CURIOUS QUISTION

[Azat]

Dear Winston, is this a challenge? One of these days we have to see how well you cook and compare it to how well I cook. In fact I will not even limit myself to the above two dishes alone. We can even invite Rubo to the competition as well as he thinks he can cook better than I. We just need few judges now. Who wants to volunteer?

[Guest Fadi]

I can be a rather good food judge. I am very hard on food, when I say they are good, then they are five stars. Problem is, I eat very little meat, so you must be easy on using them if you want me as a judge, one day or another, I may turn like you, a compleat vegetarian, its just that I am afraid that vegetable alone are not compleat.

[MosJan]

you need atlist 3 judgees

 

# 1 Seaphan

# 2 Fedi

# 3 can i be #3 ???

[Azat]

Only if you stop making fun of my lack of hair and bring a bottle of Nairi cognac.

[THOTH]

Well perhaps it was a challenge - though I don't know if I meant it as such in reality. It is my shish kebab in particualr that is killer however - as good as any I have tasted (pretty much) - and I try not to overcook it as some do. And while I do cook a few other Armenain dishes (Dolma for instance) - most of my repritoire consists of varied (international) fare - Thai & Indian curry based dishes being a favorite. I also do Chinese stir fry (winter) and lots of various types of grilling (year round) and roasts/stews and about the best chilli that you will ever taste - and I particualr pride myself on how good I can get chicken to taste.

 

But for you Domino I guess it would be my vegtable stir fry (hope you like it spicy!)...actually I can tone it down (if forced)...and I do (what I call/consider) as Greek style veggies - olive oil, (fresh sliced or whole) garlic, pepper, sometmes onions, and a little tomato sauce...(after all I worked in a greek restaraunt several years). I also make mean salads and my own fresh/gourmet dressings...which might someday be marketed to you via a deal I am working with a natural food distributor I know - but I am a big meat person - I've had Central Americans suggest that I should open a restaraunt after tasting my Carne Asada (a speciality of mine for sure - I use only Certified corn fed Black Angus flank steak!)...and I make many latin American inspired meats on the grill in general...

 

But I'd rather consume your excellent Armenian cuisine Azat then prepare & cook my own (too much work/always a mess)...so I will just concede and accept the dinner invitation...I'll just bring the wine (promiss not to disapoint there...)

[Azat]

I knew I could challenge you and get you agree to come over with a bottle of wine.

 

Dear Winston, my Armenian menu is not big at all. I can make a killer Dolma and Sarma(vegi one), I also can do the variety of the kebabs and xorovats(by the way I use yogurt with some spices for marinating) and I can make few of the soups, salads(killer tabbouleh) and some appetizers, but that is where my Armenian cooking skills come to an end. Still have alot to learn.

 

On the other hand I am an excellent cook of international cuisine. not one specific region, but few things from few areas. I make many different types of fish dishes. Fortunately I live very close to the Fish King which is ranked as the best seafood shop in California. I also make very impressive Napoleon with filo dough and salmon tartar. Also make many good mushroom dishes.

 

Domino, I too tend to be a bit on the spicy side, but can accommodate any taste you may have.

[Harut]

what is this? party without me?

 

i have to be there!!!

 

also, i'll teach you all how to make a traditional Armenian hats-u-panir.

[Sip]

So when when when when when? I can't wait!!!!

[Accelerated]

Oh man! It sux when your parents cant (or in the case of my father, wont) cook .

[THOTH]

Azat - I'm there - but I'm not much of a seafood eater! Sounds like our Armenian repritoires are nearly the same. Its funny - as a child/teenager etc I was always very interested in learning how to cook Armenian dishes (I was certainly known n my [extended] family for my great love of certain Armenain foods!) - but my mother would have none of it and always tossed me out of the kitchen and refused to divulge...

[Sip]

I would love to cook but everytime I start, the stuff gets eaten before the dish is done So I have never had a final "cooked" meal so to say.

 

... well, I guess you have to make sure things taste perfectly throughout the cooking process. I just make a little bit TOO sure

[Accelerated]

I've hardly ever bothered to cook apart from the odd scrambled eggs with tomatos and zharit kartoshka one of my old favourites. Though I can see myself being a good cook if I put my mind to it. The downside is, if a meal doesnt turn out well, then the clean up can be very expensive .

[QRISTINE]

HI everyone,

 

it smells so good seems like we are going to open Armenian Restorant especially having such a great cooks as you are hmm there won't be any problem of doing it. The topic got so interesting, and seems like I am learning new kind of dishes that I have never heard before in my life time I should post those kind of topics very often because at the end it gets too interesting and challenging. lol

[Sip]

Yah, I'd say probably after page 4 of basically any topic, things often tend to get VERY interesting (sometimes even earlier).

 

Here are a few dishes that I am expert at:

(note: add appropriate amount of garlic powder in each dish).

 

1) Tuna melt: can of tuna (drained) roasted with cheese and lemon juice) takes about 5 minutes to make. Served on toast bread.

 

2) Omlette surprise: 5 Eggs, some ready-made salad (all cut up), cheese, hot sause, mushrooms, and anything else I can find in the fridge ... mix and heat. Takes about 5 minutes to make.

 

3) Chicken surprise: Throw in some chicken breast in #2. Takes another 5 to 10 minutes (mostly to cut the chicken up).

 

4) Teriyaki Chicken: Cut up the chicken from #3 in very small pieces, cover with some raw eggs and bread with "breadding" and seasonings to your likeings and throw it on the stove on high heat. Drown it in teriyaki sauce and wait till it cooks (the liquid disappears somehow). Takes about 10 minutes.

[MosJan]

che seapan jan do datavor ches lini - et tesak uteliq menq chenq utum - mer stamoqs@ et tesak baner chi siri

Xashalam - Vochxari

Xashlama Horthi

Xash

Xorovats

~~~...

 

es tesak baner te chch hima BLT kases

 

che cherav

lav gnanq urish topik sharqits hanenq - urosh normal topik ka dermnatsats ???

[QRISTINE]

SEAPHAN

MORE I READ ABOUT YOUR FOOD RECIPES MORE I GET HUNGRY.

 

I would like to know if you have the recipes of Armenian QUFTA, XAPAMA AND PITI. I WOULD APPRICIATE IF I HAVE THOSE RECIPES.

[Dan]

This thread reminds me of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." It is absurd to say that Armenians cannot/should not marry foreigners. I know a lot of Armenians who have married non-Armenians, yet they totally keep their Armenian roots and culture at bay.

 

As for , well, the children can learn both languages, be part of both cultures, yet be totally happy! There are people out there who have married outside of their own culture and raised kids! It's not impossible! And it's not like big brother (other culture) will come and eat us if we get married to foreigners?

 

That's all I will say. I am totally FOR marriage outside our own culture, provided that there is love, of course!

 

Dan

Toronto, Canada

[Marro]

Hello Everyone!!! I am new to this site. It is nice to read all the post. My name is Marina, and I am married to an American. I feel like I had to reply to this post.

 

 

I have been married for 4 years and togetherfor 5years. During that time my husband has studied eveything about Armenians, the food ( which he loves) the language (which he speaks) and the culter. He is deployed to Iraq at the moment and everytime he calls me he speaks Armenian. He tells everyone he meets that he is Armenian. He loves me for who I am, he has never asked me to change. To tell you all the truth I live my life for me. My parents are proud of Ken and I. Also my sister is marrying a Marine (also American) he loves the fact that she is Armenian. I don't think I am any less of an Armenian by marrying an American, I belive that because of me an American knows more about Armenian, and knows what the Turks did to us years and years ago (also hates turks ).

 

 

Well I guess thats it for now. Oh on the subject of children, we don't have any at the moment but WE already decided that our children will learn both languages. And will be Armenians.

 

 

Thanks

Marina (lastname)

 

Support Our Troops!!!!!

 

Edit Note: Dear Marina. I hope you do not mind but I removed your last name

[Azat]

agree 100%. One should marry the person they feel most comfortable with. Not who their parents think they should marry.

[Marro]

I don't mind at all. I'm sorry I didn't relize that we are not suppose to put our last names. I'm new to all this internet stuff lol.

[Accelerated]

Support Our Troops!!!!!

 

Marina, just because most of us speak english does not mean that we are from the US. For example, Im from DownUnder, and the US troops arent my troops. In fact only yesterday me and coupe of buddies were down at the local computer multiplayer gaming/internet cafe joint playing Desert Combat Alpha. A highly realistic wargame featuring the Iraqi Army (Opposition) and US Marines (Coalition).....to cut a long story short.... several times I got great pleasure out of blowing US Abrams to pieces and proceeding to massacre the following hapless US Marine infantry in my Soviet made T-72, with my buddy sitting on the turret machinegun.....etc

 

....oh and welcome to the forum

[Marro]

By me putting that little statement on the end of my post is for me. I am not asking for anyone to support anything that I may support. But I am proud of my husband and thousand of men and women who provide me (and the rest of America) with the freedom that I have today. I don't care that you play games where you blow things up. I don't care if your views are diffrent then mine. But I will never stop writing what I belive it.

 

Thanks for your warm welcome!!!!

 

 

Marina

 

Support Our Troops

[MJ]

Dear Marina,

 

Welcome to the forum. And be asured that our troops have our support.

 

Enjoy your tenure in the forum.

[THOTH]

Marina -

 

Welcome and thank you for your well stated and heartfelt posts. I am an American who in my heart did/does not support (justification for and implementation of) our actions in Iraq - but I 100% support our men and women over there and wish them safety and sucess. I also hope that they will come home soon - the sooner the better. I feel for you with your husband over there - I know some folks over there as well and though they are not family I am also filled with worry and concern for their families. I also feel for the poor Iraqi people - continually victimized...but what can be done now...damned if you do - damned if you don't....

 

I applaud your and your husbands (and brother in laws?) attitudes and wish you all the best. My father is/was also not Armenian - and while he never learned the language (neither did I) - as we did not live as/with/among Armenians he too adopted the Armenians as his own - learned the history...perhaps hated Turks (not really...but boy did we have it out about Ataturk - of whom I am a great admirerer - though understand his being the final nail for Armenians in Anatolia etc as it were...still). Anyway, on the bit about hating Turks - please don't - not that way. Hate was was done, and even hate those (specifically) who did such - but it is not right to hate an entire people. Turks come in all stripes - just like any peoples...and most Turks are ignorant of this (and other) aspects of their/the history...and most Turks are in fact good people - just like anyone else...and in fact even more friendly and open then most.

 

Sure - we are justified in our anger and hurt - not only at what occured - but concerning the continued denial and attempts to erase our legacy. But this is more due to the elites in the government and academia (and the institutional denial ingrained into the psych of these Turks whose current nation is based upon the erasing of ethnicity in Anatolia and from certain national/ethnic myths whose foundation would be severly shaken if the truth concerning our Genocide [and the others from that time] were accepted). So please do not teach your husband and (eventual) children hate - this only destroys the hater - and has not done Armenians much good...teach them tolerance, acceptance and understadning. And through understanding come to appreciate both the good and bad of Turks and others - and understand how the Turkish people were also victims of very bad circumstance and very bad leaders.

 

Our peoples have a long history togehter - and of course much was not good - as they came as conquorers - but much is shared and we are in many ways very much alike as peoples (as they are very much an aglomeration of the various peoples of the region). I think that it is not through hate and division that we will have justice/recognition/what have you of our Genocide - but through reaching an (eventual) understanding of/with the Turks - that they (again eventually) apreciate what they lost when they erradicated us...and that they feel sincere regret and sorrow for such. I know that this is likely a lolng way off (generations still perhaps?) - but I think that one day it will come (with both of our peoples maturing beyond where they are now). I don't know if any of this makes any sense to you or others here - but I feel this most profoundly. Hope this helps. And again welcome to our nice little community. (In what area of the US do you live BTW?)

[America-Hye]

After dating numerous odar women for years, I married an Armenian, who was one generation out of Lebanon as I was one generation out of Ottoman Turkey. There is an assumption here that every marriage will produce children. Well, my ex-wife, down deep in here heart, did not want children. She did not openly express this to me because she knew that I DID want children. She is now on her third marriage and has not yet had a child. Yet she is very fertile, have been pregnant many times. Perhaps in my situation, it would have been better to have married an odar where part-Armenian would be born. There are so many imponderables in every marriage. You have done the right thing Marro. Marrying an Armenian does not necessarily mean that children will be born. At least there is the probability that your marriage will produce children.