What Not to Carry Across a Romanian Parking Lot

From Eric --

One of the things that Carolyn commented about when we arrived was the extraordinary number of stray dogs in Romania. You know how that goes. Comments like these are always based on the eyes of the beholder. Stray dogs. One here and one there, I thought. OK, I can handle that. I often see stray dogs here and there in Indiana. Wrong. In the states, most households own a dog. In Romania, few own dogs. However, all parking lots have their stray dogs. So do shopping centers and schools and roadways and parks and streets and alleys. Lots of stray dogs. In fact Carolyn has been bitten 5 times since she has been here for 15 years. Given my astute mathematical skills that works out to once every three years. Not good odds for Carolyn but since I will only be here for 9 days, I am rather safe. (You can figure out the odds, if you have nothing else to do!) Rather safe I thought……. Really low odds of getting bitten. Low odds I thought until last night…..

Last night we decided to walk to the local grocery store to get one of those baked chickens for dinner. Aren’t they great and quick and easy? Just the same way here in Romania. We picked out 2 nice juicy ones, they got wrapped in paper, and put in a plastic bag. Yummy and hot!

As we got to Carolyn’s parking lot, she saw some of her friends that she wanted us to meet. So we stopped to meet them. Not wanting to push my odds with the stray dogs, I always take the circuitous route avoiding the most stray dogs. Standing there doing the common introductory courtesies, “Hello” and “Great to meet you”, and “Why are you here in Romania?”
Here is the pressing question for this story: Do you know what you do not carry across the parking lot in Romania?
As the conversation in the parking lot proceeded, I noticed something. Dog after dog after dog was getting up and walking closer and closer to me. I now know what you don’t carry across a Romanian parking lot: Two, hot, juicy, cooked, smelly, yummy chickens. Do you know what stray dogs like more than ever at dinner time? Cooked chickens are at the top of the list. No, I did not get bitten and neither did Carolyn. But my greatest accomplishment last night was smuggling two cooked, deliciously smelly chickens past the parking lot stray dogs. (OK, OK, we admit, we saved the chicken skin for the dogs and well after I went to bed, Carol, Kristen, Greta and Carolyn threw the chicken skin out the window to the dogs. Maybe they will remember next time and be nice to Carolyn the next time they get ornery!)

Note from Kristen: Tomorrow morning, we head into the mountains near Peles (I think). Internet access may be limited so if we don't post for a couple days, that's why! But I'm sure there will be many good stories after that. Stay tuned! :)