What's the deal? (installment 3)
More observations from a foreigner....Please help me understand...What's the deal with fish soup? Every time I go to a resturant that is serving fish soup all the Serbs around me start acting like we have just come across $10 lying in the street. "Oh, FISH SOUP!! I love fish soup, you gotta try the fish soup, it's sooo good!!" I even had a waitress whisper to me the other night (I guess so that the other customers wouldn't hear) that she had one more serving of fish soup left (oooh, how special!). What is this facination with fish soup in this country? I mean, I've tried it, it's not bad, but it is definitely not something to be so excited about. There really are better kinds of soup (with a lot less fish bones), I would suggest minestrone soup, or maybe some tomato basil soup, and one of my favorites, french onion with a big hunk of cheese melted on top - now that is soup to get excited about!
What't the deal with the inability to set your purse on the floor? I would understand why you wouldn't want to set it on the ground if you were eating at an outdoor cafe, but I've seen more than one woman hold their giant purses (which by the way, has got to be one of the dumbest trends) on their lap during a job interview. Do you really think that it wouldn't be better to put your purse on the floor next to you while you interview rather than having this huge thing sit on your lap? I know there is some old-wives-tale in Serbia about putting your purse on the floor makes you poor or something, but if there is no risk of it getting stolen (which would, obviously, make you poor), then why the obsession?
What is the deal with the stupid metal cover over the toliet paper? Please don't tell me we're trying to be so discret and pretend that there is not toliet paper sitting there? There is a freaking toliet here, we're clearly in the bathroom, and, oh, yes, we do all need a bit of toliet paper, don't we? The cover just gets in the way and is totally annoying. I know that most of you that live here have never thought about it, but next time you are doing your thing in the bathroom, notice, and I promise you'll agree.
And while we're on the subject of pathetic attempts at discretion, what's the deal with people covering their mouth with one hand while they are using a toothpick with the other? Seriously, we know what you're doing under there, you are not fooling us by covering it up. Unless someone has a serious problem with picking and flicking, I would suggest that it's really unnecessary to cover up while you do that.
Labels: what's the deal
posted by Brooke @ 10:59 AM
19 Comments:
Dear Brooke,
That's a very loong list...
Fish soup, I never liked it, never heard of anyone recomending a fish soup to anyone in BG of all places. It must have someting to do with the LACK of fish and fish culture there. My grandmother used to have fish on Fridays (fast day) and it was always trout, trout, trout...
The metal thing hanging over the toilet paper roll is a German invention (Serbs think it's cool).
Covering your mouth with your hand while PICKING your teeth is considered polite. My mother used to say "don't pick your teeth in public, it's rude" but I guess this is considered a bit less rude.
best,
Milica
BROOKE--WHY DO YOU HAVE TO SO ANGRY LATELY? I MEAN, IN THE BEGINING IT WAS OK BUT NOW..HELLO!! IT IS A DIFFERENT CULTURE, DIFFERENT RULES. FIRST OF ALL, I LOVE FISH SOUP..IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE TO MAKE AND TASTES BETTER THAN MINESTRONE. SECOND, ABOUT A PURSE ON A FLOOR--WE ARE SUPERSTITIOUS! SO WHAT..WE BELIEVE IN LEGENDS, THERE IS SOME TRUTH THERE..BE MORE WISE AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT..YOU SOUND SO BLANK AMERICAN..anyway, i really like ur blog..but couldnt read this anymore..chiil out, have some coffee at BG..move to the USA..dont eat fish soup..enough is enough! talk to ur husband..maybe he can help..does he has the same problem??
dont write, just to write something brooke.
oh yeah one more thing: you complain about the waitress talking about a soup..if i would talk how american waitresses are annyoing THE WHOLE TIME WHILE I AM EATING..then i rather take one advice about the fish soup.
also, leave people alone..if they want to have their purse on a lap, so let it be! dont give us that amer crap about old lady tales etc how u re modern and we believe in all kind of weird stuff...ahhhh!
a toothpick--yes, a person is doing it but WE DONT HAVE TO SEE WHAT THEY ARE PICKING OUT AND HOW THEY ARE FIXING IT..WE CALL THAT ---MANNERS!! covering with a hand is completely ok and desirable. you wouldnt know that bc in american you can barely find a f...toothpick in a restaurant.
finally, having a metal cover on top of the toilet paper is more esthetic since europeans like to have everything with a style. have a good day!
Almost forgot,
regarding putting your purse on the floor, it's believed it may bring you bad luck (financially).
I also found out that the metal thing over the toilet paper roll actually has a funcion -- it's supposed to keep the paper roll in place, and help dispense the paper evenly (this piece of wisdom comes from my Dutch friend)
While still on the subject of toilets -- a friend of mine asked me why the American refer to the public toilets as "rest rooms", and if anyone really goes there to "rest"...
I guess we all have our cultural quirks.
Clearly I can't please everyone all the time - if I write commentary from a foreign perspective, I get criticized, if I write about American politics, I get criticized, if I say nice things about Serbia, I get criticized (by the anti-Serbs).
Oh well, I think I'll enjoy my Thanksgiving and ignore angry anonymous...
P.S. - Milica, I have no idea why we call it a restroom - clearly our attempt to be overly discrete - I agree, it's dumb.
The secret to fish soup is in the spicing.
I'm afraid I confess to loving fish soup - particularly when its very cold outside.
The only problem I have with it (this is where my Western side kicks in) is the concern about where the fish come from. The Danube (bless it) is not the cleanest river in the world. Many other countries have dumped all kinds of industrial things in it even before it reaches Serbia.
I'd say that its likely you havent tried a good thick fish soup (or perhaps you dont like it a bit spicy?). There are some bad fish soups out there - either from a packet - yuck or made by a novice.
French onion is excellent I agree but I've only actually done that in France.
You dont put things on the floor in this part of the world - true enough.
On the toothpick point I thought that this type of useage, cocking your hand, was commonplace. I dont think anybody is trying to hide what they are doing, they simply dont want others to be forced to watch or perhaps they dont want to accidently flick a bit of food onto somebody closeby
Oh, by the way Happy Thanksgivig!
In my humble opinion, it's the nicest holiday!
Although, I have many friends who would kill me for saying this, since they have to visit their in-laws, or face the members of their own family whom they can't stomach...
Brooke, let them critisize...
You've done some great things, you can't please everyone all the time. There's a little fable about a son, a father and a donkey, regarding listening to what others think. If you care to learn about it, ask any of your Serbian friends...
I sort of think that some feel "let down" whenever you abandon your endless optimism and good spirits.
Cheers,
M
I understand that "Restroom" originates from the custom, decades ago, of places of work having an area (usually more than one room) where there was a toilet and sinks and also in a partitioned off area a place to lie down -- consequently, the "restroom". This was for workers who needed to lie down for any reason including feeling ill. Occasionally one can still find such places in large department stores, possibly in factories.
As for "anonymous's" comments -- Amen! It's one thing to be curious about differences in cultures, but it's a whole other kettle of fish (excuse me!) to winge and whine about them in a really pissy tone.
My attitude to other cultures is "vive la difference!" Everything is much too homogenized all over the world already.
Dear Brooke,
I'm an American who once lived in the Balkans. Reading your blog takes me back to those times. I too used to blog and share photos of my travels before I returned to the States. I think you do a great job despite what Anonymous says. The beauty of blogs is that anything goes - from inane to insightful - and whether you relate or disagree its nevertheless fun to read.
Sincerely,
TM
TM--if u read her whole blog since from the begining, you would notice that we all support her and like her blog..it is just these last few commenting are really not necessary. she can write whatever and we can comment whatever or give her the right info since we come from here--not u and her.
viva THE BALKANS!
Fish soup is gross in my opinion. I'd rather eat a good piece of burek from a kiosk before sitting down to a meal of fish soup followed by women, oh so discreetly (NOT!) toothpicking away.
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Brooke,
I liked this article!! very well written. anonymous, (pity he/she has no name). Why you see this as anti-serb??? it is just some questions? the fish-soup, yes, all my friends react the same as Brooke describes. But there is no effort in Serbia to make any new recipe. It must always be the same!! So, I also hardly had a great fish-soup here. Better go to Scotland for a great fish-soup. (And in Montenegro, at the sea, even there is a lack of good soups!!!) Tooth-picking, not true. those are manners. Toilet, interesting that you observed that! And yes, the Dutch (not German) invented that to keep the role in place. And for anonymous: a bag on the table, on the chair but not on the ground looks terrible! people drinking coffee, eating and have the bag next to their food! supersticious ok but health goes above that!
Brooke: for an excellent French Onion soup, with cheese on top, go to restaurant Zodiac, Vase Pelagica, 48a, Senjak. The best French soup in town!
Ok, one by one:
1) Fish soup. It's a specialty, there's a whole culture of it in Vojvodina, there are traditional contests for Golden Kettle etc. I wouldn't eat it in Belgrade, though :). Go north. And not too far north. Though it's supposedly a Hungarian thing, it's not so good in Hungary either. South of Baja, north of Belgrade. It needs to be hot, and at least three kind of river fish - hopefully not too polluted.
2) Purse on the floor. While I didn't know about the poverty superstition (learn something every day), we're generally brought up not to leave anything on the floor if we will hold it in our hands. Simple hygiene.
The difference is the composition of topsoil and amount of it which is paved. I've blogged about this before - USA is so much more dust-free, because everything's either under concrete or under grass. No mud, no dust. In Serbia, however, it's omnipresent. Maybe not that much in the "krug dvojke" or downtown BG in general, but that wouldn't change the habits. There's no five-second rule for food dropped. If it touched the floor, throw it away.
3) Toilet paper - didn't know it was a German invention. It used to puzzle me too. I thought it was supposed to make tearing the paper easier; I even saw some with a slot near the end of the lid, where the paper should be threaded through. Never saw one that helped any :).
And yes, I laughed at the "restroom" thing the first day we came here. It's politically correct to the degree of imbecility, IMO.
4) Mouth discretion: why don't Americans ever cover their mouths when they yawn? Because they have the most expensive teeth on Earth? :)
We were taught that showing off your mouth is impolite. Specially when there's so many people with bad teeth, it does make sense.
No matter what anyone here says, me included, please keep writing. It helps so much to see your country through a fresh pair of eyes. Helps what? Well, understanding both countries, I guess.
to bar restr.zodiac: try to put your purse on a chair or floor, and after 10minutes it will be stolen in belgrade. trust me! i talk from experience..we women know about this since we carry our purses all the time. let us take care of it. enough said! B-Iv.
to anonymous: Live here now long enough. And I can tell you that a bag on the table, on the floor, in your hands (yes, yes) doesn't make any difference for thieves in Western Europe. They will steal it, grab it out of your hands or whatever. In Belgrade the rate of these sort of thefts is so low that I wonder where you come from. Belgrade is in general very safe and either me or my friends had ever a bag stolen when it was on the floor. I even leave my bag on the bar, go to the toilet and nothing happened. In Zodiac you don't need to be afraid for that.
zodiac: i am from belgrade and..we are not talking about how they steal in the western europe but we are talking about belgrade situation. also, i experienced this kind of situation with stolen purse and would recommend it to have it very close to you or in ur lap but u probably wouldnt know it since you dont carry a purse.
of course, there could be more dangerous situations of stealing something from someone, but i am not even going to go there..so far, i am only talking about being cautious with some small details of our everyday behavior that could put us in unpleasant situation, which doesnt have to be.
it is not fish SOUP, it is fish stew...
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