David Farley writes for BBC travel on the “supra” a Georgian feast, often accompanied by poetic toasts and singing.
The supra is a deep anchor of Georgian identity – as Farley explains, it developed as an expression of folk culture that Georgians use to differentiate themselves under occupation by Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union.
The generosity of hospitality and deliciousness of the food at the supra make it hard to stop eating, and Farley discovers an ‘untranslatable’ word that Georgians use to convey that feeling of “I really shouldn’t – I’m absolutely stuffed – but I just can’t help myself and I’m going to eat a bit more.”
In our experience, Georgians love explaining this word: shemomechama. It means “Yes, I did eat it all. I’m still eating it all. And although I’m already completely full it’s so delicious that I can’t help myself.”
The article doesn’t mention that ‘shemo-me’ is a formulation with many possible combinations – so you can say “yes, I drank all the wine, and I’m still drinking it, but really it’s not my fault, it’s so delicious, who can blame me.”
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20201124-shemomechama-the-word-for-when-you-cant-stop-eating
