Times are tough but there are many things the people of the Baltic states can take pride in and teach the West. Photo by Nathan Greenhalgh.
When hanging out with fellow expatriates here in the Baltic states, as I often am, at some point or another the conversation goes in the direction of what these countries should do to be more like the West.
It’s especially interesting because sometimes after they’re done complaining about some awful this and that here, five minutes later they’ll complain about someone else being so negative and complaining. As you can see, there’s a whole lotta complaining goin’ on.
In my year and a half in Lithuania, I’ve spent plenty of time in the other Baltic states and of course, compared the situation here to that back in the U.S.
Obviously there are things in the Baltic states that could be improved. The business culture can be vicious, the driving insane, the customer service appalling, the politics corrupt. Hard to argue with those.
However, I think the Sir Complain-a-lots are forgetting a) the good things that make them want to stay here, and b) things the Baltic countries do better than the West.
Now, speaking for the West as a whole would be rather presumptuous of me for obvious reasons. I’m not the president. So I’ll just look at things Americans should do more like the locals.
This is a longer list than you might expect, but for the sake of not frying your eyes on computer screen glare I’ll focus on a few main points.
If you’re lucky enough to become acquainted with a Balt that knows how to cook the local cuisine, which is most, you’ll soon discover that you don’t miss your cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and American “cheese.” In fact, you’ll wonder how you ever put up with eating such microwave-instant-processed sludge.
The reason for this is that Americans have forgotten how to make things. Well, sure people still cook, but that’s the most they can be bothered with. I was raised primarily in Wisconsin, which is known in the U.S. as “The Dairy State” but I never meet a single person that made cheese at home like the Lithuanians do.
They don’t know what they’re missing. In the Baltic states you can eat like a king on a most meager salary, because people still know how to make their own food and because the produce is fresh, not so processed.
While living here I had the same reaction as one of my favorite bloggers, the BBC’s Mark Mardell had in Turkey. I never want to return to the land of tastelessness, where all the natural flavor has been dried out in a warehouse freezer months before reaching my plate.
Can't find fresh bread like this in the U.S. Photo by Nathan Greenhalgh.
Baltic cuisine isn’t so well known abroad, like many things about these countries. But some daring local is going to head to New York or Chicago or L.A. and make a lot of money reproducing the Baltic cuisine someday. Shake your head in disbelief, but consider this — before the 1940s there was nary a pizza parlor in the whole U.S.
I mentioned above that the politics here can be on the corrupt side. However, there’s something the locals do that the American political system would do well to adapt — more low-key campaigns. During Lithuania’s recent presidential race I saw hardly any campaign posters, only one person ever knocked on my door to talk about a candidate, and there was little of the incessant, mindless horse-race media coverage that often ends up obscuring what’s actually at stake in the election.
Here, those interested in voting looked at the candidates on their own, considered the issues and voted without being hounded by the circus promoters. There’s a dignity to it that perhaps American democracy once had but has since lost in a swirl of sound bites, bumper stickers and mass rallies.
I brought up corruption in politics earlier — isn’t paying for our unbelievably expensive campaigns the primary reason the lobbyists always win?
Despite the corruption, relative poverty and other difficulties people in the Baltic states have faced in the last 20 years, you really can’t help but be proud of what these countries have turned into regardless of the crisis, the IMF loans and the current difficulties. Dear doomsayers, it could be worse. These countries could easily have ended up like fellow ex-Soviet republics Belarus, Ukraine or Russia had it not been for the ingenuity of the locals.
Some people have posted comments saying “well, what would your country look like if it had been occupied 50 years?” It’s a good point — I haven’t the foggiest.
A good written piece. Have to agree with most of what is said here. I haven’t been to America but each time I come back home to Vilnius from London the first thing I do is eat. Not just because I’m hungry but because the choice of fresh and quality food is so much better and, very importantly, reasonably priced. It seems to be a struggle (an expensive one too) to actually buy wild mushrooms here in UK (even London which is supposed to have absolutely everything and from everywhere). It’s easy and cheap as 1,2,3 in Lithuania though. This is of course not leat because of mushrooms being a very important part of the national cuisine. And wild mushrooms is THE tastiest thing on earth… well to me it is at least. :)
Lithuanian bread deserves some mentioning too. Similar bread could be found in Germany and Poland. Unfortunately, not in London unless you’ll bother looking for ‘ethnic’ shops selling Eastern European food.
Dear Jo,
Thanks for using Baltic Reports as a news source and I’m glad you enjoyed the piece.
I agree, the mushrooms and bread are fantastic.
Merry Christmas,
Nathan Greenhalgh
Editor
Baltic Reports
Nice feature. One good thing about the crises of the last couple of years has been to sort out which foreigners are real friends of the Baltic states and which are just fair weather friends. The real ones learn to love mushrooms, the fair weather ones always say how much they miss their oversized hormone steaks/deep fried fish and chips etc.
one good thing I have learned here is to value my family more. Not that I dont love my family but in the west we are often to individualized and sometimes family relationships (parents-students for example) are more monetarized than here. Since I see how warm people are treating each other in family live I wished I had a bit mor of that too. I also learned to be happier with less.
Miss american cheese and cheeseburgers? Not likely, considering yo can just go to the store and buy the same type of processed cheese, cheddar cheese, and hamburger meat…. heck, you can even get anything you need for mexican and other foreign cuisines here, too.
Don’t bet on anyone else trying to introduce baltic food to the states… it’s been done. Most don’t like the IDEA of potatoes and grease (I know it’s more than that), although they might like the taste.
Corruption in politics? At least here in Lithuania the politicians aren’t bought out automatically by lobbyists and big business, and that’s a plus. But politicians are like politicians everywhere… not so much a class of people as an illness.
As an expat, one thing I can say I try NOT to do is hang out with other expats. Why bother? Most seem to be transients, many “floating through” and many come here who really weren’t going to fit in to ANY society, let alone their native one.
Ok Nathan – full credit for this effort. Good article..Baltic Reports is a substantial improvement.
As an officially registered Sir Complain-alot, I have to point out that I love being Lithuanian emotionally, spiritually. No matter where I may be that will never change. Lithuania isnt lacking in identity and national pride. It’s lacking in jobs and creating a reasonable business culture and environment.
One suggestion. The Lithuanian identity, at least to me, doesnt live in Vilnius. Your organization of reporters seem clustered within the primary cities – logical as they are best suited for primary english speakers. Plus, as big cities they tend to be centers of national news, etc which I understand…Spend some time in Panevezys, Dzukija, Siauliai, Daugavpils in Latvia. Fascinating places with incredible stories to tell.
And I agree with Maing. Expats wont add anything to the experience.
Lithuanian cuisine is well represented in Chicago by Kunigaiksciu Uzeiga – and theyre thriving. Potatoes and bacon grease – a specialty.
Vidas
Dear Vidas,
Yes, I agree with Maing’s and your point about how it’s better to hang with locals than expats to understand the cultures of the three Baltic states. I do that quite a bit and am studying Lithuanian currently. However, not meeting expats would be impossible given the nature of our publication, and I’ve met many of them who are wonderful people. Given the nature of our global economy, expats are a necessity in every nation’s capital, after all.
As for spending time outside the capitals, I have quite a bit. I liked Šiauliai a lot, by the way, although my favorite areas outside Vilnius are the lakes of the Aukštaitija National Park and the Curonian Spit. Kėdainiai and Zarasai are also very nice.
As you mentioned, the reason most of the reporters are in the capitals is rather obvious given that the capital cities of the Baltic states dominate their respective national economies, politics and population demographics. But yes, like most capitals, they mislead about what life in the rest of their country is like. I wrote about this here and the BBC’s Mark Mardell talked about it here.
The Grand Duke’s restaurant is a good start, but I wish it was in the city instead of the suburbs. Lithuanian cuisine would become much more well-known among Chicagoans if it was located in the city.
Anyway I hope you enjoy Kūčios and the holiday season, and thanks for using Baltic Reports as a news source and posting site.
Merry Christmas,
Nathan Greenhalgh
Editor
Baltic Reports
Great article and I agree with the sentiment. I’m enjoying Baltic Reports a lot and will continue to use the site in 2010.
There are a couple of things written above that I’m not sure I agree with, though. Firstly, in my seven years in Lithuania, I’ve never met anyone who makes their own cheese at home. Secondly, you say that most people know how to cook, but Lithuanian men are, in my experience, almost universally terrified of the kitchen. Perhaps I’m just meeting the wrong people though?
Maing and Vidas’ point about hanging out with locals and not expats is a very good one. The expats I’ve met who’ve fit in best and enjoy living here the most basically only really socialise with Lithuanians. However, I do appreciate your comment, Nathan, about how difficult this is in your line of work and whilst living in Vilnius.
All the best for 2010.
Jimbobas
So, Bugsy, I suppose all the Lithuanians who’ve opened or shop at the various parduotuves that have opened across the UK since 2004 are “fairweather friends” of the British?
When an acquaintance comes to my house, if he doesn’t particularly like the food I cook him, I don’t then paint him as a “fairweather friend”.
Carpetbagger talk. They come, do some “dating”, eat mushrooms, which have lots of vitamin B but little nutritional value, and go. We have seen them all. Teutonic Knights, Poles, Swedes, Danes, Russians (repeatedly), Germans (again). It is nice that you decided to visit the transit hall of our airport.
Yes, we make good bread.
Well, morning comes and you’re still with her
And the bus and the tourists are gone
And you’ve thrown away the choice and lost your ticket
So you have to stay on
But the drum-beat strains of the night remain
In the rhythm of the new-born day
You know sometime you’re bound to leave her
But for now you’re going to stay
In the year of the cat
Dear readers,
Quite a reaction to this one!
Jimbobas: You should ask around about the cheese, plenty make it. Here’s a recipe online I found that seems accurate — http://www.recipelink.com/mf/31/35167
Standartenführer Stirlitz: Interesting poem and stunning reductionism. In addition to eating bread and mushrooms and sometimes meeting members of the opposite sex after leaving the airport (what’s wrong with that?), don’t these foreigners also set up banks, open restaurants, build cathedrals, found cities like Riga and Tallinn, create jobs… how could all that happen if all the foreigners were as listless as you describe?
Nathan Greenhalgh
Editor
Baltic Reports