earth.

[00:03:44]Happiness in Bhutan is seen more in the context of contentment and resilience.

[00:03:50]I've always believed that [music] at a time when money is so important, there are so many other elements that make happiness a lot more holistic. [music] >> Meet Pem C, a travel content creator from Bhutan, giving me her first introduction to her country.

[00:04:03]>> Outside, [music] when you look at gross, it's GDP, right?

[00:04:06]Economic development. In Bhutan, it's something else. It's what we call gross national happiness. In 1972, Bhutan's young king, just 16 years old, rejected the idea that a country's success should be measured by its economy alone. While the rest of the world was chasing GDP, he asked a different question.

[00:04:24]What if we measured happiness?

[00:04:26]Back in 2008, a complete national survey was done, and that meant going to every single Bhutanese citizen to really see whether people are happy. How do you quantify happiness? [music] We have something known as the GNH happiness index. The GNH survey covers nine areas of life. Hundreds of questions are asked, and those results shape government policy.

[00:04:49]>> The survey looks at everything. What are some of the social conditions in that community at that time?

[00:04:55]What is your income bracket? How much did you study?

[00:04:58]Are you employed? [music] Are you not employed? Does your house have basic electricity? So, it's not based on just a yes and no.

[00:05:06]Bhutan has spent 50 years trying to engineer happiness from the top down, but some will tell you the real answer is more simple than that.

[00:05:15]>> [music] >> Let's talk about what some call the national dish of Bhutan. Ema datshi.

[00:05:23]Chili and cheese. The name gives away its star ingredient.

[00:05:26]>> So, this dish is fascinating as an outsider cuz usually when I see chilies, I see them as a supporting ingredient.

[00:05:32]And maybe I'm actually eating them, but in addition to a bunch of other vegetables or meat. Here, it's just chilies.

[00:05:39]>> [music] >> So, it's like the main food.

[00:05:41]>> Yes. I think every Bhutanese can't live without their chilies. It's our hero ingredient. [music] Ema datshi is the spiciest dish in Bhutan, a country that leads the world in per capita chili consumption.

[00:05:51]>> Right in front of you you have three [music] different types of ema datshi.

[00:05:54]This is the more popular one, the fresh green chilies.

[00:05:57]>> Should we start with that?

[00:05:58]>> Yes. Bhutan measures happiness at a national level, but when's the last time you measured your own? If it's been a while, BetterHelp makes finding a great therapist simple. BetterHelp is our paid partner. Most people think therapy is for when things fall apart, but that's the wrong way to look at it. Let's say you're the provider, the mortgage, school fees, car payments, the safety net. It all runs through you. You don't complain about it, you chose it, you handle it. But here's the truth.

[00:06:21]Managing pressure well and actually dealing with it are two different things. And most people never figure that out until they cost them something.

[00:06:28]I spent a long time thinking stress meant I cared. A good therapist will tell you clearly [music] and directly that's not the same thing. Stress isn't proof of commitment, it's a warning light. Therapy isn't about becoming softer, it's about getting clearer, removing the noise so you can operate better. And BetterHelp is built around making it as easy as possible to start.

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[00:07:10]A basket full of fresh green chilies gets chopped into bite-size pieces and tossed into a pot.

[00:07:16]>> [music] >> In go ginger and garlic, butter, salt, processed cheese, fresh cheese, and water.

[00:07:25]R cook lets the pot simmer until the cheese melts into a rich sauce and the chilies release their fiery kick.

[00:07:32]A sprinkle of scallions to finish and it's ready.

[00:07:39]Should we do a A bit of rice?

[00:07:40]>> Yes, we eat a lot of rice, by the way.

[00:07:43]The portion on your plate should be about 70% [music] of rice. So, I'm scooping on the cheese and chilies. It's a unique combination, though it kind of reminds me of something I would dip a tortilla chip into during [music] a Super Bowl game, but we would blend it a little bit more.

[00:07:59]A little more cheese, a little less chilies, a little bit less chunky.

[00:08:03]Cheers. [music] >> [music] >> How are you finding?

[00:08:10]>> Very rich. I mean, obviously you have kind of liquid, soupy cheese that the rice becomes saturated with. The taste is good. I don't know that it even tastes cheesy. It tastes like dairy.

[00:08:20]It's very rich, but the chilies I thought they're going to be more spicy.

[00:08:26]I mean, it tastes fresh, but not very spicy, not too hot.

[00:08:29]>> Very hot, yes. This one, the green chili, the fresh green chilies is not as spicy compared to this. Wow. [music] I mean, this one looks menacing.

[00:08:36]This is made from dried red chilies, the most common type you'll find in Bhutan.

[00:08:41]Up here, 10,000 ft above sea level, this fiery fruit is actually [music] an indulgence. If you look at Bhutan's history, we had a lot of tubers, a lot of buckwheat, dried [music] meat, a lot of butter, a lot of cheese, high mountain, Himalayan, high altitude food.

[00:08:56]We didn't get a lot of spices [music] that we see right now, but chilies were our staple, something that gave us the most flavor. So, that's why we've sort of [music] expanded our taste and inclination to this vegetable.

[00:09:07]Most Ema Datshi in Thimphu starts its journey here, Bhutan's biggest outdoor market.

[00:09:12]>> What age do people start with the chilies? Are you feeding a 1-year-old chilies?

[00:09:16]>> [music] >> She started from the age of three.

[00:09:20]>> I mean, I have a 16-month-old. She's eating solid food. I don't give her chilies, but I'm thinking about it.

[00:09:25]>> Well, it's good for her appetite.

[00:09:27]Right here, I have a big bowl of dried chilies. Is this the type of chili that people here are eating every day? Some, some. Maybe not every day. Yeah. Maybe not every day. Yeah, she's a bit biased, huh?

[00:09:38]>> [laughter] >> She said every day, twice a day, fourth meal, midnight shake. Yeah. Now, drying [music] it, is that going to make it more mild or more spicy?

[00:09:47]The heat actually goes down when you dry [music] it, but it's still hot. Okay.

[00:09:51]So, I think we should give it a shot.

[00:09:53]Cheers.

[00:09:57]All right, they seem not scared.

[00:09:59]That's a big bite.

[00:10:00]>> Okay.

[00:10:03]Oh, I wouldn't do that. Uh-uh.

[00:10:05]No.

[00:10:07]Oh, no.

[00:10:08]So, the outside is obviously dry, very leathery. It feels like the dried skin of an apple, but it doesn't taste that way at all.

[00:10:15]It's attacking my throat, [music] specifically.

[00:10:19]So, I don't feel it anywhere else.

[00:10:21]What's in the chat? She's saying it's not hot at all. No.

[00:10:24]Really?

[00:10:26]>> [laughter] >> Ah, it's calming me down a little bit.

[00:10:29]It's nice, it's warming me up from the inside. I can handle it. At first, it was a bit jarring, it hit my throat all at one time, and then now it's a consistent burn, and I'm just hoping it goes away. I'm trying not to cry on camera, cuz that would be embarrassing.

[00:10:40]One chili I can handle. A whole bowl?

[00:10:43]Well, it's time to find [music] out.

[00:10:47]Do you feel a difference? Mhm. It's got a lot more heat compared to this, yeah?

[00:10:52]It's a big step up in flavor, but it's just warm, nothing crazy.

[00:10:55]>> But it's not just hot, there's a slight sweetness to it.

[00:10:58]>> Oh, and it's a bit smoky. So, here we have the white chilies. Now, these used to be cream, then they're boiled and dried. Why do all that?

[00:11:04]>> This is shukam. The preparation of this creates not only this really nice unique [music] texture, but it gives that mushroomy, earthy sort of a flavor to it.

[00:11:14]Very salty.

[00:11:15]Intense flavors. Wow, each one gets a little bit more intense. This one is it spicy? Not so spicy, but it really does have a mushroomy flavor.

[00:11:23]>> You feel like as if you're getting a taste of the winter soil. In the winter, going outside, putting some dirt in your mouth. It brings me that. I like it.

[00:11:31]Chilies are a symbol of how the Bhutanese [music] turn hardship into solutions. Where ingredients are limited, they add heat to fill the gap.

[00:11:39]In a fiercely changing world, they use gross national happiness to protect their identity.

[00:11:44]>> Let's say Bhutan is the happiest country in the world, but no country gets everything 100% perfect. What do people here struggle with?

[00:11:52]Um, what Bhutanese people struggle with most right now is the uncertainty that comes with rapid change. And I don't know if you've heard about the flocks of Bhutanese that are sort of traveling to Australia. Meeting me here at a restaurant tucked deep inside an alleyway of Thimphu, Bhutanese culinary expert Blue.

[00:12:09]>> So, that's the real [music] concern we have right now. It's about the youth leaving Bhutan and the whole reason behind that is because we don't have enough job opportunities in Bhutan. As you know, we're a very young country and we're on the brink of modernization. And because [music] the youth sort of see the outside world and they want to pursue that and they want to live life the way they see it on TV, on YouTube, on TikTok, on Instagram, you know? And we're having a real issue with trying to retain the [music] youth and make them stay back home here.

[00:12:38]Outsiders may see Bhutan as a paradise, but up close the rules can feel restrictive for locals. To protect its clean air, at least 60% of the country must be kept as forest, [music] meaning most livelihoods are rooted in agriculture and forestry. Hardly the most exciting career path for the younger generation. Moreover, this is a place with no tobacco, no fast food, and no skyscrapers. Houses in Bhutan, there's a certain limit as to how many floors you can build and the way [music] that it's built in. It has to have a traditional look. The other thing is that we're mandated to wear our Bhutanese go and kira to official places. So, if you visit the dzong, if you visit [music] any government office, you have to be in traditional attire.

[00:13:17]The other thing is every [music] year, twice a year, we have something called the meatless month, the meat ban. People still do consume meat during that time, but to be able to [music] collect merit for 1 month, no meat will be sold and no animals will be slaughtered.

[00:13:31]>> Right now, we're in the middle of a meatless month.

[00:13:33]>> Correct. Which is rather inconvenient for filming the show because right in front of me, meat.

[00:13:37]>> Yep. Luckily, with this meat, this has been kind of preserved. This is a dish called sikam. Sikam.

[00:13:44]Which [music] is air-dried pork belly.

[00:13:46]The way it would be made is the pork belly would be sliced super thinly and it would be cold air-dried in a place where [music] sunlight is not directly hitting the meat. So, it'd be stored either in the attic or in the basements of people's homes. Before we dig in, I want to talk to you guys about the star of this dish, Bhutanese bacon. Now, as an American, I absolutely adore bacon.

[00:14:05]But here, they're doing bacon a little bit differently. First of all, this bacon is monster-sized.

[00:14:11]You think it's just that one piece? It's not. Double bacon. Now, there are some pretty big differences between this bacon and American bacon. First of all, in the USA, they're going to take a piece of the pork belly and cut it this way. Here, they do the same thing, but they combine two pieces of bacon so that it's easier to hang.

[00:14:27]Here you go. Some bacon for you.

[00:14:30]So, this is the second big difference between bacon here and in the USA. In the USA, bacon is going to be cured in some kind of a salt solution, but here, the bacon is just dried like what you see here. After a few weeks of drying, the texture completely changes and that's when it becomes perfect to become part of this dish.

[00:14:49]The first step is you'd wash it because it's been [music] hanging in the air, dust, etc. And you would pressure cook it to tenderize it cuz it's been drying for months on end so you can just imagine how chewy and hard the meat would be.

[00:15:01]>> It's become like a leather. Yeah. So, everything is pressure cooked.

[00:15:04]>> [music] >> And then you would cut it up into large chunks of sikam.

[00:15:13]>> [music] >> And then you fry it all up.

[00:15:16]Oil, onions, and spinach hit the wok. Then comes [music] the chilies, just enough to meet Bhutanese expectations.

[00:15:26]Radish, scallions, [music] and salt follow. Chili paste brings even more heat.

[00:15:32]Then finally, our front man joins the chorus.

[00:15:34]>> [music] [music] >> So, before you eat a Bhutanese meal >> Oh, boy.

[00:15:47]what we traditionally would do is >> [music] >> take some rice in your hand. Okay. I'll put rice in hand.

[00:15:52]>> Yep. Squish it up. Just keep spinning and squishing. Yep.

[00:15:55]>> [music] >> And the other hand? Okay. And then you take it and you rub it Uh-huh. in between and then you put it down.

[00:16:03]Do you know what that did? Uh it made my hand soft. No, it cleaned the dirt off your hands so you can eat with your hands. And now we eat this? No. No.

[00:16:11]>> [music] >> It looks good. It's glistening. It's been kind of brown with the sauces he's put in there. Hopefully it's softened up a little bit cuz I was touching it earlier, the dried form, and [music] it was pretty hard. Get a bit of the rice. Pick up a piece of spinach.

[00:16:26]>> And toss it back.

[00:16:27]>> Yep.

[00:16:28]Now you pick up a piece of meat.

[00:16:31]OH, THAT'S BIG.

[00:16:39]WHAT DO YOU THINK? MHM. OH, THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON AT ONCE.

[00:16:43]It's very delicious.

[00:16:45]Something special happens when you dehydrate and rehydrate protein. It's not the same. It's not like biting into crispy bacon [music] in the USA.

[00:16:52]>> No. At all. Nope. My most similar comparison would be a camel hump in the way that it's kind of spongy in the way that you can really like feel the tissue of the fat. [music] It's like you feel the fat cells popping on your teeth.

[00:17:04]>> crunch to the to the fat. Yes, which is completely different where you know, bacon in the US it all kind of becomes one uniform crunchy piece of protein with the fat and meat combined. So, that's like the nice soft fatty bits but then the protein's like pretty hard still. You have to kind of work your way through it. Appreciate it, money.

[00:17:20]>> Bhutanese people like texture in their [music] meat. We like the texture of the chewiness or from the tendons, the rubberiness.

[00:17:25]>> I'm a big fan of this. What I like is yes, it's [music] full of flavor. The chilies are in there. They really add some zip. They bring it to life. It's an actually a combination. I can see why people like this. Just [music] so full of flavor. I got to eat some more of this pork.

[00:17:38]I have two questions in this video. One is to learn about the food. The other is to learn more about this happiness part of this country. It's fascinating to me that happiness has become part of Bhutan's reputation. The reality is on the ground, there's a lot that people here are struggling with.

[00:17:52]>> Yes, absolutely. Like every other country in the world.

[00:17:54]>> So, happiness has become part of Bhutan's identity, but I'm not so sure that it's become part of this country's reality. So, the question remains, is Bhutan the happiest country in the world? [music] No.

[00:18:06]Money-wise, no.

[00:18:08]But, we have to know that money is not everything at the end. Mhm. At the [clears throat] end, the inner happiness is more important. If you really develop with the spiritual happiness, inner happiness, Bhutan can be a number one.

[00:18:18]Yes.

[00:18:20]Sonam is our fixer or local producer in Bhutan. He's a veteran guide with over 20 years in the tourism industry.

[00:18:26]>> So, you have an outside perspective.

[00:18:28]You've been to some other countries. And when you've traveled to these other countries, do they seem any more or less happy [music] than Bhutan? Less happiness, more stress. I got really good opportunity to travel with those billionaires. Money in the bank, I know they can buy me also.

[00:18:43]>> How much?

[00:18:44]>> [laughter] >> But, they didn't have a time to eat with a family. We at least have a, you know, time with a family.

[00:18:50]>> Today, Sonam welcomes us into his home to share what brings him joy. A home-cooked meal made by his wife. Here we have a dish known as >> Ema Datshi.

[00:19:00]Traditionally, it's a Tibetan dish that was brought in through trade. And yeah, we sort of turned it into a Bhutanese dish as well. And we've made a few adjustments here and [music] there, more spices, and the addition of the deep-fried dried beef as well. Our hearty meal begins with a pot of bone broth heating up on the stove.

[00:19:18]Meanwhile, Pema rolls [music] and cuts the dough into wide flat noodles, repeating the process until there's enough for everyone.

[00:19:29]The noodles slip into the broth, [music] followed by carrots, tomatoes, green chilies, onions, ginger, and spinach.

[00:19:46]Dried meat is chopped and tossed into a frying pan where it sizzles.

[00:19:51]A pinch of salt brings up the flavor, then everything comes together.

[00:19:57]>> [music] >> Thank you, by the way, for cooking this.

[00:20:03]It looks amazing.

[00:20:04]>> [music] >> There's really like a thick wheat noodle, I believe, and then I see a thick kind of a gravy-ish type broth, and then dried meat on top.

[00:20:12]>> [music] >> What is that? Deep fried dried meat.

[00:20:14]>> Mhm. It's like Bhutanese chicharrón.

[00:20:17]Yeah.

[00:20:17]>> [music] >> I like it. Let's take a bite. Cheers.

[00:20:22]>> [music] >> Ooh, it's a very thick sauce.

[00:20:27]>> Mhm. It's from all the starch that sort of falls off [music] the noodles.

[00:20:30]>> Oh, okay. There's some of the flavor of the bone broth in there. A little salty, nothing too strong, but then occasionally you bite into a chili, and that lights up your mouth a little bit more. I want to get some of these noodles now. And I like noodles like this. It kind of reminds me of knife-cut noodles, cuz they're big, dense, kind of doughy a little bit, and it's the type of noodle that could probably hang out in this broth all day and not become over saturated [music] or swollen and fat.

[00:20:56]I like it. It's an unbelievably hearty soup. This is something that will really fill you up. And at first I thought, kind of a small bowl, but No.

[00:21:02]>> No.

[00:21:02]>> It's really filling, and I think that's one of the reasons [music] the the The up in the highlands used to eat it. It's easy, it's filling, it doesn't need a lot of ingredients.

[00:21:11]Sonam, thank you for inviting us into your home. I would say definitely some of the best experiences I've had in my life are usually around food, but they're certainly with other people.

[00:21:19]>> [music] >> I'm crossing other people with close friends, with family.

[00:21:23]As an American, I constantly feel compelled to do more, to accomplish more, to be more. And then sometimes when you look at the purpose of all of it, it's just kind of this imaginary [music] scorecard that in 40 years, in 50 years, when we're all dead, doesn't matter at all. And logically I know when people are on their deathbed, they look back and they wish that they [music] hadn't worked so much and their most meaningful moments came from the connection that they shared with people.

[00:21:47]I just feel like logically a lot of Americans understand that, but they don't follow through with taking the actions that would actually [music] make them feel more happy and more content.

[00:21:55]So, do you feel like people here in Bhutan [music] are more conscious and more intentional with their time and with their activities in doing things [music] that will bring about more happiness? Definitely.

[00:22:06]I think the Bhutanese people are very conscious of being present in the moment. When I say [music] like being present, I mean like being able to spend time with family. Family in Bhutan is so important. And a meal in Bhutan isn't just [music] a meal, it's about being in a community, being in a family, and being present in each other's lives.

[00:22:22]>> My understanding after meeting [music] so many people today is that people here are people just like anywhere else.

[00:22:26]People have struggles, they have things that they have to work through. But with gross national happiness, instead of the country's entire focus being on GDP, how do we just make more money? How do we go back to that scorecard? People are more focused on quality of life. Correct.

[00:22:41]Yes, money >> [music] >> and profit is part of that. But it's not the whole picture. A lot of people misconstrue the concept of GNH [music] and they think that GNH equals to happiest people in the world, happiest country in the world. That is not the case and Bhutan has never claimed that we are the happiest country [music] in the world. And GNH was never meant to say that the Bhutanese people are always happy because that's not how it works.

[00:23:02]That's really not realistic. Pursuing happiness is something you do as an individual. It's not something the government can, you know, do [music] for you. But, it's helping you try and achieve the happiness that you may want.

[00:23:13]>> For you, what do you consider [music] to be some of the essential ingredients for happiness?

[00:23:19]What she said was that he's on tour a lot, so she doesn't get to see him [music] very often.

[00:23:23]>> And that's a key to happiness?

[00:23:25]>> No, no. So, I'll >> [laughter] >> get to the point.

[00:23:27]>> Okay. Because he's on tour and she doesn't [music] get to spend a lot of time with him. When he does come home, that's what brings her happiness. Being able to spend time with him and her kids together.

[00:23:35]>> Oh, I'm happy she miss me then. Yeah.

[00:23:37]>> [laughter]