Like a local issue two winter 2014
yErevan
Yerevan – set against the dramatic backdrop of nearby Mount Ararat – is a city that deserves far more recognition than it gets. Flashy new promenades give way to delicious, dirt-cheap local restaurants. Flawless English exists alongside a fierce pride of the native Armenian language. A modern cafe culture rises among one of the oldest cities in the world. Yerevan is a city of contrasts in the best possible way.
“The eyes of the Armenians speak long before the lips move and long after they cease To.” Arshile Gorky
INDEX
1 Artistic Director Gennady Sobolev
N.2 winter 2014
Index
Editor-in-Chief Polly Barks
LIKE A LOCAL Collaborators: Zofia Baldyga (writer / photographer) || Allegra Garabedian (photographer) || Nora Injeyan (writer / photographer) || Aramazt Kalayjian (photographer) || Russ Pearce (writer) || Tigran Sargsyan (writer / photographer) || Lena Tachdjian (writer) || Tatevik Vardanyan (photographer) Cover Photo: Tatevik Vardanyan Contacts: Moscow, Russia likealocalmag@gmail.com About Us: Like a Local is a quarterly, online travel magazine dedicated to bringing its readers stories from beyond the guidebook. Each quarter we plan to turn our readers on to one amazing city and all of its hidden adventures. Want Even More? Be sure to visit the Like a Local blog to read even more stories and background on your favorite locations. Interested in Advertising? We are always interested in working with clients who match our philosophy of one-ofa-kind travel plans. We accept full-page ads, products for review, and on-site ads. For an advertising kit, please contact us via our site. A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR AMAZING KICKSTARTER CONTRIBUTORS: Celeste Heath and Ed Barks Filipe Russo Jonelle Hilleary Maureen Conley Mike Blasdel Rhea Blasdel
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR YEREVAN: FULL OF SURPRISES WINTER WONDERLAND TAKE THE STAIRS DOWN YEREVAN’S FORGOTTEN CITY OBEY THE HIERARCHY KISSES FROM ARMENIA HOW TO SHUGA GO GREEN ARMENIA SPOTLIGHT
3 5 6 12 15 20 22 24 30
GREEN BEAN CAFE CHAINY DOMIK DAY TRIP: LAKE SEVAN
33 34 35 36
ASK A LOCAL
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You can find us in: Moscow, Yerevan Visit us on our website: likealocalmag.com
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
Barev from Yerevan we hung all of our hopes on the legendary generosity and openness of the Armenian people – and we were not disappointed.
pretty excited to get a lot of ‘wait, let me Google that’ responses. In an online world filled with quick guides to Western Europe or Central America – often produced with a vastly larger budget than we’ve got – Like a Local wanted to choose a location relatively unknown to our readers. But even more importantly, a location that’s worth going to. We crossed our fingers hoping that Yerevan would be the right choice.
Letter from the editor
When we first released the name of our second issue, we were
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To be totally honest, we went into Yerevan not sure what to expect ourselves. Unlike Moscow (our issue #1 location), where we had a bevy of friends to help and years of experience to back us up, Yerevan was a pretty much unknown entity. What exactly did we know? We knew that it was close to our Moscow HQ, the country has a relaxed visa regime for both easy and less-easy passports, and our friends of Armenian descent can’t go a whole conversation about travel without declaring Armenia the best place on earth. So we hung all of our hopes on the legendary generosity and openness of the Armenian people – and we were not disappointed. From the group of young, vibrant transplants and locals that offered their help unquestioningly to the kindly hotel owners who allowed us to sleep in their complex for free to the fisherman who laughingly guided our inadequate car over the worst road we’d ever seen, Yerevan was full of kindness. Forget the low barriers of entry and the incredibly budgetfriendly restaurants – go to Armenia for the people and nothing else.
Polly Barks Editor-in-Chief
Yerevan armenia
photo by tatevik vardanyan
full of surprises
yerevan Text by russ Pearce photo by polly barks “Eat as many as you over her capital city. Armed Cascade. Linking the down- currently closed for renova with the biggest sword you town area with the upper tions but it should be open wish,” said my host Sergey, as he handed over a huge bag of apricots, “just make sure you save the stones for me.” That was the first of many surprises that Yerevan had in store. Sergey then proceeded to show me how he dries the apricot stones which are then cracked open to reveal a delicious sweet nut inside, quite unlike any other nut I have ever tasted. “But don’t do this with peaches,” he warned, “they are just too bitter.”
will see in your life and symbolising peace through strength, she replaced the toppled statue of Lenin way back in 1962. All around her are monuments to Armenia’s military including a Mig-19 fighter, a tank and some surface-to-air missiles. The big surprise was inside the base, where the military museum told terrible tales of recent conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan. No photos are allowed though, and the eagle eyed guards certainly made sure of it! Also surprising was the proliferation of artwork throughout the city. Such an eclectic mix of sculptures you may never see anywhere else. Don’t be shocked to find a big, fat black cat on a street corner or a colourful Noah’s Ark in the middle of a park. The latter stands to reason as Mount Ararat dominates the skyline to the southwest. Perhaps more unexpected was the curvaceous Roman centurion wearing only his helmet. His immodest butt cheeks were gargantuan.
Travelling to Armenia felt like an adventure. It was part of the former Soviet Union that I knew very little about except that they produced some passable wine. Despite this I felt perfectly safe wherever I travelled and the Armenians themselves were always extremely friendly and keen to help me find my way. On a journey into the unknown that’s always a good feeling. There were so many surprises in store. Climbing up to Victory Park I was mesmerised by Mother Armenia who stands over 50 metres tall (if The centrepiece of Yereyou count the huge pedestal at her base) looking out van’s art scene is surely the
monuments district, this giant stairway is nearly 120 metres high and exhausting to climb. Fortunately you can ride the escalators inside to save yourself the effort. The structure houses the impressive Cafesjian Center for the Arts which is the must-see for any culture vulture and at the bargain price of just a couple of dollars. Taxis in the city are fairly cheap and without one you might find it difficult to get to the Genocide Museum. Standing on top of the Tsitsernakaberd hill on the edge of the city, it pays homage to those who were slaughtered at the hands of the collapsing Ottoman Empire a century ago. The surprise was just how little I knew about this horrific part of history. It is a place of great sadness and I left in stunned silence, contemplating the awful events which took place. The eternal flame offered no light in the dark corners of my imagination. To commemorate the centenary of what is being considered as the Armenian Holocaust, the complex is
again in spring 2015.
My favourite surprise was the Russian souvenir market I stumbled across close to Liberty Square. At first it seemed to be an assorted jumble of nuts, bolts and old telephones. I was soon flicking my way through old sepia-tinted photographs of Armenia and beautiful paintings by local artists. Had I had room in my rucksack there is no doubt that I would have bought the chess set where the squares were set on a map of the world and the former Presidents of the USSR and the USA made up the pieces. Why, oh why didn’t I make room for it?! Finally then, the culinary side of Armenia is constantly evolving. Café culture still dominates life but there are plenty of good local restaurants around. If you can find it, try the local Sevan Trout, also known as Ischchan. Cooked to perfection, it melts in the mouth and leaves your taste buds in a state of ecstasy. Surprised? So was I!
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
winter wonderland
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
local photographer tatevik vardanyan introduces like a local readers to yerevan’s colder months
From the mighty peak of Mount Ararat to the humblest side streets, come see what Yerevan has to offer during its coldest months.
All photos by Tatevik Vardanyan Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
7 Winter wonderland
With an average temperature firmly below freezing between December and February, winter in Yerevan is no laughing matter. Despite the cold, winter might be one of the most beautiful times to visit Yerevan; the city only gets more beautiful as it’s blanketed by snow. And life doesn’t just stop once the cold months arrive.
People dig their cars out from huge drifts of snow, the older generations continue to meet each other and chat merrily on the streets, and young children are bundled up and hustled outside to enjoy the frosty air.
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
Take the stairs down
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Take the stairs down by nora injeyan
Take the stairs down. Pass through a tunnel filled with store upon store. Need new sunglasses? Perhaps a CD of the best of Komitas or Beyonce? Or maybe one with both? You’ll find it. Then fish around your pocket for a 100 dram piece (about $.25) and hand it over to the stoic middle-aged woman dressed in a drab, Soviet-esque uniform behind the glass. She passes you a nicked, plastic orange token that is so brightly colored it seems out of place in this underground lair of greys, blacks and whites. From there you make your way to the short row of turnstiles, insert your token and continue down… The metro is the most underrated mode of transportation in Yerevan. With a total of 10 active stops, the metro has a short route with only two lines and unlike most examples of public transportation in large cities, the Armenian metro is almost absurdly clean and well-taken care of. You won’t see litter or graffiti, let alone public urination or the like which have now become stereotypes of public transportation. But beside the fact that it is a clean, efficient, cheap and entirely safe method of transLIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
portation, the real charm of the metro is the people riding it. The metro is the dream of any self-respecting people watcher. It is (usually) not as crowded as the mashutka, which at this point has become a caricature of its over-populated self, so you are afforded the luxury of enough personal space to actually enjoy the ride. Nor is it as solitary as the taxi where most human interaction is incumbent upon what you make of it. The metro is ideal. For that four or five minutes that you are on the metro, you get a glimpse into the lives of everyone surrounding you in that car. There is nowhere to go. Everyone is silently playing out their lives while you watch. You won’t see any overt displays of public affection but you will see the two college schoolmates flirt whimsically (and covertly) to one another, maybe a brush of the arm, or a flash of a smile at a joke that probably wasn’t that funny, really. You will see that 16 year old boy transfixed by his electronic device, sitting adjacent to the octogenarian who has witnessed the creation and collapse of an empire and its lingering affects on his people. You will see the mother
carrying bags of groceries she probably picked up on her way home from work only to go home and cook a meal for her family. You will see two soldiers laughing to each other, appearing much less somber than one would expect soldiers to look like. And you will see an elderly woman in a skirt-suit yell at you in Armenian if you try to take a picture of any of this as photography is not allowed in the metro (fortunately for you we’re very stealthy), making these experiences all the more exciting because you can rarely record them. You can’t post about them on Instagram or share it with your friends on Twitter. They’re glimpses into the lives of your fellow commuters; singular experiences and memories of Yerevan and its people that only you will have and remember. So next time you need to get from Republic Square to Lover’s Park, hop on the metro and take a ride. Just make sure to pay attention to the announcements… Be careful. The doors are closing. Next station is…
The metro works every day from 6:30 am to 11:00 pm, with trains passing about every five minutes and an average of 60,000 people using it per day.
The hidden life of Kond, one of Yerevan’s oldest neighborhoods Photos and text by zofia baldyga
Kond is a tiny hidden neighborhood, but it holds a very special place on the map of Yerevan. Don’t you want to know why? Because it’s one of the few places in Yerevan that kept its original, historical appearance. On October 12th inhabitants of Yerevan celebrated the 2796th birthday of the city. That’s quite something, but don’t picture too much of an old town here though - the Soviet Union tended to be pretty serious about revitalization programs, urban planning, and bringing the new to its republics. I don’t want to be judgmental: I love Yerevan as it is, but it’s not the typical enchanting city that will make you dizzy with its charm. But
it has a fantastic vibe, energy, and a very inspiring atmosphere that helps you to observe, create and to just be. However, if you spend enough time here, you will wonder what was before the Soviet modernization. When you feel this mood you should do nothing but take a stroll in Kond. I did it many times. With a camera and without. In the sunlight and in the rain. Alone and with friends. This time is different though. This time I want to go deeper, to understand more, and to go beyond the walls. I want to talk to people. I will try to understand what Kond means for an insider.
Erevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
15 Yerevan’s forgotten city
Yerevan’s forgotten city
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LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
How to find Kond: The Kond district is located in the western part of Yerevan quite close to the Hotel Hrazdan and the Children’s Railway along the Hrazdan River. The easiest way to go is to grab a taxi and ask for Kond (around 300-400 dram from the center of the city). To walk from the center: head southwest on Mesrop Mastots Avenue until you reach Paronyan Street. Take a right and walk several hundred meters - Kond will be on your right. (It’s not the fastest way, but it’s more direct than navigating the smaller, winding streets and provides a lovely view of the river from above.)
But before we give the floor to the people, we should have a brief history of the place, hidden and forgotten by everyone except some architecture enthusiasts, wanderers and experts in Yerevan history. And, of course, the insiders. Kond, which means long hill in Armenian, is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Yerevan, the one and only that wasn’t revitalized, and that has been inhabited continuously from 17th century. The place was home to Christians, Jews and Muslims living in the heart of today’s Armenia. If you look carefully, you can still find an old mosque in the neighborhood, although it’s
not working today as the main dome collapsed decades ago. Today the building is home to grandchildren and great grandchildren of seventeen families that found an asylum in Kond after fleeing the Armenian Genocide. An attentive observer will still find Persian influences in Kond’s architecture. Today there are no foreigners left at the long hill though: some died, some moved out. People say that in late eighties many Muslims exchanged their houses with Armenian refugees from Baku and left the country. Dynamic changes were coming and suddenly no one wanted to be a minority, even in the place
that they called home for hundreds of years. Today, Kond isn’t a multicultural, vibrant space anymore. The old houses are mostly dilapidated and crumbling. The walls are built of mismatched bricks, missing roofs and windows. Temporary solutions…Yes, Kond is extremely poor but it’s still special and it’s worth a visit while in Yerevan. When you enter Kond, streets become narrow and the asphalt turns into gravel. It feels like you just crossed an invisible border. I want to take my camera out but I feel somehow uncomfortable with the idea. Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
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It’s apparent from first glance that the Kond district has long been neglected: but it’ss a double-edged sword. On one hand, it offers an unparalleled look into Yerevan’s history. On the other, Kond’s residents have been left to stagnate.
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Today, kond isn’t a multicultural, vibrant space anymore. the old houses are mostly dilapidated and crumbling. The walls are built of mismatched bricks,, missing roofs and windows. temporary solutions...
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
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I know the neighborhood is safe, so it’s not about risks. I feel like I entered someone’s territory and I’m silently waiting for someone’s permission to take photographs. I’m waiting for a voice of an insider. And here she comes. She is six years old, dressed all in pink and she rides a bike. The bike is pink, too, in case you were wondering. She asks me if I speak Armenian. “Yes, a little”, I answer. She gets excited. “Are you a tourist?”, she asks. “Um, no. I live in Yerevan”. She
smiles even wider. “A lot of tourists come to us”, she says. “Today there were four Iranians. But they didn’t know Armenian. They wanted to take my picture but I went to the house”, she adds. I nod. “Have a nice day”, she says and disappears in the backyard. She also tells me her age and her name. Narine is six years old and she knows there is something special about her neighborhood. I don’t know if she knows what it is. I’m afraid she does. She feels it.
It hangs in the air, emerges in the conversations of the elders of the area. I take the camera out of my purse as I spot an old lady peeking out from one of the backyards. Everything she wears is black. She could be a great grandma of the girl I’ve just met. “Hey you”, she almost screams at me in Russian. “You want a peach?” I smile and take the fruit. I thank her while she carefully stares me down. “There used to be
foreigners here when I was little”, she says. “No one looked like you though.” I laugh and ask how long she has been living here. “Oh, since the beginning. There is no other place I could live now”, she says. “It’s cold in winter and hot in summer. The state says we will give you another home. I don’t want anything. I want to die here. It’s changed a lot since I was little. But it’s mine. These wide streets in the center, who would even walk there. Everything there is too big. A city shouldn’t be like that. A city is for people. For community. Community here is strong. This street is mine. In other districts street belongs to no one”. I finish my peach, I thank her once more and I look at her as she slowly walks
back to her little house. Her monologue makes me optimistic. The feeling of belonging, the sense of community and the strong presence of local identity, this Kond against Yerevan kind of thing. Wasn’t this everything I was looking for? Well, no. This was something I wanted to hear. But to get a local picture I needed one more encounter. This bittersweet something that makes you feel complete. I stop to take pictures again and instantly I hear someone saying “What are you here for? To take a picture of poverty?” I see a guy in his sixties carrying water in a metal bucket. I try to defend. I say I like architecture and this is why Kond is one of the most fascinating places I’ve found in Yerevan. He grins.
“Take your pictures fast then. Before everything falls apart. Government promises and nothing happens. You will see, they will sell it too Russians. Are you a Russian?” No, I say. “Okay, then take your pictures. I have no time for that. I have to carry my water home.” The man disappeared as suddenly as he appeared. It was an uneasy encounter but also an important one. Some families in Kond doesn’t even have an access to running water: some of them have to share backyard toilets with neighbors. Each and every inhabitant of Kond waits for solutions to these issues that have been promised by the governments years ago. Nothing has changed. One day it will and it’s too hard to guess in which direction the change will go.
Keep calm and write about it. Keep calm and take pictures. Keep calm and record. I do feel sorry for people who live in Kond. I do feel sorry for the not having a proper toilet in the center of Yerevan in XXI century. But I will also feel sorry when this last piece of old city disappears. The people who live there await the new while I’m nostalgic for what’s gone with the dust. All of us are right, no one is wrong. What would you stand for? You won’t know until you see it. You, too should take a stroll in narrow streets of Kond. Don’t be afraid to take your camera out of your purse. Don’t be afraid to talk to people. Take a bite of fruit someone will hand to you. Take a bite of anything someone will hand to you.
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
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Obey the hierarchy
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Obey the Hierarchy
An insider’s guide to making sense of Yerevan’s motor madness by tigran Sargsyan
Have you ever driven in Yerevan? I have and I loved it. Yerevan is a perfect city for those who like to drive around for no good reason, particularly at night when there isn’t a whole lot of traffic. Having said that I should warn you that you probably won’t enjoy yourself (and you might even be terrified) if you are ‘blindly’ following the traffic rules. Yerevan has a very special set of traffic rules that dictate how the streets of Yerevan flow. Consider this your guide for how the LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
things work on Yerevan streets. One of the most interesting aspects of driving in Yerevan is the unregulated crossroads in the city. Unregulated crossroads don’t have traffic lights, but one of the roads will always be marked as primary. Obviously cars on the primary road always have the advantage; simple, right? Not really. In fact, in Yerevan it is not the road you are driving on that matters, but the car you’re driving. Confused? Armenians came up with
with this weird hierarchy of cars where each car is neatly categorized by type. For example, if you approach the crossroad driving on the primary road in your old Opel, the guy on the secondary road driving a new Range Rover might assume that I should give him the road. This doesn’t mean you should necessarily give him the road, but if you’re not willing to give up your advantage despite his higher rank on the car hierarchy, it might create a small misunderstanding and
you’ll typical hear a honk.
someone off behind you. Finally, there’s a very long (There are few well know single honk – this is big types of honks. First, there’s trouble! Usually the long a very short single honk. honk will lead to eye contact Think of it as of reminder. between the drivers and Maybe the light just chanmaybe more. You never ged to green or is about to know where it can get you, change – the honk is just to so avoid this one.) keep you awake. Secondly, there’s a short double honk In general, the hierarchy is – this is the ‘thank you’. quite logical. For example, Maybe you let someone a new Mercedes Benz is merge or get in front of you. always better than the humThirdly, there’s a long single ble Opel. However, there honk – it signals that some- are a couple of rather illogibody is upset.. Maybe you cal aspects of the hierarchy blocked the road or cut that you should note.
First of all: SUVs. For some reason Armenians fell in love with SUVs so SUVs are higher in the hierarchy in some cases when you wouldn’t expect them to be. A Toyota Prado might be ranked higher than a BMW, just because it’s an SUV. The color black also shoots you straight up the rankings. Somehow black is
always recognized as top of the line. With everything equal, a black car might count higher than others.
include 23uu223, 77oo777, 10oo101, etc.) In fact a good license plate number is worth serious points for your ranking.
while driving in Yerevan, just refer to the hierarchy. It’s not set in stone, but it can help explain some of the apparently inexplicable patTinted windows? Why not? terns in Yerevan’s traffic. In That’s another step up. Also there will be some cars general, driving in Yerevan considered cool which you is as much about predicPeople in Yerevan also love can never assume that are ting and psychology as it is license plates for some cool, like a black Toyota about actual driving. Learn reason. In particular they Corolla. Sorry. to recognize drivers by the favor patterns in the plates. So whenever there is socars they are driving and (For example, favorites mewhat unclear situation you suddenly realize that
you’re able to read traffic like an open book, avoid any conflicts, and enjoy yourself. I know this might sound a bit crazy and wild, but hey: welcome to Yerevan.
P.S. A last piece of advice: Never leave any space between the car and a sidewalk, because if there’s even a half-car gap somebody will try to pass you.
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Opposite page: The ultra-popular white Niva Above: A car high on the hierarchy, thanks to its black color This photo: A typically low-ranking car Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
Kisses from Armenia
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photos by Aramazt Kalayjian and Allegra Garabedian
Kisses from Armenia
Part of Armenia’s culture is inherent in the greeting and hosting of guests. Many times, visitors and tourists often feel surprise and gratitude in the generosity of Armenian hosts at even the most spontaneous and ephemeral of encounters. Tourists can be taken by a full table filled with sweets, pickles, breads, strained yogurt, meat & rice dishes, stuffed vegetables, fresh juices, fresh herbs and greens, not to mention the toastmaster’s preferred alcohol of choice. But this is not always encountered by a visitor as they require either trips into locals’ homes or villages where invitations for home-visits are more prevalent. LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
In urban centers this form of closeness or hospitality can best be seen in small expressions of affection, these minute indications of a fraternal or sisterly relationship in the majority homogenous society of Armenia. The hug, the arm around a friend, the hand-holding between friends of both sexes, not necessarily in romantic way, but in a kin-like expression of friendship and togetherness. It is the immediate action when meeting a loved one, a friend or sometimes the acquaintance. It is part of every culture and many greet in this way. It is intimate. It is sibling camaraderie. It’s an expression of love. It is… the kiss. by Aramazt Kalayjian
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Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
How to shuga
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A local farmer sits smiling amid his wares at the mashtots market.
how to shuga
Text by Lena tachdjian Photos by Allegra Garabedian
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
Walking back to my apartment a month or so ago, I noticed some commotion on Mashtots street by the intersection with Aram Street. The long tables, big blue removable roofs, produce, and crowd meant only one thing: the Mashtots weekend shuga was back. Having just moved an intersection away, I was ecstatic. Not only because of the conveniently located fresh produce sold directly from Armenian farmers, but also because this meant I could avoid doing my produce shopping at the notorious Gumi shuga – with which I have a tumultuous love/hate relationship. The Mashtots shuga would be open every
Saturday and Sunday, from morning until around 4 or 5 PM, but, as a farmer warned me, by the end the produce left over would most likely the bruised rejects. This was one of my favorite shugas in Yerevan, and I had been eagerly waiting for its return, as the ‘start’ date seems to change every year. It ranges from spring to fall, and ends when it becomes ‘too cold’. Many weekends over the summer I came looking for my shuga, wondering if I could have somehow gotten the location wrong. I hadn’t. I had just forgotten that much like the shugas themselves, the times and dates are inconsistent.
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Like a Local correspondent Lena Tachdijian walks us through her tumultuous relationships with yerevan’s local markets the shuga.
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
local farmers work busily throughout the day. visit them and learn more - if you can find the illusive shuga, that is
While I left carrying interest visiting the 24-hour to digest for some, but had or 4 AM shugas again (once bag upon bag of fresh produce, the shugas are so or twice was enough) since much more than just vege- they are more suited to tables and fruits – here you those who have restaurants or shops and need the procan buy homemade wine, duce in large amounts or as vodka, and vinegar as well early as possible. I’m glad to as honey, dairy products, have closed the chapter on dried fruits, picked vegetables, and much more. Every those ones. year, I also notice how the The infamous every day shuga carries more nontraditional vegetables than Gumi shuga has both the tourist-friendly aspect, the year before, whereas as well as what I call the before these items could ‘shuga-unplugged’ aspect. only be found imported in When I first discovered it supermarkets at importwith a coworker, everything level prices. was located indoors, with There are many shugas in produce sections, dried fruit Yerevan itself, with each sections, bean/legume secone having an aspect or feature distinguishing itself tions, nut sections and even a newer Syrian-Armenian from the other. There are spice section. Stray cats weekend-only ones like were kicked out, fruits and Mashtots or the Kassyan vegetables were stacked in shuga in Komitas, 24-hour ones where you are meant various arrangements, and to buy produce in bulk, ones prices were most often on clear and visible signs. The that begin at 4 AM, and of course the everyday ones. I butcher shop out in the can safely say that I have no open could be a little hard LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
a very honest ‘meet your meat’ aspect to it. While it was still a new experience for me and I did find all the different stands and layouts interesting, I had no idea what lurked outside of this little area until one day I ventured out and saw for myself the shuga unplugged in all of its exposed glory. I had never understood the idea of having a love/hate relationship with something until I had shopped at this shuga. There were days I would leave feeling like I was on cloud nine, appreciating the completely orderless way it operated and having heard more interesting stories than I could count. Other times I did everything I could to get out as soon as possible, feeling frustrated and anxious and cursing the disorganized system on my way out, needing an indeterminate break from it. However, I always found
myself coming back. And how could I not? Gumi shuga is a one-stop spot for everything you need. There you can buy zaa’tar from Lebanon, olive oil soaps and tahini from Syria, turmeric, cinnamon sticks, and almonds from India, dates from Iran, KhmneliSuneli from Georgia, and of course walnuts, dried fruits, spices, fresh lavash and much more from Armenia itself. Outside you can find all the local and traditional produce grown in a variety of different marzes in Armenia, as well as the one imported fruit stand that has bananas, oranges, and lemons for sale. Best of all, it’s still at a better price than the imported stuff in supermarkets. Gumi is technically my favorite shuga, but I find I need to be mentally and sometimes physically prepared before I go.
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There were days I would leave feeling like I was on cloud nine, appreciating the completely orderless way it operated... and having collected many new contacts, and other times I did everything I could to get out as soon as possible, feeling frustrated and anxious...
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I recommend this shuga often, but also warn
people about it as well. For that reason, here are a couple of tips for those interested in the adventure of seeing one of the best examples of a reallife contradiction in person: Understand you will stand out no matter what. If you are not a local Armenian, you will be stared at. Some stares may seem suspicious, others will imply simple curiosity. Never take it personally. As many diasporans and foreigners do not know about this shuga, their presence is not common enough to be a normal occurrence. It used to make me uncomfortable feeling like everyone there could spot the non-local, but getting to know the many farmers there and having a somewhat regular presence has made a huge difference. You will be asked
where you are from and if you speak Armenian. Just go in ready to answer questions about your life and there won’t be any surprises. Come with very little. I often would go to this shuga right after work with many bags in my hand and the claustrophobia and anxiety would kick in within a matter of minutes. If you start feeling like you are in everyone’s way – it’s because you are. With all the produce being laid out over the floor, the area within the rows is too small for two people to be side-to-side. Carrying bags makes you that much more of a space-hog. Shoppers there do not seem to be forgiving of this. Know the Russian names for produce. Yes, it is Armenia, but sometimes it’s just easier to speak like the locals, who
use an exotic mix of Russian and Armenian. Make sure to have small change with you. If a kilogram of zucchini is 300 drams, pulling out a 5000 dram bill will not only make you stand out more than you already do, you will officially become the ‘bad kind of foreigner’. Things move quickly – you don’t want to be the one responsible for slowing everything down. Never bend down or squat too long looking at produce. People tend to be in a rush here, and farmers of course want to head back to their respective marzes as soon as possible, especially in the winter. You will be pushed around (out of love) when you are standing and walking, but if you’re squatting on the ground, you become nothing more than a speed bump.
Finally, when you hear the word ‘Janabar!’ (path) being yelled out from a person who has a trademark deep smokers-voice, don’t think twice: just get out of the way. This word is yelled by the notorious person with the huge cart meant to push around heavy produce. I used to secretly despise his aggression and carelessness as he ran over screaming men, women, and children, but looking at it from his point of view, I realized that as a result of the chaos of Gumi shuga, he would never be able to get from point A to B if he wasn’t feared. Apparently Machiavelli was right - stay out of his way.
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Ask [the farmers] any questions you have, hear their stories, get invited to visit their farms, receive some life-tips, and of course be asked if you are While any shuga in Armenia or elsewhere is bound by nature to be much more hectic, chaotic, and even stressful compared to any supermarket or small shop, they are also so much more authentic, and I have never gone to one without feeling like I just had an ‘experience’ rather than just finishing some shopping. You can meet the farmers directly growing the food, ask them
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
any questions you have, hear their stories, get invited to visit their farms, receive some lifetips, and of course be asked if you are interested in marrying their son or daughter. Even when you are there during the busiest and most crowded times with tensions running high, one thing I can guarantee is that you will never be bored and you’ll always leave with a story to tell.
On top Common local produce in Yerevan (and throughout Armenia) includes cucumbers, peas, peppers, grapes, and peaches. As time goes on, the local farmers have expanded their offerings considerably and it’s becoming easier and easier to find what were formerly luxury imports at these informal markets. On the right, from the top Piles of garlic and cabbage on display at the Mashtots shuga; two locals sit at their makeshift stalls at the Gumi market, waiting to sell their goods that day.
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e interested in marrying their son or daughter
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
go green
Go green armenia
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Armenia is not a country for vegetarians. Kind-hearted grandmas squint at vegetarians with a sort of wary concern. Helpful eavesdroppers at the table next to you insist you tear off a hunk of their entire roasted pig. Most waiters just seem confused at attempts to explain yourself. However don’t lose hope yet, vegetarians and/or others who like a diverse range of produce. Now a trip to Yerevan doesn’t mean you have to subsist on khachipuri (bread with cheese and egg) alone. Although, come to think of it, it isn’t the worst way to live. There’s a small but dedicated group of Armenians who have made it their mission to diversify the products available in Yerevan’s market. That group? Real Yummy Bagels and Go Green Armenia. We interviewed Carolin, the mastermind behind these two organizations, to get the scoop on how Armenia’s greenest little company got its start.
Photos by Allegra Garabedian
Can you talk a little bit about the state of organic/ vegetarian eating in Armenia? How widespread or accepted is it? The specialized eating groups in Armenia are very small but they have groups on Facebook and do exchange ideas in the group. Organic certification in Armenia is very expensive and most all farmers cannot afford getting certified, so therefore we cannot say that the produce is “organic” but we can say it is chemical free since we test the soil and check it periodically though out the year. Through Real Yummy Bagels, we do provide vegan cookies, cakes, and meals as well as gluten free options. Vegetarian meals can be found all over town including with RYB, although being vegetarian is not a way of life in Armenia. How did the concept of Real Yummy Bagels – and later Go Green Armenia – initially come about? September of 2012, I began Real Yummy Bagels (RYB). There was a demand for bagels at the Marriott and
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
so I decided to learn how to make bagels from scratch. Within a month I mastered it and so Marriott began to purchase my bagels and cinnamon rosettes for their breakfast table! … So from there I began making maple syrup, American style pies, cheesecakes, muffins with unusual fillings like zucchini, making of tofu, peanut butter, nut milks, brown sugar, and basically whatever we couldn’t find in Armenia or if it had a huge price tag attached to it! Go Green Armenia, which is a brand of RYB, began since we couldn’t find some important basic ingredients that we wanted to make some of our products so we had no choice but to grow it ourselves! We currently grow soybeans, Italian sweet basil, snow peas, sweet snap peas, rhubard, yam, arugula, rosemary, sage, Saturn flat peaches, and someother unusual, hard-tofind produce that you can’t normally find in Armenia. Was there any difficulty in setting up a small business in Armenia? In two years of business, we have had only one difficulty:
finding people who want to work. … We have not had problems with the government, we have not had problems with our customers, we have not had problems with anything except the fact that there are no real workers in Armenia. Another problem with the current blue collar work group is that they do not know basics. You have to train them from zero. For example, basic concepts like not using the same sponge to clean the toilet and the counter space! It’s unbelievable yet a fact of life in Armenia! I find that maybe the years of hardship the people faced, has caused them to not put importance to basic hygiene and other important factors of healthy living. How is your organization structured? We have designated reliable farmers with seeds to grow our desired produce. We have a few taxi drivers on call who we rely on to make our deliveries. Currently we have only 2 workers but would love to have more if we do find the right ones. We work from 7am to 9pm filling orders upon
armenia request, stocking up on supplies when need be and keeping shop until another order is placed. Our day is spontaneous since we don’t really know what we will be making or doing until the day gets started. ... For example, the other day, we went from planting seeds, to making heart shaped surprise cakes, to bagels, to 44 muffins, to stocking for our Farmer’s Market at Vahakni on Fridays & Saturdays. Our goal is to make everything fresh. So we don’t have anything prepaid to sell. What’s the process of connecting with local farmers and bringing produce into Yerevan? The main purpose is to provide work for farmers who don’t know what to grow to be able to sell it at the end. Most
farmers have a mindset that they need to grow acres to make a good living, but we tell them they need to supply us with small quantities of hard to find produce and they will be able to make a good living. They don’t believe us until they try. Right now with the current condition farmers do not have money to buy seeds and they cannot even find good seeds. If they do have a harvest most cannot bring it into town to sell it and there are other factors and competition involved as well that puts the local farmer in a position to not bother with growing anything. So we arrange it that they get the seeds, have instructions on how to grow it, buy the harvest from them and continue this cycle of helping each other.
Who is your primary audience – expats? Native Armenians? Our main customers are expats and non Armenians who live here for work related reasons, but we have a growing Native Armenian customer pool that appreciates what we are doing and understands the importance of our ideals!
Thanks to Carolin Baghoomian for answering our questions.
Want to grab yourself some farm-fresh produce or delicious baked goods while exploring Yerevan? Try the Real Yummy Bagels and Go Green Facebook pages. Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
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LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
spotlight
yerevan’s cafe culture it’s impossible to miss yerevan’s love of the cafe whether you’re in the city or on the side of a mountain, there’s a coffee or tea with your name on it
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
the ‘green’ green bean
Green bean cafe
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While in Yerevan, it’s good to have a place where you can go from time to time and forget where you actually are - in the best way possible. A place that could be anywhere, for people from all over the world. I think most of long-term visitors, expats and diaspora Armenians that moved to Yerevan share my feeling. Enter the Green Bean Coffee Shop. The cafe “found the roots on the ground we walk upon”, as its website says.
LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
on any given day, yerevan’s citizens will be leisurely enjoying one of the city’s many cafes. one of the most popular, green bean, is sure to delight natives and foreigners alike. by zofia baldyga
Green Bean was created as the very first eco-friendly and non-smoking cafe in Yerevan that uses only renewable materials and works only with green product suppliers. Your bagels are always extremely fresh. (And the hummus wrap. And the pancakes for a lazy breakfast.) I can’t recite the whole menu but I can promise you, that most of the menu is vegetarian friendly. Also, I love Eastern coffee but sometimes you just
want to get something else for the sake of a different taste. Again, this is a right place to go and get a fuel you need. Freshly brewed MOAK coffee sounds good for someone in need of an energy kick, doesn’t it? In addition, Green Bean has a shop that sells Armenian handcrafts and toys, mostly coming to Yerevan from social economy projects. You can find my favorite, totally adorable Berd Bears there. There is one more reason why I appreciate this place
so much. As a freelance translator, sometimes I long for a space outside of my house where I could get a nice beverage and a nibble, where I could plug my laptop in and work, where no one would disturb me. Green Bean is the perfect space for working out of the house. Nice light food, good coffee, excellent service, decent WiFi. That’s all I need. If you are a coffee addict and a enthusiast of working from cafes, you will appreciate it, too.
Chainy domik 27 kM on the Yerevan-Sevan Highway Mon-Sun 10 AM – 10 PM (+374) 96 27 27 01 ARmenian (and some russian) spoken English-language menu available We almost missed the compact white building, so preoccupied were we by just getting our tiny car all the way up the mountain. But there it was, a small white building standing unobtrusively on the side of the highway, boasting some of the best tea and the best sunset views that we could have asked for. Despite being in the middle of nowhere on a mountain, we were immediately struck by the cool, modern feel of the place. Rich wooden floors and simple white
walls made the two rooms of the restaurant feel cozy, not stuffy. The Tea Lodge wouldn’t be out of place in any major city with its hipster-chic décor and the broad range of international music wquietly weaving through the charming interior. (A word of warning: While the servers’ level of Russian varied greatly and English was nowhere to be found, each one was uniquely pleasant and helpful in suggesting what we should try next.) The menu is equally as
enticing, particularly the incredible variety of looseleaf tea. The tea blends were all exceptionally tasty and the coffee offerings were truly what they claimed to be – no confusion between a cappuccino and a latte here! Food-wise, the traditional Russian blini (crepe style pancakes) and simple, hearty omelets were well worth their very reasonable prices. The real winners, however, are found a bit further in the restaurant. Across from the bar area
was a table groaning with the weight of all the homepreprared, freshly-baked cakes atop it. In the name of science, we tried a fair few. All were undeniably delicious but the two favorites were the apple cake and an Armenian style of ptichye moloko (a creamy cake with a thin chocolate layer). If you’re looking for the perfect rest stop after being rattled around on the road between Yerevan and Sevan, the Tea Lodge is a must-do to soothe those frazzled nerves.
by Polly barks Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
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Chainiy Domik The Tea Lodge
Day trip: lake sevan
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Day Trip: Lake Sevan “
We were berated for attempting to camp in such cold, wet weather and plied with 20year cognac smuggled from a factory in a Nestea bottle - all in the same breath.
Do any cursory internet search and you’ll quickly find a host of sites assuring you that Armenia is one large campground. Just toss your gear anywhere and you’re ready to camp, they say. While this may be true further afield, the areas around Lake Sevan were pretty well-populated and didn’t seem particularly suitable for free-range camping. Although, to be fair, by the time we arrived in our battered little car it was well past dark and it was raining enough to make the highway more river than road. The city of Sevan itself is hardly worth a mention: when we passed through for the first time it looked practically uninhabited. The combination of steady rain, roads that LIKE A LOCAL Yerevan, winter 2014
that hadn’t seen repair since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and ominously black apartments all made the city seem like something straight out of a horror movie. In fact, Sevan in the light of day is nothing to scoff at. Small, perhaps, but charming in its own dilapidated fashion. However that night we couldn’t have been happier to escape the city and get back on the nearly empty highway. Desperate to find a place to crash, we decided to cruise back in the direction we came – hoping for a miracle. And there it was! A small blue sign with a tent on it, half-hidden behind an overgrown tree. We swung into the hotel a bit dubiously, the complex of separate dining rooms not
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seeming much like a campground. What we quickly discovered was that the campgrounds were several hundred meters further along the edge of the lake. However we didn’t have a chance to apologize and continue on – we had arrived at the hotel and we weren’t going anywhere. Hayoc Ojax (as it’s written on their business card – we couldn’t read the sign outside the hotel itself) is a restaurant and hotel complex located on the highway just past the city of Sevan. It is – and I say this without hyperbole – one of the greatest places to visit in all of Armenia. If you’ve ever heard of the legendary Armenian hospitality, the owner and his garrulous chef
were the very embodiment of its spirit. After inquiring about the campgrounds, rather than letting us continue on to the beachfront, they demanded that we park our car inside their gates and set up in the outdoor restaurant area. After hesitantly maneuvering our car across the muddy grass, we were immediately pulled into the restaurant for ‘something to warm us up and feel more Armenian’. Immediately upon entering, we were berated by the chef, owner, and waiters for attempting to camp in such cold, wet weather and plied with 20-year cognac smuggled from a factory in a Nestea bottle - all in the same breath.
polly barks and gena sobolev discover the true meaning of armenian hospitality on the shores of lake sevan
Hayoc Ojax Restaurant and Hotel Complex Yerevan-Sevan Highway 38 (0261) 6-00-61 Lake Sevan is around 70 kilometers east of Yerevan via the Yerevan-Sevan Highway. There is frequent public transport going to and from Yerevan, but we suggest shelling out the 6,000 dram (about $14) for a private taxi, particularly if you’re going in a group.
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We spent several hours being regaled with stories of Armenian history and their personal lives in a heady mix of Russian, Armenian, and English. We even met a police officer with impeccable Russian skills and thinly-veiled stories of intrigue during his time in Moscow. In the end we dashed across the small complex and hopped into the car relatively dry with the warnings of ‘you’ll freeze to death’ echoing in our ears. They were right, of course: at over 6,000 feet above sea level, Lake Sevan gets chilly and it was a long, cold night of camping. Thankfully, several shots of the magical cognac, a beer or two, and plenty of blankets and pillows from the hotel kept us warm throughout the night. We woke up to the sound of cows being herded past the hotel early the next morning and realized we couldn’t have found a better place to stay. The best part of it all? They didn’t charge us for any of it. They shook off all our attempts to pay them (we settled with pictures taken on a young waiter’s iPhone) and told us to enjoy Armenia. Armenian hospitality indeed.
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Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
What better way to find the best that yerevan has to offer than by interviewing a true-blue local? we chatted with Hasmik soghomonyan and got the inside scoop on what’s what in armenia’s capital city. Tell us a little about yourself! I’m Hasmik Soghomonyan, born and raised in Yerevan. I’m currently a Digital Communication Expert at UNDP/Kolba Innovation Lab. We are doing a lot of cool, innovative and Armenian style things, so if you have time Google it... I got my first MA degree in Public Administration but then somehow decided to get a second MA in Journalism and Media Management. I love documentary films, cats, coffee and parties… Well, Armenians all like to party, drink toasts, and have good meals. I am a local Armenian. Can you tell us what a typical Yerevan local is like? I’ve lived in Yerevan all my life and still think that there is no unique image of a local one could define. Trying to compile the puzzle from very different local people I know in Yerevan, I might be able to tell the recipe of a typical local although I’m not sure how much I’ll succeed. So for me, a typical Yerevan resident is proud to be Armenian, as
we have survived quite tough historical challenges and we’re also in a blocked geo-political situation. So we’re the proud mountainous nation that manages to live on historical land and we’re very proud of that. Typical local Yerevan resident hates the public transportation system, complains about the dusty city and mass construction, but is still fascinated by the city’s beauty when walking through its streets. They can be amazing hosts, hospitable people always ready to walk you through the very local, special places of the city. Local Yerevantsi have a modern outlook, though sometimes combined with quite conservative views and traditions. Also add some good sense of humor and self-irony which actually helps to overcome hard situations.
do you any harm or say anything. Also I love the care towards each other among locals: adults are watching kids playing in the yards and also warning them of possible cars rushing by. There is even a local joke that there are always certain types of older women and men that carry candy in their bags only for giving them to the children.
What’s your favorite part of life in Yerevan? I love that Yerevan is safe. For instance, you can walk in the street of Yerevan at 3 AM and, if you are not making noise and disturbing others’ peaceful night, no one would
Where to go to party: UpTown (19a Koryun St )
What MUST a traveler do while in Yerevan? Walk until he gets lost and then find his way back without a map. Yerevan Fast Five: Best restaurant: not best but worth visiting- Parvana (Hrazdan River Ravine) Must-know phrase in Armenian: (barev- vonts es-) Inch ka tchka?(-tsavd tanem)
Anything else? Armenians are hot tempered people who got very emotional about some stuff which concerns their nation and identity. Tough discussions are guaranteed if one decide to argue some historical facts and figures. If we speak more than 10 minutes with a foreigner, we may find out their (great) grandparents were Armenian... or at least they had some Armenian neighbors. We are keen on finding Armenian roots in everyone’s family. And that turns out to be true, so be careful! We are sometimes late by 20 minutes which is locally perceived as usual, but might annoy foreigners. Sorry, it’s nothing personal, we have another rhythm for counting minutes maybe.
Must-try dish: Khash ( dish of boiled cows feet) Best local drink: home-made mulberry vodka Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL
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ask a local
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Pictured: Mountains in central Armenia.
CITY STATS
city: YEREVAN country: ARMENIA population: 1.1 MILLION known for: MOUNT ARARAT Please Thank you Where is the toilett? How much ? Beer
Khentrem Merci Vortegh e zugarane? Inch arzhe? Gurejoure
Yerevan, winter 2014 LIKE A LOCAL