Hello, my friends! Does anyone remember me telling you that my son's girlfriend is from Armenia?
When he first told us this, I was pleased that I had some vague idea of where it was in the world...but not much else, I fear. Now, I found a great piece on the BBC about the fact that Armenians are very welcoming to those who visit them. You may read the article just here.
KAY'S JELLO:
1 big box of Strawberry Jello
Follow directions on box! It will say to mix Jello with boiling water and dissolve and then, to mix in cold water. Instead of the cold water, use 100% FRUIT JUICE, not water! That's it! EASY!
Now, the juice that I used was 100% Fruit Juice-Cranberry/Pomegranate. Why did I choose this one?
I did my research on Armenia! The Pomegranate is ... oh look- this is what Wikipedia has to say about it.
The pomegranate is one of the main fruits in Armenian culture (the others being apricot and grapes). Its juice is famous with Armenians in food and heritage. The pomegranate is the symbol of Armenia and represents fertility, abundance and marriage.
Fertility, abundance and marriage! Oops, please note those are not MY words, Shoghik and Christopher! I am just quoting here!
"When you encounter hospitality in Armenia, you are unlikely to forget it". That was the last sentence in the BBC article.
Where in the world have you experienced the best hospitality?
Tell me!
(I have a friend who spent some time in Australia once. When he was asked what would he like in his coffee, he replied that he liked cream and sugar. His hosts looked at each other but said nothing. The husband left the room and was gone for the longest time. He found out later that the host had left and driven for miles to buy the cream! Note to the rest of the world, we Americans say "cream and sugar" but we just mean milk and sugar, or Coffee Mate and sugar, we are not fussy! Love those Aussies!)
Love to you all!
Cute couple. Like your recipe, but haven't made Jello in ages.
ReplyDeleteYou should try my simple recipe, it is simple but good.
DeleteI was at Mount Arabia on the weekend and thought of you and your blog. We got a lemon and a blood orange tree at Home Depot a few years ago. They grow in pots and we have to bring them in when the temp gets below freezing, which is kind of a pain because we don't have a lot of space. This year both have a lot of fruit!
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling me about your lemon and blood orange tree! I will look for them at Home Depot, I would love to have them both!
DeleteYou MUST tell me the next time you are ever at Arabia Mountain, I would love to meet with you and walk there.
Kay, So funny about the cream and sugar. Now the jello sounds interesting. Blessings to all, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteI LOVED that story about cream and sugar! Glad you found it funny too! xxx
DeleteMy Mawmaw taught me hospitality, no one left her house, not even a person delivering a package or working on an appliance, without being fed and given food to take along!
ReplyDeleteThey are a beautiful couple, and that's very interesting about Armenia. Grandma says her grandfather was from Armenia, but i haven't looked into the connection much. Now i will.
Let me know about your Armenia connection! That would be interesting to find out!
DeleteOh- I bet you will have a daughter-in-law before too long and it looks like she will be a lovely addition to the family. It will be interesting to learn even more about that culture as time moves on.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful night, Kay. They are whispering that naughty four letter word here this week--SNOW. xo Diana
Oh, I hope you don't get too much snow! It is too early for that!
DeleteThey look like a cute couple!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martha!
DeleteAs everyone else has said they are a lovely couple. I'm sure she had a good time visiting you.The best hospitality I received was at my mother-in-law's house. She knew how to take care of everyone.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law is also a very good hostess. She puts me to shame!
DeleteChristopher and Shoghik make a cute couple!
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know about you Americans, but when I say "cream and sugar," I mean "cream and sugar!" I hate it when someone says they have cream for my coffee and then pull out that most disgusting of all coffee whiteners -- SKIM MILK! Nooooooooo!
Ha! You are like my husband. The first time he was told by a hostess here, "Oh, let me get you some butter to go with that (on his baked potato), she brought out the bright blue plastic container that squirts out the fake butter! He was quite surprised it was called butter!
DeleteHungarians are wonderfully hospitable, in my experience....A common greeting is "Isten Hozott" which means "God brought you". A guest is considered not only a "vendeg" or a guest, but a "szent vendeg", a holy guest. Nothing is too much trouble to do for a guest! It may be that the younger generation is calmer about this, but the cultural standard is for great hospitality....I prefer American hospitality which puts less pressure on everyone, but still wants to make people feel at home. I think you will have a wonderful daughter in law, Kay! I had a friend whose parents were from Armenia when I was in college and she was a delightful woman, friendly and very artistic. (Well, we were both art majors!)
ReplyDeleteGod brought you...that is wonderful. Thank for telling me that.
DeleteIt reminds me of the monks at our local monastery here, they are the same way, they treat their guests as if they are the most special visitors.
Friendly and very artistic, my kind of people! (Like you!)
I hope Shoghik tucked in heartily at your table - she can definitely use a little more flesh on her very skinny frame :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd like the others here have said, she and Christopher make a lovely couple and it would not surprise me at all if before long you have a daughter-in-law!
Best hospitality? Well, I would say my Mum's... she is a great host and has always been one, even when there was very little money in our family - my sister and I didn't even realise it at the time, we were children and lacked of nothing.
Yes, she is very petite!
DeleteOh, I am thinking of the photo of your Mum's cookies, and also, a photo one of her cakes...yum, you are making me hungry!
A very nice looking couple there. And a thoughtful dish you shared!
ReplyDeleteI actually just like non-fat milk in my coffee - just enough to take the edge off. I can't stand that powdered stuff - I'd rather not have the coffee than use that.
I don't mind Coffee Mate too much, but I also prefer milk.
DeleteOf course, cream is very nice indeed!
What a pretty girl, and they do look sweet together. What a kind idea to make the Jello with pomegranite - good research there! As an Aussie I always get a bit confused about the 'cream' issue. Thank you for explaining.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, anytime! Any goofy thing that Americans do, just ask me and I will tell you! :-)
DeleteFor years I wondered what Jello was as a kid having heard of it on TV shows only to discover years later it was the same as Jelly. Also grits- much the same as our semolina pudding(to look at if not in taste or purpose) Same with cookies, salt water taffy (opal fruits for us) Cool aid, and loads of other things I forget but puzzled over.
ReplyDeleteA pomegranate was an occasional treat back then but eaten on its own in little clumps, spitting out the seeds onto a plate. Unique taste in the fruit world.
Bob, you know that I love the JELLY in England but I must tell you, the grits are just not the same as semolina!
DeleteI love the look of a pomegranate but have never bought one or eaten one! :-)
Nice that you took the time to find out more about Armenia. I'd think it's a wonderful way to show you care. I have not had much to do with pomegranates but have heard they are very good for you !
ReplyDeleteThanks, MA! I am always looking things up like this and then, trying to incorporate my knowledge into little gifts or things that I cook or bake. Not sure if anyone ever notices this though but it makes me feel good! :-)
DeleteI only know a little about Armenia. For the longest time I didn't even realise it was a place. I thought that it had something to do with America or that people were misspelling America. I was very dumb to say the least. It's good to focus on the positives of the country given some of the darker moments of their past. I'm glad that the Armenians are still very friendly and loving despite everything that has happened to them.
ReplyDeleteHey Mark! You must be my brother! HA! I have done the same thing myself, when I see "Armenian" I think it is "American"!
DeleteYou are correct, the people of Armenia have been through a lot, but I must tell you that most AMERICANS that I know don't anything at all about the history of Armenia.
Charles Aznavour, the french singer, is armenian. He's all talent and wisdom.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Yes, I remember him because I looked up the song "She" when I saw the movie "Notting Hill". Talent and wisdom, we need more of both.
DeleteBoy! It's years since I've had cream in my coffee. But I do like it made on milk...and as fate would have it, at this very moment I'm sipping on a large mug of coffee made on milk! No sugar added though....I never add sugar to coffee of whatever style. However, I did add an ample dose of cinnamon to it! :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way...even though we've all had our fill of them....the Kardashian clan are of Armenian extraction. Their father, Robert was third generation Armenian-American.
DeleteOh yes, I knew that. The Armenians have been through so much and to have to also be associated with the Kardashian clan! I would much rather have people think of David Seville (real name Ross Bagdasarian) who was also of Armenian descent...he was the genius behind The CHIPMUNKS!
DeleteMmmmm...milky coffee with a dash of cinnamon, YUM!
Huh - love that Aussie hospitality; in the UK, the general response would be, "Sorry, we don't have that." :-)
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, I dearly love the plain speaking of the UK, straight to the point! :-)
DeleteHaha! This Canadian-American takes her coffee cream very seriously! Of course you would look up information on Armenia and do everything you could to make Shoghik feel welcome. Christopher and Shoghik make a cute couple! Newfoundland is absolutely the best place for hospitality that I have ever been. Newfies would literally give you the last scrap of food in their home. They are amazing people! I'm returning after a blogging break ~ so much going on. I hope that all is well with you and Richard!
ReplyDeleteHey Louise! Meet me for coffee and we will load our cups with cream! :-)
DeleteNewfoundland! How wonderful, I would love to see it one day and experience that hospitality myself!
Hope YOU are doing well, my friend! Take care! xx
What a lovely couple they make!
ReplyDeleteMy best friend in college was of Armenian descent and my husband's uncle as well. The history of their country is interesting and compelling. They suffered an horrific genocide in the early 1900's. I believe this is when our friend's and uncle's family immigrated to the US.
THanks for your comment! I have written about the Armenian genocide, although there are countries who refuse to accept it as fact.
DeleteLovely photo of your son and his girlfriend. I had to laugh about the cream and sugar story. Good lord! haha
ReplyDeleteHa! Isn't that funny? It really happened too! :-)
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