Praha My Prague: A Micro-Memoir

 Posted by  Memories of Now  1 Response »
Nov 302011
 
Praha My Prague: A Micro-Memoir

This is a reprint of a guest post I wrote for Czechmate Diary. Enjoy! *** “I’ve been to Prague,” is the most frequent response I hear when I tell Americans I’m from Slovakia (“Where is that?” and “Czechoslovakia?” are close behind). Prague looms large in many people’s imagination, and every time I hear the sentence, I think of ‘my Prague’ and the layers upon layers of memories the city conjures. The Velvet Prague I visited Prague for the first time when I was 12 1/2, with my parents in [...] Continue reading >

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The Little Big Differences

 Posted by  Kultur Clash  No Responses »
Nov 282011
 
The Little Big Differences

Whether you consider yourself an expat(riate), a transplant, an émigré, an exile, or an immigrant, you notice how and in what way your new country—the U.S. in the case of American Robotnik—differs from the country of your birth. “Cultural distance from host society”, that is, how much your new country differs from your old one, plays a role not only in your acculturation, but also in what you notice and how it affects you. When it comes to the differences between developed Europe and the U.S., Vincent Vega said [...] Continue reading >

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In Remembrance of Tanks

 Posted by  Memories of Now  No Responses »
Nov 262011
 
In Remembrance of Tanks

Another Thanksgiving is over and tanks won’t be haunting me for at least another year. Every year the holiday’s name makes me think of tanks, which is why I secretly call it Tanksgiving. Tanks play a role in a Central European’s, and particularly a Slovak’s or a Czech’s, life story and imagination. If you ask any Slovak or Czech with memories of living in socialist Czechoslovakia about tanks, I guarantee he will share at least one memory about a particular tank. (Please do share your tank story in the Comments.) ‘My tanks’ [...] Continue reading >

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Black Friday vs. Buy Nothing Day Smackdown

 Posted by  Kultur Clash  No Responses »
Nov 252011
 
Black Friday vs. Buy Nothing Day Smackdown

If you’ve lived in the U.S. for at least a single Thanksgiving, you know about Black Friday. Retailers open super early to launch the holiday shopping season with ridiculous deals, and shoppers respond by raiding the stores. It’s called “black” because it’s hell out there and because it marks the retailers starting to run a profit on the year (or be “in the black”). A lot of people have strong feelings about Black Friday.  In the Black Corner… Representing the Pro Black Friday side this year is the man who [...] Continue reading >

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Happy Marinated Thanksgiving!

 Posted by  Facestuffing  No Responses »
Nov 232011
 
Happy Marinated Thanksgiving!

This is my first Thanksgiving as an American citizen and the first to which I’m contributing a dish. I planned to make a Slovak desert, using a recipe from SlovakCooking.com, but because baking seems like a pretty major step in my Slovak cooking forays, I opted for a dish that requires no cooking. The Ghost in the Pantry‘s final post was a recipe for marinated Camembert, a Czech pub specialty (the Czech recipe uses Hermelín cheese, which is closest to Camembert). Plenty of marinated Camembert recipes live online; I like this one because it asks to slice [...] Continue reading >

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When the Birds Confer to Tell the Tale

 Posted by  Been Reviewin'  No Responses »
Nov 222011
 
When the Birds Confer to Tell the Tale

Whether it’s a testimony to my cultural isolation or Penguin Press’s marketing prowess, I learned about “The Conference of the Birds”, the new book by Petr Sís (Peter Sis), on All Things Considered during last Wednesday’s evening commute. By a stroke of luck, I met Petr, a Czech émigré living in the U.S. since 1982, only five days later during his book-tour stop here in Portland, Oregon. In his presentation Monday at Powell’s City of Books, Peter gave a whirlwind tour of the book’s origins and story, of his life/career [...] Continue reading >

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Staropramen Is Prague in a Bottle…Almost

 Posted by  Lager Field  3 Responses »
Nov 212011
 
Staropramen Is Prague in a Bottle...Almost

There is no shortage of Czech beer brands in the U.S., at least not in Portland, Oregon. Pilsner Urquell is unsurprisingly ubiquitous, both on tap and bottled. The real Budweiser (Budvar), sold here in individual 0.5l/16.9 oz bottles as Czechvar, has in the past few months become a staple in Safeway’s and Fred Meyer’s beer coolers. Lion (Lev), Rebel, Žatec, Primátor, and Bakálař brands are all available at beer ’boutiques’ or international grocery stores. But to discover Staropramen Lager (courtesy of my hockey buddy Brian Schmonsees) was like discovering [...] Continue reading >

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A Yearning for Elsewhere

 Posted by  New World, New Life  No Responses »
Nov 192011
 
A Yearning for Elsewhere

A yearning for elsewhere, for a life beyond the one we’re leading, is universal, but America is unique in giving the idea a specific geographical location in the West. —Jonathan Raban in “Driving Home: An American Journey”

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We Hold Our Food Truths to Be Self-Evident

 Posted by  Facestuffing  No Responses »
Nov 182011
 
We Hold Our Food Truths to Be Self-Evident

This is a reprint, with permission, of “Food Truths: Taquerias and Cherry Pie”, an essay my wife Lindsay Sauvé wrote and published on her blog Blue Palate on September 24. Everyone has their food truths, and immigrants and transplants in the U.S. are no exception. In fact, being away from home may accentuate your food truth, make it even truer, so to speak. What’s your food truth? *** There is no lentil soup like my mother’s lentil soup, no sour cherry pie like my grandmother’s, certainly no sauerkraut like my father-in-law’s. [...] Continue reading >

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Memories of Trees

 Posted by  America the Beautiful  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

Beach at Cape Meares, Oregon; November 2011

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How to Be Homesick Without Going Crazy: Action

 Posted by  New World, New Life  No Responses »
Nov 162011
 
How to Be Homesick Without Going Crazy: Action

Stressful situations like homesickness (see previous post) elicit two basic responses: fight or flight. You can confront your homesickness by getting angry, argumentative, or violent (if you’ve ever wanted to punch someone who doesn’t know where your country is located, you know what I’m talking about). Or you can try to get away from it with the help of drugs/alcohol or social withdrawal. I say there’s a third way: embrace your homesickness. Wherever You Go, There You Are* Each and every method below rests on a single prerequisite: accept your reality. [...] Continue reading >

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How to Be Homesick Without Going Crazy: Understanding

 Posted by  New World, New Life  No Responses »
Nov 142011
 
How to Be Homesick Without Going Crazy: Understanding

When as a transplant you find yourself far away from everything you know, you’re bound to get homesick from time to time. Because I don’t enjoy feeling homesick, I looked back at how I’ve not only combated but also embraced my homesickness and, I hope, turned it into something positive. To deal with something, one must understand it. This first of two posts will examine homesickness as a phenomenon. What’s homesickness all about? What a Feeling, Bein’ Homesick’s Believin’ The Oxford Dictionary defines being homesick as “experiencing a longing for one’s [...] Continue reading >

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Cooking Slovak in America: An Interview With Lubos Brieda

 Posted by  We Are Here  4 Responses »
Nov 112011
 
Cooking Slovak in America: An Interview With Lubos Brieda

Following up on my review of SlovakCooking.com, I asked Ľuboš Brieda who runs that site a few questions about his experience as a Slovak transplant. *** American Robotnik: You started SlovakCooking.com after beginning to miss the tasty Slovak home cooking in the U.S. and wanting to learn a few recipes. There’s a huge gap between learning to cook Slovak dishes and sharing the recipes on a website. What compelled you to take your craving for Slovak food  public? Ľuboš Brieda: You make it sound as if one day I [...] Continue reading >

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The Dark Secret of Bakalár Dark Lager

 Posted by  Lager Field  No Responses »
Nov 092011
 
The Dark Secret of Bakalár Dark Lager

Fall is ale season. As the Pacific Northwest skies darken, rains commence, and temperatures drop, I transition from the lightness of refreshing lagers to a more grounded feeling of darker brews. This could spell doom for Lager Field were it not for the assortment of heavier lagers available on the local market. I found Bakalář Dark Lager (Tmavý Ležák) from Pivovar Rakovník (Brewery Rakovník) at the Belmont Station beer store. Though I’ve learned to enjoy ales over the years in America, I approached Bakalář Dark Lager with skepticism. Even though [...] Continue reading >

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There’s No One Here Who Knows You

 Posted by  New World, New Life  No Responses »
Nov 072011
 
There's No One Here Who Knows You

“It’s not about who you know but about who knows you,” says a business adage. No matter how extensive or impressive your contact list or how many names you can drop, if you aren’t on anyone’s mind for yourself or your service, business success will elude you. Settling in a new country is like that. The post’s title is a line in “Peg of Old”, the 7th episode in season two of the HBO show Boardwalk Empire. In a main storyline, Margaret Schroeder, an Irish immigrant living in Atlantic City, [...] Continue reading >

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