Cheese & Hams

Having been thrust into a completely different culture, little observations seem to be what I am enthralled with the most. Big things, like living in a predominantly Muslim country, bring an attitude adjustment or at least a better understanding of completely foreign concepts, but the little nuances have been the most fun to observe. A couple of things were more prevalent in Almaty, but to my delight, both have made their way across the Caspian to Baku.

Both Almaty and Baku are stocked with patio bars, lining the congested streets, offering umbrellas and comfy furniture as respite from the summer's heat. Many of these specialize in their own yummy microbrews and fresh grilled shashlyk - they call it barbeque, but it's what Americans would call kebobs. The most common appetizer is chechel, a smoked, slightly hardened string cheese, de-stringed. The chechel resembles cooked spaghetti and is best balled up in the palm of your hand and shoved right down the hatch. The sharp taste of the salty cheese, followed by a big gulp of beer can't be beat! We've had our fair share of chechel and it is consistently delicious. At every pub, sidewalk cafe or prime restaurant, you will find patrons relaxing with a cold drink, chatting noisily with their friends and sloppily eating big bites of string cheese.

(When in Rome.....)

In Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath," he describes the men as discussing their impending trip west while "sitting on their hams." Having never seen this in practice, it took me a few moments to get a visual image - feet planted on the ground, bent at the knees into a very deep squat position, literally, putting all of one's weight on the hamstrings. It seems that all of the construction workers, taxi drivers, teenagers on cell phones and even business men on smoke breaks have been briefed about sitting on the hams - keeps the seat of the pants from getting dirty and probably relieves lower back strain. I'm just not sure how they so easily spring up from that low of a crouch.