Probably one of my all-time vegetables to eat in Romania is varza, known in English by its less mellifluous name of “cabbage”. That being said, the word “varza” has a variety of slang usages, to wit: A (se) face (sau a ajunge, a fi etc.) varză = a (se) distruge, a (se) degrada, a (se) zdrențui Parsing this out it means something like “worn out” … Continue reading Slang Word of the Day: Varza
From here, which is mostly a review of a Romanian movie, comes this anecdote from Lea Lane, an American who brags about being a travel writer for over 30 years. This is yet another example of the kind of thing I’m talking about when it comes to the quality of written travel guides to this country (in English). Our riverboat stops at a small Romanian … Continue reading Crappy Guides to Romania: Lea Lane
I’ve been writing a long series on the different kinds of people you will meet here in Romania. While dogs may or may not be considered “people”, you will definitely meet some of them while you are here. As has been mentioned several times, I do live with several cats, which might make you inclined to believe I am a “cat person”, which is true. … Continue reading Hey, Hey We’re the Doggies!
Well according to the poll (so far anyway), people want to hear some more about my personal life. The thing you have to understand is that I am somewhat like Kramer from Seinfeld. I don’t look anything like him in either physical appearance or dress but I do seemingly have no visible means of financial support, I do things for larks and I always end … Continue reading The Saddest Soccer Game of All Time
The following story is true. Although the particulars of what happened are specific to me, it is nonetheless a good demonstration of what life is like here in this country. I am a renter, that is every month I pay cash (in literal Euro notes) for my apartment. The money is technically due on the first day of the month but generally speaking, my landlord … Continue reading Plumbing Fun on a Saturday Night
All Things Romania 