Blue Man; More Azeri Food

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   Greetings from Tblisi, Georgia.
   Last night, there was no internet in my caravanserai in Sheki, Azerbaijan.  Actually, there was no electricity, either.
   Azerbaijan is a country that has lots of oil and gas.  Sheki is a country town with high unemployment since its silk factory closed.  I asked my tour guide a stupid question:  How can an oil and gas country not provide electricity to its citizens?  Has the boom done anything for a town like Sheki?  Touring the falling-apart elementary school was depressing.  My tour guide informed me that the Azeri president is a rich man, and there has been some corruption.  It makes you both sad and angry.
   I attended a "Georgian table" today.  Our toastmaster gave toasts to health, happiness, women, children, our meal providers, the musicians, the bus driver...

BLUE MAN:  From AZERBAIJAN (2001) by Mark Elliott, pg. 49:  "Blue man" is a pejorative term for "gay" so wearing your favourite old Blues Brothers T shirt might be misconstrued!
(I was told that this comes from "blue boy," and it's used in Russia as well--ed.)

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LA CUISINE AZERBAIDJANAISE
Intourist
1989

   I picked this up at Sheki.  It's about 60 pages, without page numbers.  It was available only in French.

   SOUPES
DUCHBARA
DOVGA
KUFTA-BOZBACH
SOUPE PITI
KAOURMA-BOZBACH
KHAMRACHI (soupe aux haricots et aux nouilles)
SOULOU-KHINGAL
CHORBA AU POULET
   KEBABS
CHACHLIK D'ESTURGEON
GRILLAGE A L'AZERBAIDJANAISE
LIOULA-KEBAB
CHACHLIK DE MOUTON
   PILAFS
PILAF SABZA-KAOURMA
PILAF CHIRIN
PILAF TOYOUG
PILAF GUIIMIA
PILAF PARTCHA-DOCHAMIA
   DOLMA
KIALIAM-DOLMASSY (feuilles de choux farcies)
YARPAG-DOLMASSY (feuilles de vigne farcies)
   KOUTABS
KOUTABS A LA VIANDE
KOUTABS AU LEGUMES
KOUTABS DE PLANTES SAUVAGES
   CONSERVES
POIVRONS FARCIS MARINES
TOMATES ET AUBERGINES EN MARINADE
AIL MARINE
   FRIANDISES
CHAKERBOURA
PAKHLAVA
OVMA DE CHEKI-FIATIR
GATEAUX "LES FRUITS D'AZERBAIDJAN"
KHALWA DE GRAINS DE BLE
NAZOUK SUCRE
BAMIA
   CONFITURES
CONFITURE DE NOIX
CONFITURE DE COINGS
CONFITURE DE CORNOUILLES
CONFITURE D'ECORCES DE PASTEQUES
CONFITURE DE CERISES BLANCHES
   BOISSONS
SORBET AU SAFRAN
OVCHALA
SORBET AU SUCRE
SORBET AU CITRON