Bosnia

It's been a while since we left Bosnia & Herzeogovina, but I wanted to continue with our cultural observations from each country we live in for a month. Here are our observations from our time in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina (BNH).

Note: We undersand that many of these are not specific to Bosnia and are prevalent in other European Countries, but we observed them first in BNH.  Also, these are supposed to be just some light observations and not meant to be offensive in any way.

COFFEE CULTURE (DAN)

For Bosnians, drinking coffee or tea is a social experience, not something to be rushed.  I discovered that the hard way when I was looking for a replacement for my travel tea mug/tumbler and couldn't, for the life of me, find one.  In the US they have these suckers in any pharmacy, grocery store, hardware store, 7-11, etc.  But not in Bosnia. After a massive search I was finally able to find one in a mall, but there was only 1 model to choose.

RELIGIONS LIVING IN HARMONY (FRANCESCA)

BNH is somewhat unique in the Balkan region with the mix of religions living in such close proximiy. Indeed this mix of religions was a central factor in the Bosnian War in the 1990s.  While tourist blogs, and even other BNHers outside of Mostar, will say that tensions still run high among these religious groups, some Mostar locals we met (including our tour guide who is a Bosniak (aka Muslim)) said that the various religions live in harmony and it's only the politicans that stoke the tensions when they are running for office and try to appeal to a certain religious base.

SMOKING EVERYWHERE! (RYAN)

BNH has not gotten the word from the surgeon general that smoking is hazardous to your health. Smoking is EVERYWHERE in BNH including indoors.  When we were in the mall we could barely breathe - it felt like New Jersey in the 80s.

KETCHUP PACKETS PAYDAY (AUSTEN)

They make you pay for ketchup packets here!  Even in McDonalds. I get it though, in the US those things go to waste a lot. So if you have to pay, you'll think twice about wasting them.  Maybe.

PRE-SLICED CHEESE (FINLEY)

The pre sliced cheese industry does not seem to be active in BNH.  We love buying turkey and cheese slices for our sandwhiches and while we could find some in the larger grocery stores, they were not as prevalent, nor was there much selection. That said, I think this says more about the US and our convenience over culinary experiences and freshness than it doesn about BNH.