Oh dear, a new little issue having to deal with in Kazakhstan is that I am a vegetarian. That’s right – no meat no fish.
Please don’t ask me: why, for how long, but you wear leather shoes – I just do not like the taste, the feel of handling raw &^%$# and am convinced I do not need it.
Just received the Guide to Kazakhstan – produced by Outpost/Shell.
“If you are a guest you should be prepared to undergo the “Sheep’s Head Ceremony”. The guest is presented a cooked sheep’s head and will be asked to carve it. Each bit goes to designated people with accompanying words linking the body part to the person. The tongue for example could go to the translator or teacher. Especially the eyes are considered a delicatessen.
IT IS CONSIDERED VERY RUDE NOT TO ACCEPT THE ROLE AS CARVER AND/OR REJECT THE MEAT PRESENTED.
Well I guess I will go in the books as being a very rude person and I definitely will not mention my background in teaching.
I now know how to say “I am a vegetarian” (see title) but I guess I have to add that I will instantly develop a very contagious disease when joining in the Sheep’s Head ceremony – so sorry, it looks lovely!
I found a short video how the sheep’s head is carved – no way I want that on my site! Found some sites explaining why it is good to be a vegetarian but they had too many sad animals on show.
You just have to take my word for it.
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