Smoking in Restaurants in Bulgaria

In recent years there has been a big push for smoking to be banned in public places. Starting off in Western Europe and being forced into place in Eastern Europe in more recent years. There is meant to ban on smoking in restaurants with severe fines for both the smokers and the owner of the restaurant who are responsible for complying with the directive. But this is Bulgaria as you will find out.

Galia has accepted the fact that smoking just doesn't happen in public places now after spending a few years in the UK with that rule firmly in place. Arriving back home to Bulgaria last year she was quite prepared to accept that condition of not smoking in public place, but wasn't too happy about it. As a guest in the UK she  had no problem conforming out of respect without question, but in her homeland there was a hint of frustration being forced to refrain in certain places. In the Bulgarian ice cold weather that we get here it is an uncomfortable environment she is forced into to get her habit in.

Well, I did say this was Bulgaria and things and people are different here. We were off for a four day break at a Spa Hotel and Restaurant at the foot of the Balkan Mountains which we were looking forward to immensely. The deal was for an apartment room with a balcony with breakfast and evening meal included. We had free use of the Spa facilities on site such as a sauna, turkish steam bath and jacuzzi. Added to this was use of the fitness centre which we intended to use. This is rare for us as we usually do self catering as nothing can beat the freedom of choice of food, knowing what we are eating, no problem choosing how big or small the portions are and not least the relative cost which is a fraction of the restaurant prices. the disadvantage of all inclusive meals as we realised when we got there was that we didn't have any choice of menu for breakfast or evening meal. Also the portions were skant. Also as expected we had to pay for drinks and ended up cost three to four times the amount we would have paid for self catering on drinks alone!

These facts saw us rather down on the decision as we chose this deal because of the assumption it was cheap, but the overheads and extras proved otherwise. However there was a big surprise for Galia on the first night in the restaurant.

We arrived and was seated at 18:45 and had a simple salad for starters and pork steak and chips for main course, that was it! No dessert or drink included. In between two courses Galia went outside for a cigarette, it was freezing cold, but no option apparently. The restaurant was quite empty ujp until 20:30, but then more guests arrived. After a couple of beers I noticed a guy smoking on one table, this was mentioned to Galia, we though it might be because he was police or mafia, (some say they are the same) and they would just let it go here, we ignored it. Moments later we saw another table with smoked drifting from it, surely not more mafia? Within the next hour every single table that was occupied had smokers smoking except our table. I was quite taken aback by this in view of the potential of fines for both the smokers and hotel if rumbled.

I felt quite a sense of proudness in fact that this went on, regardless of me being a non smoker in my later life. I can equate the love for smoking with food and drink and even now the urge to start up again is still there from this. If I smoked now I would embrace the freedom to smoke in the warmth of a restaurant surrounded by friends, food and fizzy drinks. As I told Galia, If knew I was to die soon I'd be smoking right now.

Better than freezing outside for a smoke 

Galia now was feeling the odd one out being on the only table without an ashtray. So a request to the waiter get was was put in. It turned up moments later and we joined the smokers party. Every so often there was a fresh ashtray being replaced, old hands at this game here it seems. Galia and I were very happy with this act of a retro smoking permissible restaurant. I could however see no smoking foreigners from further west in Europe getting very angry with this invasion of smoke in their environment.

So, rules disregarded in this and many other public places and Bulgarians don't complain about it. It is only parties outside the Bulgarian culture or do-gooder politicians who kick up a fuss.  

Flies In Bulgaria - They've Won

Flies in Bulgaria are accepted as part and parcel of life here. Bulgarian’s just aren’t bothered about them as they have the free run of the place. From April to October flies are around everywhere and they are really cheeky with it.

Now I come from a culture where cleanliness is paramount, if a fly is in the house everything else stops unit that fly is either ushered out or exterminated the latter the preferable option for me. I know flies are on this earth for a reason and we would be sky high in sewerage without them, but there is a time and place for flies that doesn’t correspond very well with me. With this mind of flies out of my environment, this is one instance where the disadvantages of being in a climate that is perfect for flies. I have adjusted to most things here and made headway with the fly problem, but I still have a long way to go to accepting them as permanent guests wherever I am.

My home is still a fly free place, there have been provisions put in to prevent flies entering with fly screens on every window and the only entrance, this works very well. If there happens to be one that sneaks in there is the battery hand vacuum to suck it up, I don’t use chemicals sprays purely down to the cost. Eating food and drink in the house presents no problems if left uncovered and unattended – I feel very happy with this.

Turning to my Bulgarian family, friends and neighbours they have had a history of flies, whether they originally tried to fight them and just gave up knowing that they wouldn’t win I don’t know. I know they are fully aware of the germs flies carry around and the dirty business they leave on the food left around, but that is no worry for them. There is absolutely no panic involved in seeing a fly on food, on their arm or leg or in the house. The flies are left free to do what they want without any retaliation from Bulgarians and that is something I find quite alien.

If a fly lands on my leg I swipe it instantaneously, I never get it and it is free to roam again. Flies on my food and in my drink if seen would trigger and immediate reaction again to swipe and get them off, then think twice about eating the food they have just been on. When first coming here, I’d never eat food that I knew a fly had landed on unless it can be washed i.e. fruit. I have now accepted that I would starve to death if I kept this up when dining out or with other Bulgarian’s homes. There is now a new Martin that accepts that you have to go with the flow eating and drinking with the knowledge that flies have had the first course. I still feel quite uneasy about this, but it is getting easier as time goes by.

I know that food that is presented to guests in Bulgarian restaurants and flies have has had flies as guests beforehand, this is unavoidable and you have to accept that. Many people here just can’t understand why I have such a problem with flies being around. I explain the reason of hygiene and they understand. Then they explain that this is not a problem and if no one has been ill or has suffered from food that has been visited by flies why should I worry. I have no answer to that, in fact even though I have an obvious cultural phobia with flies I do believe that missing with a few germs helps build up you immune system and it is with that knowledge I accept food that flies have tampered with.

Eating with my good neighbour friends outside in the village in the height of summer is a bit like going through a round of Survivor. Their home is right next to the village rubbish tip and the flies we get there both in and out of the house are unfounded. We spend lots of time with them and the friendship we have with them overrides any fear of flies, but it is a relief indeed for us to get back into out home next door inside in the fly free zone. Even Galia freely admits that the swarms of flies that we all have to endure with our neighbours are extremely uncomfortable and she is glad to get home. Again we know for sure that the flies have invaded food whilst being prepared but is still beats any food in the UK. Flies are of course all part of nature here, why shouldn’t I accept that like the Bulgarians. I stress once again, not once have we been ill or suffered form the food we have eaten there. It is prepared and eaten fresh on a daily basis therefore there is no time for any incubation. Problems lies with in correctly stored food over days and that’s where the health problems lie.

Finally, it is a strange phenomenon, but if there are a group of people (Bulgarians) sitting with me, flies always seem to land or hover around me. Whether this is because I have a different scent than I don’t know, it is quite annoying that the person that finds it hard to accept flies around gets this treatment.

Does anyone else in warm climates have a problem with flies? If so how do they deal with it?

Top Image: www.rescue.com
Bottom Image: www.wikimedia.org

Welcome Home to Bulgaria Sylvia

Monday morning and Galia and I can hardly move, as the muscles in our bodies seemed to have been through ten rounds in a boxing ring and we were the losers. Why?

It all started with Galia’s niece turning up in Bulgaria, she had been working as a nurse in Greece for the last four years. She had decided to come back to Bulgaria and a home welcoming evening was organised at a Yambol restaurant last Saturday evening. In attendance were Galia, her niece (the nurse) another niece of Galia’s, plus another friend of the family. The scenario is set for four beautiful women and myself out for the evening and the best part of the morning., We partied on until we dropped, how fortunate am I and Sylvia insisted she paid for the whole evening! She had been earning ‘real money’ in Greece, not the pittance given out in wages to employees in Bulgaria - After all, that’s exactly why here and millions of other work abroad.

We all met at 7:30 in a well-known Bulgarian restaurant and the eating and drinking began. Four years away and Sylvia had lots to talk about with her experiences working in Greece. My goodness can she talk, Bulgarian are renown for their non-stop talking and conversation, but this to date was the most incessant example I had experienced since coming here. Four Bulgarian women talking all night, not much food was eaten, too much talking for that, but quite a bit of rakia was downed throughout the night, Sylvia loves rakia, she couldn’t get it in Greece and was making up for time.

We were due to attend a retro music discothèque after the restaurant, as Galia and myself took off to make a reservation at around 9:30. But to our disappointment it was fully booked and we had to think of alternative plans after we had got back to the talking, salads and Rakia.

During the course of out restaurant stay, I was fortunate to meet the Head coach of the Bulgarian National Basketball team, I had met Ivan once before on the 'St. George' Name Day party in Yambol's big Diana Park in the summer. Lovely chap, but he was letting his hair down tonight with friends, he still smokes with his left hand and rakia held in the right as I remember from before.

Sylvia was a stressed Bulgarian woman this evening, it showed as she couldn’t get her words out fast enough – she wanted to get it all off her chest. She told tales of how badly she had been treated in Greece by the men who have no respect fro their own women let alone Bulgarian women. She spent most of her time indoors tending the sick. Never had hardly any time off and what time was off was spent sleeping recovering from the workload. She never wants to go back there again and realises that money is important but there is no quality of life doing what she was doing away from family. She intends to work in Bulgaria but won’t even think about work until the New Year – she needs time to recover mentally from the experience. Galia and I know exactly what she is going through on that scale.

We had some musical visitors; a local village called Kabile has a Gypsy band. They came in to perform well-known Bulgarian songs but in Gypsy style arrangements that involved a lot of unified singing (shouted in the main) with a rhythm that never stops. The band consists of an accordion, two clarinets, a violin and two drummers. They were loud, brash and full of energy and they were still playing gone midnight as we left.

We went to another restaurant with more live music, this time Bulgarian/Greek/Gypsy style with the Gypsy element on keyboard the Greek on the bouzouki and Bulgarian sung by the very big male vocalist. We spent the rest of the evening now on beer and dance with a little meze on the table.

The dancing just went from strength to strength with music just calling and wanting to be danced to. This of course was expected from everyone who dined there as the lines of Bulgarians with traditional dance steps were made throughout the evening.

We finally finished at gone 3:00 in the morning and in bed just before 4:00 after walking a few kilometres in the crisp clear Yambol air. We never get drunk of course, there is far too much dancing to ever get that close, besides it isn’t the Bulgarian way to do this.

A night out with my Bulgarian family was an absolute pleasure, we are all glad to see Sylvia back in Bulgaria, but as we all know here, she will need time to recover from being away, this is important for tonight we knew she wasn’t at all right from the experience of being away from her homeland.

As for us, well we all know now why it is painful to move today, the dancing we did would merits a marathon! We probably lost weight that evening!

Bulgarian Fish and Chips

Another evening out last night with a friend of Galia. She is just as keen on fashion Galia is as all three of us walk into Yambol town at around 7:00 in the evening.

It is not often we see the town this time of the day as I was surprised that is was swarming with people of all generations. Most of the background noise was coming from the rented out little electric children's cars with their hard black plastic types rumbling along in and out of the crowds. It was a free for all traffic jam but no one was bothered with the inconvenience of having to avoid erratic steering of children as young as three driving unaided. It was very entertaining sitting there watching them for half and hour.

Why was I sitting watching them for half an hour? Galia and her friend were in a clothes shop looking for dresses, skirts and anything that tickled their fancy. I knew they wouldn't buy anything, they rarely do, they just love feeling and touching the clothing they can't afford.

So half an hour literally I waiting watching the Yambol folk walk, talk and enjoy the summer evening atmosphere. I remember before most families go for a walk in the town or park before their evening meal. That's exactly what we were doing but most clothes shops were still open after 7:00.

During this time I saw many unique Bulgarian happenings, in fact too many happenings they come and go so quick. One I particularly remember was a balloon seller. His wares are tied tot a fold up chair, as I looked closer he carried around with him a big chunky rock which is placed on the chair. It must weight around 5-10 Kg and placed there purely and simply to stop the chair toppling over with the balloons tied on the backrest being blown in the wind

The girls finally finished and it was now after 7:30, as we made a walk around town, this time just looking in the windows at goods but never stopping talking.

We finally stopped at a restaurant, we’d been to this once before and had fish and chips Bulgarian style. The same was about to happen with an added guest. This is also a stopping place for cats and dogs who get food thrown at them towards the end of most customer's meals. This is normal with restaurants in Yambol.

So, the talking continued but this time over food and beer, we didn't leave until gone 10:00. the place was just livening up with the night life coming into play, but we were too old for that tonight as we made out way back home.

The stars can be clearly seen in the black sky in Yambol and just a reminder of how unpolluted this region is.

A lovely evening and it made a change from sitting facing a computer all evening, in fact I think that's why Galia decided on this evening's plan, she says I work too hard and need a break.





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