A foreign visit to Romania shows local food that isn’t traditional. Burgers, kebabs, laiden with fatty and sugary sauces.
Eventually, we fall upon mici (miches? Miki?), but they come with a side of fries and another sugary sauce.
We see the usual sites. The Arc of triumph, the massive government building in Bucharest, memorials to the revolution… and a trip to the train station.
And what do we see at the train station? Starbucks. Sure, coffee has been in this part of this world for generations, but the portions were smaller, less frequent, and even those who drank frequently didn’t add as much sugar. We see in old language courses, that teach us taste, that normal coffee drinkers drink it black, or with very little added flavor, as Coffee is described as “bitter.”
What about Romanian cuisine before?
A video of Moldova from just three years earlier look much healthier. Much less reliance on sauce for flavor, coffee without sugar, bread instead of fries, and even a salad.
But that’s Moldova right? Different country? Well, let’s look at the old food tour to Romania, just three years ago. again, much healthier choices than this year’s Romania trips. Traditional food instead of kebabs and burgers, Salad instead of chips. Once has a feeling that his wine drinking habit is not normal, but some kind of quirk like eating too much mayonaise with a fork.
But at least he gets vitamins with all that pure fruit juice (called “fresh” in Romania even if it isn’t fresh) and all those vegatables, something I haven’t seen in recent videos.
Real meat instead of refabricated meat, real vegetables instead of fried potatoes, real traditional food instead of fast food. Even if wine isn’t necessarily healthier than sugar-coffee, we have a feeling that he is only drinking one glass a day to enjoy his holiday. A small vice if kept in moderation.
Why is this relevant? A recent report from TV1 claimed that seventy percent of Romanians were obese. In Cluj, I find this hard to believe. I can remember six years ago, seeing Romanians as even thinner than the French, rivaling the Japanese in small waste lines.
Sure, there are plastic surgery places in Cluj, but I attributed it more to the traditional diet. Mici was only for special occasions. Sarmale and even salads were eaten in moderation. Two months of orthodox “fasting” from animal products, and home cooked meals with a balanced diet led to a healthy population.
But now, coca cola is called “suc” or “juice.” Fasting has been replaced with fast food. Lines for bread have shrunk but waist lines have grown. And the changes in diet show up in foreign videos.
However, we have another question. Do the seventy percent of Romanians who are allegedly obese actually live in Romania? Or do they live in countries like Belgium? I mean, those pomme frites, those sugar waffels, those sauces and desserts can tempt anyone to gain weight.
One is reminded of the time Homer Simpson wants to gain weight (so that he can claim disability for being too obese to work) and the quack doctor recommends pizza. Oh pizza. Yes, we have seen a lot of that in Cluj, many pizza and burger places have opened up in the past six years (and a few Shaorma places too.) If you want to gain fat, it’s much easier to do it today.
And another question, why don’t tourists ever seem to try a langos? If you’re going to have fast food, at least try something local.
If you’re on holiday, you might want to taste the Cheesy palanets, langos, papanas, or even one of those covrigs… But we all know if you want to get fat quickly, then it’s mostly the fries, soda, kfc, and pizza that does it. (And the inactivity.)
Whatever it is, maybe it was here, in Cluj-Napoca, that fluffy (Gabriel Iglesias) “ate himself into a plural.” His face is all over Iulius Mall, announcing his arrival. I’m sure the crowd will be massive, and watching him will be a real treat.
Just writing this makes me feel fatter. I’ll try to burn off a few calories and go on a walk.