Interview by Georgy Kalatoishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Georgian politics has been a source of funny stories in the last 25 years. A sudden move by the Minister of Finance, Nodar Khaduri, gets onto the list of the stories. He ordered the publication of the menu of an official dinner in honor of 120 employees of the Asian Bank of Development, who came to Tbilisi to study new projects.
Grand dinners organized by the Ministry of Finance are a popular topic in the mass media. Several months ago a newspaper published the menu of a corporate party in a prestigious Tbilisi restaurant, “The Mill.” The list and prices were impressive. Since that time, everybody has been trying to touch the minister to the quick for the sin of gluttony. There are cartoons where he is eating a boar, and so on. Moreover, Nodar Khaduri’s physical appearance stirs up the situation. But not all people can be models, and nobody has yet forbidden official dinners in honor of guests.
However, the tragicomic targeting of the minister and the important ministry continued. Moreover, the opposition officially suggested establishing an investigative commission to find out what and how much Khaduri and his employees eat. The minister’s patience finally snapped and he decided to publish a menu of the upcoming dinner. “The Document” was republished by information agencies and newspapers, TV companies demonstrated it for the whole of Georgian society, which is experienced in food.
The menu includes prices for courses:
Vegetable salad – 3 lari
Chicken salad – 3.5 lari
Russian salad – 4 lari
Nadugi in sulguni – 4 lari
Mtsnili – 4 lari
Lobio – 4 lari
Lobio with walnuts – 4.5 lari
Khachapuri – 6.5 laru
… and so on, including meat courses.
However, publication of the menu couldn’t cause the desired reaction. And Nodar Khaduri’s ministry asked society to help the minister to change the menu of an official dinner for foreign guests. And finally society realized that it is a violation of all national traditions to accuse the minister of food verity. All suggestions on improving the menu touched on increasing rather than reducing the amount of courses. Bloggers write that it is a shame not to cook chkmeruli (chicken in garlic sauce) and elardzhi (hot sulguni) for a foreign guest.
“But these courses are much more expensive than chicken salad. There will be 120 people. How much will the dinner cost?” employees of the ministry ironically responded to these suggestions.
As a result we have another Georgian comedy. Khadauri managed to turn the situation in his favor. Many people write that the ministry has the right to encourage its employees with a dinner, at least on New Year's Eve.
