Episode 102
Halo dragi prijatelji!
If you’ve ever been concerned with being a grateful guest when invited to coffee or a meal with a Croatian family, we have the perfect episode for you!
We’ll learn more words for the dinner table and phrases of appreciation.
Important stuff!
Lesson
guests - gosti
good apetite - dobar tek
delicious - ukusno
exquisite - izvrsan
Super Slatko Report
In this edition of the Super Slatko Report, DJ Moe adds more to the lesson. With a little help and guidance from a Croatian cousin, he’ll give us more tips and suggestions on how to be a gracious guest. Learn with us!
So to follow up on this lesson and great topic from listener Ellen, let’s talk about a few scenarios and suggestions on how you could navigate through them.
Let’s get started.
When meeting someone:
More for adults than kids/younger crowd. You usually greet someone with a light kiss on each cheek, first right then left. This is by no means means to be romantic, merely a greeting; so men and women are free to dish them out as they see fit. It’s also common for someone to take your hands in theirs during this polite exchange. Hugs are also a good move and common.
When you are invited over for a meal?
In this situation a perfectly acceptable item to bring would be a bottle of wine or something sweet. I will say when my family and I are in Croatia and we are invited over to someone’s home for a meal, we usually come with our kids in tow. So we bring both, wine and ice cream, this way the adults will have the wine and when it’s time for ice cream, everyone can take part and have some.
Also, lunch is usually the larger meal for the day. If you are invited for lunch, come hungry as the host will usually have a few different dishes lined up for you.
When you invite someone out for a meal/drink/coffee:
If you invite you should pay the tab. This is A nice way to return the favor if someone had you over to their home where they likely hosted you warmly. When the bill comes make sure you are the one to receive it to avoid the, "I’ll pay" game that goes back and forth.
*Quick note on Tipping:
Tipping is accepted and ranges anywhere from 5-20%.
Food & drinks 5-10-15% depending on the type of meal you had.
While tour guides, boat captains and services are usually 10-20%.
Cousin Ana recommends 1-2 euros at a bar and 3-5 at a restaurant. Obviously scale it up if you are in a larger party.
When going into shops
This is a good one as there are tons of small shops and vendors everywhere that you’ll pop-in and out of. It’s a good habit to say hello when you walk in and say goodbye when you walk out. “Dobar dan” and “doviđénja” are great for this. This alerts the shop keeper you are there and is a polite thing to do in general.
When you pass people walking around town or public places.
The nice thing/respectful thing to do when passing someone in public is to say hello whether you know them or not. A simple “dobro jutro” or “dobar dan” is all you need. Leave it up to them to respond, they usually will. In my father in laws village, when I would walk around in the morning on my way to the market, I would pass people and say “dobro jutro” and they would say “jutro” back; their way of saying “mornin.’”
When you are offered something at someone’s home
It’s polite to take it. No thank you is ok too, but if they made a point to receive you, best to take it.
Formal visits like these are usually arranged in advance, the person who you are visiting is expecting to host you, so let them. They most likely picked up things for this visit specifically to offer you, it’s a good idea to accept the offering and try and some, you’ll probably like it!
And that’s it for the Super Slatko Report.
