Apr

Four Meals in Croatia, Part II

Note: Today Jeanine Barone continues her guest post on Croatia, inspired by a Croatian writer, learning about the country through accidental experiences with food.

Destination: Croatia

Book: Croatia: Travels in Undiscovered Country by Tony Fabijansic

(Continued)

3. Batana Boats

A tall, thin man wearing a red and white striped stocking cap and matching long-sleeved shirt rows the flat-bottomed batana boat around a rocky promontory. It’s just four Croatians and me on this dinner “cruise” celebrating this traditional handmade boat that Rovinj’s fisherman have used for centuries. There are no waves or wind on this moonless night as we head to a basement wine cellar at the water’s edge. The only thing guiding our way in the inky night is a small halogen light that one of the men holds and points at the rocky shore. Finally, I glimpse a set of steps that end on the waterfront. We dock beside them and climb up to a stone dwelling where I can hear a woman with a melodious voice singing sweet folk music. She’s joined by string instruments. In the basement that’s pocked with huge wine barrels and a handful of long communal tables, bowls and plates sail out of the small kitchen: a thick fish stew in tomato sauce, sardines in olive oil, anchovies atop arugula, several kinds of whole fish, giant grilled shrimp. It’s me and now 12 Croatians. No one speaks English. But wine jugs are passed around. Glasses are raised and glasses clink for a toast. More fish dishes arrive on the table. I don’t need a translator.

4. Peacocks

Once the ferry drops me on Lokrum Island off of Dubrovnik, I’m alone. The other tourists remain at the sandy beach beside the ferry dock but, with picnic lunch in hand, I wander the narrow tree-lined lanes. The signs are in Croatian so I simply pick a trail and follow it where it may lead. One heads through a wild botanical garden loaded with bamboo, palms, carnivorous plants and roses. All live peacefully together. Each plant is labeled with its origin: New Zealand, Holland, China, and Australia. It’s like a round-the-world trip all within half an acre. Then I take a stony trail that rises to the island’s one hill, the setting for the ruins of a fort. I climb to the top even though neither the stairs nor the floor looks stable. From this vantage point, I gaze across the water at Dubrovnik where yet another immense cruise ship is docking. My picnic lunch of bread, cheese, tomatoes, olives and apples hasn’t been touched. I’m looking for a place that speaks to me as the perfect picnic spot. So I follow another trail that wanders to the other side of the island through a dark wood. It’s so dark, it looks like the noonday sun just switched off. I hear rustling in the brush and am seriously thinking of turning back when I peer through a break in the branches and see peacocks. They are congregating near what looks like a water-filled quarry that’s shaded by an immense umbrella of foliage. I walk to the rocky edge where there are a network of gnarled tree roots and gaze at the seamless turquoise water at the bottom. I take the steps that are cut into the rock leading down to the water where I find a small wood platform for sunning, and picnicking. My only company as I bite into a vine-ripened tomato and freshly baked bread: a lone peacock who left his clan at the top.

Thanks, Jeanine, for this evocative tour of Croatia. So often we learn the most about a country around a dining table. Readers, what experiences have you had with food in a foreign place. What did you learn about a culture by eating and drinking with the residents of a place? Have you read any books on Croatia that we should add to the traveler’s library? Join the discussion. We look forward to hearing from you.