True to its philosophy, Pangaea hosted a delightful cultural gathering and served us Croatia! From its medieval towns and beaches on the Adriatic to snow-tipped mountains… A charmed reporter investigates…

The spirit of Thousand and One Night, which brought the Iranian students in Leuven to organizing their two successful Iranian Nights, also inspired the Croatians in Leuven to organize a similar event, highlighting their own country. And so they started preparing the event. Ana Biskup, notable Croatian and distinguished Voice journalist, asked the assistance of fellow student Irena and of Ana and Damir, a Croatian couple residing in Belgium and well-known for their cooking skills. Volunteers came from far and away to help to get everything in order, among others yours truly. And so, wearing our red and white checkered shirts symbolizing the Croatian flag, we hurried about arranging stools and tables, frying pancakes for dessert and pouring glasses with various spirits and wines – and trust me, they were good. In the kitchen, Ana being a good cook assiduously prepared the main course. On the menu, guests could choose for either a dish of stew and dumplings in a rich, flavoured sauce or grilled sardines served with potatoes (for the recipe, please contact The Voice).

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Guests flowed in, from lowly-born students to the Croatian ambassador. Croatia is currently aspiring for EU membership, so why not  some promotion? The ambassador regailed us on the country he represents in all its aspects: history, politics, economy, society, culture... A little bit of Croatia through a slideshow. He could have cut a few statistics on GDP, but that’s just me. Soon, dinner was served and it was marvellous. I admit: I was biased as I don’t like fish that much, but hey, Journalism in general is a biased profession, so I just took the meat. But I can tell you that the fish was much praised by popular acclaim. And of course, drinks were served. Of all of them, I believe rakia stayed closest to my mind, possibly because it was the strongest drink. If you are ever confronted with this translucent beverage, please take care to take small sips. For those less inclined to risk life and limb in open battle, Croatian wines and sweet liquors made out of pears or cherries were also served. 
As the dishes were cleared, I reviewed the crowd and saw a room filled with talkative people, only few leaving before the film began. Perhaps everybody was waiting for dessert, that’s also possible. As the movie began, this was finally served: crêpes in chocolate sauce and bits of almond. After having done a huge amount of cleaning, the volunteers could relax and reposed, watching the movie with contention, chumping away at their pancakes... Could they do better? Ladies and Gentlemen, they were the best so far! |