Was using this as a bookmark in a book I apparently gave up on in Lviv last fall:
Apparently I got a bit distracted by the coffee and chocolate and cafes, which is exactly what Lviv's PR guys promised me I would. I don't remember anything from the page I was reading but I do remember this little "free info" advertisement card. It reads:
"FOLK ART MARKET. Would definitely recommend coming here! A lovely market with lots of colorful folk jackets and clothes. Painted Easter eggs were fantastic."
This does indeed leave us with the chicken or the painted egg question. Which came first, this meticulously spell checked ad, or oddly worded recommendation that sounds like it came out of a Japanese-produced English-language guidebook?
It reminded me of something I found in a made-for-tourists Lviv In Your Pocket, a sort of advertment/listing/recommendation that seemed a bit off (emphasis mine):
Jewish Pid Zolotoiu Rozoyu C-4, Staroyevreis‘ka 48, near the Synagogue, tel. (+380) 32 236 75 53. This Jewish restaurant is located downhill from the ruins of the Golden Rose Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Ukraine. The outdoor seating is exceptional and helps make this a dining hotspot. Here are a few things to know before you go. 1. There are no prices listed on the menu as you are expected to barter. Being a foreigner, they‘re likely to just quote you a reasonable price. 2. For the right price you can secretly arrange to have your waiter smuggle in some pork dishes. How kosher is this place? 3. They offer a fantastic selection of salads, vegetable dishes, Galician desserts and traditional Jewish breads. 4. For a taste of Lviv you‘ll never forget, try the homemade vodka. QOpen 11:00 - 01:00.
As the "In Your Pocket" guides are locally produced, it is not a leap to assume the restaurant itself wrote this listing. Is my gut feeling right, that it is a bit odd to advertise that your restaurant is up for bartering and you can bribe your waiter to "smuggle in some pork dishes," or is this what today's backpacker through Eastern Europe wants to read? I suppose so - I remember having a laugh for several days at Bucharest's "In Your Pocket," which boldly declares something to the effect of: "If you have arrived in Bucharest by bus or coach, then something is seriously wrong with your life and no guidebook can ever remedy it."
Speaking of "bartering," here is the back of the ad for the above market:
"It's worth having a bit of a haggle as the first asking price may be a mischievous roll of the dice from the point of view of the seller." Yes, Lviv, this is what us backpackers deserve for "pottering about" and exoticising eastern Europe, raging on in bars and hostels during our travels bragging about our "authentic experiences," which include moonshine, broken down transport and great bargains - "if you know how to haggle." I just hope Central Asia doesn't start trying to somehow market "mystery meat" before the next time I get there.
