I posted the “How Are You” on the Facebook groups for grieving parents (I am member of two such groups). This next piece is for you. I read through every single response. I didn’t reply in the moment, but please know how much each one meant to me. What I wrote was deeply personal, but…… Continue reading Saint Alexander (Sf. Alexandru)
Category: English
Don Steffano – Confessions Of A Romanian Chatterbox
Life With Dogs
This post is written by Irina. It is her perspective on the little drama that took place at our house on Friday night into Saturday, captured from midnight chats with friends on Whatsapp. When I chime in, I will use Italics. Also, I translated it (duh) and I changed a bit here and there. So……… Continue reading Life With Dogs
When “How Are You?” Isn’t Small Talk
Two days ago, I had a brief, unexpected conversation with my doctor’s assistant and I haven’t been able to stop replaying it since. This morning, while walking the dogs, the dialogue echoed in my head with the strange clarity of a dream you can’t quite shake. It started the way most every interaction in this…… Continue reading When “How Are You?” Isn’t Small Talk
A So-Called Update
I stumbled upon the domain donsteffano.com and, naturally, I snatched it (my friends know why naturally). Years ago, it was taken. Two weeks ago, it was available. Apparently, the internet decided that I had waited long enough. Useless information: it’s on WordPress, and I’m keeping the basic plan. I don’t foresee anything fancy happening there.…… Continue reading A So-Called Update
Chocolate Cake
The Base We started with a triple chocolate brownie mix and followed the recipe on the box, with a few minor adjustments (per YouTube cooking gods): Replaced the oil with butter. Added two extra eggs. Once cooled, the brownie was sliced horizontally into two layers. The operation proved challenging because the brownie had achieved approximately…… Continue reading Chocolate Cake
Breakfast Strata
The original recipe is here. INGREDIENTS I adapted and changed it and based of what I had in my kitchen: 4 tablespoons neutral oil (?), divided 5 thin Costco cabanos-like smoked beef sausages 1 big, whole sweet yellow onion 2-4 garlic cloves 4-5 ounces baby spinach 6 large eggs 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 4…… Continue reading Breakfast Strata
Zacapa 23 – Centenario
This wonderful rum from Guatemala deserves a story, not a simple review. It is a story about how it found its way into my life, blended with my own, and in doing so, became our story. Bucharest, spring of 2019. I was drowning in sadness, melancholy, and homesickness. I was tired of pretending that everything…… Continue reading Zacapa 23 – Centenario
Blanton’s
My resolve to review what I drink began with enthusiasm. That was before I opened my photo library and saw the evidence. The sheer number of bottles staring back at me was somewhere between astonishing, head-spinning, and demoralizing. I took a deep breath, poured a glass, and decided to keep going anyway. I thought about…… Continue reading Blanton’s
July 4th – America 250
Cacti Edition This Celebration, in my view, is a wonderful occasion filled with joy and gratitude. And yet, the following quote perfectly summarizes my feelings and, it seems, not only mime: “If you’re feeling sadness, grief, or ambivalence about celebrating the 4th of July this year, that’s actually a sign of how deeply you love…… Continue reading July 4th – America 250
The Cooking Lesson
Before we get to the recipe, the customary blah-blah-blah. Being the nice guy that I am, I won’t make you scroll through a million ads before getting to the actual recipe. And yet, a few things need to be said first. How did we end up cooking at Rita’s? Nobody remembers exactly how it started,…… Continue reading The Cooking Lesson
The Influencer Wannabe
I decided, at some point in my life, like three days ago, that I should become an influencer. But not any kind of influencer, but one who tastes bourbon, whiskey, gin, and other liquors. Not drinks it. Not pours it into a glass, drinks it all, and then contemplates poor life decisions. Nooo, tastes it.…… Continue reading The Influencer Wannabe
The Beginning
1. The Arrival At any Romanian gathering, the most frequent conversation starter is, “How did you get here?” The answers range from the wise guy’s “This is just where the plane landed,” to sprawling, cinematic epics involving swimming across the Danube, gunfire, and prison cells. Whenever I try to tell our story – that we actually…… Continue reading The Beginning
Gone In 20 Seconds
Varianta în Românește este aici After a hectic, almost-all-day Sunday, things finally started to feel more relaxed. It started as a quiet evening walking the dogs around the neighborhood, great weather, not a worry in the world. To seize the already full and manic day, I rewarded them with a walk in the park behind…… Continue reading Gone In 20 Seconds
Mama Baloo – English Version
I was out this morning with the boys on the backstreets through the old part of the neighborhood, the part with big, beautiful houses, spacious yards, and all kinds of farm animals. One neighbor has goats, another has chickens, another has cows, but everyone has horses and dogs. Oh yes. And cats! My boys know…… Continue reading Mama Baloo – English Version
In Praise of Romanian Tradesmen
As is well known across two continents, we remodeled our kitchen. It took about six months, during which time I got to know the company’s entire crew of tradesmen. I documented the whole saga elsewhere. I tipped them well; I even gave them bottles of decent bourbon. All for nothing. I don’t think they worked…… Continue reading In Praise of Romanian Tradesmen
Ana – Funeral
I was entrusted with putting together a visual tribute using photos and videos from Ana’s funeral. The final video turned out to be quite large, so to make it easier for everyone to access, I uploaded it to my blog. Since the video includes copyrighted music, I chose to host it on my website to…… Continue reading Ana – Funeral
The Nail
Journal of The Kitchen Apocalypse
This is a fluid post; it will be updated every time something else happens. And many things happened … so many things …
Poop: The Proof That We Are Still Alive
There are many ways to measure a life. Some people count years.Some count achievements.Some count disappointments.Some count challenges. I think a more honest method is this:You count your poops. Because as long as you poop, you are still here. I poop, therefore I am. Still involved in the complicated contract between food, booze, joy, and…… Continue reading Poop: The Proof That We Are Still Alive
Barely Existing
Day after day, I realize that I’m not really living. I barely exist. When I lost my job, people rushed in with comforting phrases: “It’s a blessing in disguise.” “Something better will come.”“Everything happens for a reason.” (I heard that one before three years ago – the words are still hollow). And none of them…… Continue reading Barely Existing
The American Athlete
A view by yours truly, in regards to NBC’s broadcasting style The American Athlete is perfect and always deserves a gold medal. Sometimes mistakes are made, and the American athlete loses said gold, not because he or she is not the best, but by mistake, of course, never because a competitor was better. The only…… Continue reading The American Athlete
