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MORE ON YEREVAN'S TALE OF THE SMOKED CROCODILE
EurasiaNet.org
Dec 26 2013
December 26, 2013 - 11:11am, by Yigal Schleifer
Yerevan-based Marianna Grigoryan finished 2013 off with what might be
Eurasianet's wildest story of the year: an article about one Armenian
supermarket that is offering up an entire smoked crocodile as an item
for the traditional New Year's feast.
Here's a taste of her great article:
Situated on a bed of lettuce and lemons on a counter in SAS
supermarket's meat department, the 12-kilogram, 90-centimeter-long
crocodile, imported from the United States, weighs in at the staggering
price of 380,000 drams, or $940; roughly twice the amount of the
average monthly salary.
"Who can afford such luxury?" fumed 48-year-old Yerevan dressmaker
Silva Alexanian. "Once the markets used to be full with people before
New Year's nowadays; now they are empty. People have either left the
country, or cannot afford celebrating New Year's. Most of them hope
for the money their relatives working abroad send them."
With roughly one-third of Armenia's approximate population of
3 million people now officially living in poverty, for some, the
crocodile symbolizes all that has gone wrong economically with this
South Caucasus country since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Migration has increased by 12 percent this year, while remittances
increased fivefold in the first six months of the year to $1.2 billion,
according to official data.
Grigoryan's smoked crocodile tale was so intriguing that I followed
up with to get more details about the story and some of the economic
and sociological background to it. Our exchange is below:
How did you come across this story?
I first saw it in a supermarket ad. The "glamorous" advertisement
about the smoked crocodile was not only surprising but also disgusting
for me. The disgust grew even more as one Facebook user shared the
picture of the crocodile in the supermarket: a huge smoked reptile
spread on the table with its predatory teeth. The ad made me think
about the New Year's feast and about showing off, and also inspired
me to go see the crocodile on the spot.
Were you surprised that a supermarket would be offering a smoked
crocodile for New Year's?
No, this was not a big surprise, since I've already seen a smoked
crocodile in the same supermarket in 2005. However, the reptile offered
back than was at least several time smaller and hence much cheaper.
So, is there a particular class of wealthy folks in Yerevan for who
having a smoked crocodile on the table would seem desirable?
Indeed, many perceive the Christmas and New Year feasts as a way to
surprise others with their meals and dishes. In addition to large-scale
advertising pushing other foods, the import of crocodiles aimed to
reach this goal.
>From your story, it sounds like even without crocodiles, the New
Year's feast in Armenia is a big deal. Is that the case?
Yes, New Year is a large and long awaited family holiday for
Armenians. During these days even remote relatives visit and
congratulate each other. Ahead of this holiday, most people are getting
ready to present a lavish table with expensive food and alcohol. Even
those who cannot afford abundant dishes borrow money and celebrate the
holiday with a hearty meal, since many believe that a plentiful table
on the eve of the New Year will bring prosperity to their home. In
addition, for many people the New Year feast is an opportunity to
demonstrate their financial "well-being".
Has anyone tried to outdo the supermarket selling the crocodile?
Yesterday another photograph was circulated across the internet
demonstrating giraffe meat allegedly sold at another big supermarket,
costing 280.000 (more than $690 ) dram. This picture sparked heated
discussions, too, along with the advertised crocodile. However,
I cannot say whether this other exotic "dish" is truthfully being
offered for sale or not because I have not seen this one personally.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67901
EurasiaNet.org
Dec 26 2013
December 26, 2013 - 11:11am, by Yigal Schleifer
Yerevan-based Marianna Grigoryan finished 2013 off with what might be
Eurasianet's wildest story of the year: an article about one Armenian
supermarket that is offering up an entire smoked crocodile as an item
for the traditional New Year's feast.
Here's a taste of her great article:
Situated on a bed of lettuce and lemons on a counter in SAS
supermarket's meat department, the 12-kilogram, 90-centimeter-long
crocodile, imported from the United States, weighs in at the staggering
price of 380,000 drams, or $940; roughly twice the amount of the
average monthly salary.
"Who can afford such luxury?" fumed 48-year-old Yerevan dressmaker
Silva Alexanian. "Once the markets used to be full with people before
New Year's nowadays; now they are empty. People have either left the
country, or cannot afford celebrating New Year's. Most of them hope
for the money their relatives working abroad send them."
With roughly one-third of Armenia's approximate population of
3 million people now officially living in poverty, for some, the
crocodile symbolizes all that has gone wrong economically with this
South Caucasus country since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Migration has increased by 12 percent this year, while remittances
increased fivefold in the first six months of the year to $1.2 billion,
according to official data.
Grigoryan's smoked crocodile tale was so intriguing that I followed
up with to get more details about the story and some of the economic
and sociological background to it. Our exchange is below:
How did you come across this story?
I first saw it in a supermarket ad. The "glamorous" advertisement
about the smoked crocodile was not only surprising but also disgusting
for me. The disgust grew even more as one Facebook user shared the
picture of the crocodile in the supermarket: a huge smoked reptile
spread on the table with its predatory teeth. The ad made me think
about the New Year's feast and about showing off, and also inspired
me to go see the crocodile on the spot.
Were you surprised that a supermarket would be offering a smoked
crocodile for New Year's?
No, this was not a big surprise, since I've already seen a smoked
crocodile in the same supermarket in 2005. However, the reptile offered
back than was at least several time smaller and hence much cheaper.
So, is there a particular class of wealthy folks in Yerevan for who
having a smoked crocodile on the table would seem desirable?
Indeed, many perceive the Christmas and New Year feasts as a way to
surprise others with their meals and dishes. In addition to large-scale
advertising pushing other foods, the import of crocodiles aimed to
reach this goal.
>From your story, it sounds like even without crocodiles, the New
Year's feast in Armenia is a big deal. Is that the case?
Yes, New Year is a large and long awaited family holiday for
Armenians. During these days even remote relatives visit and
congratulate each other. Ahead of this holiday, most people are getting
ready to present a lavish table with expensive food and alcohol. Even
those who cannot afford abundant dishes borrow money and celebrate the
holiday with a hearty meal, since many believe that a plentiful table
on the eve of the New Year will bring prosperity to their home. In
addition, for many people the New Year feast is an opportunity to
demonstrate their financial "well-being".
Has anyone tried to outdo the supermarket selling the crocodile?
Yesterday another photograph was circulated across the internet
demonstrating giraffe meat allegedly sold at another big supermarket,
costing 280.000 (more than $690 ) dram. This picture sparked heated
discussions, too, along with the advertised crocodile. However,
I cannot say whether this other exotic "dish" is truthfully being
offered for sale or not because I have not seen this one personally.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67901