Archive: Society | Lifestyle Lifestyle
Czech specialties prove popular in European Parliament canteen
Marks of the Czech Republic’s EU presidency can be found all over
Brussels, from David Černý’s controversial sculpture ‘Entropa’
hanging in the council’s Justus Lipsius building, right down to the food
on offer in the European Parliament’s canteen. On Thursday, parliament
employees were treated to the first in a series of special Czech dishes
–
I went along to wish them a bon apetit, or should that be
dobrou chut’? More
Two Prague restaurants awarded Michelin stars
Wednesday sees the release of Michelin’s Main Cities in Europe, a
guidebook which rates Europe’s best restaurants. Last year Prague’s
Allegro, located in the Four Seasons Hotel, became the first in a post
communist country to clinch a coveted star. This year it retained its
position, while numerous other restaurants were in the running. Another
that clinched the prestigious star was Maze, in the Hotel Hilton, until
recently run by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
More
Czech eating habits take a turn for the better
What first comes to mind when someone mentions Czech cuisine? The most
common answer would be – knedlíky (dumplings), goulash and
knedlo-zelo-vepřo (dumplings with sauerkraut and pork). None of it too
healthy, nor particularly attractive looking when served up on a plate.
I’d say it’s not the food but the country’s famous beer that attracts
foreign visitors to our pubs and restaurants.
More
Magazine
A Czech waitress snaps a robber’s knife in two with her bare hands, a
Czech doctor is to be locked up in a nuclear bomb shelter for ten days to
test the effects of sensory deprivation therapy and, could that mammoth
have been a family pet? A Czech comes forward with a mind-boggling theory.
Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarová.
More
Top French chef Veyrat to open restaurant in Czech woods
French chef Marc Veyrat has earned numerous Michelin stars for his
molecular cuisine, and reviews of his restaurant in Annecy, France, run in
the New York Times. Now, the top chef is planning a new venture - in the
middle of the Czech countryside. Veyrat plans to open an ‘eco-lodge’
serving his haute cuisine in a forest near Beroun, central Bohemia.
More
Early starts normal for Czechs, especially country dwellers
Czechs are early risers, something often credited to the 19th century
emperor Franz Joseph, a reputed insomniac who insisted all the members of
his court be ready to start business every morning at 6 am. They say the
sovereign’s habit trickled down to the entire population of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire; to some extent, at least, that tradition lives on
in this part of the world. More
Magazine
Dieting to be slim? Think again. A new survey has revealed that women with
a 42 dress size (size 14) are happier than others! Scuba divers drink a
toast to the New Year 20 meters underwater and, why is there so little
water in the sea? Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarová.
More
Legendary Czech barman Alexander Mikšovic on cocktails, Czech beer and hangovers
My special guest in the studio this New Year’s Eve is cocktail expert
Alexander Mikšovic, who has written eleven books on the art of the
cocktail, and trained generations of Prague barmen. Alex is an expert on
whiskies, and knows more of my native Scotland than I could ever claim to
have seen, but is equally as proud of the Czech Republic’s own domestic
offerings. I first asked him if, in terms of alcohol, there was more to
this country than beer:
More
Unfamiliar with the familiar
I have to confess to being somewhat perturbed over the years with the Czech
system of addressing people in either the unfamiliar or familiar. The
system exists in several languages, though not English – essentially in
Czech, one addresses people that one is not familiar with in the plural
“zdravím vás” as opposed to “zdravím tě.” As a kid visiting
Prague, I would constantly forget myself and refer to people that I
didn’t know in the familiar. Then, someone would later say to me “you
‘tykat’ when you should have ‘vykat’” – that is the way the two
forms of address are divided. A lot of times, the people that I would
accidentally tykat would thankfully find it charming and simply excuse the
faux pas.
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