Georgian Memories – Facts & Humor

Copyrights © GASPER CRASTO


~Gasper Crasto / Kuwait...11.08.2018
Georgia in Europe, a former Soviet Union republic from its breakup in 1991, is becoming increasingly popular probably because it is one of the few places on earth which can be visited without much of visa restrictions.
It’s difficult not to love the country especially the capital city Tbilisi, for the many green parks, rivers, lakes, cable & boat rides and its breath-taking architecture of old churches and modern structures.
Esparansa and our daughter Angel had a gala time.
However, as I found myself editing photos of our trip, I was overcome with a sense of blah. Despite spending almost a week in Tbilisi and giving it a solid chance, I just didn’t get it.
NOTHING GREAT ABOUT GEORGIA
I found the place to be uninspiring as a European country.
The Georgians seem ethically opposed to including more than one color on the plate which is very weird.
Here in the Gulf (Kuwait), we have plenty of restaurants serving all kinds of food except pork, while in Georgia am sure they won’t do without a pork medallion at every serving.
We tried a few good restaurants, the ‘Khinkali’ (Georgian traditional dish consisting of little dumplings filled with minced meat) and ‘Kachapuri’ (a dish of cheese-filled bread) which are common.
Well, Goans can’t do without rice no matter which part of the world we may be. Regrettably I was unable to find my favorite Goan fish-curry-rice anywhere in Georgia.
But then, what better way to experience a country if not for its local cuisine?
GEORGIAN FOOD – QUITE AN EXPERIENCE
Best part of the trip was the food.
Eating ‘Khinkali’ local style was challenging but great fun as we did our best to suck out the broth from the ‘dumplings’ before it dribbled down our chins.
Georgian food is reasonably priced. A full meal at a medium-budget restaurant including starters, main course (and a giant glass of draught beer) typically cost about 25 Georgian Lari (Rs 700/-) per head.
However, an order placed for a variety of dishes would be brought on the table in no particular order, even if the items are listed as starters or main courses on the menu.
Georgian portions are huge and you are never advised about the serving size of the dish unless you ask specifically.
Price is no indication of quantity since a medium priced dish might include a whole ‘pigling’ or chicken clubbed with a field of potatoes and vegetables while a more expensive dish might be very small.
Whatever the case, we always ordered far too much food even when we really tried to limit the number of dishes.
On the bright side of things, we became responsible for the well-being of half of Georgia’s stray cats and dog population. It was good as we hardly get to see stray or any kinda dogs in Kuwait.
GEORGIAN & GOAN WINE: THE DIFFERENCE
Georgian ‘wine’ tasted ‘fine’ – and it's everywhere - to be tasted free - including the co-ops and roadsides, but it didn’t live up to the hype. It can not beat Goa's famous Port Wine am sure, and of course never our cherished Caju feni.
I enjoyed beer in Georgia though; and sometimes I was already high just 'tasting' the free wine every place we went.
All in all, even though this was not the highlight of our trip, it provided a very relaxing, almost luxurious break from the harsh summer in Kuwait where temperatures in August are near to the 50°C mark.
I noted that Georgian restaurants typically do not have dessert options on their menus. For people visiting Georgia, I recommend carrying some chocolate bars along if you have a craving to eat something sweet after food.
Our favorite restaurant was Taghlaura, next to Hotel Asterion Palace, Orthachala, Tbilisi. There was loud singing there whenever we visited.
We got to watch local dancing as well there. The food they served was fantastic but we felt that the service was very abrupt possibly due to the large sea of tourists.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE
Some of my best sights in Georgia, even in the interior villages and hilly regions where there were hardly any houses, were about garbage bins.
They have the bins every nook and corner – rock-hard giant metal bins.Am certain we cannot have this luxury implemented in Goa.
If we leave a fancy-looking metal or plastic bin out in a remote area, chances are we will never see it again. We cannot blame our ‘poor’ government for this debacle; we should organize ourselves to tend to our own garbage around.
I have to give Georgia its credit. As a country which has been in war with Russia just a few years back, Georgia has done well recovering its image and promoting itself as a safe and desirable tourist place in a way that other countries have not.
Am sure one day I’ll go back to Georgia and give it another chance – after all, there is so much more to Georgia than just one Tbilisi. And I’m fully prepared that I’ll change my opinion then.
A ‘STUNNER’ OF THE TRIP
Our tour guide who was with us all the days of the trip spoke about Goa – Anjuna, Vagator, Baga more often than Tbilisi or Georgia.
While he cursed the Russians, Armenians, Azerbaijans, Turks and the Georgian President for all the unemployment and inflation in Georgia; he said he was looking forward to his annual vacation in Goa coming December.

 His continuous commentaries on Goa being a heaven of a place made me miss my Goa more than the fish-curry-rice..!!!
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