Sorry I Cannot Hear You, I'm Kind of Busy

by Steve Lynch, T-13 (Dashoguz City)

Former Peace Corps Volunteers do not call home. They do not buy phone cards. They do not page through scuffed tetrads (notebooks) filled with lists of digits from their village, calling codes cramped into the corners, hunting for their favorite dukançy's number. We return home, shake out the rug we bought from someone in the capital, and make a few drunken speeches to whomever will listen here about how this experience changed us and how we learned more from them than we think they learned from us and that's crazy, man. But we do not call home.


Almost every conversation between RPCVs (former Volunteers) will loop back through the same doorways of the same circular home of conversation: it's insane how it feels like forever ago; yeah, I was thinking about that, too; and then, finally, have you talked to your host family at all, like called them or something? There is the same look of guilt shading all of our eyes--no, I didn't but no one does and the land lines are terrible, right? There is comfort in knowing we are a type, that we have self-similar habits here. Because that guilt always turns to relief when the other person admits to host familial silence. Our communal guilt is a comfort.

I am the ugly duckling, for I have called my host family almost without fail once a month, almost every month, since I returned here in October 2006. I am a rarity. For almost three and a half years, I spend an hour on the phone with a family that suffered, stuffed, angered, adored, and amused me for two years and we, like Volunteers, cycle through the same conversations every single time. It goes like this.

Turkmenski Shashlyk

by the Shashlyk Master of Ashgabat
Camel Spit has published multiple plov recipes, but has yet to provide instructions for that essential Turkmen party staple: shashlyk.  Sure, you could translate the dish as "shish kebab," but that does not do justice to the fire charred, fat laden, tangy meat that tastes uniquely of Turkmenistan, and the scarce wood from the desert sacrificed to cook it.

Whether you first had it in the shady back alley behind the Presitzhe bar & grill in Abadan (Bizmein) or with the famous shashlyk masters of the Nebit Dag Bazaar, or that special gem in Ashgabat, the Iceberg Café, shashlyk was always a great break from the grechka/chorba/chorek diet of village life.  It did not even have to be good shashlyk, just some grilled meats cooked outdoors with a pivo (beer) or three. 


Many Volunteers have attempted to recreate various shashlyk recipes, and below I’ll try and recount as many as I can remember from some of the great PCV shashlyk masters of yore, and of course our Turkmen counterparts who actually know what they are doing. 

3rd Goal Presentation Tips

by Charles Gussow, T-11

After completing their service overseas, Volunteers are considered "Returned Peace Corps Volunteers" rather than "Former Volunteers" to emphasize their continuing duty to educate Americans about their country of service. This responsibility is tied to the 3rd goal of Peace Corps - bringing the experience back home to the United States (the first and second goal are providing technical assistance and sharing American culture with foreign hosts, respectively).

In honor of the upcoming Peace Corps week (March 1st - 7th), Camel Spit is pleased to offer some suggestions for successfully sharing your experience at your local school or community center.

Don't be afraid! Use the classroom match at the Peace Corps site or just call a school/library near you and set up a talk. At least once during your service, you convinced a room full of children/doctors/ministry officials that you knew something about health/business/the English language that they didn't (okay, you probably didn't need to fake English language knowledge). You actually do more about Turkmenistan than most people in the U.S., so will be able to pass on a ton of information to your audience.

Peace Corps Week-3rd Goal Activity Suggestions

Peace Corps Week 2010 is from March 1 to March 7.

If you are interested in participating in a Peace Corps activity in your area, the Peace Corps website has a list of events that are taking place all over the country between late February and early March. You can find it at the following link: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.returned.pcweek.events.

Peace Corps also offers "How To" tool kits for third goal activities. You can find it at the following link: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.returned.thirdgoal.getinvolved.

Let us know if you participate in any of these activities and we'll post it on the blog.

Turkmenistan's GREAT salt lake: Mollakara

by Charles Gussow, T-11
As is occasionally apparent, your humble Camel Spit editor was a proud temporary denizen of Balkanabat. Readers will need to forgive this, and other instances of regional boosterism.

Many travelers assume that Balkanabat is not a prime location for aquatic adventure. This is a misconception. Sure, the town is surrounded by high desert and mountains, but that doesn't mean you need to go all the way to Turkmenbashi City and the Caspian Sea to enjoy a day at the beach. Balkanabat is a short taxi or marshrutka (minibus) ride away from Mollakara, a GREAT salt lake, located in the outskirts of Jebel. The saltiness means you become super buoyant as you float around and the high mineral content is believed to have strong health benefits. In fact, after Avaza gets rebuilt, Mollakara is due for a sanatarium upgrade.
Until then, here are some tips for enjoying your trip to Mollakara.


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Vegetarian Plov

Camel Spit's third in an ever-expanding series of plov variations.  This recipe suggests the addition of a hard-boiled egg, not exactly a plov standard, to provide a little more protein give some meat-like texture.  Letting your guest peel the cooked garlic head and hardboiled egg also adds the element of hands on plov eating which is often missing from American dinner parties. Of course, if you leave out the egg, you will have a perfectly respectable vegan recipe. 

Ingredients:1 tbsp (or more) grapeseed oil
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
1 or 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
8 large carrots, cut into long, thin slices.  [Slices should be about as long and wide as your pinky, but only 1-2 centimeters thick.]
2 small onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped (+ optional head of garlic)
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp ginger powder (or chopped fresh ginger)
(optional pinch of cinnamon)
(optional fresh jalapeno or chili pepper)
salt and pepper to taste

Peace Corps Memories: The Beekeepers

by Kenyon Weaver, T-12

Pamoimoo (to my mind). To me and my two Peace Corps compatriots, Derek and Ben, the word “beekeepers” triggers a response worthy of Proust.

It was our first night in Dashoguz City, which meant it was our last night of the trip to meet our permanent host families. As small and navigable as Dashoguz is, T-12 Ben and I were new and clueless; we latched onto guide and mentor T-11 Derek. The plan was simple: Meet up with the other T-12s at the American Corner, transfer to the Dashoguz Hotel, stay overnight, then pile into the first plane in the morning back to Ashgabat.

Palow, Afghan Style

by Sheryl Abrahams, T-11 [modified from recipe by Rebecca Walton Chirak, T-11]


Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
0.25-0.5 cup vegetable oil, depending on your taste (olive oil works well)
4-5 cut-up chicken pieces, such as drumsticks and thighs
2 large carrots, cut into matchsticks
3 cloves garlic, minced
0.5 cup seedless raisins (golden raisins work best)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1/4 tsp saffron
5-6 cups chicken broth (If you can manage it, using homemade broth will make this dish absolutely amazing.  Substitute water for some of the broth if needed.)
salt and pepper to taste

Turkmenistan: The Music Videos

Pining for Turkmenistan? YouTube has you covered. A little Internet searching (read: procrastination) found music video tributes for the capital cities. Well, Mary's isn't so much a music video as a car ride.

Low-Fat Plov Recipe

Camel Spit is throwing the gauntlet! Your loyal editor claims that the following is the best Americanized plov recipe out there. What do you say?



Low-Fat Chicken Plov (reprinted from Dec. 2006 camel spit)
by Charles Gussow (T-11)

A certain amount of controversy exists around this recipe. The intent is to capture the Sunday plov taste we all remember, without slowly killing ourselves by guzzling cotton seed oil. However, some RCPVs note that the final product, “just tastes like chicken and rice.” In contrast, FoT Vice President (and wife) Kelsey Beckner, raves, “This is the best dish I’ve ever eaten. You are a genius, Charles. In appreciation for your efforts in creating this recipe, I will do all of the housework from now on.” At least that’s how he remembers the conversation.

2 Chicken breasts, chopped
2 Onions, sliced
3 cloves Garlic, diced
1/2 pound carrots (or more), sliced into long strips
2 cups of Rice
1 cup of Chicken broth
1 cup water
2-4 tablespoons Canola or vegetable oil
Garlic powder
Salt
Paprika
Head of garlic (optional)
Jalapeno pepper (optional)
Dried apricot (optional)
Craisins (optional)
Remember to use a heavy pot with a lid.

Spicy Manty Recipe (for American Kitchens)

by Sheryl Abrahams, T-11

For those who like a little kick to their manty. Also good for RPCVs who have trouble re-creating their ejes’ (host mother's) dough:

•1 package frozen spinach, chopped
•1 tablespoon olive oil
•1 clove garlic, minced
•1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce*, or less for milder dumplings
•Pinch of salt
•1 package refrigerated wonton wrappers (usually found in the produce section of the grocery store, near the tofu)

Thaw the spinach and mix with the next four ingredients. Wet each wonton wrapper with a pastry brush, then fill and fold into the familiar manty shape. Spray down a stovetop steam insert with cooking spray, and arrange manty so that individual dumplings do not touch. Steam for about 10 minutes, in batches if necessary.
To balance the heat with a cool dipping sauce, mix 3 parts sour cream to 1 part cream cheese and add salt to taste.
*Sometimes referred to as “Rooster” sauce; it can be found in most grocery stores in a clear squeeze bottle with a green top and a picture of a rooster.