{"id":213076,"date":"2020-09-05T07:40:16","date_gmt":"2020-09-05T07:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=213076"},"modified":"2020-09-08T06:55:29","modified_gmt":"2020-09-08T06:55:29","slug":"belgraders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=213076","title":{"rendered":"Belgraders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Linh Dinh \u2013 The Unz Review Sept 4, 2020<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Belgrade 2020. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

Even if you\u2019re somewhere for decades, you only get the briefest glimpses of most people\u2019s lives. Traveling, this is even truer. A glancing brush on the sidewalk can still resonate, however. Walk-ons and extras all, we still deserve to be read.<\/h5>\n
In Joyce\u2019s \u201cThe Dead,\u201d the coat girl has but two lines, but who can forget this declaration, delivered with \u201cgreat bitterness,\u201d \u201cThe men that is now is only all palaver and what they can get out of you.\u201d<\/h5>\n
In Orwell\u2019s \u201cSuch, Such Were the Joys,\u201d there is this frightful sketch, \u201cThere was a new boy named Bachelor, a pretty, mother\u2019s darling of a boy, who came a little while before I left. The first thing I noticed about him was the beautiful pearly whiteness of his teeth. By the end of that term his teeth were an extraordinary shade of green.\u201d<\/h5>\n
Belgrade in summer is hotter than I expected. Passing Caffe Lo\u017ea, I noticed an \u201cOLD ROUTE 66\u201d sign and \u201cTimes Square\u201d license plate among its decoration, so I entered. Inside, I saw pictures of a San Francisco streetcar, the Titanic, Uncle Sam, James Bond and even Mark Twain<\/a><\/span>, etc., but no Marilyn Monroe, Elvis or James Dean.<\/h5>\n
\"\"<\/a>Not all minor temples to America<\/a><\/span> are the same. What really set Caffe Lo\u017ea apart, though, was a mural of John Trumbull\u2019s General George Washington<\/a><\/span> Resigning His Commission!<\/h5>\n
\u201cWow, look at that!\u201d I said to the young waiter<\/span><\/a>.<\/h5>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s George Washington.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cI know, but why is it on this wall?!\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how to explain, but Lo\u017ea is, ah, like a political organization.\u201d<\/h5>\n
Washington was a Freemason, I think he\u2019s trying to say.<\/h5>\n
Since I was the only customer, we had time to talk, though he couldn\u2019t help but look down at his phone often. Real life can\u2019t command his complete attention.<\/h5>\n
Practicing English, he asked me basic questions, \u201cHow long have you been in Serbia?\u201d \u201cWhat do you think of Serbia?\u201d \u201cDo you like Serbian food?\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cI like Belgrade very much,\u201d I said. \u201cPeople here are very relaxed, and there are cafes and bars everywhere.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cHere, everybody drinks every day,\u201d he smiled. \u201cAfter work, I go to see my girlfriend, then I go drink beer with my friends.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cEvery day?!\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cEvery day.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s expensive.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cNot really. Almost every place here, a beer is only 150 dinars [$1.41].\u201d<\/h5>\n
I\u2019m assuming he\u2019s living with his parents, so pays no rent. It\u2019s common to have three generations under one roof. During the Socialist years, two families routinely shared one apartment.<\/h5>\n
There are no trash days in Serbia. You take garbage to public dumpsters. The destitute dig through these to scavenge glass bottles and aluminum cans. I doubt they can afford to drink every day.<\/h5>\n
In Hong Kong and South Korea, old people collect cardboard boxes to resell. White haired and bent over, they push laden carts down busy streets. Even when clearly visible, bottom dwellers are not quite seen, not until you become one of them, usually.<\/h5>\n
\"\"<\/a>Just launched into adulthood, the Caffe Lo\u017ea waiter anticipates an infinity of conquests and adventures. He\u2019s already run around a bit. Rome, Moscow, Vienna\u2026 Last year, he took a two-week vacation to Turkey.<\/h5>\n
\u201cSerbs, Turkish, we have an ugly history, but Turkey is very nice, the food is great, and the people are very nice. It is the cheapest vacation. Many Serbs go.\u201d<\/h5>\n
He\u2019s been to Hungary three times. \u201cHungary, I don\u2019t like. Serbs don\u2019t like Hungarians too much\u2026\u201d He paused to think about it and reload his English. \u201cWe\u2019re Orthodox. They\u2019re Catholics. Orthodox and Catholics, there is a problem. We\u2019re close to Russians.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cBut Serbs don\u2019t like Romanians.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he laughed.<\/h5>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re Orthodox, and Serbs also don\u2019t like Bulgarians, right?\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he laughed even harder.<\/h5>\n
\u201cNeighbors are like that. Everywhere, you have neighbors hating each other. Well, not always, but usually.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cLike China and Japan.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cOr Cambodia and Vietnam. Cambodians really hate Vietnamese.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cVietnam invaded Cambodia, took a lot of their land.\u201d<\/h5>\n
He tried to go to the US, but couldn\u2019t get a visa, so with much regret, he hasn\u2019t had a chance to frolic on Waikiki Beach, Sunset Boulevard, the Magnificent Mile, Vegas Strip, Route 66, Times Square or Fifth Avenue, etc., but at America\u2019s current rate of self-destruction, these hyped icons will be no more than desolate, smoldering ruins by the time he gets there, even if it\u2019s next year.<\/h5>\n
*<\/h5>\n
I waited for Novak \u201cby the horse,\u201d what locals call the equestrian statue of Knjaz Mihailo. Amazingly, he had no problem singling me out. Disregarding social distancing guidelines, we shook hands, then went around the corner to a microbrew pub.<\/h5>\n
Sixty-years-old, Novak grew up just around the corner. \u201cI was a poor kid in a rich neighborhood. That affected me. During Christmas break, my friends would go skiing. During summer vacation, they\u2019d go to the seaside or overseas. When they asked me what I did, I said, \u2018I fished on the Danube.\u2019\u201d Novak laughed. \u201cMy girlfriend asked, \u2018Why do you keep wearing these old pants?\u2019 She didn\u2019t know we had no money to buy new clothes.\u201d<\/h5>\n
A top math student, Novak studied electrical engineering in college, then got a pretty good job. Still, \u201cI\u2019d see someone driving around in a Porsche or a Mercedes Benz. Even with my high salary, by local standards, it would have taken me two years just to buy a Yugo!\u201d<\/h5>\n
He had already visited the US in 1977. \u201cI had two half sisters in New Jersey, in Netcong. It\u2019s about an hour west of New York. One worked at a supermarket, and her husband was a schoolbus driver. When I was there, they had a huge barbecue and invited all their coworkers. My brother-in-law said to me, \u2018Look at all this meat! Isn\u2019t America a paradise?\u2019 It\u2019s nice enough, I thought, but I could never, ever live here.\u201d<\/h5>\n
With his career at an impass and war impending, Novak returned to the US in 1989. \u201cMy sister suggested I pay two thousand bucks to marry this \u2018nice\u2019 Mexican woman with four kids, but I pointed to my forehead and said, \u2018If I can\u2019t use this head to stay, I\u2019m not going to use the other one.\u2019\u201d<\/h5>\n
Advised by an immigration lawyer, Novak then sent out hundreds of resumes. \u201cI had never done this before. It was a big shock for my vanity. Many places doubted my qualifications. Some asked: \u201cDid you have real computers in\u2026 what is that country again?\u201d<\/h5>\n
Finally, Novak got hired by a Manhattan consultancy. \u201cI started at $34K, then moved up to 40K. Although they treated me well, they also got a great deal because they were pimping me out at $117 an hour!\u201d<\/h5>\n
Novak would then work for a handful of Fortune 500 companies. He married a Serbian in New York, and they had two daughters. In 2006, Novak was sent to Paris, where he stayed until 2013. His marriage collapsed.<\/h5>\n
Ending up in North Carolina for work, Novak dated a black Army veteran. \u201cShe often used military slogans in her speech, such as, \u2018Lead, follow or get out the way.\u2019\u201d Worse, her relatives didn\u2019t exactly warm up to Novak. \u201cThey liked the \u2018weird Serb part,\u2019 but not the \u2018white\u2019 part.\u201d<\/h5>\n
The South had its comforts. Novak loved the food, \u201cNice and greasy, works for me every time,\u201d and he shared the North Carolinian\u2019s fondness for beer.<\/h5>\n
In 2016, Novak returned to Belgrade, to the very apartment he grew up in. As we walked around, he evoked memories and associations everywhere.<\/h5>\n
Momo Kapor lived two blocks from here. Ivo Andri\u0107 lived there. This shop with colorful ties was owned by the first openly gay man in Belgrade. It was a big deal then. This was the first Chinese restaurant. Although it was run by the government, it did have a Chinese cook. When Starbucks first opened, there was a line out to here.<\/h5>\n
There was a bar here, Dobra Kapljica. When I was three-years-old, an uncle would take me here and have me drink the beer foam. He also showed me how to bang on the table to ask for another beer.<\/h5>\n
For about a year during the 90\u2019s, inflation was so high that as soon as you got paid, you would run out to exchange it for some foreign currency, or you\u2019d run to the store to buy whatever. At a restaurant, you had to pay at the beginning of a meal, because it would cost more at the end of it. Too many Serbs prayed to become billionaires, and it actually happened. Five billion dinars would get you one sardine out of a can.<\/h5>\n
When the Americans bombed Belgrade in 1999, they would sometimes announce their targets. Knowing Branko\u2019s Bridge would be hit, hundreds of university students converged on it every night, so it was actually spared. The Americans couldn\u2019t afford such a public relation disaster.<\/h5>\n
Here is the Monument of Gratitude to France, erected after World War I. As you can see, there are French and Serb soldiers, with different hats. When NATO bombed Belgrade, it was covered in a black cloth.<\/h5>\n
At the Belgrade Zoo, there\u2019s a small archway called \u201cMonica\u2019s Strait,\u201d and there\u2019s a viper named Madeleine, after Albright.<\/h5>\n
When I was 13, my mother took me here for basketball practices. You know you\u2019re a nerd when you mother takes you to basketball practices. I was laughed out of the court.<\/h5>\n
How people curse is revealing. Novak shared with me some Serbian invectives, \u201cGo fuck your own picture,\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll fuck your bloody child,\u201d \u201cMay you kiss your father\u2019s cold forehead\u201d and, to a woman, \u201cMay you find the taste of cocks disgusting.\u201d When someone farts, you can slap him with, \u201cMay that be the music at your funeral.\u201d A twelve-trombone send-off doesn\u2019t sound too bad\u2026<\/h5>\n
Time for a joke?<\/h5>\n
\u201cI heard this from an army major. It\u2019s a part of my military brainwashing, I think. Different nationalities were asked how many watermelons they could carry. Modest, the Hungarian said, \u2018I can carry one,\u2019 then the Romanian said, \u2018I can carry two, one under each arm.\u2019<\/h5>\n
\u201cThe Bulgarian, he said, \u2018I can carry three!\u2019 Everyone objected, \u2018How can you carry three?!\u2019 \u2018Easy, one with each hand, and one on my cock.\u2019<\/h5>\n
\u201cThen the Serb said, \u2018I can carry five!\u2019 \u2018That\u2019s impossible!\u2019 everyone shouted. \u2018It\u2019s easy. I can carry one under each arm, and the Bulgarian on my cock.\u2019\u201d<\/h5>\n
In 2016, Novak returned to Belgrade to retire, only to resume working after a trip to Thailand. \u201cMy daughter was in Bangkok for a semester, I visited her and fell in love with Thailand.\u201d<\/h5>\n
Although Novak managed to get a well paying job there, he only lasted a year. \u201cI got bored. How can you be bored in a city of ten million people? I don\u2019t know, but I got bored.\u201d<\/h5>\n
Back in Belgrade, he\u2019s still restless, however. \u201cI may have a job offer in Hanoi.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cHave you been there?\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cHanoi is OK, but if you got bored with Bangkok\u2026\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cIt will take me at least a year to decide.\u201d<\/h5>\n
Before me, Novak had met just one Vietnamese. \u201cI had a coworker, called Vu. He was always very tense, I don\u2019t know why. Our boss was British, real tight upper lip. The company won a massive project that would take at least six months to complete, and the boss turned to Vu and said, \u2018I\u2019m sure Vu can get it by tomorrow\u2019 The next morning, Vu came in looking like a wreck.\u201d Novak chuckled at the memory. \u201cVu was profusely apologizing to the boss, \u2018I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m sorry, but I just couldn\u2019t get it done.\u2019\u201d<\/h5>\n
By now, we were having dinner at Vuk. \u201cThis place is very old fashioned. The waiters are first-rate. For most of them, it\u2019s a lifelong profession.\u201d<\/h5>\n
We finished our meal with some gibanica. \u201cMy mother told me that during World War II, the chetniks would show up at a house and ask for a gibanica. When my grandpa gave them a burnt one, he almost got his throat slashed!\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s absurd!\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cWell, if you\u2019re armed and have all that power. He pissed off their commander.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cSo what happened?\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cSomeone higher up in the village intervened. \u201d<\/h5>\n
War needs psychopaths, simple as that, for temperate folks don\u2019t care to witness spilled entrails, inhale charred human flesh or have hot shit running down their pants. Even in a donnybrook, would you rather have toxic pricks or pensive sissies on your side?<\/h5>\n
*<\/h5>\n
Savka survived the last war here, but barely. A Serb in Croatia, she fled to Belgrade, but has been homeless for 28 years.<\/h5>\n
\u201cTwenty-eight years?!\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cYes, 28 years,\u201d she smiled, showing no front teeth.<\/h5>\n
\u201cWere you a student then?\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cWhat did you study?\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cMath.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\"\"<\/a>This night, Savka<\/a><\/span> was a DJ at Kandinsky Bar<\/span><\/a>, and she played Led Zeppelin, AC\/DC, Rush, Elton John, Beatles, Bowie, Dylan and R.E.M., etc.<\/h5>\n
\u201cYou like?\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u201cThis is what I listened to in high school.\u201d<\/h5>\n
One moment, you\u2019re immersed in calculus, then suddenly, you\u2019re running for your life and scrounging for everything, like an animal, though you\u2019re relieved to not be punctured, shredded or crushed. Only figuratively destroyed, you push forward, and before you know it, your pitiful role is almost over, so that, finally, you\u2019ll be equal to everybody else.<\/h5>\n
Still, Savka flashed the biggest smile, showing nothing but joy, toughness and gums.<\/h5>\n
The bright bar had people of all ages, plus a lounging dog<\/span><\/a>. The NO SMOKING<\/span><\/a> sign was clearly meant as a joke, for there were ashtrays all over. In the bathroom, there were six poems<\/span><\/a>, pinned to a corkboard. A nine-year-old boy wore a \u201cGOOD VIBES\u201d T-shirt.<\/h5>\n
Here and now, at least, life\u2019s normal, and that\u2019s more than good enough. Maskless, Serbian smiles blossom.<\/h5>\n
Linh Dinh\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> latest book is Postcards from the End of America<\/a><\/span>. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/h5>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even when clearly visible, bottom dwellers are not quite seen, not until you become one of them, usually. Linh Dinh reflects on a recent trip to Belgrade<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=213076"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213107,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213076\/revisions\/213107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=213076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=213076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=213076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}