yummy yummy in my tummy

I thought I'd write about how lovely of a tradition they have going on here regarding lunch.

In the office in Almaty and also here in Dushanbe, lunch is provided for a very nominal fee. It's damn tasty, healthy, and very, very convenient. The company I worked for many moons ago in Russia also had the same gig. (I still remember Leonid's blinis from 1993. Hubba-hubba.)

So generally they hire a sweet lady (little/old optional) who goes to the market every morning, buys whatever looks good, and then comes into the office and gets a-cookin'. In Almaty the aromas from the kitchen wafts up to my office on the 3rd floor, and by 12:15, when it's time to eat, my stomach is already a-rumblin' from the tantalizing smells.

There is always at least two homemade salads with fresh veggies, and usually three. The ripe summer tomatoes are always featured in these salads, as are the national herbs, parsley and dill. So are cukes and eggplant. As we move into fall, they'll switch to cabbage, cauliflower, and other seasonal veggies. And also in Almaty generally a soup, as well as a meat, starch, and other side. Pick and choose as you wish.

In the Dushabe office there is always a bowl of fruit, so I finished off today's meal of stuffed green Bulgarian peppers in broth with some red grapes and a peach. I am a total fruit and veggie 'ho both here and in Almaty, because the produce is just so damn fresh and tasty. Don't get me started on the melon stands that Uzbeki's set up all over town in Almaty. There are types of honeydew that I have never seen before, with a dark orangey-yellow skin. You can smell the sweetness of the melon through the thick skin, and when you get home and cut it open, it's like a honeysuckle field exploded through your kitchen. On more than one occasion, melon has been my dinner.

So now I'm sitting in a post-lunch food coma, sipping some black tea. I have also become a tea 'ho. Drinking tea is the national pasttime in Central Asia, and I have adopted it heartily. (Except that I like to use honey or sugar in every other cup, which is usually deemed unnecessary. But I like it strong and sweet.) I probably drink 4-6 cups a day. All those antioxidants are good for me, right? And no teabags, thankyouverymuch. You use loose-leaf tea and set up a "starter" teapot with a strong batch of brew. Boil water in the ubiquitous electric teakettles (they boil in 60-90 seconds), then you pour a bit of the "starter" tea into your cup and add the hot water. Viola! Your tea is ready. Our Almaty office cook adds in her own herbs and spices to the "starter," and boy is that stuff G-oooooo-oooood with a capital G!

To all my fellow coffee addicts: Fear not, for I have not foresaken you. I still need a good strong cup of coffee in the morning and travel with my french press. :) And the first item on my list of things for Steve to bring me next month when he visits was a 5# bag of coffee from Costco...