Today we went “crate digging.” The students in me and Dj Goce’s group all piled into taxis and went to the town center. There was an open air market where used books and used vinyl was being sold.
This process has been really pleasurable and improvisational. The students then went on pick samples and beats to go with the poems and raps they wrote.
Some dope projects emerged. They even sampled my voice.
Later DJ Goce took me under another student out to dinner as a way to redeem Macedonia’s culinary reputation. The food at the hotel was bland and forgettable, and Goce described it as “prison food.” I must admit, that I was silently operating under the impression that Macedonian food was just “blah.” I was wrong. Very wrong. The food has a Mediterranean flair, is diverse in ingredient choices, and highly flavored. Some standouts were the fried goat cheese, The sautéed peppers salad, The whipped garlic sauce to be used as a condiment, and of course the minced meats wrapped in locally grown pork and filled with home made cheeses.
I was also introduced to rakia, which is Macedonia’s version of moonshine. Although it was made with grapes, it was very strong!
Check out the video here: