Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Lunch
in Slovakia...
I’m a British
writer, and have lived in the UK for most of my life. I met my Slovak husband
Ján in 2007, and we spent our first few years together living in London. In
2011 we decided to move to Slovakia. There are many things I love about life
here, but one thing has struck me during my working day, is how different lunch
is.
Of the
numerous jobs I did in London
during my twenties; acting, office temping, or promotional work, lunch options
were depressing. I still can't eat pre-packed sandwiches, or salad, and a foot
long Subway turns my stomach.
Rarely,
if ever, did I do a job where I was taken out for lunch. And packed
lunch catastrophes were frequent involving Chilli Con Carne and
worse - tinned mackerel. My midday excitement evaporating when I
discovered a plastic container had regurgitated its contents inside my bag.
Here
in Slovakia lunch
is thought of as very important. One of the wonderful throwbacks from Communism
(and surprisngly there are many) is that all restaurants do a lunch menu. For
three or four euros you can get an incredible three course hot meal, with
mineral water, all served with a swift mindfulness for people who only have a
short lunch break.
What
is even better is that all employers are legally required to give their staff a
voucher worth €4 per day which can be used in all restaurants. Even the posh
ones do a lunch menu, or if you're really picky you can use them in
supermarkets.
I
couldn't believe it; Ján still can't get over my shock at this, but it's a way
of life in Slovakia.
Of
course, I‘ve discovered this at a time when I work from home! But I still
insist on a lunch menu every now and again, even if we don’t get the vouchers. The
last few lunches have been no exception; mediterranean spaghetti with rocket
and cherry tomatoes, lamb stuffed aubergine, kung pao chicken, roast
chicken with herb mash and veg - and the soups! Soup is a big part of each meal
in Slovakia, and the delicate vegetable broths and thick cream soups have
almost filled me up before the rest arrived. All this for around £3 a pop, it’s
been a revelation.
I wish
this could work in the UK.
Lunchtime would be so much more special - I bet we’d all get more work done.
But I just couldn't imagine rocking up at the Oxo Tower
in London with a grin and a luncheon voucher, they'd lob me off the brasserie
balcony (or if I looked really well dressed, the balcony by the restaurant).
Things
are changing fast here in Slovakia. Capitalism is marching forward at a pace. I
just hope lunch menus stay. Sometimes, when you’re having a horrible day, it‘s
nice to look forward to something as simple as lunch!
Robert’s
book Coco
Pinchard, The Consequences Of Love and Sex is available now.
You can find out more about Robert at www.robertbryndza.com
on Twitter at @RobertBryndza
or Facebook facebook.com/bryndzarobert
Or, for a far more interesting option,
you can now follow Coco Pinchard on Twitter at @CocoPinchard
Book Blurb
Since Coco Pinchard found
first husband Daniel in bed with another woman, she hasn’t just picked up the
pieces: she’s now a best-selling author married to her hunky soul-mate Adam.
She feels stronger and wiser and surely the second time round she’ll have
learnt from her mistakes?
But things aren’t going
quite according to plan... Adam has lost his job, Coco’s grown-up son
Rosencrantz seems to have derailed his life in spectacular fashion, and
ex-mother-in-law Ethel keeps letting herself into the house thanks to an
endless supply of spare keys. When literary agent Angie takes on Coco’s arch
rival, the indomitable Regina Battenberg, it looks as though things can’t get
any worse. And then Coco discovers she’s pregnant; at 44.
Can she really go through
it all again? Sleepless nights, stretch marks on top of stretch marks, and poo
as a normal topic of conversation?
The third and final book
in Robert Bryndza’s bestselling series is a hilarious diary with Coco’s
trademark wit and honesty, tracing the raging hormones and extraordinary twists
that take her to motherhood for the second time.
*Coco
Pinchard, The Consequences of Love
and Sex can be read as a stand-alone*
Robert Bryndza was born in the UK and lived in America and Canada before
settling in Slovakia with his Slovak husband Ján. His debut novel The Not So Secret Emails of Coco
Pinchard became an Amazon bestseller and two sequels have
followed, Coco Pinchard’s Big Fat Tipsy Weddingand Coco Pinchard, The Consequences of Love and Sex. A Very Coco Christmas, is a delightful
introductory novella to the Coco Pinchard series. When he’s not
writing Rob is learning Slovak, trying to train two crazy dogs, or watching
Grand Designs – all in the hope that he’ll be able to understand his
mother-in-law, build his dream house, and get the dogs to listen.
Author
Links
Website www.robertbryndza.com
Robert Bryndza on Goodreads
Robert Bryndza on Twitter @robertbryndza
Overall tour giveaway is 3
x signed copies of Coco Pinchard, The
Consequences of Love and Sex plus
Coco Pinchard bookmarks.
Thank you for hosting today JB.
Shaz
France, my adopted country, has a similarly healthy attitude to lunch, but we take ours a lot slower than Slovakia. No rush to get back to work here, unless you're self-employed like I am!
I'm a huge fan of Rob's wonderful books so it's lovely to find out what fuels his talent.