Monday, December 1, 2008

Bulgarian Cheese






I actually don´t want to know how much Bulgarian cheese I had in the past 5 days. 2kg at least - I can see Mark´s face now, in horror, visualizing my waist getting bigger and bigger. But this is Bulgaria, sorry, and these are the things you do there. Eating Bulgarian cheese in all variations, in salads, stuffed in capsicums, baked with veggies, as a dip or with a mountain of meat. I love Bulgarian cheese - I´d say it´s the best white cheese in the world. But my trip to Sofia was not only about eating ... 

My second trip to Bulgaria (yet another one that I chose to make in the middle of winter!) was all about spending time with my Bulgarian butterfly Eva and understanding the Bulgarian psyche. Bulgaria is a beautiful country, rich in natural heritages, culture and history and it offers a considerable range of "firsts" and "onlys" (just like Dubai!Ha!). Sofia is a cultural jewel with narrow streets, impressive buildings, shops, cafes, boutiques, art galleries, rustic taverns, wine bars and communist relicts. The nightlife is equally impressive where you can choose between mafia and non-mafia locations to have a boogie. As a relatively new member to the EU, Bulgaria is putting a lot of effort into competing with its European neighbors - or so it seems -  and tourism is a promising and growing industry. Skiing in Bulgaria´s picturesque mountains, tanning at the Black Sea, tracing European culture in Sofia ... the choices are endless. Bulgaria is a country wants to be explored. If you know how! It´s not exactly an average tourism destination where you unfold your map and start sightseeing. If you don´t speak Bulgarian, Russian or any other language from the area, you can get pretty lost. And if you can´t decipher Cyrillic, then that´s a bit unlucky too. To me, Bulgaria is like a rough diamond and that´s actually a good thing because it´s always nicer exploring a place that feels like a relatively good kept secret rather than a Thomas-Cook-all-inclusive-must-see destination. You just need to be flexible, especially when you try to figure out the Bulgarian mentality.

I have never encountered people who are so obviously and confidently grumpy like the Bulgarians. Grumpy might be the wrong word. I think it´s more like a mix of being proudly negative, glum and indifferent. I´ve made the same observation during my first visit to Bulgaria but didn´t give it much thought back then. Admittedly, you can´t expect people being too cheerful in the middle of winter, surrounded by a grey, freezing and foggy environment. Still, winter or not there´s something quite heavy and depressing about the way Bulgarians interact with each other. Naturally, I was excluded from all communications with Bulgarians (Eva had to do lots of talking and translating) due to the language barrier. But that´s not the point. The point is that in 5 days, I haven´t encountered many people with a positive facial expression, excluding Eva and friends. It was a rare thing to get a smile from a waiter, bartender, or someone at the next table. I have tried starting various conversations with those who could speak English, but it didn´t work. It could be just that Bulgarians find me boring or strange. OK, accepted and I won´t shed a tear about that. But why is it that people had this absolute blank and apocalyptic facial expression whenever they replied to an inquiry, regardless of it´s nature. Eva could have communicated to a talking robot - it wouldn´t have made a difference. Even those brilliant jazz musicians the other night were jamming away on their instruments with an expression that resembled absolut boredom.

This is a mystery to me considering that Bulgaria is - just like most other European countries - a place where hospitality forms a cornerstone of the country´s culture and traditions. I wonder if I´m misinterpreting all this. Maybe Bulgarians don´t want to reveal their mood? Just as Americans choose to be overly friendly to anyone, Bulgarians choose the opposite. Eva ones told me "We Bulgarians love being negative. It´s our mentality." 
I still need to verify that - I shall come back to Bulgaria in the summer. 

In the meantime, I have the following confession to make: 
- The Bulgarian Air cabin crew was very charming, even though they do throw the food boxes at you (the food is revolting by the way)
- I love Bulgarian food ... cheese cheese cheese
- I love Eva and her sarcasm
- I love the abundance of art, music and culture at affordable prices
- I love the sight of mafia couples who look like out of a movie
- I love Sofia´s roughness: post-communism sleeping beauty meets globalization

See you again in warmer times Bulgaria ...

3 comments:

Preeta Iyer said...

Loved reading about your time in Bulgaria....sent it to Nikhil as well :)

Enjoy......

A BIIIIGGG hug and kiss!!!

Preeta

Blame the Blog said...

hah! sounds a lot like Al-Ain sans the mafia couples! :P

Anonymous said...

A good story

GK Chesterton: “The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”

Voila: www.tastingtoeternity.com. This book is a poetic view of 30 of the best loved French cheeses with an additional two odes to cheese. Recipes, wine pairing, three short stories and an educational section complete the book.

From a hectic life in New York City to the peace and glories of the French countryside lead me to be the co-founder of www.fromages.com. Ten years later with the words of Pierre Androuet hammering on my brain:

“Cheese is the soul of the soil. It is the purest and most romantic link between humans and the earth.”

I took pen and paper; many reams later with the midnight oil burning Tasting to Eternity was born and self published.

I believe cheese and wine lovers should be told about this publication.

Enjoy.