Author Archives: steveschuit

The Yellow Blinking Light: Viktor Orban at the American Crossroads

Wondering where we are headed in the U.S.? It’s here: Viktor Orban 2.0…He’s the Prime Minister of Hungary often quoted and idolized by Trump and his acolytes. He has installed himself, his family, and the thugs that surround him, as the forever illiberal leader of Hungary. He hates immigrants, homosexuals, the EU, and NATO. He has rewritten the Hungarian constitution to, among other things, severely limit the amount of time the opposition has to use TV and radio during campaigns. He closed a major university that he felt challenged his opinions and policies. He has taken over successful Hungarian businesses and awarded them to family members and friends. Trust me, I’ve lived and worked in Hungary. With Trump’s November “Viktory,” welcome to what’s coming our way.

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Transcendent Ramen at the Hands of 3-Russian Chefs in Tallinn

Kolm Sibulat, or 3-Onions, is a pleasant walk from Tallinn’s Old Town

When does ramen leave the realm of the mundane and become something else? The age-old economy and food conveyance of students and struggling proletarians says “I am ready to move on, to be elevated.” Here at Kolm Sibulat, or 3-Onions, three Russian chefs have taken their ramen artistry to new heights. And so too, your budget, where versions of scallop (rear) and beef (foreground) ramen reach $25. Yet, the journey is other worldly. Fresh hand-made noodles, premium beef or seafood, rich broth. The home-made kimchi, where sweetness marries heat, much to my palate’s pleasure, brought wonderment, and requests for more. “Let go,” I told myself, “Allow yourself to be carried away.” And I was. The most delicious ramen imaginable.

Beef Ramen, like no other

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A Powerful Memorial Stands in a Quiet Forest in Eastern Latvia

One of the most precious gifts we receive as State Department English Language Fellows is the opportunity to visit off-the-beaten-path places that lie at the heart of a place’s history and culture…Such was my experience yesterday in a sparse forest just west of our little city of Daugavpils, Latvia. We were introduced to this Memorial to all the Jews killed in Europe, by Anatoly Fishil, 87, a respected local civic leader and member of the small Jewish community here. Each country is represented by an 18th-century headstone of a Jewish person, whose own grave had been bulldozed-over by the former authorities here. Our guide personally created this memorial in 1991, 33-years to the day of our visit. We stood here yesterday, cold, awe-struck and emotionally humbled. Anatoly has his own amazing story of origin, survival, and, as this Memorial implies, incomparable generosity.

Anatoly Fishil, 87, a Daugavpils civic leader and Jewish elder, guides us at the forest Memorial
17th Century Jewish headstones were saved from a demolished Jewish cemetery and given a new life here
Mr. Fishil, describes the history of the Memorial he created in 1991, by sharing one amazing story after another
A somber moment for me; this headstone reads “Hungary 450,000.” That’s the number of Hungarian Jews killed in slightly over 4-months, just before the end of World War II
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