Amazing nearby and Russian-Georgian improvisation with eggplant (recipe with photo)

The content of the article

1 Talent concentration
2 Pity industry
3 Parkers
4 Amazing near
5 Improvisation with eggplant from Alena Vatiashvili

Talent concentration

Georgians are a diverse, strong, educated, tenacious and tenacious nation. I will not give world examples. His shirt is closer to the body. I will touch only Georgians in Russia. It is no secret that they have made and are making a significant contribution to the development of our country. This applies to different areas. One has only to take a closer look.

Let's start with politics? Joseph Stalin - Generalissimo of the Soviet Union, Lavrenty Beria, USSR Minister of Internal Affairs, Grigory Ordzhonikidze, People's Commissar.

Participation in the Great Patriotic War - the banner of the Victory over the Reichstag was hoisted by two, one of them Georgians - Meliton Kantaria.

In medicine - Leonid Bokeria, an outstanding doctor, heart surgeon, organizer of medical science, Honored Scientist of Russia, Lenin Prize Laureate, teacher, professor.

In literature, he conquered the whole of Russia with his historical novels and detectives, Grigory Chkhartishvili, literary critic, Japanese scientist, translator, commonly known as Boris Akunin.

In music show business, everyone knows Soso Pavliashvili, Tamara Gverdtsiteli, Nani Bregvadze, the Meladze brothers, Diana Gurtskaya, Bulat Okudzhava, Grigory Leps, Irakli Pirtskhalava, Keti Topuria.

Tina Kandelaki came across on TV as the host of the fastest pace of speech, Kote Makharadze was a famous sports commentator.

Nikolai Tsiskaridze achieved outstanding success in the ballet.

In the cinema, they created unforgettable images of Sofiko Chiaureli (“A Million in a Wedding Basket”, “Look for a Woman”), Vakhtang Kikabidze (“Mimino”), Archil Gomiashvili (Ostap Bender in “12 Chairs”), Kakhi Kavsadze (Abdullah in the “White Sun in the Desert” "), Sergo Zakariadze (" Father of the soldier ").

In cinema, the brilliant director Georgy Danelia created the masterpieces “I walk in Moscow”, “Do not Cry”, “Gentlemen of Fortune”, “Afonya”, “Mimino”, “Autumn Marathon”, “Kin-dza-dza” and others.

In art - monumental sculptures of Zurab Tsereteli adorn the cities of Russia.

I note that these are just some of the outstanding Georgians of the past and present centuries. And if you dig a little further, in the old days ...

There is even a version that many historians support. Allegedly the biological father of Peter I was the king of Imereti and Kakheti Archil II. By the way, with the consent of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in order to intermarry with the ancient royal dynasty of Bagration-Mukhransky. I don’t know whether to believe or not. But Archil II himself came to Russia twice. And he stayed with us, although he was the heir to the Georgian throne. He served faithfully at the Russian court, was a diplomat, was engaged in literary activities. He is one of the founders of Georgian settlements in Moscow, with him the first Georgian printing house opened. He was buried in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery.

Impressive? That is why my local friends and acquaintances, having once again heard about the success of some of their compatriots in Russia, proudly exclaim: “This is where you are without us ?!”

Indeed, it is difficult to find a nation so warmly related to the Russians and at the same time making such a significant contribution to the development of Russia.

Please note that there really are not so many Georgians. Imagine a concentration of talent? A little more than three and a half million people now live in their homeland. Up to about a million expats around the world. There is even a joke on this subject.

One Chinese man asks: “How many Georgians are there at all?” They answer him: “Four and a half million.” To which the Chinese again asks the question: "What hotel do they live in?"

Pity industry

- Madonna! Beauty! Give me a Russian denyuzhku! - usually this is how a crowd of gypsies greets me at Tbilisi Airport. They grab hold of hands, clothes, look into their eyes, mutter nonstop, beg. They behave extremely intrusive. But do not regret it, I do not even recommend stopping - they will squeeze everything.Once I poured coins of 5 and 10 rubles into the hand of one extremely dirty girl, so in response I heard dissatisfaction and the insistent request for paper money of higher dignity. Barely untied.

There was a case that my husband got stuck in traffic and was late for the plane. I went outside, where I became a victim of gypsy children. They surrounded me and viciously voted. The Georgians saved me, having dispersed this crowd of arrogant and pestering beggars.

I have never seen such a developed system of luring people out of money through pity. Beggars everywhere and in any weather: they guard the cars at the traffic lights, look out the windows, shaking dirty clothes right on you. Persistently asking for bread. Women - with babies, beg for food. Teenagers, moreover, of a rather presentable appearance, with plastic containers of piggy banks, are supposedly being collected for the construction of churches or to help people with disabilities (even photos of these mutilated people are poked in your face).

They ask from churches, sometimes they behave aggressively and assertively: they run and shout loudly after them. They ask, lying on the sidewalks, substituting cups for money. They ask in metro crossings, in markets, in crowded places, right on the tracks. Always ready to tell the story of their suffering, adversity and the vicissitudes of fate.

I don’t know how on others, but this affects me strongly. Annoying and depressing - I do not like it when they bother me with other people's problems and load it with unnecessary information.

Parkers

But I like this profession in Georgia. Parking here are colorful. And so interesting! I met lively, noisy, funny and ... cross-eyed, drunk and decrepit from old age ... In general, different. But they are all in branded vests, with wands. And very important. The fact is that many streets, especially in the old part of Tbilisi, are very narrow. Parking is extremely difficult. And the parking lot here is king and god. He can hold a place, and give advice, and sometimes save a car from evacuation.

Now I do not mean paid parking, there are their employees, but ordinary streets of the capital. With parking, everything is strict. There is a special marking on the road, only there you can leave the car. Places are limited. You also need to have a special “I love Tbilisi” coupon to leave cars on some streets of the city. There are a lot of subtleties. But you can figure it out, and even more so get advice from a valet.

By the way, there are such lazy representatives of this honorable profession that appear when you leave. And they look carefully at you: they are waiting for a bribe. From 20 tetri (kopecks) and above - is required to pay, unspoken rule. Otherwise, they spit in the back.

Amazing near

Tension of fantasy, work of thought, creative flight. All this is needed for walks in the capital of Georgia. Here, the magnificent natural landscape is complemented by the creations of people: architects and artists.

Given the absolutely unstable economic state of the country, in the absence of reforms, a clear political course and the presence of monstrous unemployment, Georgians manage to see, appreciate, love and create beauty.

In Tbilisi, pronounced characteristic buildings of buildings.

They are supplemented by creating a unique mysterious flavor, wonderful sculptures, monuments, grape arches. They are everywhere: on bridges, in parks and squares, near stairs, etc.

Some people like them, some don't. But one thing is clear - they do not leave indifferent. Willfully think about the author’s plan. Isn't that the calling of art? You can just wander the streets of Tbilisi and be surprised. The blessing is what. A huge lonely standing bicycle or humanoid type of figure in sloppy poses, a dandelion fountain or just an LED stele.

In addition to this, I note the design of cafes and restaurants. It is always an immersion in the river of time. Here you feel involvement in culture and everyday life: wicker fences, clay jugs, animal skins, daggers, vine and barbecues.

Some buildings and summer verandas are decorated with old red (and very expensive!) Tbilisi brick.

Sometimes already at the entrance you meet a burly figure of a wax Georgian with wine in a goblet or khinkali on a tray. Instant take off mood! You already want to try everything that is cooked here.

There are no faceless food establishments in Georgia.All restaurants and even small eateries convey the character, temperament or theme conceived by the owners.

There are no unnecessary details - whether it is straw, knocking out from under the canopy, or life-size puppets of Georgian peasants, or enlarged photographs of the shopping arcades of old Tiflis - all this harmoniously emphasizes the atmosphere, brightness, and identity of the country and people. And, of course, heats up the appetite!

And at the end of this story about the amazing, my friend Alena offers you her improvisation with eggplant. You may ask, what is so unusual here? But the fact is that a similar Georgian recipe for eggplant requires chopped walnuts. But Alena is half Russian, therefore, in this recipe she showed her love for mayonnaise, which today will be simply a necessary ingredient.

Improvisation with eggplant from Alena Vatiashvili

I hasten to assure you that the eggplants in mayonnaise are excellent and fit like any cold appetizer to main dishes. By the way, Alena's frequent guests from Russia and Europe adore her Russian-Georgian cuisine, including improvisations with vegetables.

To prepare eggplant with mayonnaise, we need:

2 kg of eggplant;
1 tsp. spices suneli: dry ground cilantro, red flower, utsho-suneli;
2 cloves of garlic;
1 onion;
200 g light mayonnaise;
salt;
sunflower oil for frying.

Well? Are we getting started? To begin with, my eggplant (can be peeled), cut into lengths of strips 0.5 cm thick. Salt and leave for an hour, so that all the bitterness comes out.