Kazakhstan

[mckayinutah]

Although I haven't mentioned it here, my wife and I are presently in Kazakhstan adopting our 1st child, and I just wanted to give some of you an insight into the cuisine here, at least from a baking standpoint ( since we are in that forum and I post here most of the time )

We were told that the bread here is very good and I had a chance to sample some yesterday. It was a white bread that was alright I guess, although not very tasteful to me ( it was used to make a tuna fish andwich ) I have eyed some of the pastries that I have seen in some of the little stores that are near our hotel ( we are advised not to wander too far from our hotel since everything outside looks the same, it is easy to get lost ) and they look very similar to stuff you get in the US but only smaller portions. Our translator has said that she is going to try to take us to a bakery that has really good bread, so I will try to report on it if and when she takes us ( she has to do paprwork for 4 families who are adopting here, so she is spread pretty thin )

Bye for now,

Jason

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Jason,

It's so weird you bring this up right now...my best friend is currently trying to adopt a baby from Kazakhstan, and I promised her I would go with her once she got the "all clear" on it going through. I will definitely check out your suggestions (assuming you come up with something you like) while there. Thank you.

Edited July 7, 2005 by WhiteTruffleGirl (log)

[Pan]

[...]I have eyed some of the pastries that I have seen in some of the little stores that are near our hotel ( we are advised not to wander too far from our hotel since everything outside looks the same, it is easy to get lost )[...]

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I can't resist asking you: Don't they have decent maps you can use?

I hope you do get a chance to try some pastries. I'm guessing they might be more interesting than the bread and sandwiches you've been having. Nothing Islamic-sounding about them.

Good luck on the adoption.

[JFLinLA]

And, if you can, post some pictures.

Congratulations, by the way, on your new addition.

[mckayinutah]

Thank you all for your kind words.

As far as maps go, they do have them but they are all in Russian. To add to that, Semey ( the town we are in ) is one of the poorest regions in the country and the only person that we have found who speaks fluent English is out translator, and she has her hands full with other matters. She did point out a bakery that only makes bread and is open 24 hours, but we did not have time to stop on the way back to out hotel and it is too far to walk. We are hoping to get our driver to stop this afternoon after we visit our son.

Since this is a very poor region ( the average wage is $50 American a month ) camera or camcorder use outside of the orphange is not recommended.

But, we did eat at a different restaurant last night and had some bread, one being a very dense tasting pumpernickel sort of bread and the other being a more tasty white bread that looked like a bialy to me, but was definitely just a white bread

(although I probably could've eaten just that for dinner - I did enjoy it!)

If I get a chance to visit that bakery I will ( sometimes times are tight since 4 families are sharing 1 driver and we all visit the orphanage for 2 hours, but not at the same time )

If anyone would like to see my wife's and mine progression here, PM me and I will give you are adoption website address.

Thanks, (Spaciba)

Jason

[Pan]

[...]Since this is a very poor region ( the average wage is $50 American a month ) camera or camcorder use outside of the orphange is not recommended.[...]

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I get the idea that technological products are very expensive for Kazakhs, but otherwise, I don't know what $50/month means in terms of local purchasing power. How much are you paying for bread and such-like at those bakeries?

[mckayinutah]

[...]Since this is a very poor region ( the average wage is $50 American a month ) camera or camcorder use outside of the orphange is not recommended.[...]

←

I get the idea that technological products are very expensive for Kazakhs, but otherwise, I don't know what $50/month means in terms of local purchasing power. How much are you paying for bread and such-like at those bakeries?

←

[/quote

We just purchased a loaf of bread for 30 Tenge ( about $.22 American ) Dinner per person usually runs about $5.00 American, so it is cheaper here but still expensive for the local person. ( that would average out to $200 American per person if you brought home $2,000 a month in the U.S.)

We visited the bakery today and it does carry some pastries, some that look like eclairs , napoleons, and cream puffs. I am alittle weary of trying them though since foreigners are told to consume only pasteurized dairy products and since many contain cream, I am not sure if it is pasteurized. ( I have been fortunate not to have gotten sick yet - knock on wood - and have some food that I am trying to stick to that I know is safe.

To add to the concern, I have yet to see any eggs that are refrigerated, they are all left out and since yesterday was 106 F, I am staying away from eggs for now.

Also the milk comes in bottles that look like bottled water containers, so none of that for me either.

Jason

[Nayan Gowda]

Bumping up a really (really, really) old thread.

I'm moving to Kazakhstan next week for work. Does anyone have any advice on what to expect food-wise.

I will be based about 70km from Almaty so any recommendations of restaurants and bars would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Nayan