September 7, 2008: Lupeni and Unleavened Bread

Dear Friend,

During our hike yesterday, Tibi managed to pick quite a few mushrooms. Some of them were really big, about as big as my hand. When I woke up this morning and entered the kitchen, I saw Tibi frying the tops of some of these mushrooms as if they were pancakes. He was also preparing mamaliga, which is kind of an unsweetened cornbread, and some other sautéed vegetables. The first mushroom I had with the vegetables, and it was very delicious. Romanians, though, are quick to refill your plate. Once I was finished with the mushroom, another one just as large appeared on my plate. The vegetables were gone, so Tibi suggested I put some olive oil on this one. I must’ve poured too much on my plate (I thought I hadn’t, actually) or I’m just not used to the taste of extra virgin olive oil. The taste was a major shock to my taste buds and I only finished what was on my plate because that was the polite thing to do. Even the mamaliga didn’t help.

Lupeni reminds me a little bit of New Orleans. Struggling may be a good word for what I looked out to while standing on Tibi’s balcony. I was hanging laundry. So many large abandoned buildings line this part of the road. There’s a scrap metal yard about a street block or two away that looks absolutely filthy. The only real green that can be seen is in the mountains. The lawns here are either fading or covered in litter. I would see more of this later in the day on my way to the office.

Tibi is a cooking, food making machine. He took some classes in Germany for two years, where he learned how to make jam, bread, pizza, honey, ice cream, and who knows what else. Before I arrived on Friday I had told Tibi I wanted to learn how to make bread. Today was the day. Boy was I in for a big treat.

We had a small package of white flour, then added germ and grain husk to it. At least, that what I think it was. Tibi explained to me that white flour is really devoid of the nutritional elements found in an entire grain of wheat. So, the germ and the husk need to be added. We then added oil and water. We were making unleavened bread, so we didn’t need anything else. The mixing was the fun, messy part. Using his hands, Tibi mixed the contents. He then poured some flour on the table and plopped the dough on the flour. Then came the kneading, which is a science. In fact, cooking with Tibi is a science in and of itself. After kneading, we cut into thirty-two smaller pieces, which were baked sixteen at a time.

While we baked, Tibi showed me a powerpoint presentation about the nutrition of whole grain breads. I was convinced, but having a nurse for a mother, it didn’t take much convincing. Apparently it was considered pure to eat breads made solely from white flour. The aristocracy ate white flour bread. The peasants couldn’t afford to separate the germ and husk from the grain, so all of there bread was whole grain. However, a desire to be like the rich made people want to eat white bread. There have been cases of white flour causing cavities, diabetes, and intestinal problems. So, this is why we made whole grain unleavened bread, which turned out really well. They were like biscuits, which taste really good with honey.

I got to see more of Lupeni on my way to the New Horizons office with Tibi. Alex and I needed Internet access and Tibi needed to do some work at the IMPACT building, which is on the way to the office. I thought I’d use this time to get better acquainted with Lupeni. The office is where I’ll be having my classes, so it was important to me to know how to get there. The main drag through Lupeni has a lot of Communist blocks on it, where people still live. There are a lot of secondhand stores, some small convenience stores, fruit and vegetable stands, a restaurant or two, and some bread stores. Everything looks years old. People only look at you to see what you’re about, but otherwise leave you alone. It’s a seemingly unfriendly place, but every so often you spot two or three people having conversations with each other, smoking with each other, buying and selling.

The day kind of ended here. I got some work done at the office, Tibi returned from the IMPACT building to walk home with us, we ate supper with little conversation, and then we went and did our separate things. Alex studies English in his room, Tibi reads, and I write. I’m anxious for this week to happen, wondering what classes will be like, especially when they’re each two and a half hours. We’ll just have to see.

Blessings.
Kailen