Living with a host family sometimes felt like I was grounded from using the kitchen. I love cooking, but being a permanent guest of sorts meant that your food was served to you. It meant that whether or not I was in the mood to eat Georgian Gupta soup yet again, I had no choice. My host mom did let me use the kitchen, but the only ingredients I was able to whip together was scrambled eggs, oatmeal, or buckwheat. I had no idea what to do with the other things in the fridge. Since I couldn’t really control my diet, I really missed cooking. Hence- the feeling of being grounded. When Justin and I found our own place, I was really excited of cooking again. I was dreaming up recipes in my head and thinking of all the ways I was going to make that kitchen my b**** !
But those dreamy recipes fluttered away like pretty butterflies when I realized two reasons. First, the selection at the baazar is much more limited than what I used to buy at Safeway/Vons in California. To set the scene, each stand is more or less a repeat of the one next to it. In a nutshell, the majority of the vegetables available are: potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, dill, cauliflower, eggplant, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cabbage, and carrots.
You can buy tons of Georgian cheese, but you be deluding yourself if you think you can find Parmesan, Cheddar, or Swiss cheese at the baazar. I have heard rumors that Parmesan cheese does exist, but I have not been able to find any at my site. The diversity of beans are limited and so are the nuts. I haven’t seen white beans or cashews since I’ve come to Georgia.
Now, the second reason why the other half of my dreams vanished is because of the oven. I don’t know what my landlord meant when he said “it works.” If he meant does it do a good job of just sitting there? Then yes, it does it a good job. If he meant does it actually turn on and bake food? Then no, it does a horrible job on that one.
Like many ovens and stove tops, you have to use a lighter or a match to get them working when the gas turns on. The automatic beauties back home are for Georgia in 2050. So even though the gas is on in the oven, the flame won’t stay. The flame is too scared of the dark so it just flutters away like my baking dreams. It also has a weird number system anyway. Instead of “real temperatures,” the knob is labeled from 2 to 10. According to my friends, number 3 is the magic number. If I ever get it working, I’ll let you know.
Until then, I have been experimenting. I am currently attending the Cordon Bleu of Georgia. This chapter of the Cordon Bleu’s curriculum is simple: go to the baazar, buy things, and go wild. How do you get graded? Your husband or your own taste buds will make a happy face or a disgusted face. Since I only have a stove top, limited ingredients, and being lactose intolerant, it has been difficult coming up with different recipes. So I’m proud of myself for being able to come up with my own recipes without the help of a cookbook, measuring cups or spoons. So far, I am able to make from scratch: cauliflower-onion soup, marinara bolognese pasta, cauliflower and chickpeas over millet, and eggplant stir-fry. Today, I made-up the eggplant stir-fry and it is a definite repeat. It was very healthy and quite delicious 🙂
I won’t lie, I will still miss the idea of having an oven. Since it is decades old, it probably won’t get fixed. In the meantime, if you have any recipe ideas with the above mentioned ingredients, drop me a note!