Sketches of a Life: June 2015

Yesterday (June 21^st) was the day of the Summer solstice - the first day of Summer. It was also the World Music Day, an all-day musical celebration based on the concept of bringing music out on the streets, with numerous free musical events held all over the globe. But I am bitter today because I can’t write an upbeat post about the joys of music and summer. Instead, I have to write about another, much less fortunate event scheduled to start on the same day: Yulin 2015, the dog meat eating festival held in central China. In case you haven’t heard about it, it’s a “festival” at which dog meat and heavy liquor are being consumed for 10 days, after torturing and sacrificing countless dog lives to fulfill an inhumane “tradition” that has been permitted to occur for many years. Thousands of dogs suffer, are butchered, beaten to death, skinned, and eaten during this brutal “festival”. The event also involves increased abduction of pets, and capturing and serving strays. Finally, it encourages the growing of the torturous and inhumane dog meat farms where dogs are bred particularly for such purposes.

Many ordinary people and celebrities have risen against the festival and numerous protests have been held recently, calling upon the local government to cancel the event. However, what everyone needs to understand here is that this is not just the matter of dogs and China. What should appal us about Yulin is not which particular animal is being killed, but the fact that too many animals around the globe are being treated nearly or just as cruelly.

But considering I am particularly sensitive to dogs, I have to say I am saddened and shocked to learn that the Yulin Dog Meat Festival is still existant in a modern civilized society. I can’t even bring myself to post photos of the poor tortured animals (but you can find some here) because the horror simply brings tears to my eyes. So, as a sign of my rebellion against all of the above stated, I am doing the exact opposite today and posting some photos of my best friend - a furry, voracious and slobbery giant named Vox. He (I consciously refuse to use “it” here) is a specimen of the authentic Croatian breed named Tornjak. He’s a beautiful, fluffy, cuddly baby when around the people he knows and trusts, but very territorial and overprotective when spotting the “intruders” approaching my yard. But that is exactly why I care about him so much; both for his unconditional love and overprotectiveness, despite the fact that it often scares people.

As they say, we can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. So, please show your heart, join this noble cause, and sign the petition against the festival. We have to start by making small steps first, right?

Thank you so much for reading!
Wishing you a nice day!

8:27 pm
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On the Menu Today: "Chinese"

recipe

There is a dish that’s become “traditional” in my family, although it has absolutely nothing to do with where I come from (except that I add Vegeta to it). My parents got it from the cook at a Chinese restaurant many years ago, and we never learned its actual name. So we kept referring to it as the “Chinese” (as male, plural). In several occasions, I prepared it for my friends, and they all thought it was delicious and wanted me to share the recipe. And since it happens to be on my menu today, that is exactly what I will be doing in this post!

Although the recipe may seem complex at first glance, I assure you it’s actually very simple! It takes less than hour to prepare and cook everything, and the taste is just amazing! The original recipe includes chicken and pork, but since the Husband doesn’t like pork, I’ll be using turkey today.

Note: if you lose the meat and increase the amount of mushrooms, this makes for a great vegetarian meal as well!

~ ~ ~ "Chinese" ~ ~ ~

4 servings

Preparation: 15 mins

Cooking: 30 mins

Ingredients

Main dish:

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into small cubes

1 skinless, boneless turkey breast half – cut into small cubes

250 g sliced champignons

1 dl soy sauce

1 dl tomato purée

1 dl water (optional)

½ red bell pepper, cut into small cubes

½ green bell pepper, cut into small cubes

½ yellow bell pepper, cut into small cubes

1 big carrot, sliced very thinly

2 onions, sliced into lines

Spices: salt, paper, Vegeta, ground sweet red pepper, curry

Side dish:

200 g white rice

100 g frozen peas

100 g frozen carrot sliced into small cubes (optional, I usually leave this out)

Salt

3 eggs

Sunflower oil

Salt, Vegeta

Fresh parsley

Directions

Note: You have to do 3 (simple) things at once, so I am going to mark each point either by wok, pot, or pan.

1. Wok: Heat 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil in a wok over moderate temperature, and add the meat cubes.

2. Wok: After stirring them for 5 minutes, until the meat has turned white on the outside, add the mushrooms, and 1 dl of soy sauce. Make sure there is enough sauce to cover the meat and mushrooms.

3. Pot: At this point, you can start heating water for boiling rice. Add some oil and salt to the water.

4. Wok: Add the spices, as much as you prefer: salt, pepper, Vegeta, and curry. Remember, this dish is supposed to be a bit spicy.

5. Wok: after 5 minutes, stir in the sliced vegetables: peppers, carrot, and onions. Onions combined with soy sauce is what gives this dish its specific taste. Cook everything for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. If necessary, add more soy sauce and water.

6. Pot: when the water starts boiling, lower the heat, and add 4 handfuls of rice (for 4 people).

7. Pot: when the rice is halfway done (after approximately 10 minutes), add the frozen peas (and carrot) and stir.

8. Wok: add 1 dl of tomato purée and stir. Taste the dish and add more spices if necessary.

9. Pan: you basically need to make scrambled eggs. Crack 3 eggs into a bowl, add salt and Vegeta, and mix well until the colour and texture are uniform throughout. Heat a teaspoon of sunflower oil in a frying pan, and pour the egg mixture into the pan.

10. Pan: As the eggs start to cook, move the mixture around the pan with a fork to scrape the cooked eggs from the bottom to the top of the mixture, and expose the still-wet portions to the heat. Your eggs are done after there's no liquid of any kind left.

11. Pot: after the rice and beans are done, drain off the water.

12. Pan + Pot: Mix the scrambled eggs with the rice and peas, and sprinkle with some minced fresh parsley.

13. Wok: By this point, the dish in the wok should be done as well.

Serve and enjoy!

3:07 pm
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A Different Kind of Festival

travel and events

Gljevstock (or Gljevstok) is a music festival held at an isolated location in the Central Dalmatia countryside, near the village of Gljev. It started off in 2010, and the original idea behind it was to gather young local people to celebrate Labour Day in an unconventional way, somewhere far away from “civilization”. Some local musicians and their friends pictured it as a celebration of music, peace and togetherness, and took it upon themselves to organize such an occasion. Of course, the name was generated from the more than evident association with the Woodstock festival - beyond doubt, the greatest festival of all times.

It did not take Gljevstock long to surpass the boarders of local, youth-intended, and underground. With each succeeding year, more and more different-aged people from all over Croatia (and abroad) started visiting the festival, and its lineup quickly expanded to include performers from all over the region. In time, the festival also ceased to be directly associated with Labour Day, mostly due to the fact that May proved to be quite moody when it comes to weather conditions. Actually, 2015 was the first time the festival was held in June.

Unfortunately, though, because a force majeure had evidently decided to send the greatest hail I have ever seen falling directly on Gljev on the afternoon of June 6, 2015.

Still, what is special about Gljevstock is that all the rain and hail we have had all these years have never managed to ruin the festival. The visitors apparently don’t mind seeking shelter in their tents and cars while waiting for the rainfall to stop. I think it is safe to say no one ever walked away from the venue because of some fresh mud. The people there just patiently let the rain do its thing, and continue hanging out as if nothing had happened. If someone’s tent or food gets ruined, there is always someone nearby to share theirs. No one ever gets left hungry, thirsty, or without a place to sleep in. Everything is shared, even with the people you have never seen before. And this feeling of togetherness can literary be felt in the air, I swear.

It gets especially beautiful when the night falls. The only lights at the venue (except for the ones on the stage) are the countless fires lit all around, and the stars in the sky. When the concert begins, you can see everyone laughing and dancing to the music, regardless of how good or bad it might be, as if they never wanted it to end. And when it does end, everyone gathers around the fires and continues singing along with their guitars, past the break of dawn.

I could go on about Gljevstock forever, but if I had to describe it in only a few short sentences, I would have to say:
Free concert. Free camping. No boundaries. No control. 24 hours of pure enjoyment and relaxation. And this doesn't even remotely describe it. What more can one ask for?

Below are a few photos I managed to take this year. There would have been more, but things tend to get out of hands at Gljevstock, you know.

You can find more at Gljevstok Official Facebook Page.