*Sigh*...How should I put this?
OK, I know I haven't written in four, almost five months and I am terribly sorry for that. I don't know, after I stopped writing, for which the reason I really don't know, I felt lazy and did not write again, to be honest. Its was the 'Fine, I'll do it tomorrow' situation that made me lazy and reluctant to write. (BTW, another word for the situation is 'procrastination'. Hehehe! brainy, no?)
It feels so weird now, posting up things and events I should have done months ago. I'm trying to remember past events while staring into my keyboard and going through the iPhone photo gallery. For the average human memory span, finding an event happened in the past four months is like looking for a chit of paper in a mountain of files.
But then again-
Major un-posted event #1:
My meeting with Chef Bobby Chinn at the Emirates literary festival.
This meeting I owe to my parents. They were the ones who actually told me about Chef Chinn's demo at the aforementioned festival. I would have never gone for it, or have taken a photo with Chef Chinn if it wasn't for their insistence. Chef Bobby Chinn is a fantastic man. The words of of long time celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain: "Bobby Chinn, chef, long time resident of South East Asia, International man of mystery and now author, is the first guy you want to know in Hanoi if you want to find where to get the good stuff to eat, how to make it, and why it's made that way. What Bobby doesn't know about Southeast Asian cooking is not worth knowing." (Taken from Chef Chinn's book 'Vietnamese cooking') truly capture the essence of his fabulously humorous personality. The day we went, he gave a demo of his dish- Seafood ceviche with Mangosteen Vinaigrette and came out for book-signing later on. I really don't think I'll need to write more on this after the pictures have been put up...
.JPG)
So, moving on...
Major un-posted event #2
My Georgia Trip
"It was a fine day when God set out to create the world. Wonders emerged as he worked the magic of his hands. The chirping of birds, the gurgling of the rivers, and the lush greenery made him all too happy, and hungry. In all the time, God did not realize that his work made him hungry. So while eating and enjoying his creations, God happened to trip over a set of mountains. He didn't fall, but his lunch did. The place where his lunch fell became so beautiful that God named the place Sakartvelo, or presently known as Georgia."
This legend about the formation of Georgia, lives up to what it says. The beauty of the small, lovely hidden republic nestled in the Caucasus mountains cannot really be described with words.
Old yet new, bringing together ancient and modern, this country is developing very fast after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Georgia has a different culture altogether. Like its neighbor, Armenia, Georgia is a Christian country nestled between the Islamic cultures of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Chechnya (Part of Russia) and the slightly far-off Iran. Georgia uses a uncommon alphabet, a writing system in its own, and has maintained a rich heritage of unique and stunning dances, a unique language, history along with natural beauty and not to forget the food and the long tradition of wine making.
Speaking culinarily of course, Georgia is rich in terms of food and wine. Its produce is so fresh that you wont be able to stomach the vegetables at your local grocery back home the next time. This country is one of those 'lands of milk and honey', and the locals are so generous in terms of food and wine that they will not send you back until you are stuffed. The capital, Tbilisi, has a lovely selection of cafes, alongside cobbled roads and colorful old Tbilisi balconies. They offer just the peace and quiet you want along with lovely views and delicious food.
My God! How can I speak of Georgian cuisine without mentioning the quintessential Khinkali - The HUGE meat or cheese stuffed dumplings and Khachapuri - The cheese bread served at every table? These are the ubiquitous dishes, known to every person who has some idea about Georgian cuisine. Other dishes we tried were: The Tonis Puri - A rather dry and chewy bread, the Mchadi - a doughnut shaped cornbread always served Lobiani - A bean stew similar to the Indian Rajma curry. We also had this lovely salad consisting of cucumbers and tomatoes served with Satsivi - a walnut sauce.
The Khinkali is one dangerous dish. There is a certain way of savoring it. You take a small bite first, suck out the meaty liquid, and then eat the dumpling carefully leaving the doughy top. While biting it, if you spill the the meaty liquid inside onto your shirt or your plate, you will be the laughing stock of the locals sitting around you, and believe me, it doesn't feel good.
When it comes to drinks, the Georgians have plenty. They have the oldest tradition of wine known to man. The types of wines are plenty; ranging from the semi sweet red Kindzmarauli to a dry white wine called the Karakhuna. Other than wine, which is by far, the most popular drink, there is the Chacha, a hard liqueur distilled from grapes. Wine is so popular that the locals make it home. Our kind driver, brought some of the wine he made at home for us and our lovely guide, Natia Tikaradze to taste. Georgia is also famous for its mineral waters, coming from the town of Borjomi.
There is a lovely selection of unique non alcoholic drinks as well, with carbonated soda topping the list. Called limonaati by the locals, it comes in unique flavors including Mskhali (Pear), Atami (Peach), and Tarkhuna (Tarragon), which was my favorite.
So overall, It was a fabulous trip! It is history and innovation combined. The fancy buildings of new Tbilisi add a unique sense of beauty to its old balconies and century old houses. The only thing that has not changed is the the Georgians' love and sense of pride for their music and food. They are proud of their food and wine, and this can only be seen when one goes there. What did I think? I will happily and willingly take the first flight to Tbilisi just for that Tarragon soda and those Khinkali. My mouth is watering... How did I even write up till here without drooling or getting something to eat? Beats me.
Georgia, overall is a feast for the senses, with the fabulous food, the lovely scenery, the friendly locals, stunning music and dance, and above all, a warm sense of hospitality.
To finish this second major un-posted event, let me leave you a promo video from Ensemble Rustavi, which truly captures the essence of Georgian music and dance.
That's it.
Yes, THAT'S IT.
Oh, Come on. It's not like anyone else has any more major events in four months? I can't afford to bore myself anymore, it's such a long post already! My feet are going numb sitting on that computer chair!
I will be putting up more later, and I truly regret the time I lost due to my laziness. I could have spent a lot of time constructively by posting up new things. After all, this is like writing an online journal!
I just hope this doesn't happen again.
-- Amay
OK, I know I haven't written in four, almost five months and I am terribly sorry for that. I don't know, after I stopped writing, for which the reason I really don't know, I felt lazy and did not write again, to be honest. Its was the 'Fine, I'll do it tomorrow' situation that made me lazy and reluctant to write. (BTW, another word for the situation is 'procrastination'. Hehehe! brainy, no?)
It feels so weird now, posting up things and events I should have done months ago. I'm trying to remember past events while staring into my keyboard and going through the iPhone photo gallery. For the average human memory span, finding an event happened in the past four months is like looking for a chit of paper in a mountain of files.
But then again-
Major un-posted event #1:
My meeting with Chef Bobby Chinn at the Emirates literary festival.
This meeting I owe to my parents. They were the ones who actually told me about Chef Chinn's demo at the aforementioned festival. I would have never gone for it, or have taken a photo with Chef Chinn if it wasn't for their insistence. Chef Bobby Chinn is a fantastic man. The words of of long time celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain: "Bobby Chinn, chef, long time resident of South East Asia, International man of mystery and now author, is the first guy you want to know in Hanoi if you want to find where to get the good stuff to eat, how to make it, and why it's made that way. What Bobby doesn't know about Southeast Asian cooking is not worth knowing." (Taken from Chef Chinn's book 'Vietnamese cooking') truly capture the essence of his fabulously humorous personality. The day we went, he gave a demo of his dish- Seafood ceviche with Mangosteen Vinaigrette and came out for book-signing later on. I really don't think I'll need to write more on this after the pictures have been put up...
.JPG)
So, moving on...
Major un-posted event #2
My Georgia Trip
"It was a fine day when God set out to create the world. Wonders emerged as he worked the magic of his hands. The chirping of birds, the gurgling of the rivers, and the lush greenery made him all too happy, and hungry. In all the time, God did not realize that his work made him hungry. So while eating and enjoying his creations, God happened to trip over a set of mountains. He didn't fall, but his lunch did. The place where his lunch fell became so beautiful that God named the place Sakartvelo, or presently known as Georgia."
This legend about the formation of Georgia, lives up to what it says. The beauty of the small, lovely hidden republic nestled in the Caucasus mountains cannot really be described with words.
 |
| Tbilisi, the capital is along the Kvari river. Viewed from Narikala fortress. |
Old yet new, bringing together ancient and modern, this country is developing very fast after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Georgia has a different culture altogether. Like its neighbor, Armenia, Georgia is a Christian country nestled between the Islamic cultures of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Chechnya (Part of Russia) and the slightly far-off Iran. Georgia uses a uncommon alphabet, a writing system in its own, and has maintained a rich heritage of unique and stunning dances, a unique language, history along with natural beauty and not to forget the food and the long tradition of wine making.
 | ||
| A cafe in Tbilisi. A very interesting name to put up, isn't it? |
 | |
| Tbilisi Cafes looking over to old balconies. |
The Khinkali is one dangerous dish. There is a certain way of savoring it. You take a small bite first, suck out the meaty liquid, and then eat the dumpling carefully leaving the doughy top. While biting it, if you spill the the meaty liquid inside onto your shirt or your plate, you will be the laughing stock of the locals sitting around you, and believe me, it doesn't feel good.
When it comes to drinks, the Georgians have plenty. They have the oldest tradition of wine known to man. The types of wines are plenty; ranging from the semi sweet red Kindzmarauli to a dry white wine called the Karakhuna. Other than wine, which is by far, the most popular drink, there is the Chacha, a hard liqueur distilled from grapes. Wine is so popular that the locals make it home. Our kind driver, brought some of the wine he made at home for us and our lovely guide, Natia Tikaradze to taste. Georgia is also famous for its mineral waters, coming from the town of Borjomi.
There is a lovely selection of unique non alcoholic drinks as well, with carbonated soda topping the list. Called limonaati by the locals, it comes in unique flavors including Mskhali (Pear), Atami (Peach), and Tarkhuna (Tarragon), which was my favorite.
 |
| The quintessential Khinkali! |
 |
| The Zedazeni Tarragon soda... Simply Fabulous! |
 |
| Ananya and Ma starting their meal... |
 |
| Me Struggling to eat a Khinkali! |
So overall, It was a fabulous trip! It is history and innovation combined. The fancy buildings of new Tbilisi add a unique sense of beauty to its old balconies and century old houses. The only thing that has not changed is the the Georgians' love and sense of pride for their music and food. They are proud of their food and wine, and this can only be seen when one goes there. What did I think? I will happily and willingly take the first flight to Tbilisi just for that Tarragon soda and those Khinkali. My mouth is watering... How did I even write up till here without drooling or getting something to eat? Beats me.
Georgia, overall is a feast for the senses, with the fabulous food, the lovely scenery, the friendly locals, stunning music and dance, and above all, a warm sense of hospitality.
 |
| The beautiful town of Mtskheta |
 | |||||||||||
| Lake Lopota |
To finish this second major un-posted event, let me leave you a promo video from Ensemble Rustavi, which truly captures the essence of Georgian music and dance.
That's it.
Yes, THAT'S IT.
Oh, Come on. It's not like anyone else has any more major events in four months? I can't afford to bore myself anymore, it's such a long post already! My feet are going numb sitting on that computer chair!
I will be putting up more later, and I truly regret the time I lost due to my laziness. I could have spent a lot of time constructively by posting up new things. After all, this is like writing an online journal!
I just hope this doesn't happen again.
-- Amay
Wonder if you could also add the pronounciation for the words. And what is the name of their language? Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete