09-IX-2017.
Just like last year, guests at the IV4's annual parastos. This time, at a salaš in Belo Blato, which isn't actually a salaš - first, it's in the village and not out in the fields, and it's not just a compound surrounded by fields, actually the buildings are far too scattered and there are no fields visible.
Had another triper, this time with transportation. Jasmina will drive us all (Bajlo, Dragana and me) but she doesn't know where I live (actually should know from last year but can't remember, all corners look the same), so Bajlo will meet her near bus station, they drive together to our place, then he leaves the car and we go with her. Will reverse on the way back (that went as planned).
Actually almost everything went as planned, except I didn't get to buy any of the stuff I meant to. Them being a commercial enterprise, I expected there'd be someone in the shop when the tourists come (never mind that most of us can still drive a bicycle this far). At least Dragana got her kilo of bacon, they say raw white bacon of mangulica (mangalian pig) will cure anything. The mangulica used to be the dominant speices here, but then got squeezed out in favor of the german landras and other, more productive ones, like berkšir, jorkšir, nokšir, čakšir. She was looking better than last time, and was in much better mood. Even walked the distance to the gathering place on Žitni - just four blocks from Lesnina, which I wasn't sure she'd dare do.
As for the stuff they served, I wasn't impressed. The gulaš was just as good as expected - i.e. no worse nor better than a similar gulaš of ordinary pork, beef or even venison. The salad was good, sweet cabbage done right. The mulberry brandy is... so-so, no taste and an almost neutral aftertaste. Just like any such rare brandy that is made by just a few - the fruit is tiny, fits comfortably in a nutshell and doesn't grow in clumps, it's sparse on the branch, more work than it's worth - it's more of a legend than a really good thing. Just like everyone else, they sell the story.
The music was... interestingly set up (the accordion with a leg stand and a hook-on synthesizer which looked like an intercity bus ticket printer) and not too obnoxious... but then the IV4 always had that herzegovinian/montenigerian streak and some of that stuff is simply a must with them. Last year was better, no music that I remember (actually did have some, Žuca's tinny boombox, but just for a couple of dances at dusk).
Gang - the usual, even, from IV3, Borko, J.J., Strle came from Boston again. Surprise, couple of girls whom I didn't see since gimnazija, still looking good. Also Duca (plump but still that rascal look in her eye), Vladimira, J.B., Ildika, Milica, V.K., Žuca, KsenijaJozda, Oliva, Popaj, Čarga (with latest wife), Gavra, Radoje, Vlada.
I really should avoid getting into the car when Jasmina drives. She's just slow to react. At least I feel 10 years younger as a driver, seeing her. But even so, the reverse of the combination worked, she delivered us right, and Bajlo got into his car and drove home.
Mentions: 25-V-2018., Dragana Vitas (Dragana), Dušan Starkić (Strle), Dušica Tošin (Duca), Gavrilo Taroški (Gavra), gimnazija, Ildika , IV3, IV4, Jasmina Vlajin, Jovan Zdanić (Jozda), Ksenija, Lesnina, Mališa Borkovski (Borko), maturski parastos (parastos), Milica Zubatović, Nenad Bajlo (Bajlo), Radoje Stević, triper kombinacija, Velemir Prokin (Čarga), Vlada Markanić, Vladimira Brkljević, Živana Armatović (Žuca), in serbian
3-XII-2017 - 18-VI-2024