A Romanian law from 1969, originally aimed
at imprisoned intellectuals, allowed inmates
to have their sentences reduced for writing
scientific books. The law was suspended in
2016 after many allegations of ghostwriting
and plagiarism. One white-collar prisoner,
for example, apparently wrote ten academic
books in under two years.
In Romania, you'll find that people often
put their handbags, backpacks, and
other bags on empty chairs … and since
others are often too shy to remove them,
they'll end up without seating. Apparently,
this habit is based on an old superstition
that says that “your money will run away”
if you put your bag on the ground.
From my wife's childhood: She and her
siblings were asked by their Transylvanian
Saxon neighbors if they wanted some
candy. Following Romanian customs, they
said “no”. So they didn't get any. Days later,
the children were still devastated that the
neighbors didn't offer them the candy again
and again until they finally said “yes”.
While sauces do exist in Romanian cuisine
– with mujdei (garlic sauce) being the most
common – they are somewhat rare. Main
dishes often come without and even fries
are often served sauceless (and if you do
get a dip, it might be mustard). There's one
unexpected (and quite shocking) exception,
though: Pizza is always served with ketchup.
Centuries ago, Transylvanian Saxons travelled
to Wallachia to buy wine. The Romanian hosts
intended to get the Saxons drunk and then
sell them low-quality wine for a hefty price …
but the Germans had a “Schmecker” (literally:
“someone who tastes”) who remained
abstinent. Impressed, the Romanians adopted
the word, which nowadays means “slick guy”.
The people of Romania love to have a picnic,
a BBQ, or do some outdoor yoga. There's only
one problem: They are not allowed on the
grass! Ancient laws prohibit access to lawns
in parks, on university campuses, and in other
public places. Thankfully, the situation is
gradually changing in major cities. Meanwhile,
graffiti suggest to smoke the grass instead.
View more of this series here.
