Someone take this Kryptonite from me

May 30, 2017

Day 2 waking up in Skopje. In Macedonia. Macedonia. This place is way more foreign than the other places we’ve been. And we’re on our own. Crazy. It’s a certain kind of madness, I know. We went through Airbnb again. This time I’m having issues with the place. I’m working them out. I stepped in and looked around and I was over-whelmed by the clutter. Then I just pulled things off the counters and put them in cupboards, and I felt much better. Plus, the kitchen is a good size and overflowing with pots and pans and bowls and equipment and supplies. The last kitchen in Lodz, Poland didn’t even have a potato peeler. It was so small we couldn’t both be in there at the same time. I would go in to get some bread, and then turn around and Ron was in the fridge. I couldn’t leave the kitchen until he went into the living room to let me pass. It was easy to clean, I’ll give it some credit. The stove was the kind you have to light the burners with a long lighter. Not good for morning people like me, so I just slept in longer than Ron.

When we planned the trip about a month ago I wondered what to do with all of the extra time. I said to myself: Self, you will go there and learn how to cook with the food and local spices available. The amazing thing is the kitchen so full of things that it will take me a few hours to assess it all. Then try to organize what I’ll use and where to put it from all the other stuff. There are 3 shelves devoted to coffee mugs. There is an old set of tiny cups that belonged to the guy’s mother. I’ve been glancing through and I’m not sure how to inventory everything.

It’s also odd because I don’t know how to shop. Because I don’t know how to read. You know what I mean?? I had visions of getting recipes online in English and then getting the ingredients, and giving it a shot. But how do I choose the items on the ingredients list? Who am I kidding? I’m not my friend Cheryl S who can cook her heart out with humor and ease. I typed in the search window: classic recipes for the Republic of Macedonia. Macedonian cuisine, an aspect of Balkan cuisine, is the traditional cuisine of the Macedonia. It reflects Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences and shares characteristics of other Balkan cuisines. The relatively warm climate of the country provides excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Macedonian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of its dairy products, wines, and local alcoholic beverages, such as rakija. Tavče-gravče and mastika are considered the national dish and drink of the Republic of Macedonia, respectively.

Uh. I’m in trouble, I can tell already. I love wikipedia. It’s a format I am familiar with and I understand the idea to triple check any really vital facts. It’s also a quick-list place for me. I looked up the “cuisine” (this is me, intimidated already) and it gave a great list of dishes and desserts. Like the thing I can try, but I can only write about it, because if you call me I have no clue how to pronounce it so I must never speak of it. The thing with all the accents called tavce-gravce. I can click on it and a recipe shows up. Thank you for that. It says to use dry red pepper. How on earth will I figure out which of the bottles on the shelf is dry red pepper? So then I thought maybe the thing to do is buy some ingredients and then put them in the search window and see what comes up for a recipe suggestion. I used to do that in the U.S. when I was desperate to not go shopping for anything before dinner. Then all I have to do is hope it translates well into English. It reduces my chances of it being authentic, but what are my options?

Thankfully wikipedia has links to everything. I have a quick link to a recipe, and that strange thing doesn’t have many ingredients. I just don’t even know what a butter bean is. Here’s my science lesson for the day: Magnets attract when two opposing poles are brought together and repel when they have similar poles. Magnets come with a north pole and south pole. If one end of a magnet is the north pole and the end of the other magnet is the south pole, both pieces will attract; magnets will repel if two north poles or south poles are brought together. I’m a north pole person and every place I’ve ever lived has had a north pole kitchen. Will this place be different? I even have a selection of aprons to put on. I’m trying to choose carefully, hoping it will be like a front sided super hero cape and lend me some powers that I have forever lacked.

How do I make myself want to cook? How do I find belief that I will succeed? How do I convince myself to spend time in the kitchen? How come other people love it, and I just get a kink in my back thinking about it? I can clean the kitchen all day long. I like to clean. But cook? It was hard enough when I had my own kitchen with my own familiar equipment. I would rather eat yogurt with some nuts than spend an hour cooking dinner. I have to figure out how to change that. I need a plan of action. I’m still working on it. Yesterday my excuse was that I had allergies and didn’t feel well - and the guy across the street has amazing calzones for just over a dollar. I watched him roll out the dough and make it in front of us. It’s such a big arena. (It’s now the morning of Day 3) Where do I start? With bread? With soups? Even if I stay within the Macedonian limits, I need to pick something after the soup. Wish me luck. (update, and it isn't even a soup. Doh. It's just a bean dish)