Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
milk). Although espressos and instant coffees have made head-
way in the past few years, some Czechs regard them as a threat to
tradition.
A good alternative to a beer is
minerálka
(mineral water).
These healthy waters have a high mineral content. They're natu-
rally carbonated because they come from the springs in the many
Czech spas (Mattoni, the most common brand, is from Carlsbad).
If you want plain water, ask for
voda bez bublinek
(water without
bubbles). Tap water is generally not served. Water comes bottled
and generally costs more than beer.
Bohemia is beer country (see sidebar, page 128), with Europe's
best and cheapest brew. Locals also like the herb liquor
becherovka
.
Moravians prefer wine and
slivovice
(SLEE-voh-veet-seh)—a
plum brandy so highly valued that it's the de facto currency of the
Carpathian Mountains (often used for bartering with farmers and
other mountain folk).
Medovina
(“honey wine”) is mead.
In bars and restaurants, you can go wild with memorable
liqueurs, most of which cost about a dollar a
shot. Experiment.
Fernet,
a bitter drink made
from many herbs, is the leading Czech aperitif.
Absinthe, made from wormwood and herbs, is
a watered-down version of the hallucinogenic
drink that's illegal in much of Europe. It's famous
as the muse of many artists (including Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec in Paris more than a century
ago).
Becherovka,
made of 13 herbs and 38 percent
alcohol, was used to settle upset aristocratic tum-
mies and as an aphrodisiac. This velvety drink
remains popular today.
Becherovka
and tonic
mixed together is nicknamed
beton
(“concrete”).
If you drink three, you'll find out why.
trAVELInG AS A tEMPorArY LocAL
We travel all the way to Europe to enjoy differences—to become
temporary locals. You'll experience frustrations. Certain truths
that we find “God-given” or “self-evident,” such as cold beer, ice
in drinks, bottomless cups of coffee, hot showers, and bigger being
better, are suddenly not so true. One of the benefits of travel is
the eye-opening realization that there are logical, civil, and even
better alternatives.
If there is a negative aspect to the image Europeans have of
Americans, it's that we are big, loud, aggressive, impolite, rich,
superficially friendly, and a bit naive.
My Czech friends (and Europeans in general) place a high
value on speaking quietly in restaurants and on trains. Listen while
