News – Little Czech Primer: News and Updates

The Communist Cookbook That Defined Prague’s Cuisine

Cooks that wanted to deviate from these recipes had to get approval from the Ministry of Health, a request that could take years to go through. Most people opted for the easier route, which is how thousands of nearly identical menus came to be established across the country.

The old-fashioned Czech cuisine which was around when I first visited Prague gets a lot of criticism. I quite liked a lot of it, so I’m more interested in seeing a revival and re-imagining of that Czech food rather than any Italian restaurant no matter how many Michelin stars it gets. I hope I get the opportunity to see Czech Cuisine: A Modern Approach.

P.S. I didn’t know there was a Prague Gastronomy Museum!

Source: The Communist Cookbook That Defined Prague’s Cuisine | Atlas Obscura

Czechs pick ‘Czechia’ as one-word name after decades of hesitation

The Czech Republic’s leaders have chosen “Czechia” as the one-word alternative name of their country to make it easier for companies, politicians and sportsmen to use on products, name tags and jerseys.

Natively, Čechia, I suppose?

Source: Czechs pick ‘Czechia’ as one-word name after decades of hesitation | Reuters

‘Cabin fever’ drives young Czechs out of Soviet-era housing

“It’s something like (cabin fever), but let’s say it lasts for 15 years or so…”

“South Town, also known as Jizni Mesto or Prague 11, is an endless field of these buildings, called panelak ”panel buildings” in Czech, which sprung up in the early 1960s and now make up more than 30 per cent of the nation’s housing stock.”

During my first two trips to Prague my wife and I stayed in an apartment in a “panelak” and it was a perfect short-term place to stay: Just enough space for two travelers who didn’t have many possessions. It was in the Pankrác neighborhood, right next to the Metro and an open-air market.

It was perfect then, but now that I have a family of my own I can understand the cabin fever.

Speaking of moles

In the news this past spring: Space is the final frontier for Czech child icon

The 19-centimeter (7.5-inch) toy version of the character, created by Czech animator Zdenek Miler, has been chosen to accompany U.S. astronaut Andrew Feustel on Endeavour’s last mission as NASA ends its shuttle program.

I like the Post’s headline much better than the Wall Street Journal’s, Space Shuttle Stowaway Is a Commie Mole.

Redrawing the map

The stolid, well-organised Czechs would get on splendidly with their new Dutch neighbours, and vice versa.

Five foot soldiers look back at 1989

An interesting article about the fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe and five people who “participated in this transformation.” Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

I must admit, however, the story caught my eye at first because I wondered what the soldier’s height had anything to do with it.

Prague Through The Lens Of the Secret Police

An exhibit at the Harvard University Center for Government and International Studies this month displayed “black and white photos snapped for over twenty years by citizen spies employed by the Cold War communist government.” The photos are also collected in a book.

The Ironic Curtain

As father of, now, three, I’m accustomed to not seeing the movies I wish I could see. Still, it’s with particular regret that I read of The Ironic Curtain, a Czech Film Series coming to New York. It sounds like a great lineup.

Prague landmark to house American blight

The V.J. Rott building will soon be home to the Hard Rock Cafe. Lest you think such a thing would be horribly tacky, fear not: the three-floor cafe and bar will feature “a 5-meter custom-made crystal guitar, which will hang suspended from the ceiling.”

Slovak euro entry, Czech presidency deepen Czechoslovak split

Slovakia has beaten regional peers Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic on the way to the euro by a broad margin. The latter two countries have not set a euro entry date yet.

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[Klaus] has dismissed the presidency as “unimportant”, making foreign media wonder about Czech ability to preside over the EU.

It’s a remarkable contrast, and unfortunately I don’t keep up with regional politics well enough to understand it. I can’t see how it will be to the Czech Republic’s benefit to provide weak or indifferent leadership during their EU presidency.