Soy Milk, Coffee and Georgian Wine

Posted: 5:45pm January16, 2009

January 13, 2009

7:30 pm

“When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of knowledge. . . .The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops, the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter, if you do not carry them within your soul, if your heart does not set them up before you . . .” taken from Constantine Cavafy’s “Ithaca.”

Yay! for the Continental Supermarket which definitely cheered up my day! If nothing else it made me feel brilliant for bringing peanut butter with me—they are the first grocery market here I have seen that sells peanut butter, and they were selling half-size jars for 7.9 manats, or about 10 dollars!!! Brilliant work, Anna. My goal was to buy pesto to accompany pasta dishes made at home with olive oil and garlic, but alas, the small pesto jars cost more than $10 each. No pesto for Anna. I DID buy some meringues, some marzipan, some toilet paper, some instant coffee and . . . wait for it . . . SOY milk!! I was so excited to see the “soja!” I can’t wait to have coffee and soy milk tomorrow with breakfast.

Note: As a lactose-intolerant member of society I am always thrilled to see dairy-alternatives . . . this does not mean that I support the way soybeans are grown, nor does it mean that I am unaware of the huge amount of hormones both added and inherent to soy. However, Lactaid milk is not available here. J

As I came out of the market I was surprised to see an empty road. It turned out that the whole area around the Hyatt (where the continental supermarket is) was blocked off and there were police everywhere. As I walked back to my apartment I crossed through blocked traffic and very unhappy drivers. I think some very important person must have been coming through!

As far as food adventures go, I’m still eating a lot of lentil soup, and occasionally other forms of soups as well (borsht, red pepper). At home I have tried a few just-add-hot-water soups ala Ramen, although not nearly as delicious. There is a nice restaurant right near the office that is a bit pricey but their pizzas are a deal—for 6 manats ($7.20) I get a big delicious pizza covered in toppings (including shredded chicken, which is really quite lovely). I can only finish half, and I get to take half back to my apartment for dinner another night . . . still more expensive than donor kebab, but it turns out I can’t actually eat those every night. I actually cooked last night (pasta, oil and garlic as mentioned above), but as my kitchen is not overly well equipped I won’t be cooking any feasts any time soon.

When you boil the water here (as you must if you want to drink it—I drank some the first few days and didn’t get sick, but apparently you aren’t supposed to drink it), the calcium separates out and you are left with quite a bit of white sediment. Very strange. I was much reassured when I learned it was just calcium.

Jan 15, 2009 9:00pm.

I have been enjoying a very fun week filled with “English Conversation Clubs” that have been very exciting. My “students” ask me all sorts of things, including how I think we should solve the problem in Gaza, and if I think Jesus was really God or just a man. We are solving world problems and discussing the fundamentals of world religion. We’ve also discussed the genetic factors in physical attraction, and why love might or might not defy such factors (they are a romantic bunch). I have learned a great deal about the history of Azerbaijan (did you know that in 1918 Azerbaijan declared its independence, and as such was the first democracy in the Muslim world? It lasted for 2 years until the Soviets showed up), the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and education in Baku. Everyone is very interested in the graduate school offerings in the U.S., and how it might be possible to get a Masters without spending a fortune.

While usually I head home after work, yesterday I had some energy so I went walking in downtown Baku. I have been trying to find a Russian restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet, but have continuously been coming up empty-handed. Instead I found a Georgian restaurant (“Duxan”) which was lovely. I had absolutely delicious eggplant with walnut sauce, and then a spicy beef and rice soup. I must say that the highlight of the meal was my glass of Georgian semi-sweet red wine. An absolute knock-out. I have to figure out where I can purchase some to bring home!

This past Sunday I had a lovely time walking around Baku, and just exploring and poking around in shops. It was a lovely sunny day, upper 30s and not too windy . . . ideal for wandering. I found myself in a fancy coffee shop where I had a delicious cappuccino and had an interesting encounter with an elderly American gentleman. We wound up going to the ballet later that evening, where we watched a very interesting Azeri-style ballet. As I predicted, it was a love-tragedy. I was only surprised that only 2 of the 3 people in the love triangle died, and not all three. The literary and artistic forms here seem to be heavy on the tragedy and the romance.

I finished Ali and Nino, which ended in tragedy, but overall was an excellent introduction to Arab culture, and to Azerbaijan in the 1917-1920 era. I am now reading my fifth Paulo Coelho book, “The Zahir,” which I am enjoying. Having limited my baklava intake, I am now devouring marzipan . . . I must find a happy medium. Work is fun, and the office has heat (yay!), and we are busily preparing for the conference.

This weekend I believe I will be shown some older bits of Baku that I have not yet seen, and hopefully on Sunday I will go with some friends to see the “Fire Temple” in a nearby town.

For further information on Azerbaijan, please see the NISA website: nisa.az, which may be under construction but should have information under “Country Profile.” I just wrote it today.

Cheers!