Archive for the ‘Life in Romania’ Category

Posted on August 15, 2010 - by admin

picking flowers

Posted on August 10, 2010 - by admin

How to cook lamb that melts off the bone.

Ok, so this is not a cooking blog, but I like to eat, and I am discovering that I like to cook too.  Which is a convenient thing for people who like to eat.  Anyway, this Spring we bought a lamb…well, half a lamb because we split one with our neighbors.  Here is a leg of lamb, cooked in a clay pot given to us by Efi, our friend from Greece.

First, massage the lamb with a simple mixture of salt, ground pepper, and oregano.  Cut slits in the meat and put garlic cloves inside.  Let it sit overnight like this in the fridge.

I could almost eat it raw!

Next, put the lamb in the clay pot from Greece that your Greek friend left as a gift when they moved.  Put a bit of olive oil in the bottom first, and then fill in the sides with chopped potatoes, red peppers, red onion and any other veggie you want.  I almost forgot…I wrapped the lamb in bacon!!!

BACON…it’s what’s for dinner!

Place your pot in an oven preheated to 250 Celsius, and cook for 30-45 minutes.  Then reduce heat to about 160 Celsius and cook for another 90 minutes….if you want it done (not bloody) but pretty tender still.

Finished product.  Seriously, the meat was falling off the bones.  It took me tongs and 2 large forks to get it out in one piece.

So good, especially with the homemade flatbread, and ginger iced tea!

This has nothing to do with the lamb meal…but these are delicious too.  They are our homemade sweet and spicy pickles.  And they have some kick to ‘em.

Posted on August 10, 2010 - by admin

Romanian Proverb

“Never stoke the fire that isn’t troubling you.”

“Focul ce nu te supara, nicicum sa-l zgandari.”

Hey, this one is actually Biblical. Proverbs warns us against sticking our nose in other people’s business. Not that there is NEVER a time when it’s appropriate, because sometimes it’s the right thing to do. But, this proverb from Romania fits very well with the general culture here, especially if you can imagine yourself back 20+ years ago, under the communist regime, never knowing who might cause you trouble. Back then, making noise and sticking out was not a good idea. Blending in was the safe route. And blending in often meant sticking to yourself.

Posted on July 19, 2010 - by admin

Fara Apa

Day two. No water. Toilets full. One child throwing up. About 99 degrees F outside. Nice!

Posted on July 5, 2010 - by admin

Sales Tax

Romania just increased it’s sales tax….VAT (value added tax) actually, but the result to consumers is basically the same.   The old tax was 19%.  Yes, nineteen percent…already darn high…especially for those of us from the US!   So, what would you imagine they increased it to?  19.25%?  maybe 20% at a max, right?   Nope.

24%     …a 5% increase, overnight!    That puts Romania in the top 6 around the world for highest sales tax (VAT).  In their company is Denmark (25%), Sweden (25%), Norway (25%), Iceland (25.5%), and Hungary (25%).   I don’t want to be mean, but there is a huge difference between all those other nations and Romania.  Those countries have infrastructure and government services (not to mention accountability) that FAR exceeds that of Romania’s by almost untold amounts.

What’s even more disturbing is that this policy change comes as a result of pressure from the IMF (International Mafia Federation).  So, this is essentially what is happening…  The IMF is telling Romania “fix your problem [budget deficit] or we will not give you any more money.”  Romania wants more from the IMF because they have grown dependent on them.  So Romania says, “tell us what we need to do”.  So, the IMF tells Romania HOW they have to fix the problem….raise your taxes on the average person.  In other words, the IMF is now dictating fiscal policy for a sovereign nation because they hold the purse strings.   So Romania adjusts the tax, which hurts the general public – middle to low income families, so that the IMF can give more money to Romania that will eventuallyend up in the hands of those that are already rich and prosperous…including many of the government officials and their personal projects….i.e. – their own houses and businesses.

Here we have government and multi-lateral ”de-development” agencies at their finest.  The final result will be that a) Romania’s general public suffers MORE, b) Romania does not learn how to actually reform itself into a sustainable society, and c) they become more and more dependent and indebted to the IMF and other like agencies….which those agencies feel is just fine.

Posted on June 25, 2010 - by admin

Bodyguards

Something strange is happening at my neighbor’s house.  There is an empty field between he and us, so whenever we are in the kitchen or the bedroom we have a full view of his place.  He has alot of land and his house is nearly double or triple the size of most other homes on the street.  During most weeks it’s usual that everyday there are people coming and going from his property; gardeners, house cleaners, repair men…and he seems to always be remodeling his brand new home.  And he lives there all alone.

For 4 days now, 24hrs a day, there have been cars, different cars, parked in the exact same place, in the exact same position on his driveway with young men sitting inside of them all day long.  Occasionally, they get out of the car to stretch or talk on the cell phone.  And when they do, it’s clear that they guys have spent alot of time at the gym….recently.  It is clear they are watching his property for some reason.  The house cleaners, the gardeners, the repair men have not been seen in almost a week.

Why are the security guys there?  Is my neighbor a Don in the mafia?  Is he part of the heroin ring that runs through Romania on it’s way to W. Europe?  Is he paranoid?  Is there going to be a shoot out or a drive-by on our street?

Posted on June 21, 2010 - by admin

Romanian Proverbs

Erzsebet, who helps us twice a month in the home recently bought us a gift; a book of Romanian Proverbs.  I thought I would share some of the more interesting one’s periodically.  Here’s the first…in English and in Romanian.

“In time, raindrops will bore holes in rocks, and even a poor rope cuts marble.”

“Picatura ploii piatra gaureste, si funia de tei, cu vreme, marmurile despica.”

I don’t want to comment too much on how these proverbs play into the culture here, but this one is especially interesting because Romanians have the tendency to be fatalistic and deterministic…with a touch of not being driven by time.  So, the idea I take from this proverb is that efficiency is not king…as it is in many western cultures.  The work will get done sooner or later…no need to push too hard.  What’s the rush?

Posted on June 15, 2010 - by admin

Random Photos

Posted on June 7, 2010 - by admin

Cherry Picking – part 1

Why is this part 1?  Because it’s cherry season, and within a week we are due to pick another bumper crop at Dr. David’s house.  Those will be the ones we will use to make the cherry juice and cherry jam we have become world famous for.  But, we had a nice little picnic this afternoon with a bunch of people from our church, on a small piece of land owned by a couple, also in our church.  Here’s some snapshots of the afternoon:

Posted on June 3, 2010 - by admin

Strawberries

We just bought 14 kilos of strawberries to make jam and other strawberry stuff with.  Here’s some photos.