At least in the middle of September, he lost another of his legends. Rizo, the most famous kebab maker from Utjeha to Kufin, and beyond, has died. There are few natives of Baran who have not tried Riz's kebabs, in the heart of the bazaar, in the main street of Starobar that leads up to the fortress. That inimitable taste is not forgotten, just like the always benevolent story with this gentle man, gentlemanly manners.
Old Bar is not the same without Riz. The sharp-witted old man observed everything, knew everything. And he spoke just as much as he should. He knew to withdraw discreetly at the right moment.
And he also knew all the Starobarans and most of those from Topolica, on the coast. And he remembered a lot. Only those who were often in his kebab shop knew the nuances in Riz's treatment of guests, because some he appreciated, some less so.
"I know his father" - sometimes Rizo was enigmatic.
* * *
I usually drive to Podgorica, so I don't pay attention to the details on the side of the road. Recently, I was a passenger and was amazed at how many pieces of paper there were on both sides of the tollbooth at the Sozina tunnel. It was as if, in the middle of summer, he was attacking the city next to the protective fence. As soon as they pay 2,5 euros, drivers throw the bill out the window. That piece of paper in the vehicle bothers them. A tetrapack of drunk yogurt or juice also annoys them, but somehow they hold back, waiting for someone to start first. The toll bill is another matter, you just need to open the window a little and throw all the hell out of yourself. "That's what I think about your privatizations, salaries, relatives, toll booths, party meetings, ecology, everything, do you like it..." - says our hero to himself, quickly closes the window and adds gas.
* * *
Montenegro is small and, objectively, you cannot get lost in it by car. But, if it still happens to you, you will easily find out where you are. If a vehicle, for example, with Tivat registration, misses you by a centimeter and runs right in front of you, and you have to brake, then you are in the territory of the Tivat municipality. With that act, the driver, like a lion, records his territory.
And then you return to Bar and in the same way overtake a vehicle with Podgorica license plates on Žukotrlica, so that even a citizen of Podgorica knows whose territory he is on.
And that's why: There are no worse drivers, from Bar, Bjelopolje, Cetinje, etc...
* * *
I spent four days in Serbia, with friends from KUD "Jedinstvo". I came back larger by more than 400 and less than 4.000 grams. I'm not allowed on the scale.
At my age one should eat in moderation. It is a conditio sine qua non for a healthy life. But who can resist pork in Aleksandrovac, lamb and prebranc in Vrnjačka Banja or kebabs in Novi Pazar? Traditionally, I have a weak character when it comes to eating (well, de... and not only eating), and it was not for Tanya to "brazen" me.
Some say that the standard in Serbia is declining. I do not know, maybe. But I know that there are no such politicians who can remove Serbia from the Balkan gourmet throne.
* * *
On almost all television and radio stations, presenters compete to be the wittiest. Forced laughter echoes from the radio waves, and white teeth flash from the TV screen. I also caught myself trying to be funny on my show "Thursday Promenade" on Radio Bar.
And I won't anymore.
* * *
The leader of the opposition, after a short excursion into the militant method of political action, seems to be returning to his subtle and elegant way of criticizing the government. When he speaks without resentment, but sharply and precisely, and with a smile, he seems superior.
* * *
In Montenegro (and in Bar, it seems, most pronounced), there are two parallel worlds - one normal and the other criminal.
I'm afraid that soon it won't be known who is on which side...
* * *
And about that, as well as some other things, here is what the Lebanese writer living in France, Amin Malouf, a former journalist, wrote in the novel "Disorientated":
"'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask yourself what you can do for your country.'
It is easy to say that when you are a billionaire, and when you have just been elected, at the age of 43, for the president of the United States of America! But when in your country you can neither work, nor receive treatment, nor live, nor get an education, nor vote freely, nor express your opinion, nor even move through the streets whenever you want. What then is the saying of John F. Kennedy worth? God knows what!
First, your country has to fulfill a certain number of obligations towards you. That you will be respected as a citizen with all rights, that you will not suffer oppression, discrimination, or improper deprivations. Your country and its leaders have an obligation to provide this for you; otherwise, you owe them nothing. No attachment to the soil, no salute to the flag. A country where you can live with your head held high deserves to give it everything, to sacrifice everything for it, even your own life; and the country where you have to live with your head down does not deserve to be given anything. Whether it's the country that received you or the country you come from."
* * *
Starobar Evergreen:
"I'm not guilty that you lie to me, I'm guilty that you think I believe you!"
Bonus video:
