The Great Enigma of Central Europe: Volume I

I would say that, if asked, most Americans would classify Prague as Western Europe and the Czech Republic as Eastern Europe- which is nonsense but these are the images and emotions that these places conjure up to most Americans.  It amazes me how little we Americans (myself included) know about the cream filling in this delicious little European Oreo (almost as much as it amazes me how little we know about the filling in an actual Oreo).  So in order to dispel the myth that I am living in either a decrepit panelak in some Eastern European backwater or a modern Western European bastion of progressive urban design, I present to you a special 60-minute edition of Wargo's World-  Central Europe:  My 2 Crowns.

The definition changes depending on who you ask but I would define Central Europe with the map above.  These countries formed the western-most border of the former Soviet Bloc and as such are markedly different to their western neighbors.  Most of these countries have only been out from under the iron curtain for around 25 years or so.  While very few people alive today remember the destruction of WWII, many people remember life under communism here.  Anyone over the age of 30 has some memory of what life was like under the regime and their stories are fascinating.  For instance, these countries all have an extensive and well-constructed hiking trail system.  The reason is that since citizens of these countries weren't allowed to travel outside the borders, they created these trails as hiking was one of the few sources of recreation allowed them.  This is the same reason that every (and I do me EVERY) family has a summer cottage somewhere in the republic.  My favorite story came from an old woman who, when explaining why Valentine's Day wasn't so popular in the Czech Republic, said:  "Valentine Day used to be back in day of my mother.  But on communistic time were no love."

On the other side of the fence, even though they were all part of the Soviet Union, these countries are much different than what we deem Eastern Europe.  After the fall of communism, most of these countries were flooded with foreign investment and today are much more economically advanced than their Eastern brethren who maintained much stronger ties to the Motherland.  The resulting economic situation is solid but not quite as strong as Western nations.  This has it's ups and downs.  The cost of living in these countries is fairly low but nationals wanting to spend their hard-earned Central European currency abroad are typically in for quite a shock.  On the plus side, there isn't such an influx of foreigners into the country (most emigres head for the greener pastures of Western Europe) and the resulting ethnic and socio-economic homogeneity makes for an incredibly safe and relatively crime-free region.

Apart from Prague, I've been to a few other places in Central Europe that, while different than the CZ in many ways, still hold true to what I mentioned above.

Krakow.  Mostly destroyed during the war the resulting rebuilt city looks very western in appearance but is unmistakably Polish under its skin.  I never really cared anything for Polish history and really didn't have any interest in visiting.  I was hoping to go, see the sights, check Poland off my list and never look back.  But, wow- Poland is awesome.  The people are incredibly friendly and fun, the food is surprisingly excellent, the city is lovely, the atmosphere is electric- 2 parts old-world charm; 1 part young vibrancy and the history is fascinating.

I won't go into detail but I honestly think this is something everyone should see.  

Of course we visited Auschwitz on a picture-perfect fall day.  

Eerie foggy Jewish cemetery.

Fog.  The downside to central Europe is that it's like this EVERY SINGLE DAY between October and January.

An old train sign from when Krakow was under German occupation (Krakau Hauptbahnhof).

I'm sure this view must be lovely.

Old town's are incredible in the fog.  Makes me feel like a secret agent for some reason.

Next up- Budapest, but before I go I'll leave you with a few fun facts about the Czech Republic.

Things about Czechs and Czech society that make me chuckle:

Young Czechs love Jack Daniel's with a passion that rivals American college students' love of Jäger.  I was teaching at a Czech high school once and watched an 18-year old girl spend, literally, half a day producing an immaculate drawing of the Jack Daniel's label from memory.

Czechs love Florida.  Ask any Czech where they would want to travel to in America and as often as the answer is New York, it's Florida.  Apparently Florida's stigma of being a staging area for America's cemeteries, or as the global capital of white trash is completely lost on Czechs.  Good for them.  Someone's gotta go to Florida.

Czech this out!  Pop music the world over is generally pretty awful- but Czech pop absolutely takes the cake.

Meanwhile, In Prague...

Every travel blog I've ever read contains a post that begins with something along the lines of: "Sorry, I haven't written in awhile, but..."  Now I can finally claim real travel-blogger status because...

Sorry I haven't written in awhile, but... well frankly, I haven't done anything interesting lately.

I've pretty much got a full teaching schedule now.  I teach primarily at companies around Prague (Nike and a small Czech company called Foxhunter are my major clients), as well as a few private lessons here and there.  It's pretty enjoyable work when it comes down to it.  I spend most of my day talking with people and learning all about life in the Czech Republic.  However, the fact is that the English language doesn't change, and once you've understood how to teach it, it quickly becomes very repetitive.

Sometimes, though, lessons can be quite fun.  Sometimes a lesson morphs into something you didn't prepare for at all- like when I suddenly find myself helping my 13-year old student with her algebra homework, or helping an accountant decipher a new accounting treatment, or my personal favorite- when you suddenly find yourself in the role of psychiatrist listening to stories of domestic intrigue.

Brief aside - the Czech attitude towards marriage and commitment is bizarre to say the least.  It's commonplace to cheat and have affairs in both marriages and long-term relationships.  Polygamy is widespread and is generally accepted in Czech society.  The Czech Republic is one of the most atheistic countries in the world:  something like 80% of the population professes to be so.  Because of this they have quite a liberal attitude towards most things that have previously fallen under the jurisdiction of religion.  The teacher/psychiatrist role has given me what I feel to be a statistically significant sample of Czech polygamists and I can tell you that not one single person has had a generally good experience with it.  It seems that, while it is tolerated by society, it is deeply painful for those involved in it.  It ruins marriages, tears families apart and, as it is not in the Czech nature to speak up for change, shows no signs of improving.

All countries have their problems and the more time I spend in the CZ the more apparent their problems become.  I've been thinking a lot about my next step lately as I am already more than halfway through the 12 months I originally budgeted for this little adventure.  I'm not quite sure what that next step will be (you'll have to wait for a later post for that... suspense!) but I am sure of what it won't be- staying here.  I have had some wonderful, life-changing experiences in the Czech Republic and I'll remember this time for the rest of my life, but in the end Czech culture is simply not for me.  Why, you ask?  Well there are a multitude of reasons which we might discuss later, but one of the biggest is:

FOOD!!)*#$

Anthony Bourdain said that communism ruins food culture.  I never really knew what he meant until living here.  There is very little interest in food as anything other than fuel and as a consequence most meals are hearty and filling but very repetitive.  Czech cuisine is actually really good- once a month- but meat and dumplings for every meal is torture and Prague doesn't have much in the way of other options.  Well, they do, but they are god-awful.  Give me a can of coconut milk, a jar of pre-made curry paste, and nothing else, and I can make you a better-tasting curry than ANY "thai" restaurant in Prague.  Now that might be true in a lot of cities, and isn't necessarily disparaging as such (this isn't Thailand after all); but what makes it so in Prague is that both locals and food publications rave about the quality of the city's Thai and Vietnamese joints.  There are signs here and there of a fledgling food revolution, but the simple fact is that the majority of Czech's don't really care- which is fine, but to keep living in a city full of terrible food just a stone's throw away from the birthplace of some of the greatest cuisines in the world seems like a silly thing for me to do.

I spent a weekend biking in Czech wine country about a month ago.  Czech wine is good but in the way that Michigan wine is good.  It's not earth-shattering by any stretch but that's fine because that's not why you visit a Michigan winery.  You go there to relax, take stock of your life, enjoy some good company and get a little saucy in the process.  That nicely sums up my experience in the CZ.  I relaxed, took some stock, met some good people and got a little saucy.  But all vacations must end and as tempting as it is to spend the rest of my life teaching Czechs to Engl and taking wine-soaked bike trips through Moravia, it's about time I started working towards something again.  Though as to what that something is... well, I've got a few more months to decide.  In the meantime... Pictures!

Vineyard near Vrbice

 Moravian Wine Country.  Certainly beautiful.

Each of these is a family-owned wine cellar.  

Inside one of those wine cellars.  Drinking down here might have been my favorite night in Czech.

Wine in gasoline containers... makes sense to me.

Here are a few more of Prague in the summer time.  

Buzz, your girlfriend...

Typical Czech lunch.  Mystery meat mash, slightly-more-identifiable potato mash and tripe soup.  Delicious but I can tell you my 1 o'clock lesson never gets me at 100%.  In typical foremer-communist fashion this meal costs 70Kc ($3.50USD) and is eaten standing up at a counter.

Scandinavia Part VI: Stockholm, Uppsala and the Antithesis of America

After my glorious romp through the wilds of middle Sweden it was time to end my journey exploring the cultural centers of Stockholm and Uppsala.

Uppsala is a university town and while visiting it during the school year is probably a much different experience, visiting it in the summer felt like a lovely Sunday morning.  The city is quite small and was really very empty but still impeccably dressed.

Every Swede I had talked to on my journey told me to only spend a day in Uppsala (or skip it altogether) and to spend the majority of my time in Stockholm.  While Uppsala is not the most exciting place in the world, it was one of the more relaxing places I've visited.  In all probability this was a "moment in time" kind of experience for me.  There was a hole in my soul and Uppsala was exactly what I needed to fill it.  Chances are if I went back it wouldn't be nearly the same- but for one glorious day I was moronically happy-go-lucky as I heel-clicked and tune-whistled my way through the streets of this lovely place.  I wanted more than anything to spend more time here but unfortunately, I had already reserved a hostel in Stockholm and the inner accountant in me couldn't bear to throw away the $4USD deposit I had already put down (that's like 4 beers in Prague!!... or about a third of a beer in Sweden..)

Swedes are the weirdest...

I just realized that in my 10 or so blog posts about Europe I've yet to include a photo of the inside of a cathedral.  Here you go!

The outside of the cathedral which is, incidentally, the tallest church in Scandinavia.  I would make a great tour guide.

Easy like Sunday morning'....

Uppsala Castle.  They can't all be winners.

No matter where you go in Uppsala you are never more than 100 meters from fresh fruit.

This train station bike lot is roughly 4 times the size of the car lot.  This is the least American thing I've ever seen.

And last but not least:  Stockholm.  Though I've lived in major cities for the past 9 years now (yikes!) I realized that, while I enjoy the experience of doing so, I'm not really a city guy at heart.  If I had to live in a major city though, Stockholm might be the place.  

The city is build on a series of islands on the coast of the Baltic Sea.  I've always felt rejuvenated next to water.  Something about the smell of salt in the air and that particular type of breeze only ever felt near the ocean do wonders for me.  Because of the island system, a face full of ocean is never more than a few blocks away.  I looked up the quickest way to get to the Vasa museum from my hostel and the route included using the public ferry system!

The downside, and it is a major one, is that Stockholm is the most expensive city I've ever visited.  This meal at Pelikan, while delicious, cost almost $50 for everything you see on the table.  This is a pub mind you.  

Another downside is the method in which booze is distributed throughout Sweden.  Besides the exorbitant cost (1 beer in a pub costs ~$15USD), the only place to buy anything over 3,5% ABV is in state-run liquor stores called Systembolaget or "System" for short (which I find hilarious).

Now I've been exposed to some goofy liquor laws living in the U.S., but a state-run alcohol distribution scheme?  Come on. 

In Åre I had the good fortune to talk to an aquavit distiller about the hoops he's had to jump through. I was able to taste his aquavit which was very, very good.  Unfortunately, though he could allow me to taste the spirit at the source, he could not legally sell me a bottle.  His only choice is to sell directly to these "Systems" at an extortionate price.  Of the 45 Euro it would cost me to buy a bottle at the System, he gets only 6.  How on earth can you afford to profitably produce alcohol in this way?  Short answer:  you can't.  He loses money every year- he simply does it as a labor of love.  The major liquor companies are able to succeed (barely) but only on volume.  There simply is no room for craft producers in the Swedish market.  

But getting drunk on ocean breezes is free so...

However, this heavy intrusion of the state into the lives of the Swedes is normal here.  There is an enormous sense of social equality which is nicely summed up in the Swedish word "lagom" which essentially means "not too little, not too much."  This word, this idea and this country are simply the opposite of everything my American upbringing has taught me to believe.  I could easily live in Stockholm, but could I live in lagom?  I doubt it.  At the end of the day my 20-year video is so ground in the virtues of capitalism that I don't think I could really live this way.  But it's amazing to see the Swedes pulling it off and it's really eye opening to put yourself in a culture so incredibly different than your own.  Mark Twain wrote that travel is fatal to ignorance, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.  Sweden taught me that there are virtues in other ideas, even if I don't particularly agree with them.  We can learn a thing or two from the Swedes:  Ideas aren't black and white.  It doesn't have to be one or the other.  We can coexist with people of different viewpoints and if someone else is doing something different somewhere else, it's really none of our business.  Instead of trying so hard to change the way others live their lives maybe we should concentrate on living our own.  After all, it's the differences that make the world such an interesting place to live in and explore.  

'Till next time, Sweden!

Scandinavia Part V - Fäviken

Disclaimer:  This post is going to be an in-depth review of my trip to Fäviken.  If reviews about fine-dining don't interest you you should probably go ahead and skip this one.

Welcome to Fäviken.  After I left Åre (already the middle of nowhere), I took a 25-minute cab ride to the middlest of nowhere... The Fäviken estate.   For those of you who don't know, Fäviken is a restaurant run by Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson and is one of the restaurants responsible for the "New Nordic" movement sweeping the food world.  However, unlike Noma- the most famous New Nordic restaurant, the emphasis is much less on foraged ingredients and more on historical Swedish farming, cooking and preserving techniques.  The idea is that 90% of the ingredients used at the restaurant come directly from the estate.  The exceptions are fish and shellfish, which still come from only 200km away in Trondheim, and salt/sugar.

What Magnus is doing here is something of a dream of mine.  I remember two years ago, after I had gotten his book as a Christmas present, I spent an entire evening (while I should have been studying for the CPA) wrapped up on my couch in my little one-bedroom in Lincoln Park, and read the entire thing from cover to cover.  I was enthralled with the idea of, not only being self-sustaining, but operating one of the world's great restaurants at the same time.  His ideas about self-sustainability, meat sourcing and handling, produce harvesting and handling, preservation techniques etc., are so unusual, so against the grain, but at the same time so logical and sensible, I couldn't help but wonder why no one was doing things this way.  The entire thing is presented in a way I can only describe as "Swedish" - down-to-earth, matter-of-fact explanations completely devoid of ego.  As I was reading that book I knew that I had to go and experience Fäviken myself. As wonderful as it was to read, it was another thing entirely to see it in practice.

After arriving and dropping my things off in my room I took a stroll around the grounds for an hour or so before dinner.  

One of the chef's picking some last-minute Chard for dinner.

I'm not going to go into detail about each and every dish.  There are literally hundreds of reviews on the internet you can go read if you want a play-by-play.  I did actually take pictures of most the dishes which is odd because I'm usually very much against that kind of thing.  Blogging has changed me.  Anyway, here is the majority of the menu with a few comments:

Fermented sausage, raw radishes with herb salt, a muscat and a wonderful view.  All I wanted to do was find a nice, quiet spot to read before dinner and suddenly I'm plied with wonderful food.

The lounge area of the restaurant.  Far cry from the typical Chicago dining room.

The bar.  

Salted Herring aged for 3 years.  Surprisingly, not as funky as you would imagine.

The place setting.  To the left is the best butter I've ever had anywhere.

Scallop steamed in it's shell over Juniper.  A unifying theme of this meal was that every dish was stupidly simple but executed so perfectly- most of the time without toys of any kind.  In this case, one chef with a giant metal spatula suspends all the scallops over a roaring fire of Juniper, and somehow manages to produce 12 perfectly cooked scallops.

H'o boy.  A look into Magnus' strange yet sensible philosophy:  We were only served 4 different wines during the course of the meal.  The reason is that with a tasting of 12 or so wines, one doesn't have the time to truly engage with a wine.  Anyone who's enjoyed several glasses of a really great wine knows that it changes considerably over the hour or so it takes you to drink it.  Also, a really great wine has complexity and depth that doesn't always show itself right away.  As big of a fan as I am of a multitude of wine pairings, I have to admit that tasting one of the world's great Chardonnays as it evolved over the course of 4 or so fantastic dishes was a taste experience that will be sewn into my brain forever.  

King Crab sprayed with Attika Vinegar and Burnt Cream.  This is a study in subtlety.  Incredibly rich crab and cream cut perfectly but imperceptibly by a whisper of vinegar.  Over-the-top Chicago chefs could learn a thing or two about restraint from this dish.  

For Mom:  The centerpiece.

Trout with Swamp Herbs and Bog Butter.  This dish was actually just as gross as it sounded- but gross in the way that fish sauce is gross:  "Ew, this is disgusting!!!.... actually, can I have some more?"  Native Jämtlandians used to store butter in holes near the swamps and lakes in the area as the natural flora would ferment and preserve the butter.  The end result was a butter that would have a very funky "swampy" flavor.  Interesting to say the least.  I would love to be able to try this again.  

The man himself.  Fittingly juxtaposed against a curing sow's leg.  

The pass is located in the dining room allowing diners to view the chef's putting the finishing touches on the dishes.

Cockle injected with beer.  So simple.  So delicious.

Barley pancake filled with pickled onions.

Quail Egg preserved in Ash with a sauce of Dried Trout and Pickled Marigold.  

Ancient Swedes used to coat eggs in ash to preserve them.  Think woodsy, smoky egg.  Pretty awesome.  Also, funky fish emulsions might be my new favorite thing.

Cottage Cheese Pie with Wildflowers.  This is a paraphrasing of how Magnus described this dish:  "There are two kinds of pie crusts, the ones that look really pretty but usually don't taste very good, and the ones that look like shit but taste incredible- like the ones my mom used to make.  This is hopefully the second."  And he was right.  Although this looks beautiful and intricate it was basically just the best cream cheese pastry I've ever had.

Moose Blood Bread in a Moose Stock with Burnt Shallots and Backfat.  At this point I'm getting a bit tipsy so the quality of camera work will slowly deteriorate.  This was hands down my favorite dish of the night.  I wish I could drink that moose stock for the rest of my life.

Roasted Pork Chop from an Old Sow, Chard and "Tasty Paste."  The tasty paste was basically wild mushrooms and mirepoix, blended together and then reduced down.  While other pig products are incredible, I've never had an unadorned pork chop that was earth shattering.  This was no exception.  It was certainly the best pork chop I've ever had, but that isn't saying too much.  What was incredible was the flavor that an old, free-range pig will give you.  It's really like nothing I've experienced before.  

Colostrum and Blueberry Jam.  When a cow gives birth it produces a thicker milk called colostrum for the first few days after the calf is born.  The colostrum is chock full of nutrients the calf needs to survive its first few days of cow-hood.  This is quite a funky product that apparently is not too appetizing on it's own.  I don't know what they did to it here but it was delicious and like nothing I've ever tasted.  It's truly a magical moment when you come across a segment of the taste spectrum you've yet to experience.

Blueberry Ice and Lingonberries with Cream.  Nothing otherworldly here- just tasty.

I just thought this was an interesting way to place a spoon.  Try it at home, it does make a certain kind of sense.

Curdled Woodruff Milk.  I'm still not sure exactly what this is.  I've tried looking it up to no avail.  It was however one of the weirder yet more delicious things I've eaten.

Egg Yolk preserved in Sugar and Pine Bark Crumbs served with...

...Spruce Ice Cream.  I'm not usually a fan of desserts.  There's nothing to them- add sugar, let the human instinct for sweetness take over.  This one, however, takes the cake (teehee!).  This tasted like a forest and like a hot summer day.  The spruce ice cream tasted like freshly cut grass.  It transported me back to my parents back patio in Naperville on a nice summer day- the smell of fresh cut grass in the air.  

Churning the ice cream on a hundred-year-old churn.

Beerenauslese.  

Sour Milk Sorbet, Raspberry Jam, Whisked Duck Eggs.  For as interesting as this dish sounds it pretty much just tasted like Raspberry ice cream.  

The table is set downstairs for coffee.  I really enjoyed how we moved around several times during the meal.  Really helps to take you out of the "I'm at a restaurant" mentality and into the "I'm over at a friend's house for dinner" mindset.  

Coffee.  Fun Fact:  The Swedes drink 4.5 cups per person a day- highest in the world.

Homemade candy!  The highlight was the cured reindeer pie on the top right.  On the top left there was some pine gum.  Apparently this was the old Swedish navy way of clearing your breath after a meal.  Freaking disgusting.

Housemade liqueurs. From left to right:  Duck Yolk, Blackberry, Bitter, Sour Cream.  Sour Cream was probably my favorite.  

And of course, breakfast.

Alright, so maybe that was more commentary that I intended.  It truly was one of the better and more mind-blowing meals I've ever had.  So very different than any of the 3-star meals I've had before it.  There was such an incredible lack of pretension about the whole experience.  At the beginning of the meal I was talking to a Swedish couple at my table when I turned around to see Magnus staring me in the face with an outstretched palm.  I've never been star-struck before but I was literally dumbfounded.  Somehow I managed to reach out my hand which he warmly shook and said simply:  "Hi, I'm Magnus."  This is what the entire experience felt like- simple, modest, and yet undeniably one of the best meals of my life.