Owlspotting

You HAVE TO read the cover story of this past Sunday’s New York Times Magazine. “The Brand Underground” is the most fascinating analysis of the mainstream/subculture tensions of modern life that I have read in a while. Rob Walker has been writing about consumer culture for a while and he has a weekly column in […]

I’ve been testing restaurants and bars in Targu Mures for the past two weeks and I’ve finally found something remarkable enough to mention. It’s called Excalibur and it’s a medieval-themed restaurant (that’s the sell line). To the owners this implies humongous portions and the possibility to eat without cutlery–use your fingers, dip them in a […]

I always said “one thing that can make a day suck is hitting a pole on the side of the road.” It’s not as bad as being hit by a tram as the week kicks off, but it’s still pretty bad.

I have been home now for almost two weeks but have yet to really tackle Romanian news media. This post will kick off that assignment. It’s a struggle my friends, but someone has to stare the devil in the face. Let’s start with that broadcast phenomenon of the “newspaper review” or “newspaper medley” (although a […]

On a trip to Cluj yesterday, my brother and I got stuck behind the behemoth below. It’s a Dodge, one of those 3500 RAM monsters that consumes enough gas to power a small African village. Romanians don’t own many such monsters (yet), but I bet many would love to. I also doubt that there are […]

Sara’s ever curious journalistic mind wondered a few days ago how Romanian women dress. That’s a tough one because you’d get numerous answers depending on whom you ask and what city you’re in. If you narrow this down to the younger demographic, many would be inclined to reply: “the majority goes for slutty and see-through. […]

Iri and Monica were married yesterday and Romania shed tears of joy as it remebered love can conquer all. As Iri and Monica descended from their rented boat (big enough for a couple hundred people) for the lavish party thrown at Iri’s waterside mansion, thousands of Romanians remembered their own weddings. Those sunny Saturdays when […]

Let’s take a short break from Romania-themed posts. I was delighted to see that Tilly and the Wall released a video for “Bad Education,” the best song on their sophmore release “Bottoms of Barrels.” This is the song of the year for me and the video is pretty good. The song is about gender confusion […]

Let’s continue answering questions about the glorious land of Romania and its even more glorious culture. Andrew asked: What bits of American pop culture (TV shows, musicians) are surprisingly popular — if any? >>> Here’s a response from Jo, who blogs here. “Most surprising success, for me, is the Pimp My Ride type of TV […]

I graduated from “Colegiul National Alexandru Papiu Ilarian” in 1999. It became Colegiul National (National College) the month I graduated. Before it was just known as “Liceul (High school) Alexandru Papiu Ilarian,” or simpler, Papiu. It’s still a high school despite its fancy name. Most of my family went there and my cousin is the […]