Czechmatediary

For the first time in history one can buy 1 American dollar for less than 20 Czech crowns (19.96 Kc). Its value is to be the lowest within the last fifteen years. This sudden decrease in value of an American currency was supposedly caused by the sudden decrease of available job positions for the month of September. It is a blessing for the Czechs, however: not only the gas prices will go down in the Czech Republic but also an American-made electronics such as laptops, computers and cameras will be cheaper. It is not so good for people like us, Czechs living in the US, who like to visit the Czech Republic and live “the live of the riches” for a moment….I remember back in 1998 the dollar was 42 Kc (!!) and although I was just a poor student here in the US I felt like a queen when I came to visits the Czech Republic…..Oh, well, the good old times are over…. (more…)

I love karbanatky! This recipe is delicious; although my mum never made them with the bellow listed sauce it is a fresh addition to the dish. You can decide if you like them “naked” or “dressed” with sauce…..

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground meat
• 1 olderFrench bagette “veka” (= about 3-4 slices of bread)
• 1 onion, chopped into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs hot mustard
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 3/4 cup of half-n-half
• 1/2 tsp of marjoram
• 3 tbs cornstarch
• 3 tbs of oil
• salt, pepper
• Optional: about 4 slices of bacon, thinly sliced (more…)
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An American company called Apneon developed a pioneering surgical treatment against a sleep apnea (snoring) and chose a Czech doctor, dr. Pavelec, to perform the first surgery. Up till now 5 of those procedures have been performed by this doctor in one of the Czech hospitals in town called Domazlice. So, how does this anti-snoring procedure work? It’s pretty crazy: first they install a magnet into one’s tongue; once it is healed, yet another - external - magnet is installed on the patient’s chin. This external magnet pulls the internal magnet forward and opens the airways behind the tongue, thus removing the airway blockage. (more…)

The summer Czech language school in Dobruska has become so successful over the years (the school opened in 1991) that it recently opened another branch in Prague. It consists of six different levels of difficulty and lasts for about a month. For those that are complete beginners in Czech the courses teach basic conversation and then they will have to practice on their own at home. Many of the students actually do have a very good spoken Czech which they have learned from their parents. For those people grammar and written Czech will be the focus of their learning (poor folks…). The courses are free of charge for all of the compatriots (anyone with a Czech heritage) since it is funded by the ministry of foreign affairs. (more…)