This weekend I checked out the Vernissage market in Yerevan. It’s basically a flea market, but everyone, every guidebook, says it is a must-see. Although Armenians have a famous tendency for thinking that everything in Armenia is the most beautiful, unique, whatever in the world, it was mainly foreigners telling me about this. I asked one Armenian guy before I went if it was cool, and he shrugged and said “Well, it depends what you think is cool.”
A meta aside: What’s probably actually uniquely Armenian is that in addition to believing that everything here is the best in the world, they also joke about how they think everything Armenian is the best in the world. I think lots of small countries have inflated senses of their own place in the world, but few are as self-conscious about it as Armenians. Similarly, I don’t know how many Armenians have told me that Armenians are always late for meetings. In my experience they’re no more chronically late than any other people in this part of the world, but they definitely like to talk about how they are.
Anyway, the Vernissage was cool. There is a touristy element: a long row of guys with rugs, followed by a long row of old ladies selling their embroidery. The old ladies were giving a hard sell, mainly by looking sad and sweet and speaking to me in the few words of English they knew. “Mister, you want? I made.” There was a huge section of truly terrible paintings, lots of Soviet coins and pins and other knickknacks. And some booksellers selling some good stuff on Armenia in foreign languages; I got a collection of obscure William Saroyan plays that deal with his Armenian-ness.
But the best part was on the margins, where
there were people selling every manner of secondhand goods. Each person had a
plastic sheet laid out with his or her stuff, and it was often highly
specialized. You want beaters for electric mixers…
… or a remote control?
Speaking somewhat to the poor state of
science and medicine in Armenia, there were also people selling chemicals…
… beakers and test tubes and other such
glassware…
… and most worryingly, medical supplies
like scalpels and forceps and other whatnot:
Vernissage is cool in the sense that you can find stuff you wont find back in Peoria.
As far as Armenians thinking that everything in Armenia is the best, etc. - its more that Armenians are amazed that Armenia actually exists given their history. It's a 'Next Year in Jerusalem' kind of thing.
Posted by: R | May 22, 2007 at 08:28 AM
Joshua, thank you for your great blog and your sharp impressions. I also love Armenia for its uniqueness and in fact I had some of the best trouts (I could not think of trouts in Armenia, but yes) and kebabs there. I also like their wine, the beer, the Cognac. It is indeed very 1stClass stuff. Think of the view to Mt. Ararat, isn't it one of the best views in the world ? Lake Sewan, where I felt like in pre-biblic times...
Best regards from Tbilisi, Hans
Posted by: grijsz | May 22, 2007 at 02:56 PM