“Is this a special American recipe?†my Czech language teacher asked through gasps of laughter. My face turned the color of a ripe tomato, which was the intended ingredient for my recipe of Czech goulash. My mind raced with possibilities; what was she referring to? Finally, in front of the class, she asked why the recipe called for one large cat instead of one large tomato.
In my travels through Europe, I had learned you cannot take yourself too seriously.
Czech cuisine might be a cardiologist’s worst nightmare. This didn’t intimidate me before studying in Prague last year for one semester. Everything about Prague is wonderful, but what is most intriguing is the cuisine. After my first Czech dining experience at Gusto, and seeing a variety of fried cheeses, fatty meats, and sugary dumplings, I was ready to find a cardiologist. However, most anything can be tolerable in moderation. I enjoyed sampling foods that the American Heart Association would shun.
My favorite was the goulash.
As a little girl I was not picky. However there was one food I could not stomach, my father’s goulash. His mixture of macaroni, hamburger, and tomato sauce never appealed to me. Imagine my surprise when I noticed goulash was the featured item on most Czech restaurant menus. I turned up my nose and vowed I would stay far away.
Then one friend ordered something that smelled and looked delicious. I couldn’t resist and asked for a taste. I bit into the beef soaked in a smoky tomato broth and was entranced by its sweet, savory flavor. When I asked my friend what this new favorite food of mine was, she answered “goulash.†I was shocked. Thank goodness Czech goulash was nothing like the goulash I had so adamantly avoided as a child.
When the time came to pick our final projects for Czech class I wanted to do a report featuring a recipe. Naturally, I picked goulash. I looked up a recipe online, and then wrote the English version, as well as the Czech version. Since I was not a Czech language expert, I used an online translator.
Teachers preach that finding information online does not make it accurate. I learned this lesson the hard way. On the day of the presentation, I was excited to hand out my recipe to each student, all of which were American.
Obviously, none of the Americans caught my feline blunder. But my Czech teacher said she will never forget that special recipe for goulash although, I reassured her it was simply a mistake. I do not cook with cat.
