The Staff of Life

Danger Zone for Carboholics

Bulghur--the starch of choice

Between the bulghur and the breads, Yerevan is one big Red Light Food experience. Those of you who have brushed shoulders with Weight Watchers know what I mean. This is a total danger zone for me. But, oh what joy!

Flat stuffable Georgian bread

Breads are so important to daily sustenance here that even the little coca-cola stand on our street gets a delivery each morning (we are talking 9:30 here for early morning). A man in an unmarked white van pulls up and hauls in a pile of big Georgian flat loaves on his shoulder. Then he speeds off, presumably to the next popstand. Sort of a Lone Ranger of Bread.

Most bakeries are very small and the products are baked on site. Customers buy from the same women who bake. When I walk to the grocery store I pass a small bakery where the line is always out the door. Keep in mind there is only about 10 square feet in the store for customers. I keep thinking I am going to catch the place with a short or no line one of these days. But not so far. I suspect locals have knowledge I do not yet possess about what time of day to show up for the fresh pigs-in-a-blanket or the square pastries that look like turnovers but whose fillings (cheese, apples) are usually a little too skimpy.


Every small grocery store has a serious bakery section too. These display a variety of breads and pastries and in the bigger stores elaborately decorated cakes. A loaf of very good "sandwich" bread (the kind we used for BLTs) costs 100 AMD--yes, 25 cents American. At that rate if it goes stale on us it is much less of a disaster than I feel when I let my Mad River Grain go stale in Vermont.

Astounding Variety Offers an Opportunity for Research

Here is a personal challenge I feel up for: seeking out and trying every different kind of bread and learning what it is used for.  This could take the whole time I am here. Sort of a hobby with training requirements, which are that I walk my shoes off to make up for the consequences of doing serious culinary research. And that is much more walking than just going to and from the bakeries.

And, depending on how the basic study goes, there is the potential for a related study of the ready-to-bake pastry in the freezer sections of the bigger grocery stores. This is especially tempting because of the aforementioned problem of inadequate filling material. From there I could move on to the crepes....but I digress.

Lavash--the backbone of the bread menu

Making lavash

Lavash was my first bread. This is not the yummy crispy cracker we know and love to eat with hummus. This is thin, almost wafery soft sheets of bread used principally to sop up sauces or to wrap around spring salad of cucumbers and tomatoes with herbs. Some people have been known to smear butter on it in the absence of anything else. The closest thing to it at home is a tortilla used as a wrap. But not even close. Not surprisingly, everyone has a firm opinion about where to get the best lavash. I certainly intend to have an opinion of my own before I leave.

We discovered something that gets translated as "grey" bread (obviously without a sense of how the English doesn't work with this item). On the lookout for something like whole wheat, we were told this was dark bread. Well, sort of. Maybe by comparison.   Our favorite place to get this bread is a small grocery next to Denise's office building. The loaf we bought last night smelled yeasty and has the the open texture of the wonderful sandwich bread our Dad made for a good 50+ years to wide acclaim both within and outside the family. Not as good as Dad's but has some of the same features.

Georgian bread in the shape of small, fat baguettes can be a little doughy, but tasted good enough with spinach and nut spread. The Georgian bread I am salivating for is the big flat loaves baked in clay ovens, much like Tandoori ovens. I am going to hypothesize it tastes like naan, the Indian bread often stuffed with onions. Georgian bread is often stuffed or filled with tangy cheeses and smells super-yummy ("super-yummy" might be incorporated into the research scale as a data category). But could it be better than matnakash, the Armenian equivalent?

Matnakash is known for its cross-hatching decoration.

 

Preliminary Research Design

If I am going to be serious about my research, I am going to have to start keeping records and notes about the size, shape, price, and taste/use for each kind. Happily, I have my computer and can create a little spreadsheet for this data.

The samples for the study are going to be a challenge. I am not sure if I can keep the Armenian breads separate from the Georgian breads, but I will try. This could then set me up for testing hypotheses about the comparative value for different uses, e.g., H1: There is no difference between Armenian lavash and Georgian flatbread for sopping up sauces.

Now that I think about it with my researcher hat on, perhaps I should do a couple of case studies before I develop the hypotheses (the qualitative researcher on my dissertation committee would be so proud of me).

Oops--it is lunchtime already! Maybe I can catch that bakery without a line.

Knowledge is Power

A Few New Words Make a Big Difference

We went to the big market near us again today (see Sept. 9 post) armed with new words, two Onion River Sports carry bags and a big tote. Being able to ask for and insist on a quarter of a kilo ("korots kilo") or a half a kilo ("kes kilo") meant that we did not have to overbuy or forego items we wanted--like last week when we finally had to walk away from the lady trying to sell us figs. (In fact, today we came home with these very figs!)

Kes kilo green beans

No question the sellers would prefer to sell larger quantities and most people are buying for families. When we asked for a quarter of a kilo (about 1/2 pound or 8 ounces), they would immediately try to get us up to half a kilo. But we could say, "voch, korots kilo" (voch=no) and get what we wanted. We have also learned some numbers and so could actually understand the amounts being asked or incurred. The ever-present calculator is a helpful crutch though, I confess.

Leaf lettuce and radishes lady with DJ

Today we discovered leaf lettuces as well as bacon and a seller who would slice it! This meant we could hurry home and make BLTs for lunch! The bacon is good--not salty and very meaty. It is more like the bacon you might get in a full English breakfast than ours at home (in fact, sort of "hammy"). The tomatoes are reliably superb with robust flavor.

Beware the smoked meat!

The bacon lady wanted to sell us some local smoked meat of some kind and insisted we taste it. Oy! I don't think I have tasted anything so dreadful in years. I wanted to swish my mouth with mouthwash immediately, but that not being available, I just drank some water. Definitely need to avoid that stuff.

We also bought whole walnuts in bulk and plump dried apricots. Nuts and dried fruits are displayed in large sacks and we were welcome to taste one before buying. The walnuts were both fresh and very large. They should go nicely with the figs and goat cheese salad we are planning. A couple of vendors on the outside where we bought most of our items (fruits and vegetables) permitted me to take their pictures.

We are still converting the prices to dollars (divide by 400) to see if they are reasonable and they almost always are. One exception today was a bath towel we priced in a multi-story mall next to the market. At 16,000 AMD, this one so-so towel was going to cost the equivalent of about $40.  There doesn't seem to be any middle range pricing. There are very cheap thin towels that you can practically see through (likely imported from India) and then slightly better ones at high prices. Oh, for a Land's End beach towel!

Googling Store Locations

A friend gave us a couple of tips on stores to try for shoes and clothes. Finding them is made much easier by the fact that I can type an address into Google Search and up comes the location. The vast majority of stores are very small shops that do not take credit cards or who take credit cards only from one bank. I have yet to see anything remotely resembling a department store. A few British-owned chains have clothes for the whole family, but that is about as departmentalized as you get.

Today we searched out and found the Bugatti shoes store, about two blocks from the Opera House, an area we feel we are getting to know well (and where we would buy real estate if we ever moved here). That turned out to be the first of maybe as many as eight shoe stores we hit. Denise wanted a pair of black flats. Now how hard is that? Well, it wasn't easy and not especially because Denise was being a difficult customer. We finally found a pair that fit at the Clark Shoes store AND they were on sale. All's well that end's well.

Right now sales are everywhere--from 30% to 70% is splashed across store windows. The problem is that, at least for shoes, they are likely to have one pair left in a style and you can bet it is not in your size.

In general the afternoon explore was productive. We found a place to buy tablets for my meeting portfolio at long last and saw several stores that had been recommended, including Promod on stylish Abovian Street.  I found a cute black tee with chiffon top and short sleeves and a lacy cami for underneath. Can we say concertwear?

Mesmerized by the clock! Check out the hair jewelry!

Along the way we passed a children's puppet theater just as a performance was ending. Mothers and children swarmed onto the sidewalk just as the hour was striking on a very special metal animated clock. We stopped and stared, as delighted as the little kids, at the moving parts and the cock who moved out and crowed four times; before and after he was bracketed by martial music (reveille, for example).

At the end of the day we collapsed in the outdoor cafe at the Marriott where we managed to avoid sitting downwind from smokers and tested the freshly squeezed fruit juices (it was a recon mission for Tom, who arrives in the middle of the night Monday). Unfortunately further recon objectives were frustrated. We have not found a place to buy the International Herald Tribune and the Marriott gym is for guests only.

How can they walk all day in these shoes?

On the way home by taxi (feet feeling like cement blocks by this time despite sensible shoes), we thought we were pretty hot telling the driver the street and number (tahss=10) and then to turn right (atch). He teased us about our pronunciation but it still felt good not to be tongue-tied! 

Tonight we will try out our new, if limited, skills on the Georgian restaurant on our street. Locals have assured us it is very good. We are curious about how they can tell the difference between Armenian and Georgian food, but perhaps we will find out.

Getting Around Town

Many Ways to Get Where I am Going

Without a car (for which I am grateful), I have several choices of how to get myself around this city. Taxis are very cheap (about $1.50 in the central city) and really a good idea if I am walking in high heels or just tired after a concert. A remarkable number of old, old Russian Ladas are still running here as taxis. Very few have seat belts in the back, but so far the floorboards seem intact.

Mini-buses run regular routes all day.

There are full-sized buses and mini-buses called "marachutkas" (just try to pronounce--I don't trust my spelling). The latter is the way many people commute to and from work and school. They are like long Dodge vans invariably painted white, a mix of very battered to very new, and often very overcrowded, especially at rush hour. 

Then there is the single line Metro, constructed about 20 years ago by a Soviet apparatchik who wanted to do something nice for Yerevan. He apparently exaggerated the city's population (had to prove 1,000,000 to qualify for a subway) and put in this system. A ticket costs 200AMD or about 50 cents American (the fare doubled a year ago; buses cost half as much). Tomorrow I will use this system to get to the opposite side of the city for a meeting.

But by far the most expeditious and reliable way to go is by Shank's pony, as a my English grandfather called it. In other words, to walk. I have always loved walking around cities that are new to me. Sometimes I lose my location on the map (thinking back to Stone Town last winter), which is completely okay if I am not in a hurry. You can walk as slowly or as fast as you want and traffic is not an issue. You can stop for a cup of coffee and people-watch. A generous supply of Band-Aids in your pocket is always a good idea, preferably fabric-covered ones (I have consulted experts on this).

Walking: Yerevan Adventure Sport and Fashion Show

When I explore a new place on foot my head is invariably on a swivel--I am trying to take everything in at once, get a sense of the context. Plus, if I am with someone else, it's a sure bet I am engaged in a conversation. 

Those are good things except when I miss a step or hit some broken pavement, both of which can occur frequently here. It's not only embarrassing (like waking yourself with an excessive head bob during a concert), it can actually be a little dangerous. This means I have to moderate my upward and outward observations with some attention to the pavement. In other words, I look like a total bobblehead.

But, in Yerevan this not only reduces the chance of a broken ankle (knock wood), it also yields another whole field of observation. I confess, I look at the shoes people are wearing. What can I say? I love shoes!

Window display on Abovian St

We live in a university area so the sidewalks are full with young slim women in form-fitting jeans or short skirts and the highest platform shoes (among other styles) I have ever seen. I am so tempted to ask them if I could take a picture of their shoes, but I am afraid they would think I was some foot-fetish nutcase. I don't think I have seen a young person in anything remotely resembling a "sensible shoe," certainly no athletic shoes. There are some very flat sandals some of which go all the way to the knee in elaborate designs, but clearly the key to impressing is a nice pump. And my Merrill suede Mary Janes not only look totally klutzy (especially with socks), they broadcast "not from here" to anyone who even notices.

Older women, who are often seen hauling groceries in two or more heavy hags and who might be forgiven for wearing sensible shoes, more often than not are seen in fairly high wedges or non-platform high heels. High. Heels. I felt like I was lying to fit in the other night when I wore sorta-high heels to the concert.

The young men seem to wear shoes that are unremarkable, except for the all-white leather oxfords sported by some of the more stylin' guys. I have no idea what the old men are wearing. I am not paying attention to them.

Art in the Pavement

The other thing I have discovered as a result of having to watch my step all the time is that there's art in them there sidewalk stones. No endlessly boring poured concrete sidewalks divided by cracks that will 
break-your -mother's-back here. 

The sidewalks are all composed of separate stones placed in patterns. Now that I am tuned into this, every time I see what I think is a new one to me I take a photo of the sidewalk. This may lead bystanders to conclude I am odd, but at least I am not crowding their space in my oddness. 

I have no idea what the history of this wide variety is, or whether individual building owners are responsible for the pavement outside their stores and thus get to exercise some creative design. Here are just a few to show you some of the variety. I intend to keep taking pictures. Maybe I could even produce a big poster called "The Sidewalks of Yerevan".

Dodging Cars

Crossing the street is a subspecialty adventure sport. Crosswalks (known locally as zebras) and timed lights are relatively new here. Locals claim they have made a huge positive difference for pedestrians. Some days I question that, as when a car comes ripping through an intersection, pedestrians be damned, or when at a very large intersection I have exactly 14 seconds to get across. My college years experience of dodging cars on East Grand River in East Lansing is paying off here. In general the rule is to wait until the locals step out and go with them.
 
At places where several big streets come together, there are underground walkways, some lined with little shops selling push-up bras in outrageous colors, watches, phones, the everyday necessities.

Today my plan is to find the bakeries we have heard about--one new Armenian and one French. I will be able to use the bridge over one of the beltway streets and wander among cafes in the green belt on the way. There will be new blocks to explore. Maybe even a croissant to savor.

The Vernissage

The Vernissage

A perfect Sunday afternoon meander, the "Vernissage" is what Americans might call a flea market. At least it looks like a flea market. Almost any non-food item you can imagine is for sale, some new, some old, some handmade, some not.

Running several city blocks in a stretch extending from close to Republic Square to within about three long blocks from our apartment, the Vernissage is a great place to scope out what's on offer in Armenia. Probably for the best, we did not take a lot of cash and this is definitely a cash-only enterprise. That meant we could listen patiently to the linen embroiderers extol the value of their works without feeling the least bit pressured to buy. 

Same with the carpet sellers who seem to have an awful lot of rugs from Karabagh--which is part of the territory now in serious dispute with Azerbaijan. Many were definitely what Stro would call "village  rugs," with an inch or more of plain cream colored weaving at the edge of the color and before the fringe starts. Whether the ones claimed to be antiques are really antiques is another question.

As newbies in Yerevan we are trying to learn reasonable prices for a variety of items. The going price for a half-liter bottle of water, for example, seems to be 200 AMD. That doesn't stop people from charging 300 at the Vernissage, especially if they can see you are a foreigner and looking warm. At 400:1 the difference is quite small--50 cents vs. 75 cents, roughly. It's still a bargain and I was thirsty.

Want a puppy (they are very cute!)? A new dog collar or anything else pet-related? Matching shoes and bags? They have it here. Swords and scabbards that are very impressive sit beside elaborate carved wooden boxes and wood inlays. There are many beautiful folding backgammon boards with Mount Ararat on the outside in inlaid wood. Lots of really horrid art work but no Elvis on velvet. I felt drawn to nice looking (meaning, of course, tasteful in my book) backpacks made from old rugs and to the linens that showed a combination of extraordinary skill in both embroidery and cutwork. There is some Fun with Fabrics potential in the fine embroidery.

We enjoyed talking at length with a woman named Anna who was peddling her own Armenian needlework. God forbid anyone should describe this as crochet--no! Armenian needlework. It looks a little like tatting. Anna spoke extraordinarily good English. When she took a breath from telling us how marvelous her work was I asked her where she learned English. She said she learned it there at the Vernissage and she prefers British English. 

We told her, perhaps to her disappointment, that she actually sounded quite American. Her vowels were broader than those of the Brits but not so broader as those of Australians. We tried to assure her she spoke beautifully but I think she was taken aback. She takes custom orders and we will see her again, no doubt. She seemed so at ease, comfortable in her own skin, proud of what she could do. It was a joy to speak with her.

All along one side of this huge marketplace is an active exchange of what looks like used clothing in reasonably good condition. There are also a lot of true flea market sellers with old glassware, china, kitchen items, you name it. One guy was even selling old machine parts. Another stall had several creative applications of peach pits made into objects like bowls. 

So those of you who have been pitching those peach pits onto the compost pile may want to think twice. There appears to be income-generating potential in that garbage.

Creative Problem-Solving Opportunities in Housekeeping

Creative Problem-Solving Opportunities in Housekeeping

Samuel, our wonderful landlord, really did take care of the outside drip problem with the air conditioner. Since I did not see him climbing on a ladder to tighten valves or anything, I was suspect. But upon looking out the window at the metal roof the drips were hitting, I noticed his solution. He had placed two big yellow sponges on the metal roof just where the drips fall. Noise problem solved.

And in the event the water heater (on the wall above the dishwasher) drips again, he showed us where he put a giganto wrench--hidden atop the kitchen cupboards. We have a ladder--probably intended to facilitate window cleaning (ha!)--so we should be able to manage that fix ourselves if the need arises.

The dishwasher is somewhat of a puzzle despite English language instructions. Namely, the picture of where to put the soap/salt/rinse (combination product) tablet does not look anything like our dishwasher. So this will take some experimentation. Meantime, we are quickly washing up the few dishes we have.

Today I put on my best Donna Reed (sans pearls) and "cleaned the house" after DJ left for the office. We have very nice refinished hardwood floors which call for a Swiffer, but may have to be addressed with one of the two vacuum cleaners we have. There is an unfamiliar wooden implement that is used somehow on the carpets. I cannot imagine what value it has except to stir up dust, which is already plentiful. So the vacuums will be used on the rugs. I cannot find where the electrical cord is hiding on one of them. The other one is new but somewhat anemic as far as suction. It's an opportunity to get even more exercise! 

In the kitchen is a little dustpan with a handle and a small handmade broom for those quick clean-ups. We see women employed using these devices in parking lots.Seems to be designed more to keep them busy than to get the parking lot clean.

Our washer is a European-style washer that takes forever to do even a short cycle half load. This morning after carefully removing the purple yoga shirt (not sure if it wouldn't run), I ran a load with nothing capable of running. Alas, it all came out grey. This was a cold water wash, so I am beyond puzzled. I went straight to the closest store and tried to communicate with two different clerks who each spoke a very small amount of English. One of them seemed to understand what I wanted and suggested a powdered product that appears to be a whitening agent. But it is not bleach since a handful of the very grey items appear to be unimpressed so far by their bath in it. Tomorrow I will go back out with the word for bleach written down and try again to perform an Irene Reinka bleach bath miracle treatment on this stuff.

We burned out the hair dryer because we forgot to switch the 120 to 250. So I found the Armenian equivalent to Best Buys today to buy a replacement. This store has everything from giant size flat screen TVs to computers to kitchen appliances large and small to hairdryers. Want an electric meat grinder? They have it. One more loose end tied up...and we have a two year warranty to boot. Safety warnings in 32--count 'em--32 languages including Dutch. 

I also managed to find small reading lamps for the bedside. The lamp store was very departmentalized although it did not appear so. One young man helped me with the lamps and gave me a chit for 9000 AMD, a completely different person is in charge of lightbulbs and he had to get two bulbs for me and give me a second chit. I then took both chits to a seriously bored young woman cashier, paid and had the chits initialed by her. Then I could return to each department and get my goods.This brings memories of Indian grocery sgtores in 1980 back to me.

We think maybe Samuel arranged for us to have a daily trash pick-up at our door but we are not sure, communication being what it is. This morning we saw the neighbor's bag outside her door and did the same. At 11:00 the doorbell rang and a woman who is obviously the designated hall cleaner and garbage remover began telling me in Armenian what the terms were. Happily an upstairs neighbor was coming by and explained to me in English that this daily service would cost us 3000AMD/month, which is about $7.50. 

What happens with the garbage is that it is tossed on a pile (really--no dumpster) behind the music school and then at some intervals (we saw it happen Sunday) a truck comes along and two men fork it (watermelon rinds to plastic bags) onto a big tarp and then into a dump truck. Either way, there is no evidence of recycling of any kind that we have seen. There are trash cans in public places and many drinking fountains, both good public health measures.

Recognizing a mailbox has not been easy. In the post office on Republic Square there is a painted blue wooden box in the center of the counter where all mail goes. There is no logo or other signage on it. I saw a painted blue box on the front of a building near our apartment but it has no writing or symbols on it either. My Reinka DNA prevents me from putting anything into that box until I know it is actually a mailbox.

Such adventures in keeping house and interacting with shopkeepers produce some frustrations, discoveries, a lot of laughs and small triumphs of problem-solving. If I get that laundry whitened up a bit I may wear my pearls later this week. Thank goodness we found that sauvignon blanc.

Night at the Opera (House)

Classical Music in Yerevan

We are thrilled to be here for a six-week long International Music Festival, which begins tonight. This is a series of concerts by the Armenian Philharmonic in which soloists from other countries are featured. They are all being given in the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in the Opera House. 

This is a grand circular building with Cinderella marble staircases, the centers of which are covered in red carpeting. Really, its size and style seem to call for long dresses and tiaras, but alas, Yerevan is like everywhere else. People wore whatever they wanted. Some were dressed up and then there were much more informal outfits. 

The concert hall itself has very good acoustics and is beautifully decorated with spectacular chandeliers--three of them over the orchestra seating. The colors are subtle greys, creams, and gold, with red velvet in small doses.

Our first experience was I Solisti Veneti--the soloists from Venice. We sat in the first balcony in seats that were the most expensive, at 5,000 AMD, or the equivalent of $12.50. Peter wondered if these prices were a holdover from when Armenia was a Soviet Socialist republic (cheap seats way upstairs are $1.25).

We arrived at 6:45 for a 7:00 performance but were among only a few people in the very hot hall at that time. Most people arrived just at 7:00 and the concert did not start on time. This concert was co-sponsored by the Italian Embassy so we got treated to a seemingly endless speech by the Italian ambassador, which was translated in chunks by a lovely Armenian woman who also announced the program as we went. No printed programs were available.

Differences from a similar concert at home that we observed: people of all ages; no announcements about shutting down devices; people talking throughout; turning lights up occasionally even though it was not intermission. The majority of women over men was probably not different than at home. Another huge difference was that cellphones went off throughout the concert. One woman who was sitting directly in front of us even took a call. I think my jaw dropped open.  She then proceeded to teach her young son how to use the phone. Another woman to the left worked text messages and her calendar. By American standards these various behaviors (talking throughout and using phones) are very disrespectful. I kept closing my eyes to zone out the distractions. Denise finally reached her limit and we left before the last piece. That said, I Solisti Veneti performed beautifully; the oboe soloist being my favorite.

Tonight's concert features works by Hartounian, an Armenian composer, as well as several European composers. We are curious to see if the audience behavior is any different for this series.Maybe everyone will be so busy gazing at the Conductor they will be more quiet. Stay tuned...