Kosovo: At dinner with the European Union’s Pieter Feith

by Jeffrey White on

O.K., a little explanation is needed at the outset: I didn’t actually have dinner with Pieter Feith, the European Union’s High Representative (read: Top Dog) in Kosovo. But in one of those weird coincidences that sometimes befall journalists, it happened that the two of us were dining in the same nearly empty restaurant in the Kosovo capital of Pristina last Friday night. So it sort of felt like it.

I was at Il Passatore, a wonderful (and unexpectedly authentic) Italian restaurant run by a gregarious woman named Antonella, which is found only after a meandering taxi ride full of left and rights, in a nook of a hidden parking lot some way out the city center.

A few diners were outside, but inside the place was deserted. Me and my dinner companion had the run of a small, three-table room near the main entrance.

When Feith entered, of course, I had no idea who he was other than Someone Important. But Pristina is awash with such people, all tooling around town in white Toyota 4Runners, all answering to one or another alphabet-soup organization or mission: OSCE, UNMIK, EULEX.

He clearly was a regular (the kitchen staff and Antonella herself lined up to offer hugs and greetings, everyone calling him Peter). It appeared that he was entertaining a group of journalists: There were a few from the Netherlands (where Feith is from), a German and a few French speakers. The party debated on where to sit before settling on the long table that dominated the room we were in.

“Unfortunate for you,” he said to me, noting the quiet of the place that had now disappeared.

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied.

Feith settled himself not at the head of the table, but squarely at its center. He promptly ordered wine. He assured his guests that Antonella could prepare them pretty much anything. He negotiated with her about getting regular supplies of prosciutto and parmigiana delivered to his home. Then he settled in for a few hours of essentially holding forth about the situation in Kosovo, the culpability of the Serbs, and the overall outlook for the region.

I know this because I am a terrible eavesdropper, especially when I have a hunch that I’m in the presence of someone notable. But besides knowing his first name, his obvious VIP stature and the idling UN 4Runner in the parking lot, I had no other clues about his identity. I did what any good journalist would have done: I went home and Googled him.Not that I would have asked for an interview right there, or even interrupted the table’s conversation to proffer my business card (though I probably would have). But I still felt like an opportunity was lost, and at a time when Feith should have plenty to say.

This Sunday, a day when Kosovo puts its constitution fully into force, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which has been administering Kosovo since 1999, formally hands over its reins to the so-called EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX). There are a lot of questions about what will actually happen after Sunday, about whether the UN will just up and leave (unlikely) or maintain a symbolic presence, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said recently. Even many of the diplomats working in Kosovo don’t know how things will go.

Feith, the top diplomat in Kosovo, will wield a lot of influence under EULEX. I won’t go so far as saying he’ll run the country (if you think Kosovo is truly independent, it’s not), but he’ll approve all legislation passed by Kosovo’s government and will have the power to fire government officials deemed not up to snuff. It is expected that some of the more difficult issues EULEX will help tackle is the right of return for Serbs driven from their homes by ethnic Albanians earlier this decade, and protecting the rights of the Serbs still in Kosovo.

So, alas, it would have been interesting to talk to Feith. But at least I know he’s partial to Italian provisions delivered straight from the Old Country, though this seems unlikely to come in handy some day.

Other than that, what I can say is that should you be unlucky enough to find yourself in Pristina, and are in search of a good meal, you won’t be disappointed by Il Passatore. Just hail a taxi; every driver knows the place.

Witchcraft in EU Courts?

by Iva Skoch on

Just as soon as Romania has been let into the EU, there’s double, double, toil and trouble brewing. A Romanian judge has been fined and demoted for practicing witchcraft in her court.

Elena Simionescu is alleged to have splashed mud, water, “other liquids,” as well as salt and pepper, on fellow judges’ desks. Should one think it was a simple culinary event, she admitted to sprinkling “holy water” on her co-workers’ desks, “in the spirit of good Christians’ rituals.” Other folks are more concerned: some were “convinced that she was casting spells.” The official line was that she used “unorthodox methods” in her court.

But, I guess it’s not too surprising, considering (according to the Sofia News Agency) that that country legalized witchcraft as an official profession last year.

Do you speak EU?

by Iva Skoch on

Once again the EU has found a way to create more jobs. Hallelujah!

This time, it will need people to translate documents to Irish Gaelic because the old Celtic language has become one of the 23 official EU languages (though only about 5% of the 4-million inhabitants of Ireland use it actively.) Irish Gaelic (or simply Irish) is often confused with Gaelic (aka Scottish Gaelic) which is not yet an official EU language, but it is probably just a matter of time. Catalan and Basque are considered “semi-official”.

As of the New Year, three new languages joined the family of the EU official languages: Romanian, Bulgarian and Irish Gaelic. With all of EU’s efforts to be culturally and linguistically diverse, it has managed to achieve the opposite effect. According to The Economist, in the beginning of EU integration, about one half of official documents were in English, now it is two thirds.

Catalonia – Too Cool For Spain

by Iva Skoch on

Blogging from Blanes, Catalonia: A sun-drenched, beautiful, Mediterranean coastal area of Spain, Catalonia still thinks it is too cool for Spain. A friend who has lived here for 8 years says that the Catalans consider themselves the hard-working ones, whereas the Southerners are supposed to be the slackers. (Californians – sounds familiar?) He says they are all equally relaxed about getting anything done.

An area of 6.5 million (16% of Spain as a whole), rich in its own history and a language distinct from Spanish, Catalonia now pines for independence from the rest of Spain (in part because they are angry they send more in tax revenue than they get back), apparently willing to forgo the substantial (150B+ Euros) monetary support from the EU, even though its GDP is less than the support the country gets. A recent vote showed this willingness to secede. And, not too surprisingly, this wouldn´t be the first time.

Maybe it is the food. Catalonia boasts one of the world´s most heart-healthy diets. Rich in fish, bountiful vegetables and the freshest fruit sold daily at bustling local markets, it sets the standard for the “Mediterranean diet,” whose birthplace, arguably, is the famous La Boqueria market in Barcelona.

Yet, it´s also home to a sometimes strangely liberal lifestyle, as evidenced by the fact that it´s one of the few places in the world where cannabis-derived drugs are available over the counter at the many farmacia. It´s also bucking age-old Spanish tradition, by moving to banish bull-fighting. Better get here fast.

Real Fishermen–Carpe Diem

by Iva Skoch on

Neil’s post about goulash reminded me of another controversial Czech specialty – fried carp. Don’t make that disgusted face! Carp can actually taste good, if prepared properly.

Europe has a fascinating history of fish farming, or aquaculture, dating back to the Middle Ages. Historically, monasteries were the centers of the nascent fishing “industry,” and many ponds were created to feed members of the Church.

This tradition dates back to the 11th century, and spread throughout Europe. My home country, the Czech Republic, was one of the biggest fishing centers, sporting as many as 25,000 fish ponds by the 15th century.

The primary meal fish is, and has been, carp, but eel, pike, perch, and trout are also common–and tasty–fish “crops.”

The tradition continues to this day, but you’ll have to travel a little out of the way to see it in action. You’re not going to see these events on a tour bus or just sitting around in the city. No, you’re going to have to get out to the country, to a local fish farmer.

The most common, most efficient, method is to drain the lake to one end, and just scoop up net-fulls of thrashing fish. In Czech, we call it a “vylov” (pronounced “VEE-lof”). The modern method usually goes like this: men from the village are invited to come at 4am, warmly dressed, ready to get drunk, and get wet. Waders or tall waterproof boots are required. Big, burly men catch, separate, and weigh the fish, which are quickly put into holding tanks on big trucks–essentially aquariums on wheels. Water, fish, and body-warming slivovice (90+ proof clear plum brandy–preferably homemade) are sloshed around in a frenzy until the lake is emptied. The pace slows somewhat, as the slivovice kicks in, but it’s still a blur of activity. The day is capped off by a big feast for the participants, with, of course, delicious dishes made of fish: fish soup, smoked fish, and fried fish.

Once a tanker truck is full, it’s bound for markets all over Europe, or, at Christmas time, particularly in Germany and the former Eastern block, the fish end up in big barrels for purchase by families who can’t wait to put their carp in the bathtub, where they swim briefly before being prepared in the Christmas Eve dinner.

Unfortunately, the European Union’s ridiculous, burdensome regulations are killing local agriculture and aquaculture. Better get there soon, or it will all be gone.