I love you, Jon Stewart

Happy Almost Halloween. Please enjoy the oldie from the Daily Show. It's Ed Helms trick-or-treating on Embassy Row. He happens upon the Armenian Embassy after rejections from the Egyptians & Brazilians.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-31-2002/d-c--halloween

Katuner (Cats)

I welcomed some more music exposure into my life last night. At Yerevan's Club 12, I saw Katuner, means "cats" in Armenian, play some fine jazz. The club itself was a smokey, cozy place,(unfortunately everyone, in Armenia smokes like a chimney), but it makes for good atmosphere.

After frequenting the Chicago's music strongholds like Kingston Mines and the Green Mill in my last years of college, I found myself feeling like a jazz and blues know it all, despite being far, far from it. Learning more about how jazz has manifested itself in different ways throughout the world's cities has been an vague interest of mine for sometime. Getting to see how the Armenians actually mix their different flutes and employ home spun rhythms into a Charlie Parker rendition brings a sort of amazing cross-cultural purpose and creative exposure to being in a new country.

Back to the band, Katuner, was founded five years ago by Vahagn Hayrapetyan, who is the force behind the jazz scene here. Vahagn is a middle aged man with a New York Yankee's fan from the Bronx look to him. When he plays his energy is contagious.

This YouTube piece is poorly cut, but gives you a good idea of the band:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGI3zIjvIKo

Vahagn is on the keyboards, his band includes guys who play the trumpet, saxophone, cello, trombone, as well as different wind and percussion instruments. Everyone in the band comes out of the Armenian Navy Band (more on them later). Katuner just came out with a new CD. Their first three songs on their myspace page gives you a good taste of what they do.

http://www.myspace.com/katuner

Fall Food

In Dilijan, I ate a simple, but delicious mushroom & apricot soup which reminded me about how good stewed fruits can be.



As for fresh fall fruits, the sister-in-law of the b&b owner I stayed with asked me to go on a walk with her. We ended up in the home of local artist named Aesop (as in the fables). It seemed they both were eager for me buy some of his works, lots of sculptures made out of twigs and sticks. Unfortunately, I am not rolling in drams here so I politely refused and in return was offered coffee, pears, and roasted nuts. Not a bad deal.

Trip to Dilijan

Over the weekend I visited what lonely planet claims Armenians claim is the "Switzerland" of the country. I spoke to a bunch of Armenians and they swear they have never called it that. Needless to say, it's a lovely little town nestled in the north of Armenia. Near by are two 12th century monasteries. I stayed in a cheap, but delightful B&B. There was an American couple there who had been traveling the world for a year. Tons of interesting stories ranging from Mongolians to Iranians. I learned that about 40% of Mongolians are still nomadic and that it's hard to find anything to eat but meat and dairy in the country.

The first picture above is a typical (though one of the dilapidated verions) of Dilijan's architecture. Intricate woodwork provides an ornate feel to many homes.

The old stone churches in the picture below are part of the Goshvank Monestary.


A view of the town taken from the valley below. Apple trees were in full bloom throughout the little mountain town.

Flutes

The Armenians like the flute. The duduk, a woodwind flute, is an indigenous instrument here in the Caucasus. I got my first taste of it a few nights ago. A band from Yerevan was playing with an Armenian-American from California. I could do without the the American guy's vocals (though the audience liked him). The band on the other hand had a talented musician who moved between a flute and a violin. The flute mixed especially well with the band's two guitars.

Jivan Gasparyan, a duduk talent, plays some wonderful, if haunting music with the instrument. You can listen to him...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDmeeGXip6U

A Flower Culture

When I first moved here, I asked a Polish girl who I met what she liked most about Armenia. She said two things - first how Armenians still respect their elders and second how lovely it is that everyone gives flowers to each other.

As in the picture, these flower stands dot the cityscape. On any give evening you can see many women walking around with flowers that significant others or friends have given to them. Just a couple nights ago I was out with some folks and one of the guys in the group fell back while we were walking through the center of the city only later to return a moment later with roses for all of the women in the group

Mashtots Excursion

My tutor suggested I go on excursion with his university students to an excursion this past weekend. The trip was an ode to Mesrop Mashtots, who as I have mentioned before, invented the Armenian alphabet. We went to a church in his honor where he is buried as well as a few stops along the road that exhibits all of the letters of the Armenian alphabet. The picture is of the letter M.

The overwhelming amount of students were pretty young, like 17/18 and were Armenians from Georgia, the Ukraine, and Turkmanistan. They come to Yerevan to learn Armenian and to eventually study here. I befriended two guys who were a bit older, one a Spanish Armenian and another an Israeli Armenian. Most shocking was the love that these 17 year old boys have for Shakira. They used their cell phones as stereos and blasted "Shakira, Shakira!" for most of the ride. Annoying at first but it did become entertaining when they made the isle of the bus their dance floor. Picture eight teen age boys fighting for dance space, screaming Shakira, in a strange Caucasian dance off. That was my Saturday.

Who's the Boss?

Yup, that's right. Even in Yerevan, the Boss reigns supreme. A few nights ago I found this Bucknell U. poster hanging near a dark corner at Dro's Bar on Sayrian Street. I kind of freaked out when I saw.

When I tell people I come from the land of Bruce Springsteen they are not sure who he is. Then I start singing "Born in the USA" to clarify. Immediate recognition ensues. Speaking of Jersey musicians. My landlord is an elderly man. He has an inclination to play his radio loudly. Instead of the usual sounds of the news that greet me from his wall. This morning, while brushing my teeth, I was surprised not hear any news. Then, I could have sworn I heard Bon Jovi's "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Not sure, I got closer to the wall and heard, "six string on my back." Sounded like Bon Jovi to me. Not a huge fan of the song, but somehow it seemed amazing that my 80 something year-old neighbor was listening to this Jersey boy's song.

World Cup Qualifier

Armenia and Turkey played a World Cup Qualifier last night in Bursa, Turkey.



Armenia lost 2-0. Armenia's President sat side by side with Turkey's. This completed a year long soccer diplomacy spearheaded by Armenia's invitation last fall to President Gul to watch a match in Yerevan (yes, unfortunately Armenia lost that one too).

I watched the game with some co-workers at a new bar in the center of the city owned by two international couples. My office mates were a bit surprised to see me shouting at the screen for Armenia's lack of offense.

Some folks here are not happy that Sargisian went..they see it as further reaffirming the protocols and are worried about what Armenians are giving up doing business with the Turkish government. I see it as following through on diplomatic efforts to re-engage. Though people are starting to tell me that I am becoming too objective. Maybe so, but I would have done anything to get on that soccer field and assist team Armenian, who, by the way, pull talent from 3 million people vs. Turkey's 70 million...I know I am making excuses.

Cheese-less Pizza

I like pizza - a lot. I was blessed to spend a childhood munching on Jersey pizza from places like Da Vinci's and Luigi's. Spending four years near Chicago introduced me to the wonders of deep dish. In DC I had my shameful experiences with the bad (but oh so good) jumbo slice and went to heaven at 2 Amys.



So imagine my surprise upon tasting "lahmejune" the name for Armenia's cheese-less pizza. As a cheese lover, I was skeptic at first, but at 33 cents a pop, it was worth a try. One bite sold me on this deliciousness consisting of light, chewy dough and spicy meet and herbs.

Here's a recipe from Azniv Charkoudian

Ingredients:

Dough:
6 cups flour
5 tbsp. shortening
1½ tsp. salt
1 pkg. yeast
3 tbsp. sugar
2 cups warm water

2 lbs. lamb or beef, ground once
2 cups canned tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
pinch of cayenne
pinch of blk. pepper
2 med. onions, finely chopped
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
½ cup green pepper, finely chopped

Directions:

Dough:
Place yeast and 1 tbsp. sugar in ½ cup water and let stand for a few minutes. Use a dutch oven type pan with cover for kneading dough. Combine 6 cups flour, 1½ tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. sugar, 3 tbsp. shortening, 1½ cups water. Add yeast preparation and knead. Use remaining 2 tbsps. shortening on hand and rub on bottom of pan as you knead dough. This procedure will clean hand and bottom of pan of sticky dough. When dough is smooth, place cover on pan and place pan in oven which has been warmed for only 1 minute. Let stand until dough is double in size (about 2-3 hours).

Meat Filling:
Place all ingredients in bowl and mix well. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Rolling out of dough:
Take raised dough and make 12 balls. Now cut each ball in half, making a total of 24 balls. Place balls on tray sprinkled with flour. Let stand 10 minutes.

Roll out each ball to 7″ diameter and place on cookie sheet. Place 1½ heaping tablespoons of meat mixture on each rolled dough and spread evenly. Bake in 450o oven. Place tray on bottom shelf for 10 minutes and then move to top shelf for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and place, staggered, on a tray to cool. (do not stack) When cold, stack with meat filling facing each other and place in refrigerator. When serving, it can be warmed by placing in a 325o oven for 5 minutes. May also be served cold.

Makes 2 dozen

2791

So it looks like Secretary of State Clinton "saved" the protocols last night in Zurich and now the Prime Minister of Turkey is back placing a precondition re: NKR and how Armenians must withdraw. Politics as usual. I have nothing wise to offer regarding all of this so lets talk about something happy. Yerevan's annual celebration of its birthday today was a real treat. The city patted itself on the back for turning 2791 years old.



There were concerts everywhere, tons of musical dance troops performing and what seemed like thousands of children shouting "Yerevan! Yerevan!" Everyone seemed out and about and truly celebrating their city.

Zurich

In about an hour Sec. State Clinton, her Russian counterpart, will join the Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers at the University of Zurich to sign the protocols. I was wrong about there not being any big protests in Yerevan. Last night, about 40,000 folks marched through the streets protesting the accord. So there is definitely anger here too. There are also folks who seem to grudgingly accept that this needs to be done, but worry that the economic gains will only go to the few. This remains to be seen. Once the protocols are signed, both government's must ratify them which will be a lengthy process.

Anyway, tomorrow Yerevan celebrates is 2791st birthday. Will get some good pictures up from the festivities.

A note on pointy shoes

While, women in Armenia dress rather well. The great majority of men here seem to have an obsession with pointy shoes and nylon dress shirts. More on the nylon obsession later. Though I am no fashion connoisseur, it has been hard not to notice the ever present pointy shoe phenomena. When I see a guy not wearing triangular footwear I smile and remember that in this pointy shoe world there are those that dare to break the dress code. I badly wanted to sneak hidden camera shots of some of Yerevan's usual suspects, but worried that I would naturally insult them. I promise to find a way to get some live action shots up soon.

Please click here to see this blogger's perfect example of the pointy shoes that haunt me here...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bp1.blogger.com/_h9e_SRUgbZo/SBHe7l_UDmI/AAAAAAAAAEM/UrD9SGuVU-M/s400/patent01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.shoesmendhearts.com/2008/04/indieness.html&usg=__0aDQVo4dT32iowmNK2YaSFtocXc=&h=300&w=400&sz=22&hl=en&start=4&sig2=fcPu4H7WMoAniRLDRmdQTA&um=1&tbnid=oPd1axlGnhRTzM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpointy%2Bshoes%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26um%3D1&ei=6ePNSpuFOYuK_Abhtoz2Aw

Some Thoughts on the Iran - Armenia Relationship

I just finished reading Vartan Gregorian's memoir. Gregorian, currently the president the Carnegie Corporation, served successful stints as the president of Brown University and the New York City Public Library. Gregorian is an Armenian from Tabriz, Iran, a town I had not heard of until moving to Armenia. There are many Armenians in Iran. The Persian Empire ruled over parts of modern day Armenia from the early 16th century to the early 19th century.

The modern day relationship between Iran and Armenia is complicated. Armenia, blockaded by Azerbaijan to its east and Turkey to its west, depends heavily on Russian goods (transported through Georgia). Armenia also imports goods from Turkey via Georgia. Armenia has turned to Iran to balance out its dependence on Russia, but also to protect itself from future Georgia-Russia conflicts. Oil rich Iran serves as an important energy partner. None of this makes Washington happy. And while the Iranian government can be accurately accused of being a authoritarian state that kills protesters and spews antisemitism, Armenian's relationship with Iran is really not that different than so many of America's relationships with some of its shady oil partners (Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria)

I have been enlightened by reading Pepe Escobar's work. If you are interested in energy politics and it profound effect on international relations you may also like him. He writes insightful pieces for Asia Times and has a series of short video pieces for the Real News Network.

Here is an example of him breaking down the Moscow/Tehran relationship

http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=4078

And his most recent article on understanding the petropolitics of the Nabucco pipeline in my neighborhood.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/KJ03Ag01.html

International Animation Film Festival

Yerevan is currently hosting ReAnimania, an international animation film festival. The more I learn about animation the more I am affected by how artists use the medium to portray a wide range of heavy issues. On Saturday I went to see Persepolis, which came out two years ago, but made its film debut here. The subtitles were in Armenian and the movie in French, definitely a test to my wavering comprehension of the French Language. If you haven't seen Persepolis I highly recommend watching it. It sheds some light on Iran's contemporary history.



The movie got me thinking more about the Iranian government and it's former Persian Empire. Iran is Armenia's neighbor to the south and it is not uncommon to see Iranian trucks in the streets or Iranian tourists. Some more thoughts on this later.

The film festival wraps up Tuesday, tonight they are screening "Idiots and Angels" and tomorrow, "Sita Sings the Blues."

Protocols

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian has embarked on a week long diaspora tour to meet with Armenians living in Paris, LA, Rostov-ov-Don (a southern city in Russia), and Beirut. His goal - speak to his fellow Armenians about the importance of the protocols and to hear their concerns...and they have a lot of concerns.



High on the list of the detractors of the Turkish-Armenia protocols to normalization of diplomatic relations (ie opening up the border and establishing diplomatic representation) include fears that

1) Turkey is asking Armenia to question the veracity of the Armenian Genocide by setting up a joint historical commission to examine it

2)Turkey is forcing Armenia to recognize the joint border in a way that legally and psychologically renounces claims to western Armenia (modern day eastern Turkey)

3)The possibility that Nagorno Karabakh, though not directly linked to the normalization process, will become a sacrificial lamb -- that the Turks wont actually open the border until Karabakh is settled in a way that favors Azerbaijan's interests over the people of Karabakh.



In Yerevan there is debate and many of these points are being discussed, but I do not get a sense that the country is revolting against these protocols. The attached pictures are of the main protests coming from the Dashnak Party, the oldest Armenian political party, who for the past four weeks have had folks sit on the steps outside the Armenian Government protesting. I walk by almost every night and there are many old men singing and young teenagers distributing literature on the problems of the protocols.

I know its trite to talk about the potential economic benefits if the border opens -- it is what every booster of this issue says. It can even be insensitive when discussed at the expense of the deeper psychological and moral issues. IE -- when folks say, I know the Turkish government practices genocide denial, but we need to put the past behind us, roll up our sleeves and start doing business.

Maybe it's callous to think so much about the potential economic benefits, but it is difficult not to and it's the reality of day to day life not just in relatively well to do Yerevan, but outside the city. Armenia's economy contracted by 15% (so says the IMF by studying the country's GDP over the past year).

Like in America, the Armenian government needs to do some internal soul searching and reexamining of its economic structures. Looking outward is not the only solution and Armenia does not need Turkish markets.

But it does needs something, open borders wouldn't hurt.

Back to Lunch

There is much to write about concerning politics and international affairs right now in my neighborhood, but I found today's lunch so good that I thought it was time to get down what I am actually eating.



A simple way to cook trout:

--olive oil
--chopped parsley
--salt, pepper
--behead fish, clean it
--season with salt and pepper
--fry for five minutes on both sides

Baba Ganoush - a delightful eggplant dish

2 medium eggplants
1 bulb garlic
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup tahini paste
Juice of one lemon
salt & pepper

Baba Ganoush is meant to have a smokey eggplant flavor. .

Oven Temp: 400°
Pan Type: sheet pan

Preheat your oven.

--slit the eggplant
--place the eggplants into a pan
--Put pan into the oven and roast for roughly 45 minutes or until the eggplant collapses
--when cooled chop off the head of the eggplant, cut in half, and then the skin will easily peal off.
--Many recipes will say to place everything into a food processor. This is not the traditional way, but if you don't like seeds or chunks of eggplant, then do that. Our office's manager who also cooks for us just chops the eggplant very finely.
--As for the garlic, also chop finely and add salt. Mash chopped garlic and salt together until you have a paste and mix into eggplant.
--It is optional to add a half cup of plain yogurt which will cut the bitterness of the eggplant
--pour in 1/4 cup of tahini (sesame paste)
--squeeze juice of one lemon
--stir with whisk

Our office manager also chops red and green peppers into the dish at the end. Or you can just use them for dipping.

Enjoy