the breaking of the shell: food and silliness

Thursday 18 January 2007

food and silliness

One of these nights, my friend and I (we have both been accused of being workaholics, but in fact we just love what we do. My friend is an anthropologist too, by the way) went to a brilliant chamber music concert in the Romanian Atheneum, where we spoke with a very cultured Australian traveller of Hungarian origins, who spoke to us about the fact that Beethoven considered his three quartets as very important in his oeuvre, had played on Liszt’s very own piano at the institute in Vienna, and who was not very fond of Bucharest’s failure to develop its own architectural style. After the concert we realised we were starving, and headed to a restaurant.

Adapted excerpts of a very enjoyable few hours:

When I was walking to the Atheneum, this guy asked me whether my name was Deborah. I found the street much too dark to start a conversation, and just said, in passing ‘no, not me…’ and he said ‘but I know a girl called Deborah who looks just like you’… like I have forgotten who I really am, and he knows. Made me laugh later on.

…

I like Bucharest now, and soon I will have to move again. I have moved too much lately.
So… have you found your rhythm here?
Yeah. I mainly know when to stop working now. I have people I can call to get out.
Ah yes… on the weekend you should stop working, and… worry.
(laughter)

…

She is too busy to put me into her schedule. I don’t fit in.
Come on, don’t speak like that, you sound desperate. Give her some time to think about it…
Ah. It’s difficult. Everyone’s busy these days with building careers and making a living. And I don’t want to wait: I want someone to take good care of me now.
Yeah... but give her time.
Maybe you’ll get married here! Who knows?
No. Impossible. I’m just here for work and I doubt that I will meet anyone marriageable in that village.
Why not?
They’d tire of my temper. Plus: Average age… 65…

…