Maple syrup

Another volunteer is here and he commented on my Swedish music. I told him that the station played Despre Time twice already today.

We started talking about O-Zone and how much I love them. "But they're not even Romanian! They're Moldovan!" he told me. "Yeah, but they sing in Romanian, so that's all that matters to me".

"Don't you know how we regard Moldovans?"

"Uh...stupider versions of Romanians?" (I met some Moldovans and they were very cool and smart)

"Yeah, pretty much."

Then we started talking about immigrants to Romania. I commented that I was editing an article on the very subject. I got asked the standard question "Do you like Romania?" when I gave the standard answer "I love it".

His reaction surprised and pleased me. "Of course you love it! You're living in a foreign country! What's not to like about being young and abroad?" Finally, someone who didn't comment on the fact that Romania has beautiful girls or good food and cheap alcohol.

I told him I found Canada "boring" because we have no "national" culture that isn't imported from the USA. He told me "You have maple syrup!"

I asked if he had tasted it.

"No, never, but I really want to try it sometime."

I just so happened to have a bottle in the fridge. (Note to others, I am not the maple syrup fairy, no matter how many bottles I've given out since arriving here!) He acted like it was the purest ambrosia on the planet. Ok, that's an exageration, but he loved it anyways.