And immediately sees the remains of a dead cow on the floor. This could of course be quite alarming, triggering scenes from horror or plague films. Luckily for me however, this was merely the result of the years-old tradition of preparing for the winter. Today, many forget that food once operated according to the seasons. Pumpkin pie is associated with the fall and not summer, winter, spring because in those months, there was not pumpkin to be had. Of course, food still grows according to the weather, but as we receive food from all over the world in our globalized world, the only change we notice is an increase in price of "non seasonal" foodstuffs. Storing food for winter is a practice I would poster that many of us are unfamiliar with in the 21st century. It is not however forgotten in all parts of the world, as I noticed this weekend.
Tuvan cuisine is based on one principle: meat and everything else that comes with it. With snow already on the ground, winter has come and made its make in Tyva for well over a month now. The temperatures have been keeping with the season with today's temperature being around -17 degrees Celsius (that's 0 degrees Fahrenheit for y'all in the states). Currently, it is hovering around -22 degrees Celsius (-7 degrees Fahrenheit). That is by no means the end of it. The weather promises to get much colder come January, even dropping down to -40 degrees Celsius (which coincidentally is -40 degrees Fahrenheit). Winter in Tyva is serious. Living in such a climate has produced the principle of meat in Tuvan cuisine. In terms of vegetables, there is little that grows here. Furthermore, the Tuvans are traditionally a nomadic people, thus farming was only recently introduced into the culture. To cope with the fierce winters, Tuvans drink a heart tea that is made with green tea, salt, and milk. It not only warms up your innards, but also fills you up as well. That is by no means, the end of the meal though. That would be leaving out the meat. I mented above that Tuvans eat meat and everything else that comes with it. That means EVERYTHING. The remains of the cow I saw in the house understand what I am getting at.
The setting is the small village of Telli (Тэлли) in the western district of "Bai-Taiga" (Бай-Тайга) in the Republic of Tyva. I was invited to this place by my colleague, the chair of the English Department. Both she and her husband are originally from this village. We gathered into a small car, four people (my colleague's sister-in-law also joined us) and set off into the night. It was a five-hour
journey that was unfortunately done in the dark, meaning I missed most of the scenery along the road. What I did not miss were the stars. When we stopped about halfway through the trip to use the restroom (which was an outhouse) and grab some tea and snack, I looked up and beheld a majestic sight. The stars shone so brightly and seemed so close, that I felt I could reach up and grab them. It was one of the clearest and most beautiful skies I had ever seen. It was an especially unique moment for me because I had not really seen the stars or looked at them for quite some time. In Kyzyl, we have smog in the winter, because everyone heats their houses with coal, thus leaving the sky not at all visible. Now, our windows are frozen over, bringing visibility down even further. The sky remained just as marvelous the rest of my stay outside of Kyzyl. We arrived in Telli around 1:00 AM. Greeting us was a cold, brisk night air,
an angry dog, the remains of the cow, and our gracious host, Tat'yana. We came into the house and were immediately sat down around the table in the small kitchen. Soup was dished out to all and two big plates with meat (still on the bones), liver and heart, and onions. I should mention that the soup contained meat as well as bone or something else that was not meat. In any case, it was all very delicious and filling.
We then all settled in for the night. I slept wonderfully and awoke to the sight of my colleague's husband and his father cutting into a hunk of meat on the kitchen floor. They cut through, taking clumps off until they came to the bones, making sure nothing was left to be wasted on the bones. Moving from there, they systematically cut off all the meat and harvested the innards of the rest of the cow, moving out of the kitchen into the living room (where I had slept the night before) to work at the bigger parts. Breakfast was served in the morning with oatmeal, bread, jam, chocolate, and pizza making up the meal. Also served was the Tuvan tea I described earlier. Full and feeling quite warm from the tea, I decided to set out for a short walk around the neighborhood before I headed to a local school to chat with the students. The sight that my eyes beheld once I stepped outside was just as majestic as the stars that shone the night before above me. Mountains surround the village on all sides and are well within walking distance. This time I did not succeed in making it out to them, but on my next trip (which will happen in the spring), I plan on walking in those mountains. The village is small and everyone lives in one-story houses. The Russian Federation I am accustomed to is full of apartment buildings, of course, people here do live in houses, but I had personally never been in a place, where there were more houses than apartments.
Coming into Kyzyl was like entering a different world, coming to Telli felt like entering a world deeper within the one I already found myself. Within the actual village, there are altogether few roads and among those even fewer paved ones. That day I went out to walk, there was a scattering of people moving across the snow-covered landscape. I added my movement to theirs and began walking in-between the houses. The "other-world" feeling intensified as those people I passed gave me quizzical looks. In these areas, Russians are even fewer than in Kyzyl, so any European face stands out. Add my very German/Scandinavian face and I became even more of a sight in such a small town. As I made my way through the neighborhood, I could not help but feel an odd sense of a clash of cultures.
This was not the first time I had experienced such a feeling in Tyva. Indeed, the whole republic is a crossroads of peoples. Kyzyl is a city that was founded by Russians, yet today is inhabited by a majority of Tuvans. In many ways it makes sense that in the capital, there is more Russian-ness. Telli however is a Tuvan village, supposedly founded in the days when the Chinese Empire ruled the land (1800s). Therefore seeing Russian influence here is quite different than in Kyzyl. There are reminders everywhere that Tyva has only been in the Russian sphere of influence for 100 years. Russian and Tyva are seem as partners instead of one and the same entity. In Telli this is even more evident than in Kyzyl, as the locals continue on as they have for generations. Staunch communists here did not cast aside their nomadic traditions and forsake their native tongue. Russian is used as needed, but Tuvan rules the day.
I could not however spend my whole day walking. I had an appointment at one of the local schools. I met the English teachers, sitting down for tea and treats. Then I was shown into a large classroom with around thirty students eagerly awaiting the arrival of "the American." Questions were posed back and forth. I showed pictures of "My America" and talked about my life there. They shared about themselves and their home. It was a firsts for them in two ways. First off, I was the first American they had ever met and secondly, I was the first native English speaker they had ever met. For them learning English is such a remote location, it was a spark for me to be there with them. For many years they have been taught English, told that they should learn it, but what for? With little practical application, it is hard to teach a foreign language. Their teachers though do an excellent job at giving the students practical applications for the language. My time with them was just a part of their greater work.
Overall it was a fun meeting. They were surprised when I showed them my American cell phone and asked why I did not have an Iphone. I brought with me various souvenirs of American life: greeting cards, money, passport, driver's license, etc. At the end of the lesson, I decided to hand out the coins that I had as mementos for the students. Everyone got either a penny, nickel, quarter, or dime. As I left the school to walk back to the house where I was staying, I was stopped on the street by a group of 6th graders, who asked where I was from and why I was in Telli. We chatted, while they ran around me and asked all sorts of questions. Then as we parted I handed them all coins. Luckily, I had just enough.
The rest of my stay was spent resting, eating, and chatting lively with my hosts and friends. The cow was by then almost chopped up and the meat divided up between the families. The original plan was to stay until Sunday morning, but the plans changed we decided to leave Saturday evening instead. Gathering around the kitchen table one last time, we shared a very filling meal before heading out on the road.
I stepped out of the house to enjoy the final moments of quiet and to see the stars as they began to appear in the sky. Around us stood majestic mountains, visible only by their silhouettes in the sunset. It was so calming. It was also a chance to stretch my legs before we all crammed back into the car. For the return trip, we were joined by my colleague's father-in-law, who was going to Kyzyl to help his daughter with some things. We left as night darkness descended upon the land, five souls crammed into the car.
We made the trip back a bit quicker than five hours. By 11 PM, I was once again in my room, stretching and warming myself up. Bai-Taiga awaits my return.
Tuvan cuisine is based on one principle: meat and everything else that comes with it. With snow already on the ground, winter has come and made its make in Tyva for well over a month now. The temperatures have been keeping with the season with today's temperature being around -17 degrees Celsius (that's 0 degrees Fahrenheit for y'all in the states). Currently, it is hovering around -22 degrees Celsius (-7 degrees Fahrenheit). That is by no means the end of it. The weather promises to get much colder come January, even dropping down to -40 degrees Celsius (which coincidentally is -40 degrees Fahrenheit). Winter in Tyva is serious. Living in such a climate has produced the principle of meat in Tuvan cuisine. In terms of vegetables, there is little that grows here. Furthermore, the Tuvans are traditionally a nomadic people, thus farming was only recently introduced into the culture. To cope with the fierce winters, Tuvans drink a heart tea that is made with green tea, salt, and milk. It not only warms up your innards, but also fills you up as well. That is by no means, the end of the meal though. That would be leaving out the meat. I mented above that Tuvans eat meat and everything else that comes with it. That means EVERYTHING. The remains of the cow I saw in the house understand what I am getting at.
The setting is the small village of Telli (Тэлли) in the western district of "Bai-Taiga" (Бай-Тайга) in the Republic of Tyva. I was invited to this place by my colleague, the chair of the English Department. Both she and her husband are originally from this village. We gathered into a small car, four people (my colleague's sister-in-law also joined us) and set off into the night. It was a five-hour
journey that was unfortunately done in the dark, meaning I missed most of the scenery along the road. What I did not miss were the stars. When we stopped about halfway through the trip to use the restroom (which was an outhouse) and grab some tea and snack, I looked up and beheld a majestic sight. The stars shone so brightly and seemed so close, that I felt I could reach up and grab them. It was one of the clearest and most beautiful skies I had ever seen. It was an especially unique moment for me because I had not really seen the stars or looked at them for quite some time. In Kyzyl, we have smog in the winter, because everyone heats their houses with coal, thus leaving the sky not at all visible. Now, our windows are frozen over, bringing visibility down even further. The sky remained just as marvelous the rest of my stay outside of Kyzyl. We arrived in Telli around 1:00 AM. Greeting us was a cold, brisk night air, an angry dog, the remains of the cow, and our gracious host, Tat'yana. We came into the house and were immediately sat down around the table in the small kitchen. Soup was dished out to all and two big plates with meat (still on the bones), liver and heart, and onions. I should mention that the soup contained meat as well as bone or something else that was not meat. In any case, it was all very delicious and filling.
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| Setting to work on the cow. |
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| The house we stayed in for the weekend. |
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| A monument commemorating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Tuvan People's Republic. |
I could not however spend my whole day walking. I had an appointment at one of the local schools. I met the English teachers, sitting down for tea and treats. Then I was shown into a large classroom with around thirty students eagerly awaiting the arrival of "the American." Questions were posed back and forth. I showed pictures of "My America" and talked about my life there. They shared about themselves and their home. It was a firsts for them in two ways. First off, I was the first American they had ever met and secondly, I was the first native English speaker they had ever met. For them learning English is such a remote location, it was a spark for me to be there with them. For many years they have been taught English, told that they should learn it, but what for? With little practical application, it is hard to teach a foreign language. Their teachers though do an excellent job at giving the students practical applications for the language. My time with them was just a part of their greater work.
Overall it was a fun meeting. They were surprised when I showed them my American cell phone and asked why I did not have an Iphone. I brought with me various souvenirs of American life: greeting cards, money, passport, driver's license, etc. At the end of the lesson, I decided to hand out the coins that I had as mementos for the students. Everyone got either a penny, nickel, quarter, or dime. As I left the school to walk back to the house where I was staying, I was stopped on the street by a group of 6th graders, who asked where I was from and why I was in Telli. We chatted, while they ran around me and asked all sorts of questions. Then as we parted I handed them all coins. Luckily, I had just enough.The rest of my stay was spent resting, eating, and chatting lively with my hosts and friends. The cow was by then almost chopped up and the meat divided up between the families. The original plan was to stay until Sunday morning, but the plans changed we decided to leave Saturday evening instead. Gathering around the kitchen table one last time, we shared a very filling meal before heading out on the road.
I stepped out of the house to enjoy the final moments of quiet and to see the stars as they began to appear in the sky. Around us stood majestic mountains, visible only by their silhouettes in the sunset. It was so calming. It was also a chance to stretch my legs before we all crammed back into the car. For the return trip, we were joined by my colleague's father-in-law, who was going to Kyzyl to help his daughter with some things. We left as night darkness descended upon the land, five souls crammed into the car.
We made the trip back a bit quicker than five hours. By 11 PM, I was once again in my room, stretching and warming myself up. Bai-Taiga awaits my return.
