Twice Removed

August 6, 2021

Allan Stevo

Quite a few readers of 52 Weeks in Slovakia take an interest in family and genealogy. This chart is a helpful one in explaining family relationships, like the definition of “Second Cousin Once Removed.”

While these terms are helpful in defining relationship, I’m still going to defer to the simpler and more inclusive-feeling Slovak tradition of calling anyone even remotely related to me “cousin,” “aunt,” or “uncle.”

Thank you to Alice J. Ramsey and to Lifehacker for this informative chart.

Allan Stevo writes on Slovak culture at www.52inSk.com. He is from Chicago and spends most of his time traveling Europe and writing. You can find more of his writing at www.AllanStevo.com. If you enjoyed this post, please use the buttons below to like it on Facebook or to share it with your friends by email. You can sign up for emails on Slovak culture from 52 Weeks in Slovakia by clicking here.

Photo credit: lifehacker.com

Update: As of November 18, 2011, thanks to the help of the many people who did investigated this topic and wrote me about it, this article contains 31 Slovak words for potato.

Words for Potato

August 9, 2021

Allan Stevo

It may come as no surprise to many that potatoes play a special role in Slovak culture.  In some parts of the country a peasant meal of some potatoes, some fatty bacon, and some milk cooked together make for a comfort food on a cold wet, day. The “national dish” is aged sheep cheese mixed into potato dumplings with bacon and lard drizzled on top.  Where there aren’t potatoes, there’s at least bread, and sometimes rice, but often enough, I’ve been served a little rice AND a little potatoes on one plate.  Potatoes are a staple in these lands.

I believe potatoes are part of the reason I’ve felt a Slovak appreciation for the Irish.  The impoverished Irish had their potato famine and many ultimately ran to America to escape the turmoil of home.  How dire life would be if for years the potato crop were abysmal in Slovakia.  Some cultures can empathize with the Irish, Slovaks can sympathize with them.  They know how important a good harvest of potatoes can be to having a good year.

Click here to keep reading 13 Slovak Words For The Venerable Potato

Allan Stevo writes on Slovak culture at www.52inSk.com. He is from Chicago and spends most of his time traveling Europe and writing. You can find more of his writing at www.AllanStevo.com. If you enjoyed this post, please use the buttons below to like it on Facebook or to share it with your friends by email. You can sign up for emails on Slovak culture from 52 Weeks in Slovakia by clicking here.

August 5, 2021

The US Embassy warns all Americans to steer clear of this mass of Slovak patriots who want to be left alone to live life freely.

I’m not sure there could be any better place to be than among such brave men and women.

Below is the notice from the embassy:

Subject: Large Protests Scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Bratislava
Location: Presidential Palace, Hodzovo Namestie, and surrounding area, Bratislava, Slovakia

Event: Demonstrations to protest the Slovak government’s Covid-19 restrictions are scheduled in Bratislava this coming Thursday, August 5^th and Friday August 6^th, from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm.  Police estimate 1,000 to 3,000 participants.  Other organizations could participate to promote their own agendas.  Any peaceful demonstration could become violent.  Clashes with police, road blockages, and other interruptions may occur.

Actions to Take:

• Avoid the areas of the demonstrations.
• Keep a low profile pay attention to your surroundings.
• Exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests.
• Monitor local media for updates: Slovak Spectator is a local English language newspaper; Radio RSI is a radio station with some English.

Assistance:

• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Contact the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia located at Hviezdoslavovo namestie 4-5 in Bratislava, at +02 5443 0861, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. The after-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +0903 703 666.
• To reach Consular Affairs in Washington, D.C., call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
• Visit the wepage of the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava

Photo credit: Aktuality.sk

Reusing Bottles

August 5, 2021

Allan Stevo

In Slovakia a good bottle is a keepsake, a treasure reused over and again. Bottles are the timeless containers that good memories are poured from and good stories shared around. Bottles are almost as central to Slovak culture, as the homemade spirits and wines that flow from them are central to European culture.

Though I live in America now, it’s been hard to look at an empty bottle and toss it immediately, as is the American way. There is just too much intrinsic value to it. That intrinsic value exists 6,000 miles away in Slovakia, not in urban America.

Click here to keep reading I Still Haven’t Learned To Throw Away A Bottle – 7 Ways Bottles Are Practically Cherished In Slovakia

Allan Stevo writes on Slovak culture at www.52inSk.com. He is from Chicago and spends most of his time traveling Europe and writing. You can find more of his writing at www.AllanStevo.com. If you enjoyed this post, please use the buttons below to like it on Facebook or to share it with your friends by email. You can sign up for emails on Slovak culture from 52 Weeks in Slovakia by clicking here.

Photo credit: villagecraftsmen.com

Natural Food Preservation

August 3, 2021

Allan Stevo

A seldom recognized tidbit related to guláš is that guláš comes with a built-in preservative.

In these modern times you might freeze your guláš to make it last longer or you might put it in a really cold refrigerator.  Let’s envision a time pre-refrigeration, though, where guláš might be stored outside, in a cellar, on a windowsill, or perhaps even in a cold body of water.

The fat in the guláš rises to the top and sometimes even forms a solid layer if it gets cool enough. The layer of fat (either liquid or solid) that rises to the top keeps the oxygen out.  It keeps the air above away from the goodness below.  It’s especially important to keep the air away from the meat because meat can be so easily perishable.  If you don’t do that, the guláš will begin to kysnúť, as Slovaks say – it will begin to turn sour.

Click here to keep reading Don’t Stir The Gulas

Allan Stevo writes on Slovak culture at www.52inSk.com. He is from Chicago and spends most of his time traveling Europe and writing. You can find more of his writing at www.AllanStevo.com. If you enjoyed this post, please use the buttons below to like it on Facebook or to share it with your friends by email. You can sign up for emails on Slovak culture from 52 Weeks in Slovakia by clicking here.

Gulas

August 2, 2021

Allan Stevo

The main reasons you should make gulas this weekend are because it tastes good, it is easy to make, and it will feed you for a week.  With that matter settled, I’ll move on to the next topic:  How to make gulas this weekend.

Three rules of Gulas + 1

Everyone’s got their own rules for gulas.  The best gulas, in my opinion, comes from any two, randomly-selected, opinionated cooks going into the kitchen ready to fight over their theories about gulas making as they collaborate on over a pot of the stuff.  Below are a few rules I try to stick to when cooking gulas and that I argue for when I find myself in a test of wills like that.

Click here to keep reading Why You Should Make Authentic Gulas This Weekend

Allan Stevo writes on Slovak culture at www.52inSk.com. He is from Chicago and spends most of his time traveling Europe and writing. You can find more of his writing at www.AllanStevo.com. If you enjoyed this post, please use the buttons below to like it on Facebook or to share it with your friends by email. You can sign up for emails on Slovak culture from 52 Weeks in Slovakia by clicking here.

Slovak v. Slovakian

July 31, 2021

Allan Stevo

A few weeks ago I was on the excellent freelancer search website Elance. On the website I was looking to get the attention of someone with Slovak, Polish, or Czech language ability.

I noticed that Elance recognizes the languages as Polish, Czech, and Slovakian, rather than Polish, Czech, and Slovak. The later – Slovak – is a significantly more correct term than the former – Slovakian and for at least four reasons.

Click here to keep reading Polishian, Czechian, Slovakian Or Polish, Czech, And Slovak -> Why The Word “Slovakian” Is Unquestionably Incorrect

Allan Stevo writes on Slovak culture at www.52inSk.com. He is from Chicago and spends most of his time traveling Europe and writing. You can find more of his writing at www.AllanStevo.com. If you enjoyed this post, please use the buttons below to like it on Facebook or to share it with your friends by email. You can sign up for emails on Slovak culture from 52 Weeks in Slovakia by clicking here.

Photo credit: allposters.com

Shower Curtains & Maslow

July 29, 2021

Allan Stevo

Psychologist Abraham Maslow famously put into a theory a long held piece of common sense – if you are homeless you probably aren’t going to be able to achieve self-actualization until you first get yourself out of that situation of being homeless. Maslow talked about the importance of providing for basic needs before more complex needs are fulfilled. There is a needs hierarchy he said. First you need physiological, safety, love & belonging, and esteem, only then can you attempt to be one of the people who shoot for the difficult to reach task of self-actualization and perhaps even self-transcendence. Contrary to many in the field of psychology, Maslow sought to study those who excelled rather than those who needed the help of a psychologist.

While I agree with Maslow that there is a hierarchy of needs, everyone will have an individual definition of those needs. For example, I seem to need a shower curtain in order to feel like I have moved into a home and am secure there.

Click here to keep reading It’s Easy to Forget How Little I Need

Allan Stevo writes on Slovak culture at www.52inSk.com. He is from Chicago and spends most of his time traveling Europe and writing. You can find more of his writing at www.AllanStevo.com. If you enjoyed this post, please use the buttons below to like it on Facebook or to share it with your friends by email. You can sign up for emails on Slovak culture from 52 Weeks in Slovakia by clicking here.

Photo credit: likesuccess.com