Georgian Cuisine All-Star Team

March 26, 2014 by Meghan Johnson

I’ve been planning to do a post on Georgian food for a long time.  It’s a big selling point for the country.  Russia is full of Georgian restaurants, and they’re popping up in the States.  Cheesy, doughy, meaty, satisfying.  Usually served in reasonable portions, but unending courses.  It’s colorful and seasonal, with an emphasis on fresh produce in the summer and pickled everything in the winter. I can’t possibly cover all aspects of Georgian cuisine here, so I’ll give you my […]

Categories: Eurasia, Europe, Food, Georgia, Tbilisi

Abkhazian Khachapuri, and baking away my feelings.

March 23, 2014 by Meghan Johnson

Word on the street is that my recent blog post about why I moved home was offensive to a lot of people in my previous home, which surprises and saddens me because I didn’t say anything incriminating about Georgia.  Anyone who has followed my blog for the past year knows that I have said a lot more positive things about Georgia than negative.  So, I’m feeling a little stressed and sad these days… again.  What better way is there to […]

Categories: 2014, Food, Georgia, Travel • Tags: Baking, Georgia, Khachapuri

Shashlik for four, please

June 29, 2013 by Meghan Johnson

All photos by Amy Yu Mao The last leg of the journey with Amy took us south and west.  We set out early on a Friday morning with Khvicha and his young assistant (whose name I do not know, because he was introduced to us as the “master of shashlik”), who was recruited to help with preparation of the meal that awaited us. We made two logistical stops along the way.  The first was in Khashuri, where Khvicha and his […]

Categories: 2013, Driving, Eurasia, Europe, Food, Friendship, Georgia, History, Playtime, The Great Outdoors, Travel • Tags: Driving, Georgia, History, Photography, Roadtrip, Travel

How to Survive a Supra

April 15, 2013 by Meghan Johnson

სუფრა [supra]: A traditional Georgian feast; literally, “table cloth” My first supra was disorienting, not least because of the obscene amounts of wine consumed.  Every ten minutes, a man stood up and philosophize on some topic in Georgian or Russian.  Sometimes the other men at the table would stand with him, knowingly instinctively when to speak and when to clink glasses and when to drink.  My wine glass magically filled to the rim every time I turned my head.  People drained clay […]

Categories: Eurasia, Europe, Food, Georgia, Travel • Tags: Borjomi, Celebration, Culture, Dance, Food, Georgia, Supra, Tbilisi

Nudges from Greece

December 14, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

My recent days have been filled with intense and scattered bouts of reading (from Jeffrey Sachs to Mary Oliver to US Weekly), the writing and re-writing of lists, the stacking and un-stacking of stuff.  How did so much stuff accumulate in my bedroom (and spill into the rest of my poor parents’ house)?  Do I really need to keep my notes from Econometrics, fall of 2006?  How many cardigans are too many cardigans?  And for the love of Zeus, when […]

Categories: Europe, Food, Friendship, Greece, Playtime, Travel, Twins

Twins, Northward Bound

October 12, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

A wise friend recently suggested an exercise to overcome my heartsickness since leaving Cartagena.  She prompted me to think about the things I loved so much about living abroad and what gifts this past year has given me.  She then asked me to think about ways to replicate those elements here in my “normal” life in the United States. I didn’t anticipate maple syrup, seagulls, and frostbite appearing on that list, but that seems to be just what the doctor […]

Categories: Americana, Boston, Colombia, Driving, Food, History, New Hampshire, Playtime, The Great Outdoors, Travel, Twins

A Taste of Cartagena (or, How I Outgrew My Entire Wardrobe)

September 24, 2012 by Meghan Johnson

I’ve come up with a theory that coastal Colombian culture resembles that of the American South.  I realize that the land of Pablo Escobar and Shakira might seem inconsistent with that of Paula Deen and Larry the Cable Guy.  But hear me out.* The pace on the coast is slower than it is in Bogotá and other big cities in Colombia, and the people are calmer and friendlier for it.  Much like how my Southern friends like to distinguish themselves […]

Categories: Americana, Cartagena, Colombia, Food, History, Playtime