HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MOMMY AND DADDY!!!!

Marash Girl loves her mommy and daddy so much, but they are no longer with her . . . as both her mommy and daddy were angelic, each in his or her own special way, they have joined the angels in heaven. Marash Girl remembers her dad laughing as he told her the following tale. Peter's Marashtsi Friend: So, Peter, I hear you are getting married. Are you marrying a Marashtsi or an odar? Peter: I'm marrying an odar! Marashtsi Friend: Is she Italiatsi?(Italian?) Peter: Nope! Peter's Marashtsi Friend: Irrish? (spoken with a heavily rolled r) Peter: Nope! Peter's Marashtsi Friend: Eengleesh? (spoken with heavy Armenian accent) Peter's Marashtsi Friend: Vell, who you marrying? Peter: Ainteptsi! At which point Peter's Marashtsi friend started laughing and pushing Peter, recognizing that Peter had been teasing all along. Of course, Peter was marrying Jennie (Lucille Mae), the love of his life who was born and brought up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the beautiful younger daughter of Antepsi Armenian parents, Yester Bosnian and Garabed Vartanian of Aintab or Antep (the city known today as Gaziantep), both of Jennie's Antepsi Armenian parents having escaped the Armenian Genocide by fleeing Turkey and arriving safely in the United States of America early in the 20th Century. (More on Peter's parents escape of the genocide of the Armenian people in future blogs. Stay tuned!) And although very few folks had been invited to the wedding, as there was very little para in those days for a young couple to feed a large gathering, so many folks arrived at the Armenian Brethren Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, to witness Peter and Jennie's wedding, that the couple had to change the venue of the wedding service at the last moment, moving the minister, themselves, and all in attendance from the Armenian Brethren Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, to the Western Avenue Baptist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a church large enough to accommodate the crowds that had gathered to witness the marriage of the young couple that was so adored by all! Note 1: odar (pronounced with a heavily rolled r) is the Armenian word for foreigner. Note 2: In the old days, and even today (as evidenced by the title of this blog), folks of Armenian origin self identified by the name of the city from which they hailed in the old country! For example, if they came from Aintep, they were known as Ainteptsis; if they came from Marash, they were known as Marashtsis! Get it?

The Recipe for Orange Juice Cake

What drama!!! Marash Girl's mom, who, Marash Girl has to admit, was from an Aintabtsi family . . . not a Marashtsi family . . . and thus an amazing cook . . . Okay . . . let's start again. Marash Girl's mom always wanted the recipe for Orange Juice Cake, a cake that her cousin would make to the great acclaim of all. When that cousin finally agreed to share the recipe, try as they could, none of them -- Marash Girl's mom, Marash Girl's sister, and Marash Girl herself -- none of them could ever get the recipe to turn out properly. The cake always fell!!! So it is with great hesitation that Marash Girl tries to bake an Orange Juice Cake (a recipe she found on the internet yesterdayt), as Marash Girl has not yet tried to make the cake, and because of her childhood experience, fears to even try to make it)! Nonetheless, with a snowstorm heading this way, she may just cast aside that fear, and see what happens. If the recipe works, Marash Girl will let you know and provide the online link to the recipe. Fingers crossed!

A Quick and Easy Summer Lunch!!!!

Getting lots of zucchini from your garden?  Eggplant, too?  Use Grandma Jennie's favorite go to recipe for a quick lunch or Sunday supper.  (Not sure, but Marash Girl thinks the meal may have originated in Aintab!)

Simply rinse the eggplant or zucchini (preferably eggplant or zucchini fresh from your garden, not veggies that have been stored in your refrigerator for days) under cool running water.  Slice thinly.  Beat several eggs in a low soup bowl, dip the sliced veggies into the egg mixture, and fry quickly in hot light oil, turning the slices once, and, when browned, placing on a platter which has a covering of several layers of paper towels to absorb the oil from the freshly fried vegetables.  (Be sure the paper covered platter is not close to the flame, but rather on the opposite side of the stove from the flame!!!). Sprinkle the zucchini and/or eggplant with salt (and red pepper, if you're tastebuds  veer towards the Middle East), and serve (while still hot) with fresh, sliced tomatoes . . .  You may serve theses slices in a sandwich, or simply tomato and eggplant (or tomato and zucchini) on a bed of fresh lettuce.   Yum!!!

"Never go visiting empty-handed!!!"

A hard and fast rule growing up, Marash Girl learned that one should never go visiting "empty-handed"!  Whether it be a chocolate cake baked that very day by her mom (Grandma Jennie), or a box of Whitman's Samplers, chocolates purchased that day from the Armenian owned pharmacy, the rule was clear.

Today Marash Girl learned from her Turkish friend Murat that, yes, this is not only a rule in the Armenian community, but it is a teaching from the prophet Muhammed:  

            "Ziyarete eli boş gidilmez."  "One should not go visiting with an empty hand."

Fried Eggplant à la Grandma Jennie

A quick and favorite summer's meal that Grandma Jennie (known as Mummie to Marash Girl) loved to prepare (and Marash Girl loved to eat) was Eggplant Goverma, known in English as Fried Eggplant, and probably originating in the Armenian community of Aintab.  Mummie would thinly slice a fresh, ripe eggplant (after washing the eggplant, of course) leaving the skin on and, just before placing the slices into hot oil to fry, she would dip the slices into a shallow bowl of freshly beaten eggs.  Dipping the egg-covered eggplant slices into the hot oil (backing away quickly because sometimes the hot oil splashes back at the cook), she would fry the eggplant, first on one side, then on the other, until both sides were lightly browned eggplant.  Then, carefully removing the eggplant slices onto a somewhat distanced platter (covered with a paper towel in order to drain off the excess oil), she would lightly salt the slices, and serve the fried slices of eggplant immediately, accompanied by slices of garden fresh tomatoes, to her eagerly awaiting family members.  Delish!!!

Amahn!

And thinking of "Oho!", how many of you grew up with the expression, "Ahmahn!"  (When you say "Ahmahn", the "Ah" is said on a lower note and the rest of the word ends on an much extended higher note as an exclamation!)  How many years has it been since you've heard anyone say, "Ahmahn!"  Marash Girl can't even count the years.

An expression of annoyed amazement, an expression used by the folks from Marash and Aintab (by the Marashtsis and the Aintepsis), and expression of that Marash Girl wishes she could still hear.

"Ahmahn!"

Workers in Aintab, from Cesar Jacques Chekijian

Cesar Jacques Chekijian posted on Facebook (see below) in Aintabtsi Armenians, a list of Armenian shops that existed before the genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turks.  As Marash Girl's mom's family comes from AIntab (yes, Marashtsi men often married women from Aintab -- such elegant women they were!), Marash Girl was intrigued by the list below and wondered if any of the shops listed belonged to a long-ago relative.  Marash Girl's Aintabtsi grandma (Yester Bosnian) and grandpa (Garabed Vartanian) knew to leave Aintab before the genocide.  How they knew, nobody knows, but Marash Girl's guess is that since Grandma Yester lost her first husband (Bezjian) in an earlier attack on Armenians by the Ottomans in Adana, she (Grandma Yester) was hypersensitive to the warning signs.     Cesar Jacques Chekijian March 7 at 8:09am Aintab Number of Armenian owned shops in 1914. Each shop employed on average of 5 skilled craftsmen, exception being shoe-shops, which employed about the double the average: Below is a list of the total of 684 Armenian shops, employing about 4,000 skilled professionals. The number of 4,000 corresponds to 4,000 Armenian families in all the parishes of the Armenian churches in Aintab in 1915. Stonecutters 300 Goldsmiths 50 Coppersmiths 50 Bakeries 50 Shoes 40 Farriers 33 (shoes for horses) Cutlers 30 Saddlers 30 Blacksmiths 25 Gunsmiths 25 Tailors 25 Smelters 22 Millers 4

Old Country Cure for the Common Cold

As Marash Girl sits at her computer considering what she should write for today's blog post -- and what she should have for breakfast to fight off a very bad New England cold -- (don't get too close, now!) -- she remembers her mother and grandmother, her aunts and uncles, the Aintab and Marash cure for the common cold (Well, not the common New England cold, but the common Marash and Aintab cold, Marash Girl is guessing), and that was to squeeze several oranges and lemons, toss the juice of those oranges and lemons into a pot along with the rinds of the oranges and lemons, cover the lot with water, and bring to a boil; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add honey (a good dollop) and after the concoction cools for a bit, to drink and keep drinking!  What a cure. It always worked.  Now one would think that the boiling would have killed all of the vitamin C in the fruits, so it must have been the heat and the honey that acted as a cure . . . or was it?

A River In Aintab

A post from Facebook recorded by Cesar Jacques Chekijian

The scenic Alleben River in Aintab that flowed from the Northwest of the Fort to the Northeast of the fort. It is where all Armenians young and old used to go for picnics, which was the most common form of relaxation and festivities in Aintab. Always singing and playing musical instruments while going there and going back, and eating, drinking and playing games while there.

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Bethel Bilezikian Charkoudian What did they take to their picnics? My grandma (Aintabtsi), when we visited her in California, used to take dolma to picnics!

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Cesar Jacques Chekijian They took virtually the whole kitchen. Food was always cooked fresh. My father remembers. They used to place fruits and vegetables in the river, to keep it cold. He had said that some watermelons used to crack open, from the water being ice cold. The water was from an underground Spring, that Aintab is named for - Ain-Tayib... Delicious-Water!... Alleben was like a Spa.

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Bethel Bilezikian Charkoudian I wonder if folks who live there now are enjoying the river in the same way . . .

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Grandma Jennie, Bake Me A Cake!

Marash Girl's mom, Jennie, was a superb baker -- she baked the best cakes "from scratch", right out of the Betty Crocker Cookbook (much to her mother's dismay -- her mother was horrified that daughter Jennie wasn't up with the times -- the 1940's times -- baking the modern way, using Betty Crocker cake mixes) . . . but luckily for her family, Jennie loved to bake "from scratch" (thus avoiding all the preservatives and artificial flavors in the cake mixes of the 1940's) and bake well she did!  She even added frosting to her cakes -- frosting made with Crisco and sugar and vanilla (well, admittedly not so healthy), frosting which Grandpa Peter removed before he savored the flavor of her freshly baked delicacies.  And her grandchildren were the happiest grandchildren around.  Grandma Jennie always had a special fresh-baked treat awaiting them when she drove them daily to and from the AGBU Armenian Elementary School.  She baked in the true Aintabtsi tradition!  We miss you, Grandma Jennie; your love for your family, your generosity to those around you was unsurpassed.

Ges-Ges Armenians in Aintab (Gaziantep)?

The following comments are taken from Cesar Jacques Chekijian's post in Aintabtsi Armenians:

"Until 1915, in the 100% Muslim Turkish village of Jiblin on the Euphrates River near Aintab, the tombstones had Armenian writings, where large groups of the people living there were called “Ges-Ges” ("half-half" meaning half-Christians and half-Mohammedan). There were also “Ges-Ges” people in Aintab, who used to make donations to the Armenian churches during the holy days, asking the priests for prayers for their souls." Marash Girl wonders if anyone reading this blog is "Ges-Ges", or if "Ges-Ges" Armenians are still in Aintab (Gaziantep) . . . If so, please click comments below and write to Marash Girl.

A Mosque in Gaziantep

Too sad to remember.  Gaziantep, (known to Marash Girl growing up, as Aintep, the city of her maternal Grandmother and Grandfather), this beautiful city, once the abode of an elegant, educated, Armenian populace, now strangely lacking that population. Hope the link works.  If not, simply copy and paste into your browser.  With thanks to Varteni for the link . . .

independent.co.uk/voices/turkey-gaziantep-armenian-genocide-a7362771.html

More on Grapes -- or, Serving Grapes Jennie Style

So there she was at the Armenian Library and Museum of America, viewing an exhibit of needlework sponsored by the Armenian International Women's Association.  (More on the exhibit tomorrow.)  And naturally, because it was the opening of an Armenian event, there was a table of refreshments, a table in the center of which was a large bowl of grapes.  But the grapes were in several large bunches.  What to do?  Pick off the grapes and leave the bare ugly short stems sticking out? That's what folks were forced to do.  There were no tiny silver scissors in view to cut off a short stem or two . .  .  

Where was Marash Girl's mother when the ladies were preparing this fruit bowl?  Marash Girl's mom, of course, is in heaven with all the saints, but when she was on this earth, she would never have put out a bowl of fruit with a huge bunch of grapes and no way to remove the grapes neatly.  She would always snip the grapes into graceful little bunches so that her guests could enjoy those grapes without denuding the bunches of grapes decorating her carefully set out fruit bowl.  

Thanks for the lesson, Mommy!

A photo of Aintab from the old days . . .

Did Marash Girl's Grandma Esther Bosnian Vartanian and Grandpa Garabed Vartanian, newly married, walk under these arches, hand in hand, planning their escape to a  life free of fear?

From	Cesar Jacques Chekijian August 19 at 5:33pm 's post on Facebook.
An archway in Aintab called "Karpuzatan" on the way to the ancient Zeugma ruins. Karpuz-Atan translates to "Watermelon Thrower"... people who lived above the archway must have been known to throw down watermelon?! The shape of the archway looks Arabic to me. An archway in Aintab called "Karpuzatan" on the way to the ancient Zeugma ruins. Karpuz-Atan transla...

Vassal Lane, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Grandma Yester (Bosnian) Vartanian and Grandpa Garabed Vartanian, immigrants from Aintab in the Ottoman Empire, settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  They bought a three-decker house: 47 Vassal Lane, Cambridge, Massachusetts . . . the house where Marash Girl's mother Lucille Mae (known as Jennie -- that's Jennie with an "ie" not an "ey", Jennie would always say) . . . where Jennie, Lydia, and George grew up. Garabed ran a "Ma and Pa" store in Harvard Square (it was only Pa, though) and Yester rented out the first two floors of their 3-decker home in Cambridge.  They arrived as immigrants, and made it in the good old USA!  Marash Girl is so proud of them!  Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa.

N.B.  Somewhere in a drawer, lost long ago, is a photo of Grandpa Garabed Vartanian who played the piano in a band in Aintab!  He must be the source of all the musical talent in our family!  Grandma Jennie, though she never had a lesson in her life, could play any popular tune on the piano . . . by ear!

Leaving Aintab Before the Genocide

Not sure when, but Grandma Yester nee Bosnian had loss in her life early on.  A first marriage to a Bezjian ended in disaster as her young husband was murdered during one of the early massacres (mid-19th Century) in the City of Adana, Ottoman Empire.  Some time after that, she married Garabed Vartanian, of Aintab, and left Turkey to come to the United States (Cambridge, Massachusetts), early in the 20th Century.  One of Marash Girl's earliest memories is Grandma Yester describing her ascent onto the boat in Turkey with her husband Garabed as the Turkish folks on shore beckoned her to return . . . she said, "I knew what they were capable of . . . " (of course, she said this to Marash Girl in Armeno-Turkish) . . . "No way was I going to stay and risk our murders by these people."  Yes, Marash Girl must have been 5 years old at the time, but she still remembers her grandmother Yester's words.

Weaving to Survive . . .

"Armenian ladies weaving a rug at a workshop on Aintab's Sahveli Street, inside the Armenian (Hayk) sector. I would presume the photo was taken over 100 years ago. Some of these rugs took over six months to make." Thanks to Cesar Jacques Khekijian for posting the photo.

Click this link marashgirl.blogspot.com/2015/03/weaving-for-survival.html to see Marash Girl's post on her family's weaving to survive during the war in Marash. Her family from Aintab had fled before the genocide . . . more on that in her next post . . .

1910 PHOTO OF AINTAB (AINTEP)

       PHOTO OF AINTAB, CIRCA 1900              Thanks to Cesar Jacques Khekijian

And now, a side trip to neighboring Aintep in 1919

A 1919 photo of a pedestrian alleyway in Aintab, the city of Marash Girl's mother's family. With a fully covered woman, it must be in the Turkish section during the period of the Armenian defense battles. Note the open drain/gutter in the middle of the alleyway! Photo and caption courtesy of Cesar Jacques Khekijian, Facebook's Aintabsi Armenians.

British Indian Troops Evacuation from Aintab, March 6, 1919

The following entry was written on Facebook by

Cesar Jacques Chekijian On June 3, 2016 at 9:35am

After the end of WW-I and the fall of the Ottomans, the photo below is of the British troops pulling out of Aintab on November 6, 1919. Most of the British soldiers were Indians, which was a Commonwealth of the British Empire. The British had over 600,000 Indian soldiers fighting for them in WW-I. Most of whom were in the Middle East, fighting against the Ottomans. Within days of the "British" abandoning Aintab, the French military replacement them on behalf the Allies, who had taken over Turkey since 1918. BY end of 1922, all the Allies pulled out of Turkey, and the last French military left Aintab with all the Armenians late in November 1922.

British Indian Troops Evacuation from Aintab, March 6, 1919

Marash Girl's maternal grandparents were from Aintab, but luckily they got out way before the genocide began . . . perhaps as early as 1900.  She remembers them telling her about leaving on a ship, and all of the Turks begging them not to leave, telling her grandparents how much they liked them and how much they wanted her grandparents to stay.  But her grandparents (Yester and Garabed Vartanian) were wiser, and left, to settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts, invest in a three-decker house (47 Vassal Lane) in which they lived (on the third floor) and rented out the other floors. Her grandfather set up shop in Harvard Square, on Mt Auburn Street, near St. Paul's Catholic Church. An immigrant success story . . .