Page 41 - MDOS2_Final

ROMANIA – SHORT IMPRESSION

a mixture of minced meat carefully wrapped with grape leaves and slowly
cooked in a stew. T is was indispensible to any festive gathering and having
one without it would be close to a disaster. Served on the side in traditional
bowls was a mixture of pickled home-grown vegetables and polenta or
mamaliga. T is, of course, would also be served with soups and stews made
specif c from their grandmother’s recipe. As you might imagine, it was both
a pleasure to eat, and an exercise for my stomach to keep. But f nally, I was
introduced to a dessert which has now made its way into my list of favourite
sweets. It is called papanasi, a sort of doughnut served generously with fruit
syrup and sour cream. Papanasi had such a profound ef ect on my taste buds
that it became my regular after meal dessert. To my convenience, one such
recipe that I liked the most is the one served at the restaurant in Marshall
Hotel in the centre of the city, which I regularly patronised.

Bucharest is a city that is vibrant with the bustle of a metropolis. Although
its surface of post-communist buildings and traf c-jammed streets may leave
an impression of chaos, it has a beautiful cultural side that I love. Every
opportunity I had, I would frequent the National Opera and enjoy orchestras
playing classical music perfectly, and opera performances. T is was a perfect
escape for the winter seasons, the time when the National Opera usually
staged their events. I found in myself an enthusiasm and a love for the arts
and appreciated the opportunity when I was able to experience them.

However, deep at its core, all these experiences showed me what true friends
meant. Here, in a country with a dif erent language, custom, and culture,
I truly valued what friendship meant. It meant understanding and caring
for one another, regardless of race, language, and background. It meant
spending and creating new memories, ones that I would always remember.
It meant helping each other in times of dif culty. In Romania, I shared a
time of sadness with one of my closest friends, as his beloved wife passed
away due to cancer. T ere I witnessed the closeness of friendship and family,
and the tradition of care and support which was the way of life in Romania.
It was a time of sorrow and grief, but we were supportive and always there
when we needed to be.

It was not very long after that I was also untimely visited by a moment
of hardship. Sometime in the last half of my tour, I fell very ill. I had just

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