Sat, 13 May 2017, 10:54 am: You’ll spy with your little eye a bit of the Czech Republic in the pleasant aftermath of a wine social here in Arcadia last night, and I have two of my favorite people on the continent to thank for it.
That pack of colorful stick-ons is made by Tescoma, a Czech company originated in the town of Zlin in 1992 that soon opened branches in Slovakia, Italy, and Poland.
Each pliable plastic piece is a different-colored sea creature with a suction cup. You affix it to your wine glass, and then you always know which glass is yours.
Yesterday after being sprung from the day job (’tis true, I still require exterior employment while “Matt, Take Me to Europe” incubates as a millionaire-maker) I had a few fellow teachers over to celebrate the weekend and to toast the impending out-of-state move of one of our own. It was the first occasion at my house where there were enough wine drinkers to necessitate some sort of “hey, is that my glass of white or his?” clarification system.
I have been to Prague seven times, but I’ve never found a Tescoma store or bought any of their products. These little pretties were a Christmas gift from Denisa and Martin, who live in Olomouc in the Czech Republic. (You’ll see them in many blog posts here in the future.) They spent the 2015 holidays with my family and me in Florida, stuffing my stocking with many delightful Czech kitchen tools and trinkets. Also thanks to them my supply of Czech soap and beer shampoo was restocked that Christmas. Still have plenty!
In the years that I don’t make it back to Prague, it’s wonderful to have small bits of my favorite city interspersed in my ’round-the-house life. From Christmas tree ornaments to bottles of liquor to paintings to random cute gifts from foreign loved ones, souvenirs keep the Czech Republic in my house when I can’t be in the Czech Republic. Dekuji, Denisa and Martin!
I didn’t even have to stage it, but in addition to the Tescoma suction cup critters, there are two other Prague reminders in this photo. The small painting leaning against the wall was purchased in 2011 and is of some of the spires in the city, and the blue tumbler glasses at the top right are part of the crystal set we bought in Prague in 2013.