Dobrou Chut'

A few things, then food food food:

Today (Thursday) was the first day I ever got asked for my ticket on the tram. The man seemed surprised that I actually had a ticket, but he was nice about it. It’s good to know that I actually carry that thing around for a reason. Today was also the first day when I went to a gym (the “Fitness Centrum”, to be exact), and it was hilarious. Many people (90% of which were guys, and the girls only used the stairmaster) were only wearing socks or sandals, and they all were taking themselves very seriously. It was an experience, I can say that for sure.

Yesterday (Wednesday), my bus home at night stopped for a train, and the driver, I kid you not, pulled out a magazine called “Autobusem” (which means, basically, “Bus.”). From what I could see, there were actual models of different busses inside that he was looking at. He seemed to consider the different types seriously, and was disgruntled when the train passed for good and he had to drive again. Woah.

Friday night was All Soul’s Day, and I went and walked around a cemetary at night with some friends. Many people were there putting candles on their relative’s graves, and it was beautiful to see the little red candles flickering.

Okay, food. Well, I should start by saying that you know you’re in the Czech Republic when you open the fridge and see eight different types of meat and at least ten different spreads, none of which sound appealing. These people are serious about their spreads. Butter, of course, is the staple, but they like to manipulate it by adding various flavors and changing the consistancy. Of course, cheese spreads are also popular, and sometimes I’m not quite sure where to draw the line between a butter and a cheese, since they are often mixed in some way. Cream cheese is common, but nobody calls it that, so you’re never sure what you’re getting exactly. The people are also wild about mayonnaise- order a sandwich and you’ll have enough to wash your hair in- but my family hasn’t busted that out yet (expect for maybe in potato salads? I’m never quite sure what I’m eating, actually). The creme de la spreads, however, is spreadable meat. I wish I was joking. My family has some and I haven’t even had the nerve to open it yet, but some of my fellow students swear by it. Gr-oss.

Naturally, you need something to put these spreads on (though sometimes the ratio of spread to bread calls that into question), and there is no shortage of bread in the CR. There are two main staples. The first are these so-called “rolls” that actually look more like breadsticks (or very large horns, for those of you in the know). They cost 3 crowns apiece at any grocery store, and at any given moment my host family has at least ten of them in the cupboard. This isn’t because we don’t eat them, rather, I would guess that my host mom buys a new batch of about 15 at least twice a week. They are pretty delicious, especially because they’re always fresh. When you’re at the grocery store there’s an 80% chance that the person in front of you will be buying at least one of these, and it’s much more likely to see people buying in serious bulk. I cannot imagine how many of these things the country produces daily- the number must be staggering. The other mainstay is rye bread. Even the bread that looks white tastes faintly of rye. I came in not liking it that much, but it’s growing on me, and thank goodness, because it’s unavoidable.

Besides spreads, the other items in the refrigerator at this house are almost all dairies or meats. There are billions of yogurts and creams in there right now, and my host mom was saying this morning that we are running low. On that topic, the yogurt issue is still very perplexing to me. In any grocery store there are about 50 different kinds of yogurt, yet none of them that I have tasted yet are like American yogurt. Many of them are a lot thicker consistancy, and they’re either much sweeter or much less sweet. I don’t get it. Anyway, the fridge is also packed with sausages, and I’m not sure who eats them but they disappear and are replaced quite frequently. I’m beginning to get very suspicious about the meat; the other day we had “turkey” that was definitely not poultry of any kind, and there have been a few other instances where the name Elena gives something does not match up with my experience of that thing. I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s good, right? Hmm.

I usually eat breakfast and dinner at the house, and I bring a lunch with me to school, but more often than not I end up stopping at a grocery story (the big ones are Billa, Albert, or Delvita) or a potraviny (a little mini grocery store- there’s one almost every half a block) or a cleverly named “Ovoce Zelenina” (Fruits, Vegetables—that’s literally what they’re called) to supplement. My favorite Czech discovery thus far are these beautiful things called “Dobre Ranos” (Good morning). They’re basically breakfast crackers of some sort that taste roughly like granola bars in cracker form. There are several different varieties, but I have no idea what flavors they actually are, so all I can tell you is that my favorites come in either yellow and green packaging.

When I check out at the grocery store I carefully observe who around me is getting what, and there’s not really much variety. People usually buy a big bag of rolls, some cheese and/or butter, maybe some fruit, and- without fail- some chocolate or a chocolate/wafer candy bar thing. The Czechs are just crazy about these wafers, which doesn’t explain at all how they stay so thin, but the candy aisle is usually larger than American candy sections, and it is full of chocolate and wafers. I would call it heaven except for the lack of cookies. In the past few days, I have also seen several people purchasing huge bags containing about 20 onions, and I’m not sure what that’s about.

I think I’ve already mentioned garlic soup, which is a staple in restaurants, etc, and I should also mention Palacinky. Palacinky are these pancake/crepe- like things that can be served with either sweet things like fruit or not sweet things like meat. To be honest, I have no idea what they are, but they’re everywhere, and they’re good. Also, of course, the dumplings which are natural to me by now. I really like dumplings. However, the other day Elena made dumplings with fruit in the middle and I did not like those, unfortunatly. The host family disappointed, because they’re a staple, but what can I do? I put up with the rat (oh, I should say, this morning Elena told me that they forgot to shut Vigo’s cage last night. My heart leapt up (not in a Wordsworth way), but then she told me how delighted they were to find that he slept in his cage anyway. I felt delighted as well. Yuck).

Here, they say “myum” instead of “yum”. You wouldn’t think that it would make a big difference, but the distinction is very audible and it’s actually much more satisfying to say “myum”. I recommend it. Also, before each meal we all say “Dobrou chut’” which roughly translates into “Good tastes” and is a way of saying “Bon apetit”. I find it a very nice way to start a meal; almost like a prayer but much less serious. In some families they all link pinkies and say “Dobrou chut’” in a sing-song way, but I like to just say it. We have a Czech woman, Zita, who works at school, and every time she sees anyone eating she goes out of her way to say this to them. It feels silly, but it’s nice.