I went to an event a few weeks ago, started a conversation with an Irish farmer by the name of Steve (super nice guy) and shared with him that last year I made pumpkin pie Romanian-style (rolled in filo dough). So before I know it, I'm standing there with a pie pumpkin in my arms courtesy of farmer Steve.

So I ventured to make American-style pumpkin pie based on a recipe from pickyourown.org. I used brown sugar splenda blend and condensed goat milk instead of condensed milk. For crust I used a Whole Foods whole wheat granola crust. I added lemon and lemon zest which are not mentioned in the recipe. My pie didn't look so great but it tastes spicy sweet, a touch zesty, and like real pumpkin. Someone close to me who doesn't like pumpkin pie tried it out and loved it.

You may wonder why go through the trouble instead of using canned pumpkin. Did you know that canned pumpkin is not usually pumpkin but a puree of different kinds of squash? This is why canned pumpkin tastes sweeter, is less stringy and has a lighter color than real pumpkin puree. For the same reason, canned pumpkin doesn't taste as much as pumpkin but rather more like butternut squash.

And it was no trouble at all. It took me 1/2 hour of watching TV for my pumpkin to boil and it was a piece of... pie from there.

I would love to hear your "I'd rather starve than pay this much for a meal" stories.

Corruption Mars Romania's Post-Communist Progress : NPR

It is almost 20 years since the fall of communism in Romania and corruption continues to be part of the every-day.

The story NPR captured here saddened me because it illustrates a culture of entitlement, focused on immediate financial gains (by any means), as well as a lack of long term vision and discipline to make the difficult changes necessary to shed communist practices. Do you think I am making harsh statements? I am, because if there is one thing Romanians are really good at is being direct.

I know people in Romania who fight and work hard and make sacrifices for a better life, people who want to actively contribute to their communities. These people are my heros, and I hate to see how their sacrifices hardly make a dent in the wall of corruption.

The story of the mother who couldn't get medical attention during labor is all too common. I too was born in a Romanian hospital without a doctor or nurse attending to my mother or me because my mother hadn't paid a bribe.  A midwife took pity on my mom because she was roaming the hospital corridors in pain and helped her deliver. That was more than 30 years ago, but I know of little change today.

In Sept. I was in Sibiu, Romania and spent some time with one of my closest childhood friends. She is expecting her first daughter in December. Fearful of delivering in a state-run hospital, and not wanting to pay bribes, she will be traveling to a different city (Cluj), to a private clinic. This involves moving there a few weeks before her due date, high anxiety and high fees. My friend said it would cost her about the same as paying under the table, but at the private clinic she has the confidence that they will be well taken care of. 

Her daughter will be born in December, the month when we celebrate 20-years since the fall of communism in Romania. If some things have not changed since 1989, something has changed--bribes are not the only option any more. The options are expensive and take sacrifice but they exist. That brings me some comfort and also strengthens my belief in private enterprise.