Show me your Paso Doble!

I am watching Stardance – the Czech equivalent of Dancing with the Stars. Of course, I know that the show originated in the UK but just hearing the cheesy show music (complete with bongos, a guy in dreds, and variations on the basic) makes me feel like I'm at home…just a bit. Of course, I can't understand the banter or judges but it's something. Tonight is slowfoxtrot and paso doble. I don't recognize any of the "stars." They are Miss Czech Republic, some (former?) athlete (who I had rather not showed me his paso doble), and a bunch of actors/actresses. It's not quite as flash as the US version but I like it! The judges are also very harsh – someone just got a 3!

As I sit here, though, I realize that I haven't written in a few days. I've been "busy" settling in. This week I have done the following: spent an entire day getting the dsl in my flat to connect, only to find out that I had the wires in the wrong sockets; watched a lot of Dr. Who (I brought the first 2 seasons on dvd); spent hours trying to figure out how to watch free television on-line, only to have my younger sister "teach" me how to make the new surfthechannel work; scouted out places that might carry some of my personal necessities (like contact solution and ranch dressing – success on the first, failure on the second)…essentially, I've spent the week trying to figure out how to live my American life in Prague. Part of that has been a leeriness to cook meat. I'm working my way up. I've never really had the opportunity to cook in the Czech Republic. And for some reason, I fear it…okay, "fear" may be a bit strong. I think my problem is that I tend to cook a lot of Mexican (Tex-Mex) or Italian (pasta) dishes. So, my problem arises with the fact that the Czech taste in these two types of cuisine is different than mine. So far, I've cooked a fair amount of pasta. But, I did branch out with scrambled eggs the other day. All the eggs are brown, which means the yolks are very yellow. I'm not a huge fan of eggs to begin with but the Tabasco sauce I found went a long way in helping the dish along. I have a small crutch that I am using, which is the store Culinaria. I have been able to find Paul Newman's marinara sauce and Caesar dressing. What I have yet to find is a "real" chili powder. I found something, but I think it's more like powdered red pepper with some Hungarian paprika – it's very orange, in contrast to a "red" chili powder. I really want this so I can make tortilla soup. I can find a variety of Old El Paso products, including taco, fajita and chili spice mixes. I may have to explore those options. But first, I have discovered a spice store. Walking from Old Town Square to the Bohemian Bagel the other day, a wonderful smell stopped me – it was a mix of spices that I can't quite determine. It was a little store that I plan to visit in the future so see if they have what I want. If not, there is one more option that I may try – a Tex-Mex restaurant that – according to a review I found on-line – sells food products in addition to the restaurant.

And, continuing on the food theme, I'm already tired of the monotony of the food available here. Of course, if I broke out of my self-imposed food shell more often, I wouldn't get bored so often. I've essentially had pizza, pasta, hamburgers (not at McDonald's), KFC, and gyros. And last night, I went to a really nice little crepe place that made me long for Paris…any place where you can buy a crepe on the street is a good place. I went to dinner with some other Fulbright grantees and had a great evening. I love smart women. We talked about everything from racial issues in the Czech Republic to what kind of hat would be flattering on me and where to buy it - I look forward to getting to know them all better. And I have a variety of dinner plans for the next week – 3 – count them 3! – "Thanksgiving" dinners planned.

And on a final note, the Czech comes and goes. I forget my numbers but then have a teeny little breakthrough in random conversation, so I'm sticking with a 1 beer rating.