After my wife and I enjoyed a lovely day in Transnistria last month, I told the Unsleeping Eye to increase its attention on this country that “doesn’t exist.” So, you can imagine my horror when I saw this story being reported by Agerpress, the official state media of Romania. My translation: The Use of the Latin Alphabet to Write the “Moldovan Language” Is Punishable by … Continue reading Fear and Loathing
After my interesting adventure in Transnistria, I realized that basically, no one knows anything about this country. Excuse me, no one outside the Russian-speaking world. Therefore, I present to you the world’s very first FAQ page for Transnistria, the country that doesn’t exist, except, of course, that it does. Isn’t Transnistria a breakaway republic? Kinda yes and kinda no. Here’s the timeline: 1924 – Transnistria … Continue reading Transnistria FAQ
One of the great difficulties in learning any foreign language is when there are two words in the new language for something, but you only have one word in your own. Nearly 20 years ago now (my goodness, how the time has flown!), I remember asking the woman who taught me so much about Romanian cooking what the difference was between brânză (bruhnzuh) and cașcaval … Continue reading Brânză vs. Cașcaval
Trigger warning: if discussion about the Russian language threatens your self-identity, stop reading now! Few Romanians know that their tax dollars have been paying to broadcast news in the Russian language since 1975. Yes, you read that right. Radio Romania International, a state-funded broadcaster operating out of Bucharest had been treacherously providing news content in English, French, Serbian, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, German, (Mandarin) Chinese, Ukrainian, … Continue reading Your Tax Dollars at Work
A few months ago, a dipshit from England contacted me to inquire as to whether I wanted to host some advertising on this site for the Untold Music Festival that’s currently ongoing in Cluj. In exchange, he didn’t want to pay me any money, only offer me free tickets, so I turned him down. For one, I live roughly 1,000 kilometers from Cluj these days. … Continue reading The Unkindest Cut
All Things Romania 