Tschenkéli’s Georgian-German dictionary is in print again!
Great news!
The famed three-volume Georgian-German dictionary by Kita Tschenkéli (კიტა ჩხენკელი), “Georgisch-Deutsches Wörterbuch”, which is the best bilingual dictionary of Georgian into any language, including English and Russian, is in print again!
When I studied Georgian in Tbilisi, my dad had to get all 2508 pages photocopied from the university library’s copy and sent to me because it was absolutely essential but impossible to buy anywhere.
The price is €145, which is really quite cheap for this type of work. The only reason I’m not ordering it is because I still have my prized photocopies.
They’re also selling his excellent Einführung in die Georgische Sprache at €75. This is not essential in the same way, but it’s definitely worth having if you’re serious about learning Georgian. I don’t own it, but I’ve spent many happy hours with it in the library of the Department of Linguistics in Aarhus.
The beer revolution
Asmus Rotne, who studied in Tbilisi the year before I did, today posted on Facebook that he had “just heard that the Georgian patriarch declared that toasting with beer is ok and carries the same significance as toasting with wine! It is a revolution!”
It is a revolution indeed, although you probably need to be familiar with Georgian culture to realise it.
In Georgia, socially acceptable drinking mainly happens at the keipi (ქეიფი), a highly codified dinner party.
It is normally for men only, with the women cooking and serving and drinking fruit schapps in the kitchen. Each man will choose at the beginning whether they’re drinking wine (ღვინო), brandy (კონიაკი) or vodka (ჭაჭა), although often wine is the only thing on offer. The tamada (თამადა) (“toast master”) will at regular intervals make toasts, empty his glass, and all the men will in turn make a speech on the same topic and empty their glasses, after which the glasses will be refilled.
Beer (ლუდი), on the other hand, has till now not been acceptable in that context. Many people like to drink beer with their xink’ali (ხინკალი), some sort of huge ravioli, which is probably the only dish than men cook, but apart from that, beer is drunk without food, and because toasting is a ritual, it has been impossible to offer toasts in beer.
So the patriarch’s decision will lead to huge social change.
Pirosmani
Phyllis and I spent the weekend in Paris with Anna.
Close to our hotel, on the Rue Boutebrie, we found a wonderful Georgian restaurant, called Pirosmani (named after the painter, of course).
I had lobio and xink’ali, and Phyllis had ajapsandali and kharcho, but Anna liked the ajapsandali best.
აჯაფსანდალი ajapsandali (recipe here) is diced aubergine that has been cooked till it’s very tender with tomato and lots of herbs, and she just loved it.
Why aren’t there any Georgian restaurants in Glasgow? My lobio was just great, and if Pirosmani had been here instead, I’d definitely go there often.
ლინქსი
მე ხშარად ვხმარობ ბრავზერს Lynx. ამ ბრავზერს აქვს ძალიან სასარგებლო ქმედება: ავტომატური ტრანსლიტერაცია. მაგრამ ერთი პრობლემა იყო: ქართულის ენის ტრანსლიტერაცია არ ჰქონდა.
დღეს მე პროგრამის ინსტრუქციები ჩამოვიტანე და ტრანსლიტერაცია დავწერე, და ახლა ქართული ენაც კარგად მუშაობს.
ქართული ღვინო
Ever since I studied Georgian in Georgia (1996-97), I’ve been missing the wonderful Georgian wine. It’s ubiquitous in Georgia, and it’s extremely widespread in Russia too, but in western Europe, one hardly ever sees it. There are a few online shops that sell it, such as Fareham Wine Cellar in the UK and Gourmatis in Germany, but it’s hardly a huge selection that is available there, and it is annoying not being able to buy wine locally. I wish I could do something do bring Georgian wines to the shelves of Tesco and Asda!
Oh, in case you’re wondering about the headline: It just says kartuli ğvino “Georgian wine”.