Thursday, April 17, 2008

 

Yeah! the water was back!

I went and hung out down in Bascarsija, went to the internet cafe down there, had lunch at Hodzic # 2, which is a good place to eat. I had liver. They make really excellent grilled liver, and serve it with a half slice of somun, and I had a fake beer with it. The waiter there speaks a little English. He really did not need to do that, he could have got by with talking slower. Anyway, I went on home, one my street, I noticed a woman who was wearing a LOT of black, in fact she was a neqabi, and that is rare up in this neighborhood. She looked like she belonged in the cast of 'Pecat'! I went in and turned on the faucet just to see what would happen, and loud hissing noises, like if you had a really angry baby dragon, then water, but it came out with a lot of air. I already know you just run the water for a bit until that stops. Then the first order of business was to fill the water bottles I used, and then fill some more Just in Case.
After that, I cooked up some Irish Stinging Nettle Soup. There are recipes on the 'net , just google it. Mine was varied by the addition of some Vegeta. I figured nothing in it would mess up the taste, and it would make up for the fact I had no chicken stock.
It came out very nice.
Irish Nettle Soup

Stinging Nettles are used here in the local folk medicine for ulcers, and other stomach trouble, as well as for anemia. They have a lot of vitamin K are a very good source of calcium, and they contain a lot of Vitamin C. Then the S.O. called and said that he wasn't feeling too awful and he wanted to come see me when he next had to go for follow-up care up at the hospital. I am going to tell him to take a cab up the hill, and I'll pay for it. He probably should not walk up the hill. Not just yet anyway. It won't come to a lot of cab fare.
I mentioned to him that I was making Irish Stinging Nettle Soup at the time he called, and he said 'Stinging Nettles are really good!'
I have to agree as the resulting soup turned out just lovely, perhaps it is the best soup I ever made from scratch in my life. It takes very little time to make. Oh for my vegetarian friends, and vegan friends, you can substitute margerine, for butter, and you can use soy milk in this soup.

I picked up a copy of 'Dani' while I was out. There is a new mosque proposed for up in Ciglane. There was a picture of what it would look like on the front cover, and I found it to be a really awful modern design. It looks like what would happen if 'The Jetsons' converted! It looks simply AWEFUL! There are several really nice old historic mosques in the immediate area. This mosque would sit on the only playground in the immediate area. Given what streets are like here, playgrounds are not just a nice thing to have, but vital! There is no post office in the area, and even a lot of Muslims are not exactly for the building of this edifice.
The design of the thing just screams SEE WE ARE TO MODERN!.
I am not so sure if architecture on this order is what being modern is all about that that would be such a Good Thing.
One of the really positive things in Islam and the culture of Muslim people is the artistic sensibility. This just isn't beautiful. I am being very even handed here, I don't like modern churches EITHER. To see some beautiful hill marred by a church that looks like the agitator of a washing machine just pisses me off. It is mostly Catholics who put up that sort of thing here.
To paraphrase the famous James Joyce quote, 'cross Dublin without finding a pub, that's a good puzzle!' Cross Sarajevo without finding a mosque, that would be a real challenge. It isn't like there aren't enough to go around! :).
The kids need their playground. That to me is more important.

IMAG0873

Just have a look how ugly this is! Barn red, what is with the minaret? Simply atrocious!




Comments:
Apart from the minaret I think it looks quite good, but no-one should be building on playgrounds in a city.
 
I think the whole thing looks dreadful! There are some absolutely lovely mosques in this city! I don't think anyone has anything against a new mosque up that way if it were 1. not going in the playground and 2. looked better. This is modernity for it's own sake and not harmonious with the surroundings.
There are those people who don't wish to hear the azan 5 times a day. That would not be my problem! I like it, I like when I open the window at those times when both the azan and church bells are audible.
Jimi Hendrix, who is very popular here still once went to play his music in Istanbul. He said that the azan was perfect musical expression. I agree, especially when a real human being does it, as opposed to it being on tape.
I think quite a few people would drop the opposition if there were a new playground put in, so that the children of the area would have a safe, clean place to play outdoors.
Sarajevo is 99% Muslim, it was only about 45% Muslim before the war, there is hence a legit need for more mosques, just not at the expense of playgrounds!
 
But is the azan real or electronic there?
 
If you look at this Dzesonsonovi Dzamije you will see that there is no stairway in the structure alleged to be a minaret, so I am assuming in this case it will be electronic. In Sarajevo, the azan is usually done by a human. Sometimes there is a loudspeaker, sometimes not. It is not synchronized either, so if you are on a hill, it all sounds a little different. For a wonderful description of this sound, I suggest a book that is not about Sarajevo, Naguib Mafuz (sic) 'The Harafish'. Some cities in the Middle East actually synchronize it, and you don't get that amazing wall of sound effect that you can hear in Sarajevo.
 
Post a Comment

<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Site Meter