Life has slowed this week, so our focus has turned to shopping for the new apartment. We are faced with challenges on how to fit our former 270 square meter home into a 112 square meter apartment. Can you say “Hello Storage Room.” Never fear, Dusan is on the case and has found us several storage options.
On a fun note, we are attending a lot of Operas hosted by the Serbian National Theater. Very entertaining and we are enjoying them a lot. Additionally, we found our new china pattern and surprise, surprise they are from Italy. Instead of selecting matching pieces, we choose an eclectic patterns for each piece.
The best part of June is that the weather is finally turning nice and we have had more good days than bad. The pictures below are from Dunavski Park on a typical Friday night. Parents and kids are strolling, playing, singing and just having a good time. Strange but nice to see unescorted kids playing while the parents are off socializing.
An evil wind… The Promaja
Question: What do all of these items below have in common?
- Opening opposing windows to create airflow
- Walking barefoot in your home
- Exercising when there is a cold draft
Answer: Incurring the wrath of the omnipresent mystical force, the scourge of Serbian grandmothers everywhere, the Promaja. We looked-up the definition of the Promaja and this is what we found:
“Promaja is the term used for the cold draft generated by opening two windows in a room. Serbians believe this cold wind, known as promaja, poses serious health risks such as stiffened muscles, colds and a numb feeling in the body. A mystical force of nature responsible for ailments and deaths of millions of Balkan people throughout history. In the Balkan cultures, this wind is believed to contain evil spirits, which bring pain in the back, neck, arms, legs… Any part of your body can be a subject of Promaja.”
Ask any Serbian and they will tell you the Promaja is real and everyone has a story. Here are a few we have personally encountered. Dusan shared how he hurt his back while exercising when there was a draft in the gym. Our Serbian tutor was shocked that I was barefoot in the apartment, because it was a chilly morning; never mind it was 21C inside. When our friends’ kids visited for dinner, we were asked to close some of the windows because we were creating a draft in the house.
The Promaja is the Serbian boogeyman, but I will say that most Serbs don’t take it too seriously. Since I grew up in home where it was mandatory to throw salt over your shoulder if you knocked the salt shaker over, I can relate. So the next time you feel sick, blame it on the Promaja.
As we have readers from the USA, China, Europe, India and Latin America please share your Promija stories in the comments section. We love hearing them!
BBQ and Friends
We continue to be blessed by Serbian generosity and friendship. Dusan and his brother Aleksa invited us to their home for a Saturday BBQ. The interesting thing about Novi Sad is that just outside of the city you have beautiful views of the Danube River and lots of rolling hills. It reminds me of the Shenandoah region in Virginia. Dusan’s home is right on the Danube and is so peaceful. We spent the day watching party boats, kayakers and interestingly enough a biplane pass by. The biplane surprised us as it was spraying mosquito repellent weekly to kill the blood suckers. In the US, we used to do this in the 1970s, and it was a “right of passage” for all the neighborhood kids to chase the mist. Stupid I know now, but back then it was a lot of fun as the spray trucks created a dense fog that we played tag.
Barbecues here feature meat, meat and more meat, and this suits me so well. Aleksa was the grill master and served up Ćevapi, Sausage, Chicken and toasted bread. The meats were accompanied by pickled pepers, sour cream and Kajmak. Kayjmak is a creamy cheese similar to clotted cream, made from cows milk, and is eaten everywhere in Serbia. I think of it as the love child of cream cheese and sour cream with a hint of sweetness. It really compliments grilled meats like Ćevapi, especially when you eat it in a pita. The BBQ was fun and Eunjae and I can’t thank Dusan and Aleksa enough for their hospitality.
While we are on the subject of food, we discovered the best Martini Olives ever! I mean these things are worse then eating Doritos in bed and should come with a hazard label. The olives are stuffed with a hot pepper and provide the perfect amount of heat to make the last Martini sip extra spicy. When you eat the pepper you mouth is briefly on fire and then the heat moves into the throat and quickly disappears. Suffice it to say this is my favorite snack with or without alcohol. It is surprising to find spicy olives here as for the most part Serbian food is not spicy.
Restaurant of the Week – Riba Ribi Grize
Have you ever gone to a restaurant where the the atmosphere was good, the wait staff attentive, and the food was tasty, but for some reason you come away disappointed? That was what happened to us. We were warmly greeted by name upon arrival, and seated at a nice outdoor table. The waiter recommend a crisp Croatian White wine and pointed us to the fresh fish of the day. All is good, we had a nice Salmon Brochette as a starter, that was smokey and had that nice fish flavor paired with salty capers and tomatoes. The mains were seared tuna with Kale and Eunjae had Octopus slow roasted in a stone crock. The tuna was fresh and juicy but the kale lacked seasoning. Eunjae’s octopus was the a bit overcooked and the vegetables were good but not great. Dessert was a chocolate mouse that unfortunately we forgot to photograph. Last year they also provided complimentary chocolate truffles, whether you had dessert or not, but not so anymore. Overall, when I compare Riba Ribi to Fish & Zelenis, we both agree that Fish & Zelenis comes out on top. We will try Riba Ribi again as one meal is not enough to condemn a restaurant.
Final Thoughts
We are so anxious for our furniture to arrive. Looks like mid-August now, instead of end of July, due to the vagaries of international shipping. We will be heading to Budapest on July 11th for a quick vacation and are really looking forward to sharing the sites, foods and experience with you. The Exit Music Festival is coming up and we will get to see the Prodigy, Aellesso, the Wu-tang Clan and others. We have a wine festival with friends next week so it will be a good time.
Take care everyone and we really appreciate the comments.