One in ten people living in Romania belongs to a minority. Together with the Banat, Transylvania is the most diverse region and the source of the following bon mot about different mentalities: “To organize a six o'clock village meeting, tell the Romanians it's at four, the Hungarians at five, and the Germans at six – everybody will be there on time.

There's an interesting theory about the origin of the Romanian term “misto” (a slightly vulgar variation of “cool”): Some 120 years ago, Bucharest's bohéme imported the dandy culture from Vienna and Budapest – and from then on, all the cool boys dressed with a walking cane. That's “mit Stock” in German . which might have been shortened to' “misto”.

Romanian parents (especially those who experienced the 1980s) are constantly afraid that their children might starve. On the phone, their first question isn't “How are you?”, it's “Do you still have food?” .. and they regularly send supplies – no matter if the children are already in their 30ies, earn way better than their parents, or live on a different continent.

Miorita is an influential pastoral ballad about a shepherd who is warned by a talking sheep that his two rivals are about to murder him. Does he run, negotiate, or fight? No, he just prepares for his death. To most Romanians: a story about destiny and ancient rites. To others: a fatal encouragement of inaction … and possibly of substance abuse (talking sheep?!).

The term “no” – also spelled “mo” – is used all over Transylvania. Pronounced ” no” (as in Nosferatu), it has many meanings and can help you get through discussions with minimal effort. Depending on the pronunciation, mood of the speaker, and general weather conditions, it can mean: yes, no, wow!, really?, so?, what?, calm yourself, let's get started, bye, and more.

Most people living in Romania are convinced that they get inferior versions of Western everyday products like chocolate spread, soft drinks, or detergents. They invest time and money to import the “real” products from the West. Sounds like a conspiracy theory – until you learn that many brands actually do sell slightly different products in different markets.