“Homemade beshbarmak is better than restaurants” - Canadian hockey player on Kazakh cuisine

Photo: instagram.com/barys_official/

Tengrinews.kz — Sibir defenseman Darren Dietz spoke about his vacation in Astana and shared his emotions upon returning to Kazakhstan following a matchup against Barys.

The Canadian native, who previously played for the Astana-based club and the Kazakhstan national team, was part of the Novosibirsk squad that suffered a heavy defeat.

His current club lost 1-7 to Barys, but Dietz still found the strength to speak with reporters.

"I think this is a good test for us, especially happening so early in the season. We’ll find out what kind of character we have. Games like this should bring us together. We need to draw the right conclusions and prepare for the next match," Dietz said in an interview with our correspondent.

- Barys is a familiar team for you, and you’ve said you are always happy to return here. Has that changed after a game like this?

- Of course, the goal of the trip was to take two points, but it didn't work out. I'm unhappy with the result. But playing hockey is still a pleasure. The stands were almost full. I'm glad to see fans coming out, supporting the team, and supporting hockey in Kazakhstan, the player noted.

- Would you ever like to return to Astana as a player?

- We'll see what the future holds. I can't predict anything, but anything is possible, he replied.

The Canadian who fell in love with Kazakh cuisine

Dietz moved to Astana in 2017 and spent five years with Barys before playing for CSKA Moscow, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, Dynamo Minsk, and Avangard Omsk.

The hockey player often spends his vacations in Astana because of his wife, Inkar, whom he met in 2019. The couple has two children, and Darren admitted he calls one of them by the Kazakh nicknames Ashtynbek or Ashtyntai.

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- You mentioned you spend a lot of time in Astana during the off-season. Can you recommend your top three favorite restaurants in the city?

- You know, for the last few years I've had small children, so we rarely go out to restaurants. We actually love home cooking. My wife is a great cook, so we like making beshbarmak at home—that’s usually how it goes, the player stated.

- Is homemade beshbarmak better than restaurant food?

- Homemade is much better, definitely, Dietz noted.

It is worth noting that Dietz has not been called up to the Kazakhstan national team for several years, though he continued to be listed in the league as a Kazakhstani citizen for a long time. Currently, his KHL player profile lists Canadian citizenship.