Ask the guy in Tbilisi, Georgia

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

OK, I’ve received the cookbook, and it rocks! What can I send in return? Or should I just surprise you?

Some especially choice bits of text, with typical grandma-style, not terribly precise instructions (it reminds me of my roomie Irina’s blini recipe, which was something like “take some flour, some baking soda, and some water…” and got sillier from there):

On khachapuri of various sorts:

Regular khachapuri: “Take some young soft cheese, smash it with hands, mix in an egg, and add salt…put the khachapuri on a pan, and bake. At due temperature [whatever that is], the khachapuri will be ready in 10-15 min., when the surface is well roasted.”

Adjarian khachapuri: “Take some Adjarian cheese, smash it, mix in one or two eggs (some cooks also add curds, but tastes differ.)…Shape the piece into a so-called “boat…”

Ossetian khachapuri: “The recipe for the Ossetian Khachapuri is similar to the Georgian Khachapuri, but for Ossetian Khachapuri only Ossetian cheese should be used.”

[Ossetia and Adjaria are regions of Georgia with secessionist leanings.]

Khashi (ingredients: 2 kg beef guts and knuckles, 15-20 cloves garlic, salt to taste)

“Cut well-cleaned beef paunch, pork hooves, and knuckles into pieces. Put them into a saucepan, pour water and boil for approx. 4-5 hours…Khashi is usually served early in the morning. It is especially tasty the day after a feast, relieving your headache and hangover. Better served with vodka and mineral water.”

Omelette with Tomatoes:

“This dish is easy to prepare, which is mostly valued by men.”

And that’s just the beginning…So who’s coming for dinner? More importantly, who’s coming over for hair of the dog the next morning? Maybe for that January mini ChiDope, guys?

42

I’ll chomp on an omlette, but pass on the hair of the dog - I’ve got very fuzzy memories of a three day hangover caused by a magnum of Armenian brandy a few years back :frowning:

I’ll even help cook - we can swap recipies using my Ukranian cook book :eek:

43

Why is the flag so ugly? And whats with that other flag I’ve seen being waved that looks like the flag of England with St George’s cross only with little red things in each box? Is that an official flag at all? It should be.

44

pilot, there is a 99% chance the wine you’re saving is undrinkable. Almost no white wine is aged for very long. I hope you don’t break it out at an occasion with other folks.

45

essvee the wine has survived me leaving active duty, getting hired by an airline and three moves. It’s more decoration value now than anything else: “Ooh, look at the wine with the funny letters!”

But on your advice, I’ll make sure that I open it with only people who know of it’s dubious consumption value. Or I might never open it at all and keep the bottle as a conversation piece!

And since this thread has been raised from the dead:

radar ralf you asked me earlier about “tailgater” missions but I never saw the question.

I flew several types of missions that were “out of the ordinary”. We called them “heavies” or “lofties”, depending on when they were flown. They were flown by our squadron only (the 6th AS), and they were a lot of fun for the crew. If you guys called the regular “State Department” run the “tailgate” mission then yes, I flew them but not to central Europe. I flew those missions to South America, Asia and Africa.

46

Eva Luna - You really don’t need to send me anything. Just seeing your excitment about the cookbook is reward enough.

TitoBenito - I’m not familiar with the flag you describe. Can you post a link to an image of it? It could be the flag of one of the break-away states that are trying to achieve autonomy: South Ossetia, Adjara, or Abkhazia.

essvee - I had to chuckle when I saw this: pilot, there is a 99% chance the wine you’re saving is undrinkable. To my uneducated palate, nearly all Georgian wine is undrinkable. That’s just my opinion, I could be wrong. Just kiddin’ - suffice it to say that Georgian wine is an acquired taste.

pilot141 - By “tailgater” missions, I meant “lo & slo with the tailgate (aft ramp to you jarheads) down”, the better to hurl otherwise-knowledgeable humans and fully-functional equipment out of a perfectly good and airborne-capable aviation vehicle.

47

My dictionary says that Georgia and the other Transcaucusus republics are part of Asia, but the map in this same dictionary says they’re in Europe. Do Georgians consider themselves to be Asian or European? (It’s like picking a US region that will claim West Virginia!)

48

Hang on, I’m checking with my co-workers…

49

Okay, short answer: it’s a melting pot. Some of my associates say that they have two sets of M.O. - one for people from countries like Azerbaijan, and another for people from countries like Germany. You raise a good question that I must explore in detail. Georgia has been influenced by so many cultures that it is not easy to get to an acceptable answer, even for Georgians. As some people here have told me, all Georgians will answer that they are more European than Asian, but in manner and thinking, they are sometimes quite the opposite.

50

In a news article about the president resigning people were shown waving this flag. I remember thinking “I’m glad they finally replaced that hideous flag”. From the link I sent it appears to be an older flag that is probibly used by a political party.

51

Yessir, I think you have hit the nail on the head.

52

Interesting thread…

But let’s get to the important questions.

What are the women like?

Can you hook me up?

:slight_smile:

53

You betcha. From your location, you’re prolly a 'patch worker, right? I’ll introduce you to some very nice young ladies who are looking for a companion. Now… about that plane ticket…

54

Speaking of plane tickets, why are the ones to Tbilisi so gosh-darned expensive? They cost more than double a ticket either to Moscow or Istanbul, and although it requires a change of planes, it sure ain’t double the distance…

55

Are they still keen on chess?

Is there any Government sponsorship for the game?

56

Eva Luna - Are the tickets expensive? I hate to admit this, but I don’t really pay much attention. My office just hands me a RT ticket and off I go. I am now in Supsa (on my weekly visit to my trainees), but I’ll check on the ticket fares when I return to Tbilisi. Maybe our travel advisor can shed some light on this…

glee - Every dang Georgian male that I’ve met claims to be an expert on chess! Yes, the government provides funds to chess clubs. I think the government also encourages participation on an international level and has sent players to Russia and other countries. BTW, glad to see that you and the other reindeer finally saw the light. (Then all the reindeer loved him as they shouted out with glee: “Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, you’ll go down in history!”)

57

Well, I’d looked into going to a music camp last fall, and a quick spot check showed abot $600-700 to Moscow, a tad more to Istanbul, but nothing lower than $1400 to Tbilisi. A bit rich for my blood. I suspect the answer has something to do with the level of competition for the route. Or maybe most of the airlines that fly there are non-Western ones that don’t show up on Orbitz, and there are hardly any real travel agents out there anymore!

Ahhh, someday…

58

Eva Luna, if there’s a will, there’s a way. What are your specialties? Do you speak Georgian? Would you be willing to come and stay for, say, eight weeks? There are new organizations popping up every week over here, or so it seems. The new organizations need to have people who are trained in a wide diversity of skills and backgrounds. There are a few contract companies who specialize in matching corporate/group staff requirements with people who “fit the bill.” If you like, I can make some inquiries. Not exactly a vacation, but you’d get a chance to travel to this fascinating part of the world. Oh, and BTW, they pay travel and expenses, of course!

59

I’d love to stay for 8 weeks, but I don’t think my boss would be too crazy about that, unfortunately. I am fluent in Russian, which I imagine still comes in handy, nationalism nonwithstanding. You never know, though; I could get really, really sick of my job and take you up on that one of these days.

But if anyone over there needs info on work visas to the U.S., I’m your woman!

Eva Luna, Immigration Paralegal and M.A. in Russian & East European Studies

60

Can you say, “sabbatical”? I would think that your boss would find a trip to Georgia would fall under the category of “professional training.” I could ask about Immigration policies on this end and see if there would be a need to have an expert such as yourself make a “field trip” to assess the similarities/differences in practices. Heck, a paper in your professional journal (“Immigration ‘R’ Us”) would be a good thang, too!