.....
Home........World........Europe........Romania........Romania Murals.........E-mail
.....

 

 

   
photo by Tara Bruce
SIBIU had been a European Cultural Capital, and it was so easy to see why. It was like Bruges or Prague without the tourists. In fact, it was better because the streets and squares were so spacious! Atop so many spires in the city center were stork nests.

I love meat and know there is a lot of good meat in the world. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of bad meat. While in Sibiu, I ordered a traditional Romanian soup, ciorbā de burtā. Now I've traveled enough to know that you don't eat mystery food, ever! But, I only heard the words "traditional Romanian soup" and that was good enough for me. Except, it wasn't. When it was explained that it was actually cow intestines, I knew I made a mistake.

Then, the traditional way to eat it was to add vinegar to sour the mix. It didn't help. I ate what I could, mostly sour broth. If I did get tripe in my mouth, I added a chunk of bread and tried to swallow it whole. To add to my torment, I traveled with a vegetarian who sat back smugly, enjoying the entire meal. I can't say as much for me.

MARTIN

This is so not ciorbā de burtā!
Copyright 2009 by Phillip Martin All rights reserved.