What are people crazy about in the Czech Republic?

Here are some things that people are absolutely crazy about in the Czech Republic, my home for 13 and half years…

1. Beer. Pivo je chleba, say the Czechs(Beer is bread.) Cold. Amber-colored. Refreshing. Filling. Czechs drink more beer per capita than anybody else in the world. At gatherings they discuss various properties of various brands of beer; local microbrews and nation wide brews alike. Men and women both bemoan the ‘selling out’ of international brand Pilsner Urquell to SAB Miller and speak fondly of a time when it was the best beer going.

2. Ice-Hockey. It probably helps that the Czech Republic is a perennial top 4 contender in the World Championships in late spring. During this time the pubs are absolutely brimming with rowdy men and women cheering on the team with martial chants and slogans: Češi do toho! A victory in the championships will spark a nationwide party; a defeat will result in a massive hangover. Win or lose, copious amounts of beer will be consumed.

3. Hiking and mountain biking. If it’s a sunny day with clear skies and warm weather approximately 85 percent* of the population will be out hiking the tree-clad highlands that spread across…well, across most of the country. Senior citizens, toddlers, young couples, middle-aged businessmen…youll see them all working up a sweat on the slopes. Hiking to the top of a mountain to take in the magnificent views is its own reward of course…but having a pub that serves beer at the top certainly helps.

*my estimate

4. Sports wear: All this exercise needs a proper costume. Gortex, spandex: Czechs do not take their exercise lightly. No one does it in T-shirts and jeans. Unless they are American or British expats.

 Whether it’s taking a dip in the local pool, walking in the mountains, cycling, playing soccer or skiing, every sport has it’s proper apparel. And the wild bilberries(small blueberries) are everywhere in the summer!

5. Skiing: In the winter theres hiking and cycling. And in the winter: skiing. Besides the many smaller local slopes enjoyed by Czechs every single weekend, many a Czech will spend a week or two a year in the more formidable Alps of Italy or Austria or in the Slovakian Tatras. They start them young, too.

5. Meat. My God, the Czechs love their meat. Sausages—there must be 2 dozen different kinds. Hams; pork products galore. Salami. Bacon. Of many varieties(we get 'anglicky slanina', or English bacon. English colleagues have told me there is nothing English about it.). Family celebrations will often be centred around a mountain of meat piled high on a platter, fresh off the grill, piping hot, dripping with arterially-clogging fat. They have parties and elaborate celebrations centred around the slaughter of pigs. They literally hallucinate Golden Pigs at Christmas! And you know what they wash it down with…

Written 16th May 2016