Saint Trifon's Day

I had an opportunity to visit my host family on the weekend of February 14th to celebrate the annual wine festival held in Negotino. While American’s are celebrating St. Valentine’s Day in accordance with the Roman Christian calendar, Macedonians are celebrating St. Trifon's Day, the patron saint of wine growers, in accordance with the Orthodox Christian calendar. American’s spend millions of dollars on their loved ones to celebrate this day(helpful hint: tell your significant other that there’s nothing special about the Valentine’s Day because you love them more as each day passes and so setting aside one day makes no sense. Besides tell them you’re allergic to the color red. I’ve used this strategy for years and have saved hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of dollars. The added bonus is that my wife doesn’t talk to me for two weeks.) Macedonians in the wine country celebrate this day by ceremoniously pruning an old growth vine in their vineyard. It is the opening, if you will, of the new season in the vineyards. For more information on this tradition, go to www.winemk.com. The celebration really enlivens an otherwise dreary February.

About 30 Peace Corps Volunteers made the journey to Negotino with many of them staying at the beautifully renovated St. George’s monastery (there are some pictures of the monastery that I posted when I was training in Negotino). It was a good time for all of us to catch up with each other’s adventures in our towns and villages. I stayed with my host family and we had a busy time.

On Friday afternoon we attended a wine tasting event sponsored by the major wine producers in the region. There was plenty of food and wonderful Macedonian wine for all. On Saturday morning, seven of us hiked to Kocho’s modest vineyard and he performed the vintner’s ritual of pouring wine, rakija and holy water on a vine while saying a prayer. He then trimmed the first vine in the row (he only has 1499 more vines to trim and tie up before the warmer weather arrives). It was nice to witness first hand a ritual that has been performed in the vineyards for hundreds of year by a real vintner and a good friend.

We then hiked to the center where the celebrations began at 11:00 with traditional folk dancers performing. The mayor and other officials spoke from the stage set up on the plaza and the local priests performed a ceremony. Then the wine booths set up around the plaza began offering wine from their vineyards. The term wine tasting didn’t really apply because they filled up your cup and refilled it when it was empty. It was more like wine guzzling. The wines were very tasty (I’m sure this isn’t an oenophile’s term) and very affordable.

I found it interesting to note once again, the absence of women at events such as these. Of the 1200 or so spectators, there were only a handful of women and they were the newer generation of females. I am not sure if I saw any women over the age of 40. It was definitely not a family affair.

Phil, Michael Sr., Brittany and I, along with Violetta got back to Kocho’s at about 2PM and Kocho grilled chicken, sausages and kabobs on his outdoor grill. It’s very unusual for Macedonians to grill in the winter months and Kocho received a few puzzled stares from passersby. The local dog and cat population took the time to drop by to investigate from whence the heavenly aroma of grilled meat was emanating (I’ve been wanting to use the word “whence” for the longest time. My next goal – to use the word “thence”.). We had a great Macedonian meal prepared by Slavitsa with all the Macedonian love that goes into making guests feel comfortable and relaxed.

I left Negotino on Sunday morning on the 8AM bus to Velez, arrived in Velez at @8:45, caught the 9AM to Stip and arrived in Stip at @9:50. The only bus to Probistip on Sunday is at 2PM, so rather than wait 4 hours in a unenclosed, unheated bus station, I took a taxi to Probistip (500 denari = @$10) and arrived home at 10:20. This was a record time from Negotino to Probistip. I don’t anticipate it ever happening again.

Solo Eating

Food shopping in Probistip is nothing like food shopping in most of America. No longer do I have to unload ten bags from the car, bags filled with whatever I impulsively purchased (usually items high in carbohydrate and fats that nutritionists abhor). Probistip’s great for a guy who hates to go food shopping. We have one small “cypermarket”, which is about the size of a 7-11 and has most of the very basic stuff that I need . What I like best is that I don’t have to waste my time deciding which brand or what size of an item to purchase. To save on the limited shelf space, the store has limited choices. One brand, one size. I just take what is offered. No need to compare prices, trans-fat percentages, or sodium content. I just thank Edesia and Bibesia (the Roman goddesses of food and drink) that I found what I needed.

Also to save shelf space and keep the costs of purchasing reasonable, most items that are packaged come in somewhat smaller quantities than I am used to. Baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, pepper and other such items come in small packets the size of the sugar packets one finds in restaurants in the States. I can purchase wine, beer and whiskey (until 7PM). The clerk will bag sugar for me in any amount and I can purchase one egg or as many as I need . I can choose from a small inventory of cleaning products, personal hygiene and laundry products.Milk comes in unrefrigerated one liter boxes, which upon opening require refrigeration. Milk is relatively expensive in Macedonia ,so sadly families turn to soft drinks and fruit juices as the beverage of choice. Children, I’ve notice, drink a lot of soda.

I purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from one of the several small shops and I purchase meat from one of the three butcher shops. Today I purchased eight mandarin oranges, two grapefruits, a tomato and a small lettuce for 106 denari or approximately $2.00. There are several pastry shops that have wonderful sweets but there is little variety and I can only indulge in so many tortes and éclairs. One of my future projects is to inspire the bakers to increase their offerings with the promise that I will be one of their best customers.

Additionally, there are a score of small convenience type shops scattered throughout the town. There are too any of them to count and they all have the same limited inventory of basic stuff. I don’t know how they attract customers because nothing differentiates one from another. I can purchase the same loaf of bread, the same brand jogurt and a pack of Orbit gum from any of them.

Although I’ve yet to do so, I can take a 45 minute bus ride to Stip and food shop at one of several large supermarkets. Of course I’m limited to purchasing only what I can carry and waiting six hours for the return bus to Probistip.

The Peace Corps gave us a small cookbook before we left for our permanent sites. It contains recipes collected and compiled by past and present PCV’s in Macedonia that use ingredients commonly found within the county. I’ve successfully tried several of them - chicken and rice, apple crisp, German apple cake, rice pudding, oatmeal –raisin cookies, apple pie, fried chicken, french fries and other nutritious all- Macedonian dishes.

Cooking for oneself does present its challenges. If I make a casserole I’ll wind up having to eat it for the next two or three days. If I’m really busy, I take the path of least resistance - peanut butter and jelly – to satisfy any hunger pains. With a small freezer, I have to rely on fresh vegetables to be in compliance with the updated Food Pyramid. Problem is at this time of the year, I can only find winter vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions, and cabbages) at the market. Green-leafy is out of the question right now, but come late spring, summer and fall, the succulent Macedonia fruits and vegetables will be in abundance. The Peace Corps provides me with my multi-vitamins and prophylactic aspirin, so I’ve limited my chances of developing scurvy for the time being.

All I all, eating for one is OK. I do find it somewhat inconvenient though, to have to refill my own glass, to get up to get the salt shaker I forgot to bring to the table, to criticize only myself for overcooking the meat, to have to get up again to refill my plate with seconds, and to then have clear my own place, and wash, dry and put away the dishes and pots. Where’s the fairness in that?

I just heard the timer going off (or is it going on?) so I have to go and check tonight‘s dinner – Mac and Cheese and french fries. Luckily I got some ketchup yesterday so I can include a vegetable with my meal tonight, although it can be argued that potatoes are a vegetable. Bon Appetite!

(N.B. I am reporting on my experiences here in Probistip. Larger municipalities have modern well-stocked supermarkets.)