Visiting Georgia: 5 Things You Should Never Say

Erica Stephen November 26, 2021 | 02:12

You are planning to visit Georgia, which is famous for amazing destinations and delicious foods. What shouldn't you do when coming there?

To help you avoid trouble, we would like to show you 5 things you should never say when visiting Georgia.

1. Georgia is Russia

Never say that Georgia is Russia. Photo: Culture Trip

Oh, boy! One rule to remember when talking to a person from Georgia is never to say that Georgia is Russia or that it’s the same as Russia or anything of that nature. Georgia was dominated and ruled by Russia for many centuries but always kept its head up and tried to resist the oppression as much as it could, according to Culture Trip.

Georgians never liked when they were identified as Russians, and the notion became even more severe after the very recent Georgian-Russian war in 2008 that lasted for five days.

Moreover, two regions of Georgia — Abkhazia and Ossetia — have been occupied by Russia for years now. So try to avoid any topic about the relationship of the nations, or try to be as polite as you can about it.

2. Say any swear words

Georgians are quite temperamental and may get offended pretty easily. They often say swear words to each other for a joke, but if you are a foreigner and not in a close, friendly relationship, you should never say a swear word to a Georgian, especially to women. Georgians are a patriarchal culture and women are highly respected.

3. Khinkali is not Georgian

Khinkali. Photo: Chesnok

Actually, it’s not, but none of the Georgians like to admit it. Khinkali, a Georgian national meal of meat dumplings was introduced to Georgia by Mongols in the 13th century. It’s believed that Georgian Khinkali originated from a Taiwanese dumpling soup called xiaolongbao,but Georgians put their own touch to it and made it their own.

4. You don’t like to drink

5 things you should never say when visiting Georgia

Avoid saying that "Idon’t like to drink". Photo: SMWY

When in Georgia, not drinking is not acceptable. Here, every occasion, be it a casual gathering, a birthday celebration or a dinner is accompanied by wine and heavy drinking. Therefore, everyone will be surprised, if not shocked, if you say that you don’t like to drink. Georgians just don’t understand how a person cannot love drinking. To avoid constant demands for you to take a drink, just be polite and sip the beverage a little at a time.

5. Georgia is not the birthplace of wine

Georgian wine. Photo: 1TV

Georgians have always believed that their country is a birthplace of wine. Fortunately, the claim has been proven by scholars quite recently. Wine here is an essential part of culture and traditions. It’s considered a national drink, and the ancient methods of wine-making in clay jars have even been enlisted as UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Sorry to disappoint you, but you won’t find French wine in Georgia. That’s because Georgians take pride in their vineries that are some of the oldest in the world. Georgian wine making traditions that date back to neolithic period are internationally recognised and appreciated: Georgian winemaking method using clay pots is even included in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, as said by eturboNews.