"I wonder..."

So this has been a crazy crazy week and I'll have quite a lot to tell you tomorrow, but until then I thought I would address something I've largely ignored up until this point. People ask me tons and tons of questions about living in Serbia and to help combat the need to address them over again every time, I've decided to pick three of the most frequently asked and answer them for you...to the best of my ability... every Wednesday. So here we go.

1. Is Serbia in Siberia?

                  The short answer is no. Here is a visual for all of you who are still struggling.

As you can see Siberia is located in the far Eastern part of Russia. Here they have polar bears and intense snow most of the year...and other stuff.

Serbia, however, is simply in Eastern Europe. There it is, North of Greece and South of Hungary. No polar bears here, just Serbs. That big white section is Russia...which is where Siberia is. 

     2. What do they eat?

            Well, they eat a lot of meat. A whole lot of meat. You can get it grilled for you quite quickly  and cheaply. They also eat a lot of fresh vegetables which are very cheap and delicious. They come straight from someone's fields so they taste very fresh and have a better taste than most at home. Some vegetables are a slightly different color, like Zucchini is a very pale green and they don't really have a Green Bell Pepper. They do have a yellowish pepper that is close enough and used the same way. They are huge fans of red peppers and potatoes. They also eat a lot of fruit and drink a ton of fruit juice.  They also make really good snack food here. I think I might have to dedicate a post to food in general, its sort of a huge topic.

Chicken wrapped in Bacon and Cevapi (which is minced meat in a sort of sausage shape which is grilled). You can get these from a butcher close to my apartment, he cooks them for you. Which is a win win for me.

   3. Do they have McDonald's?

         Yes. There is actually one just a block away from me. It isn't really the McDonald's we have at home, this one is a bit more swanky. It even includes a nice cafe with coffee and cakes and things. They do have breakfast and kid's meals though. I think the toys are pretty much the same as you'd get, except sometimes they have a bit of Balkan flair. Case in point: When I first got here they were giving out little plastic tiny boom-boxes that played a snippet of a song. The songs included the Black Eyed Peas and also a British and Balkan musical personality. They also have KFC and Pizza Hut. Both are pretty much the same as home.

The breakfast menu.

This is the McDonald's right up the road from me.

I hope you've enjoyed this first installment. These questions have come from my wonderful family and they've asked enough to keep you entertained for weeks. If you have any others you'd like answered, email and let me know. I'll see what I can come up with.