7/10/2011 Topolya

It is hot today. The kind of hot that brings the color of roasted ham (or carrots, if your a veg) to your skin, cooks every drop of moisture from your body, and then slaps you about the head and shoulders, making every step an effort - you know the type? So, of course, I started the day with an hour walk. The smoke is already (still?) coming from the neighbors still. He is running a commercial operation from his garage. To pay us back for "smoking us out" last night, he swung by with a bottle of cherry, fresh off the still, for Z and I. Around town, I am frequently greeted with a cheerful "Jö naput." It was a nice way to start the day.

I was hurried through the shower (mostly by the fact that the hot water tank was busted, not that we knew this at the time), and then we went to the semi-annual "Big Market" in Topolya. As has been mentioned before, this market turns the entire south end of town into a flea market/mall. You can buy anything here; toilet paper, furniture, tractor gears, gasoline, etc. Peter outfitted himself with a new "cowboy" style hat and belt, Vera some candy and a Kürtös Kalács, and Z added a new whip to the collection she has been working on since she was a kid. A quick stop at the GoMex store for water, and then out to Lajos and Bori's for roast lamb with the family. Family, in this case, are, in addition to Lajos and Bori, their business tycoon sons Lali, with wife Adrianna, daughter Léna, and son Lajos IV, and Feri, with wife Ani, as well as Marko and Mario. Mario is a former tennis pro, who has coached some of the name Serbia players (I even recognized some of the names - a shame alchohol was involved in the discussion. I couldn't remember now to save my life. Let this be a lesson to you, kids.), before becomming a vintner for some Serbia rock god neither you or I have ever heard of. Marko is an OB-GYN who practices three days in Hungary, drives to the Croatian coast and practices there for a day. Then he kicks it a day and drinks wine with the fishermen before returning to Hungary.

*****

The joy of seeing the world as a local instead of a tourist, is that you get to see things as they are, rather than all prettied up for the outsiders. For example, Lajos is the Game Warden for this part of Serbia. As such, he gets invited to go on safari all over the world. He invited us into his study to check out his trophy collection. The Keckes side of the family was suitably impressed - I was a little grossed out. And let's not even talk about the lamb that's staring at me with the roasted white eye ball on the spit.

*****

A little before two, everyone is here, and the party is in full swing. I've been handed a swell Düsseldorfer Alt, all tan and malty, and then promptly ignored. Such is the life of an American tourist. Smile and enjoy the show.

As, at this point, it has been more than an hour since someone has put more than a sentence together in English, let's talk about the beer:

Unknown Brewery, Alt, probably around 5%. This is a beautiful tanish-brown beer, with a thick, creamy white head and a strong aroma of sweet malt, with just a hint of hops peeking through in the background. This is also true as you tase it. On the front of the palate you get the sweet of the malt and the bitter of the hopes in almost equal balance, with the malt just winning out. As thebeer slides to the back of your throat, the hops show up in the finish in a hige wallop. A nice little alt - wish I knew what it was.

Lunch is served. Like usual in these cases, the lamb did not cooperate by finishing in time. The side dishes are enjoyed by all along with a little left over lamb brought by a guest to a party last night, while the assmbled wait for the one on the spit to finish. This finally occured about a half-hour later, to the applause of the assmbled guests. In case you were wondering, the tradition is that the head of the lamb goes to the chef. No one else may have it. Lajos, here's looking at you!

*****

Later in the afternoon we shifted out to the deck and to drinking wime. The wine in question, a 2007 Chateau de Lussac, is significantly more complex than the house wines we have been drinking this week. I'm told the stuff sells for about 100 Euroes a bottle (about $150 USD). It's really, really swell stuff, and probably completely wasted on my beer palate. Like the best beers, there are a huge number of flavors here that complement each other to make a better whole. Certainly nothing to whine (or wine, for that matter) about.

*****

We ended today's festivities witha guys-only trip out to visit Loli and Feri's new business venture. They have bought a grain elevator at the edge of town. After a hot, sticky climb, I was rewarded with a hazy view of the surrounding area. Why, on a clear day, I am told, you can see all the way to - well, you know...