Slovakia Vs ‘Western’ Culture (Part 3)

Erik is a university graduate from Slovakia who is currently living in London. In the third and final part of a mini-series, (see part one and part two) he reacts to an article about the differences between Slovakian and 'Western' life. Each quote is a reference to Slovakian life:

Bread & Soup

Quote: "Always start a meal with soup, but make sure you have bread with it."

I had a friend back in London. He worked as a chef at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants in Knightsbridge, so he had some background in cooking. He would run me down every time I started to heat a cup of soup, telling me that soup is only for cold, winter days. It is enough to eat something small, like fruit or salad to kick-start your digestion. Some people, however, classify soup as only the starter, which then as gives them the excuse to cram it with bread, pasta, cream and any other excess calories.

"Brake" the Alcohol

Quote: "Most Slovak bartenders couldn't make a decent cocktail to save their lives, but that's just because Slovaks take their alcohol straight up."

There is no harm in having an occasional drink. But we should not start looking for any occasion, which has already become the daily routine of many people. Booze is really popular in Slovakia, even with children. Instead of the British single which is 25ml, a traditional shot in Slovakia is a full 50ml. Travelling Eastwards, the size of a shot seems to increase exponentially. It is the proximity of Russia that influences us Slovakians' drinking habits. The signal to your host that you want more is not asking for it, but simply finishing what you already had.

Slovaks enriched the drinking related vocabulary with the term "brzda" or "brake". I don't where the term was first coined, but it can often be heard in a Slovak environment. A "brzda" is a drink, usually non-alcoholic, that you down immediately after a shot of hard alcohol. It should both alleviate the typical alcoholic taste and prevent too high a concentration of alcohol in the blood stream. It is the Slovak sibling of a glass of water, but over-generalized to any kind of liquid, ignoring the benefits of pure water. People usually "brake" with coke or juice, but you might come across individuals, usually rough men from the eastern Slovakia, washing down the spirits with a glass of wine or beer.

The Slovak Mother Still in the Role of Homemaker

Quote: "Despite so many women in Slovakia working, the idea remains that a mother who would not see to it that there was a warm meal for her family to eat, even if it means each member of the family heating it up themselves, is a mother who is not playing her part in watching out for her family."

Here is a little rhyme I created myself:

"Mum is like Whitney Houston.
There will be only one.
And whatever you do, she will always love you..."

We should cherish the few Slovak women that try to provide a healthy diet for their children, preparing complete meals every day. Conversely, some American women consider heating up a hamburger cooking. Sadly enough, many Slovak's are hampered by the fast foods and ready meals that are commonplace in America.

Americans have some food traditions that are worth mentioning, many of which are being messed up by Slovaks. For example, Slovaks would call any act of putting a piece of meat above fire and waiting until it is red, which means ready to eat, a barbecue. But the word barbecue comes from Texas, and originally referred to a slow process of cooking the meat on charcoal at a medium temperature. It would allow the meat to be well cooked, but not burnt - something which often happens at Slovak grill parties.

Slovak Women Trying to "Cook" in the American Way

Quote: "The more processing a food goes through, the more nutrition it loses."

Trying to impress their families with exotic meals many Slovak women and men, slightly forget about the nutritional content. Not to mention how easily they fall for the cheap tricks of the supermarkets. Imagine someone walking into the local supermarket and coming across a frozen chicken fillet coated in dough, and stuffed with cheese and cranberry sauce. In Slovakia they'll think they have hit the nail on the head. However, what is the quality of something ready to eat after 3 minutes of pan frying or 4 minutes in the microwave?

"Cooking" this kind of meal is the same as feeding the whole family fast food apart from the fact you prepare it at home, running up the electricity bill. We should keep in mind that the simple solutions are the best and cherish the recipe books passed down from our grandmothers.

Read more posts by Erik here.

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