In praise of Bulgarian DIY

So, in America we are really into homemade things. We buy magazines whose articles describe how to fashion jar lids into chic and environmentally correct sleeper sofas. We snap up homemade lingonberry preserve at craft fairs, and are willing to pay prices that might indicate that there is gold in the center of each. And we have a whole industry of ready made foods that we can pop into our ovens for that homemade taste.

Anyone notice anything here? There are some notable American exceptions; my mother's cooking, my grandmother's sewing and my grandfather's amazing woodwork comes to mind. For the most part though, Americans love the idea of homemade, but don't actually make much at home.

So in Bulgaria, they actually make pretty much everything at home. My family is in the process of harvesting grapes to make the homemade brandy or "rakia." They also made wine this weekend. When they needed a large outdoor table this summer for a party, they built one, just the right size, right in place. They darn socks, make preserves, bake bread, and make cheese from the goats that they milked. They also build their own houses (mostly out of bricks and concrete), pour their own driveways, and put up their own fences.

Also it seems that Bulgarians are much more spontaneous that Americans. It means that sometimes you end up having a wonderful adventure that no one really planned, or sometimes an immaculately tiled wall must be broken through to fix the plumbing that was thought of after the completion of the wall.

It is definitely different. And I like it! (Although, don't worry, I still think America has its finer qualities too!)