“We’re going to Georgia… the country.”
Back in March, we had freeskiing 2023 World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia. I had no expectations of the country, and was excited to venture into an area I hadn’t ever come close to before. Literally boarding our flight was the first time my coach and I were first researching Georgian cuisine to see what we could muk.
Although unable to truly explore the mountains oustide of the halfpipe, the ski resort was deceptively big, and apparently Georgia has a decently large skiing community and large mountains to host it.
Our first day there, taking a walk in the town of Bakuriani, passing by a fair in the middle of town (?), horse drawn carriages bumping along a road with the most amount of potholes I’ve ever seen, and a police car every 3 seconds, we also saw The Cellar of Vartsikhe, a quaint little restaurant with see-through windows that displayed elder women, quickly but gently twisting together traditionally-made Khinkali, Georgia’s soup dumplings, with their worn fingers. Khinkali is one of Georgia’s staple dishes, similar to Xiao Long Bao (Chinese soup dumplings, my favorite at Dim Sum) which features a flour dough that encompasses a dumpling-like filling and soup inside, evidence of past Mongonlian conquest through the silk road. They are actually amazing. Imagine the biggest, juiciest dumpling you’ve ever had, but the dough is thicker and chewier, made even more juicy by flavorful broth inside. I don’t even want to know how many of these massive dumpligs I ate while in Georgia.
The most flavorful Khinkali we found was at a place called Georgian Flavor. There we found our second obsession of the trip: another classic, must-try Georgian dish: Khachapuri, basically a cheese boat. It’s a soft bread boat holding thick, savory, salty cheese. As if not unhealthy enough, garnished with a pat of butter and an egg yolk, left there for you to mix in. We were told the proper way to indulge: tear off pieces of the bread boat from the side, and use these pieces to scoop the cheese in the center. The cheese is a blend, mild yet tangy (contains feta maybe?) and so thick, salty, and flavorful. Couldn’t resist eating this after every training session, work hard play hard as they say.
At one of the restaurants we frequented while trying to avoid our hotel dinners, the waiter brought us shot after shot of his homemade Chacha, traditional Georgian liquor, no matter how much protesting we did (it was STRONG). This exemplified our experiences of the Georgian people; prideful, patriotic, and welcoming; excited to share their culture and cuisine with us. Speaking of Georgian cuisine, as much as we enjoyed it (and boy we did), we occasionally needed a break, and wanted a taste of home. At Cafe Aspen, the nacho cheese burger is insane. Good burger, but the nacho cheese they served with it was a game-changer. Almost plasticy (in a good way), but thick, cheesy, spicy, and the perfect way to level up their burger and fries. They also served us plastic gloves for us to eat it with, which is when my friend said it’s “most Asian [I’ve] ever looked.” You judge for yourself, I thought it was swag.
We utilized one of our days off to improve my manual driving skills, heading to another little town an hour away. On the drive I was blown away by buildings that appeared abandoned, only to see clotheslines hanging from broken windows and evidence of life. Even in the town, seeing some of the run down houses, car seats as couches, and houses that looked like sheds, was really eye-opening. The complicated history of Georgia still affects the day-to-day lives of many, but it’s amazing to see the sense of patritoism and identity that has grown from their sense of community.
I loved experiencing a place so different to anywhere else I had been, and to feel so welcome. I also ended up placing second at World Championships! In about 2 hours in Tsbilisi, we got to drive some insanely windy, switch-backy roads, which we learned are designed to deter and slow down invaders, and some cool architecture. Looking back, I wished we had explored Tsbilisi more, but by the time the competition, drug testing, interviews, and the drive to the city were finished, it was late and we were all itching to de-stress after the week, so we hit the club. Side note: don’t eat Georgian McDonalds, trust me.
Zoe's World 