23 December 2006

Carp Yes, Turkey No, Crackers – Not Yet

Carp & Turkey

Turkeys do vote for Christmas in this region. Something fishy? Yes actually, because carp is the traditional dish of the day to celebrate Christmas. In fact I saw a whole load of carp the other day being sold from a massive storage tank at the side of the street about a mile from Prague’s National Museum on Wenceslas Square.

Indeed, it is said that the best way to prepare your carp is to buy it alive and kicking. The fish is then taken home, and, quite often, kept in the bath until it has to be cooked. How would you feel about killing your Christmas dinner?

Crackers

As for Christmas crackers, they haven’t caught on in Prague yet. Tesco have stocked luxury crackers this year, but they have proved so unpopular that even on 21st December they were already being sold at reduced prices – about £1.50 for 6 luxury crackers (no jokes though). The thing is it seems that nobody knows what they are for. Based on a bar-room discussion it seems our American cousins also don’t have a clue about our Christmas crackers tradition.

A friend who is an English teacher has put the knowledge gap to good use. He’s stocked up on the bargain crackers and used them as a prop for his lessons. If you think about it, if you weren't sure how to "use" crackers, it's not exactly self-evident is it?

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