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October 18th
Hi everyone. How are things back in the States (and France) going for
everyone? Life here couldn't be better. I just got done with a wonderful vacation with my Mom and my sister Lisa.
I think that they really enjoyed themselves here in Macedonia. It was really nice to see family again since it's been
over a year since I've seen anyone from back home. But in November I'll be having my friend Jeff come for a visit, and
my friend Jason will be living in France for a few months, so hopefully we'll be able to get together too.
Not much is new here in Veles. The new group of 38 Trainees came in earlier
this fall, and they will be living around the Veles area while they study the language, so I see them quite often. There
is an interesting mix of newbees, with the oldes trainee being a 74 year old woman. After their 2 months of training
there will be four more Volunteers living in Veles. I'm not really sure how to feel about that. Veles is my turf
(mine and Hugo's) and I don't know if I'm happy about four more Americans moving on in. I guess I'll get used to it.
Two of them are a married couple in their mid 60s, then there is a young man and women in their mid 20s.
School is going really well. The kids are really responding to my teaching
style (when I actually get to teach) and Maria and I are really working well together. My language has gotten better
and I can actually have good converstations with my coworkers.
Fall is traditionally the time of the year when all Macedonian families start fermenting
wine and distilling the delicious brandy called rakia. Last year I took part in the distilling process, and it's very
interesting. You make the brandy with all the left overs from wine fermentation. That's part of the reason
why the alcohol can get up to 55% alcohol. This year I think I'll just take part in the drinking of it, not the
preparation. I've been too busy making another seasonal treat.
Ivar (and various other vegetable purees)
So what is Ivar? Each fall when the pepper harvest comes in, families literally
buy a hundred pounds or more of peppers. They also buy pounds of eggplant, carrots, tomatoes, and make these delicious
purees that they spread on bread. Because gender roles are very well defined, it's usually only women that make
this traditional spread, but this year there was a crazy American helping them along. And let me tell you, in a
city of 50,000 people it's amazing how many found out I was making Ivar too. Everyone at my school, students included,
were surprised I actually helped this seasonal treat.
It's important to know, that like Christmas
cookies, each family has their own treasured receipe and Ivar differs from family to family. Some of it is spicy, some
is only made of peppers, some contains a variety of veggies, but it is all tasty. It usually one full
day, or two half days if all the daughters, aunts, sisters, and at least one grandmother work together.
You spend the first few hours roasting a 40-50 kilos of peppers on a round outdoor stove no bigger than 2 1/2 feet
in diameter, so it takes a long time. When all the peppers have been roasted on all sides, so they are
almost black, you then peel the roasted skin off of them, deseed them, and set the fleshy pepper in a large
bucket. You do the same process with eggplant if you desire. When all the veggies have been roasted,
peeled, and deseeded, you grind them through a meat grinder. You also do this with tomatoes, carrots, and maybe garlic,
if this is how your family makes it. Once that is done, you slowely boil the ground mixture in a pot large enough
to hold about 30 gallons of Ivar. Of course it wouldn't be complete without 2-3 liters of sunflower oil (the
oil of choice in Macedonia) and you stir the mixture with a three to four foot wooden spoon ( it must be wooden) for
about 4 hours. Yes, this depletes the spread of any nutritional value, but it breaks it down so much it is spreads
like butter. It's often eaten on bread with a very salty white cheese, and it's worth every minute of making it. Families
make so much that they don't run out for the entire year. I myself have about 12 pounds of Ivar/Pinjur/and
its yellow colored cousin Manjara in my cupboard right now. I think I'll go home and mix some up with my scrammbled
eggs.
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