Mar 28 2009
A German in the Czech Republic
A German in the Czech Republic
This post is part of the world blog surf day, make sure to read to the end to find the link to the next participating Expat blog 
Being a German in the Czech Republic has for me at the same time a feeling of coming home and of increased cultural awareness. Coming home because the culture, customs and habits are very similar to ones of the Germany I grew up in. Far more familiar than the ones of Spain or the United Kingdom where I lived before I came to Prague.
For example the food, classic Bohemian dishes like goulash and dumplings, potato pancakes and sirloin in cream were the everyday dishes of my childhood. And my grandmother’s all time favourite was boiled pigs’ feet, something that you still can find for sale here in local supermarkets and butchers. Oh, and not to forget the delicious bread in every imaginable variety! Real bread, not the fluffy white stuff, bread to bite, to chew, bread that actually will fill your tummy. Bread that has a taste and is not only the base for the taste of charcuterie or cheese. I could live on bread. Only one thing is very different for me here food wise, we used far less cumin at my home in Germany. Here in Prague it seems to be in everything eatable. So I just decided to like cumin, as there is no way to escape it Yummy duck covered in cumin seeds anybody? With a piece of cumin flavoured bread perhaps?
Another strangely familiar thing are the plants in the staircases. Plants which are, during the warmer season, on balconies and patios, live during the colder season on the landings of the staircases. Neatly cut back and cleaned up for hibernation. The staircases have the ideal temperature for the plant hibernation, above freezing, but not so warm that the plants “think” it is already spring and shoot too early. We did the same thing at home…
Family values, polite behaviour and manners and the low sotto voce voices are also very similar to what I was taught as “good behaviour” during my childhood. I don’t want to say that all Czech people are polite angels, but whilst I was often puzzled by some form of Spanish or English behaviour, that never happens to me here. I “understand” them, even if I don’t speak the language. For example, when entering a restaurant, my husband, who is British, will insist that I enter first. Something what is completely against my habit, in Germany, as in the Czech Republic, the man enters the restaurant, or any other “foreign” space for that matter, first. But I am working on him, sometimes he even helps me with my coat So yes, I feel strangely at home here, apart of that I only speak/ understand <1% of the language and that cumin still has “to grow on me” a bit more. A lot of things are very similar and only very slightly different than in the Germany of my childhood. But being a German here comes with a historical burden, as our two countries have not always been good neighbours, to put it carefully. So I try to be as less German as possible if that makes sense…
If you have enjoyed this post, please hop over to Garry to read about this Scotsman’s experiences on Barbados . I am sure it will be well worth your time
I accidentally/on purpose overloaded the ground cumin in a dish I cooked yesterday, in a desperate attempt to make it taste of SOMEthing, since the roasted eggplant wasn’t roasted and therefore didn’t contribute the correct taste to the dish. It was… interesting. I didn’t know cumin featured prominently in the cuisine of that area! Probably in more controlled fashion than what I used last night, LoL!
i can totally relate to the “real bread”, although I wouldn’t want to survive on just bread, I certainly appreciate the more hearty versions, and have never liked the plain white sliced bread anyway. My fave bread, though, is what is called tresse in Switzerland, made with milk and butter, and is usually sold on Saturdays to be eaten as a treat on Sundays. It’s similar to the Jewish challah bread, but I think that doesn’t use milk.
A great start to Blog Surf Day
I hope to make my complete round by tomorrow. Cheers, *lynne*
A very interesting post! I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to try boiled pigs’ feet, but perhaps they taste quite nice! I’m surprised that cumin is in everything - I would have thought that it was more of an Asian spice. I don’t particularly like it either.
Thanks for organising the world surf day. I’m just getting a chance to read all the posts. I would love to participate again in a future world surf day!
Best wishes,
Roz
I use McCormick brand ground cumin - I assume it’s the same that you’re referring to, LoL! I don’t really know my way around the kitchen, can you tell??