Potato Festival and Weekend in Biaga

(A river through Biaga)

A couple days ago I was reading the town newspaper and I noticed that a village in Bratsigovo named Ravnagor was holding a potato festival on Friday. I thought what a coincidence I had been telling them they should do this for over six months. The idea came from my Dad when we were talking about ways to promote the Municipality of Bratsigovo. We exchanged a few emails on the topic. My Dad gave the example of the Gilroy garlic festival near where I'm from in California and asked if Bratsigovo could hold a similar event. Soon after that it hit me. People around here are always talking about how great the Potatoes are in Ravnagor. I told my counterpart that they should start an annual potato festival in Ravnagor. After all there's a bunch more things you can do with a potato then garlic, right? Anyways, I was glad to hear someone finally put the event together.

I invited the British family in town to come along with me. They had traditional dancers, potato art, and a bunch of food all made from potatoes. I asked who came up with this idea. Everyone told me it came from city hall, where I work. Hmmm, I started to wonder. So I asked my counterpart (the vice-mayor) who came up with the idea. He just gave me an awkward look, not knowing what to say. When I first mentioned the idea to him, he thought it was a silly idea. "This sort of thing may work in California, but it won't work here", he said. I've heard that a lot.

About a month ago when the Director of Peace Corps Bulgaria came for a visit, I mentioned the idea again at lunch and he thought it was a great idea. So, I wonder who in the municipality came up with the idea of a potato festival? Well, after this success and a few others, the people I work with have been willing to listen to my ideas more and work closer with me.

This weekend I went to Petia's place, a village of Bratsigovo, for the weekend. She is the other women who works with me in the municipality. We cooked the whole time. We made banitsa, a traditional Bulgarian pastry. We cooked stuffed peppers and sermia. I forgot the name of sermia in English, but it's rice and spices wrapped in a grape leaf. We also made a bean salad, bread with hot milk and sugar for breakfast, and other good stuff.

Petia's husband and I talked a lot . My favorite discussion was about why Americans always smile. I told him Americans, that is volunteers who live in Bulgaria, wonder the opposite about Bulgarians. Why they frown so much.

On another note. Did you know you can eat the seed of an apricot. Its good too. kinda like an almond. Try it out. You just crack open the pit and there it is waiting for you.