Georgian roadside rest areas are a little different from their American counterparts. For one thing, you generally have to pay anywhere from 10 to 30 tetri (5-15 cents) to use the toilet, even if it is, shall we say, rustic. Like, nothing but marks for where to put your feet and an odor that will burn the hairs right out of your nose.
A more glorious smell, however, comes from the bread oven, where you can spend another 50 tetri to buy the most delicious and fresh loaf you will find anywhere.
As fast-food chains pop up all over Georgia, I fear for the future of these wonderful little spots where ladies slap dough onto the brick walls of coal-filled ovens. Sure, the bathrooms aren't as clean as McDonald's and you can't count on the reassuring sameness. It's not a generic Big Mac, but a culinary and cultural tradition that has been passed down for hundreds of years.
All because we stopped by the side of the road for a drink and a bathroom.
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