Hey Cluj may update you this Christmas, we may not. In any case, here’s a few things we may be doing this holiday.
Trying new things at the Christmas market.
The Cluj Christmas market has a special kind of corndog, filled with cheese. Another filled with chocolate.
There is a placinta de cluj in one of the langos places. other kinds of things that translate into English as pies, donuts, or pancakes, but are more unique. (remember, they explained tortillas as “pancakes” at one point.) Greek donuts look good. Probably not health food, but it is a fun treat to have on occasion.
Other fun treats we mentioned before include the rare imported fruits. (We did see organic mangos and papayas return to one of the supermarkets since we first wrote. We haven’t seen fruits like rambutan outside of the market yet, however.)
Of course, if you find nothing within the market itself, there are plenty of street food choices in the vicinity. But sometimes its more fun to try one of the temporary stalls.
You can see a nativity, and even a
And, if you look carefully, we spotted a couple of well dressed young men in felt jackets and dapper hats. We do not yet know if they are locals or tourists, or some kind of expat in between. What we do know is one reached into his inner pocket, in the way Napoleon does in all the paintings. Is a big historical film being secretly shot here in Cluj?
You might have also seen people dressed as bears, dancing in circles and asking for money. The entertainment might feel like a good thing to support.
Then there are the beggars who do not entertain. If you feel guilty about not giving to beggars, but also don’t want to give to con artists, and are not sure what to do, there are a few options. I always carry some store brand items with me. If they are truly in need, they will appreciate the items that they can eat. If they are con artists, they will have trouble reselling something that says Auchan, Profi, Penny, Carrefour, or Kaufland on it.
We also see people searching through the rubbish bins for recyclable items. You can get little bonuls for these at the store. It is sad the way the economy is going, more people seem desperate.
We would avoid the gambling if you are in that situation. Gambling can be addictive, and even if you win you will be tempted to gamble it away to recreate the buzz. A few years ago, a hard working expat who had large gambling debts was found dead here.
On the brighter side, there is a way out of addiction. It could take months or years, but the brain’s receptors can repair themselves with time. And new habits can create new neural pathways that compete with the old bad habits. (The guys who invented procedures like lobotomies and leucotomies knew this.) This means that addictions which were based on hormone rushes can be redirected and minimised over time.
I’d much rather enjoy a nice warm treat (like a greek donut, a langos, or a cluj pastry) and get a small buzz from that. People joke that it’s addictive, but I never get withdrawals from it, just enjoyment.