the talking bear

Kraków Soup Festival - "Super Soup" etc...

Aired on Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy 22.5.2007. Link to report here. Audio (mp3) can be downloaded here.

On a Saturday in May, Kraków’s district of Kazimierz becomes full of visitors from around the world for the annual Soup Festival which is held on Plac Nowy in the heart of the old Jewish quarter. Last weekend provided food for thought for residents and visitors alike, giving warm refreshment after Friday’s ‘Night of Museums’ in Poland’s cultural capital. On a hot afternoon, things got hotter as more than twenty different soups were put on trial and the good citizens of Kraków and beyond were treated to soups made for the occasion by various restaurants from throughout the city. The festival, which is run by the KTO theatre company, is a celebration of what brings people together in a way that transcends quite possibly all cultures on earth. Soup is something that has managed to do that, and with soups from around the world and of varying tastes, the 6th edition of the Soup Festival was more than just a day out.
I met some soup revellers and they told of their culinary adventures:
We had tomato and banana soup, it was amazing, it was fantastic. These French women served it to us and they were lovely, and the soup was beautiful. I don’t think I could eat too much of it, because it’s very sweet, but it was the perfect amount, it was delicious.
What kind of soup did you have today?
This is kapuśniak, and it’s very good. It’s a fat soup, but I’m not afraid of getting fat…
Spirits were high, and as the jury decision was being made for the competition for the day’s best soup, others tried out more concoctions, although there was some criticism from orthodox soup lovers:
I ate Thai soup, with coconut and chicken, and it was really hot you know, but for me, it’s not a soup. I also ate soup with tomato and bananas, but also, it’s not a soup, because a soup for me needs meat, bones, eyes and brain I guess…
I met with Piotr Zajączkowski, co-owner of Edo Sushi Bar in Kazimierz, who was serving one of his soups to the eager crowds:
Can you tell me, what kind of soup are you preparing this year?
This time, we’re preparing soup from asparagus, with salmon, marinated in miso.
And last year, what kind of soup?
Last year was kimu-chi jige, it was a Korean soup.
It was this soup that won him second place in last year’s battle for the best brew, and his asparagus and salmon soup certainly got my vote. Other soups on offer included a nettle and pomegranate seed clear soup, an interesting taste; and a well-heeled red lentil broth, not its first outing at the festival it seemed:
And actually last year I remember trying the same, and it was very sophisticated soup. Yeah I liked it, I liked it actually.
The Soup Festival of 2007 was a heart-warming event, and bringing food to back to basics in the company of friends and strangers alike made for an amazing atmosphere, especially in the setting of a sun-drowned weekend afternoon in one of the most beautiful areas of town. Will this year’s winner, the Thai Galangal soup from the Horai restaurant, make a comeback next year?

30000 kWh

I suppose I have to apologise for my absence for, well, more than a month. I was not in any fit state to write anything of substance (what a surprise) and I thought that a trip to Italy would do me some good, if only to forget about paying any sort of bills for a while.

Kraków. Now.

Apart from death threats from my branch of a certain bank in the UK (alas, I wish I could tell you, but I fear for my life), I had a man come from the Kraków Electricity Company to double check my meter today. At 7.30 in the morning, to be precise. He was a little surprised (and I horrified) to see that in the past 6 months I had managed to clock up 30000 kWh, and that was just on the night tariff (we have two here in Kraków, one day and one night, including 12 noon until 2 pm for that urgent wash or whatever). I didn't know what to say to the guy, apart from that it is physically impossible to run up that kind of mileage in such a short time. It's not as if I have a doll factory stowed in the basement or something. They're changing the meter. They called at 8am just to tell me that. About time: it hasn't been replaced since 1973. Might be suffering from post-communist depression or something.

Italy. Then.

Ah yes. A lovely place. We had no Italians and no German tourists. Just the beautiful Gran Sasso mountains dividing our area of Abruzzo with Lazio. Stunning. Lots of vino di tavola and Caffè Coretto (or however you spell it). Campari was bought in copious quantities for consumption back in Poland, although I'm still waiting for it to be warm and, well, Italian enough for me start drinking it. 5l of vino also came back with me. That's for my house party on Friday (everyone's invited!) which will celebrate the regaining of my partial sanity and the re-decorating of the Palazzo da Miś, which of course has taken a fortnight longer than wanted expected. In fact I'm writing this post with my father making szarlotkas (Żubrówka and apple juice) in the kitchen and Makaron the painter (and friend from the Lokal) singing songs and drinking a Harnaś in the hall.

My photos from Italy can be seen here.

To watch me taking a bomb dive into the pool, click here (Quicktime movie, 3.58 MB).

The Journey. When?

Having driven 4000 miles in the past month I'm going to be finding myself in front of the wheel once more next month when I go on my tour of Poland for a week or two with a friend of mine from London (of course she doesn't know anything about this yet, so keep mum). Until then it's Berlin and Warsaw. Got to love it. Perhaps Prague for breakfast in the not too distant future.

Now. Again.

Right. Bills to pay. Translations to do. Teaching tomorrow. First, though. A drink.

Cześć.

Cracovian Architecture &c.

May week-end a success. The sun in the Beskid Żywiecki was particularly awesome, resulting in mild sunburn...

Of course, to make up for two lost days students decided to pile it in before the week was up, making me go ever so slightly mad. What one does in the name of a few złoty, I tell you. To really finish me off, I've sung every day since I got back, too. Being in two choirs is good fun, but when you have to sing endlessly it does become somewhat tiring. Practice on Weds with Olim Pueri Cantantes, Thursday Mass on Św. Krzyża (Church of the Holy Cross), Friday practice with the Cathedral and Cecylian Choirs, today a break, but tomorrow... Tomorrow is St. Stanislaus' day (Św. Stanisław), patron saint of Poland. The Mass on the Skałka is going to be televised. My boots are trembling.

Apart from running around like a total madman, I have also set up a photoset in Flickr of interesting buildings and architecture in Kraków. The set doesn't have many pictures now, but I'll soon rectify the situation. There's a lot to see, and some of the most beautiful buildings are hidden in the maze that is the Old Town. You can see for yourself here.

And one last thing. The election in the UK. I voted (by proxy). I wasted more paper for a vote that wasn't going to make a difference anyway. Time for PR in the UK? I should think so...

Anyway, in light of tomorrow, here is are the first two verses of the hymn written in memory of St Stanisław, Bishop of Kraków, who was "hacked to pieces" in 1078 by Bolesław II...

Gaude Mater Polonia
Prole foecunda nobili
Summi Regis magnalia
Laude frequenta vigili

Cuius benigna gratia
Stanislai Pontificis
Passionis insignia
Signis fulgent mirificis

Until the next time...

Going Pro...

I promise I will write something of value soon. Have just gone Pro in Flickr and have been uploading various pics from here and there. You may notice that to the left you will see my latest additions to Flickr. Click on them to have a ganders.

When I have something to write about (most probably more translation antics) I will pin it straight up.

But for now, take a shufti here.