Chicken is Our Friend. Or is It?

Yesterday was Day of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (in Mtskheta), otherwise known as Monastery Day and is a national holiday in Georgia which meant no school.  My family celebrated with a qatami mtsvadi (chicken BBQ) and since I love legs they always cook extra for me.  I can't say for sure if it was the chicken but later that evening I broke a 7-year streak of not vomiting and by 3:00 am I was praying to God to put me out of my misery.  Today, to recover from expelling all of my bodily fluids I decided to take the day off from school.  I can't look at food without feeling queasy but knowing my blood-sugar is low I force-fed myself some toast and 7-Up that my father picked-up before going to work.

Are they conspiring? :-)

This brings up a topic that I see discussed a lot among teachers in Georgia - food safety.  I will not get into a debate on whether or not the food here is safer to eat than in other countries.  I believe that there is adjustment period we all go through when visiting any foreign country and some people take longer to adjust than others.  Have I been sick?  Yes.  But I can honestly say that overall I feel healthier here eating freshly prepared meals than I did in the states eating processed junk.  Don't get me wrong - junk food is catching-on in Georgia, but the majority of Georgian kitchens still lack a microwave and a pantry full of "boxed meals".  I imagine this is how my parents grew up and this is one of the simple things in Georgia that I wish Americans could go back to.

Off to rest.