hospitality in moldova!

... is, simply stated, a way of life.

to the point of absurdity. case in point: i simply wanted to wander around the city and check out a place to eat mentioned in Lonely Planet. so, a member of my host family insists on accompanying me there. she invites her quasi-boyfriend (she's 16, a first courtship nonetheless). he brings his funny cousin who's like 6, who knows russian, romanian, and italian, and is basicaly all about ripping on me and looking for chicks. in any case, an all around good kid.

so, this place is like new russian prices, meaning $2-3 bucks for drinks, $5 for dishes, etc. i quickly pick up the tab for drinks, and since i didn't order any food, my host takes this to mean that the menu wasn't up to my specifications. off to another, more expensive, folksier restaurant. eventually we just get beers on the terrace and hang out, watch the ever shorter chisinau dresslines pass by, and finally walk around pushkin park with beers in hand. nothing like drinking in a park, i dare say.

so, we finally find a place to eat, and i, tired and not hungry, wishing to lose a few kilos, settle on beer. i pick up the tab, with the promise that "tomorrow you will go to moldovan disco and we make sure you have fun"

as long as the venga boys will be on the turntable and the 80s hits i know and love, i should be happy...

do zavtra