Come to think of it, there isn’t a lot known about the Czech Republic internationally. But here are some things you would probably know only if you lived here-
1. Czech names and surnames-
Czechs use traditional Czech names and surnames, both of which are gendered. Many first names have masculine and feminine versions. For instance, Pavlína/Pavel, Josefina/Josef, etc. Surnames are gendered too, and it is considered extremely unusual for people, especially married women, to not follow the norms. There are set suffixes to distinguish the two. For instance, Novák and Černý are masculine and Nováková and Černá are feminine. Most women take on the feminine surnames of their husbands after marriage, though a few may not. Even fewer use non-binary versions. Both are generally frowned upon. Children of unmarried couples take on the father’s surname.
What’s more- Czechs even change the names of foreigners while talking about them in Czech on the news or in translated literature. For instance, her name is written as J K Rowlingová in Czech translations of Harry Potter, and the names of movie characters and actors are Czech-ified in subtitles, dubbing, and credits. A street in Prague is named Thákurova after Rabindranath Tagore. It may seem puzzling to Indians as we may not immediately associate Thakur with Tagore, and also because Tagore was male and the “ova” suffix is added to females.
2. Villages still use well water-
This one really surprised me as I did not expect something like this in a developed country. There are many villages that use local wells for water. They even actively build wells to access water freely on a regular basis. The reason for this is that it is hard to get access to municipal water in several villages. It is also expensive to do so, and people using the water must pay for it. So, the solution lies in a local well if the region supports one. As opposed to the water provided by the state, people do not have to pay for this. Contrary to what one might think, people living in the villages are not necessarily poor. Czechs prefer to live in villages and commute to work (yay global warming) for many reasons- nature, quieter, safer, fewer people, bigger homes, more space, more family friendly, etc. So, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of villages all over the country of different sizes ranging from a few thousand inhabitants to literally just two homes. Usually, these wells are used in the smaller ones as it costs the government more to maintain water pipelines to these. Also, people often have their own water tanks that get refilled when a government tanker is driven in at regular intervals.
3. Czechs go to Poland for groceries-
Czech Republic and Poland share a border. While I’ve heard mixed views about Polish people, Czechs almost unanimously agree that everything is better quality in Poland and costs less money. By everything, they literally mean everything. I’ve heard so many stories of people getting not only fresh vegetables, milk and milk products, meat, alcohol, cosmetics, and clothes, but also furniture, raw material for construction work, and electronics. People from all over the country make trips to buy things like furniture and raw materials as they can cost as less as a third of the price here. But many of those living close to the border make weekly trips to get their groceries. It barely takes an hour by car, so even if they leave after breakfast, they can literally make it back with a bottle of wine in time for lunch.
4. Confusing laws and bureaucracy-
Dealing with Czech bureaucracy is an experience that makes you rather invincible in life. Once you have faced this, you can walk around with imaginary badges declaring you Brave Conquerer of Frustrationland. Be proud. You made it.
While it’s annoying even for Czech people, it can be particularly challenging for foreigners as the system is extremely difficult to navigate and there are no provisions. Everything must be exactly as they ask, no matter how outdated, inconvenient, difficult, or contrary it may seem. For instance, if you want A, you need B and C. You cannot get B without having C and you cannot get C without A. To procure C, you must prove you have B, then get D. Oh, and there’s probably a loophole that makes you ineligible for A anyway. Sounds confusing? That’s because it is.
However, I’ve noticed some curious twists in some cases. The top two examples are regarding laws for prostitution and downloading pirated movies. Prostitution is illegal, except when you don’t call it that. If you don’t call it prostitution, it is legal. In an even more mind-bending twist, it is illegal to record or create or share or sell pirated content. But, wait for it, it is legal to download it. So if you see pirated content online, it shouldn’t be there as no one should be putting it out there, but it is legal for you to look for it and download it. But it shouldn’t be there. But you can find it and download it… Should I keep going? You get the drift, right.
5. Everything is paid in restaurants-
Stay with me on this one. Of course, I don’t mean that restaurants should just give food away for free. But over here, everything- everything- is paid.
A recent trip to a South Indian restaurant in Prague made me think about this after ages. The Indian friend I was there with was talking about the measly amount of sambar and chutney served and was wondering if they would offer more. One of the best things about eating in these restaurants in India is the unlimited amount of accompaniments you get for free. And the cherry on the cake (or should I say tadka in the chutney?) is how happily they give it to you. When in India, cherish that, people… as it’s definitely not the case in restaurants here. The waitress, who was an Indian, was quite embarrassed to tell us that each bowl of sambar or chutney would be charged 70 koruna (about 250 rupees).
It’s the same with many other accompaniments. You have to pay extra for ketchup. If you order water, and yes- it’s gotta be ordered, you have to specifically ask for tap water and it could be free. But many restaurants have a policy against serving tap water, so it must be bottled and they must charge. A few years ago, I actually paid for salt in McDonald’s! I wanted a little extra salt on my fries and asked for it. Little did I know that it would come in a tiny little sachet, for around 5 koruna.
It’s not that I mind paying for it- it just seems a bit petty when you come from a culture that prides itself in a) feeding people heartily, and b) avoids thinking about food in strictly transactional terms.
Did you already know any of these? Let me know which surprised you the most.
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