Books
Here are some books that inspired me (without any order):
1. Insatiability by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. This
novel damaged my mind (soul?) extraordinarily.
2. The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis.
Reading it was simply a katharsis. Partial katharsis, I'd say - the
rest would be a conversation about it with someone special.
3. The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas. This is
also a novel I'd like to discuss, because it made me uncertain if
vengenance is the best solution.
4. Medieval Manicheism by Steven Runciman. A scientific
book, but helped me much to understand this world... a bit, just a
bit.
5. Death and the Dervish by Meša Selimović. I was stunned
by this novel, but I'm unable to explain why.
6. They Would Never Hurt a Fly by Slavenka Drakulić.
Reading about Dražen Erdemović (an ordinary Serbian soldier who
participated in the Srebrenica massacre), I felt as if I had been
there myself.
But that's not all, of course.
Movies and shows
I don't watch TV very often and I almost never go to cinema. But
I'd like to mention about Waltz with Bashir, Brokeback
Mountain, Scarface (what did you expect?), 8.
Mile, Sin City.
There was also a documentary which made me leave everything just to
watch another episode. Its name was The Death of
Yugoslavia.
Music
GLAM - Gay Los Angeles Metal :-)
That's not my idea (I found that on "YouTube"), but I liked it. I
have no favourite band - I just focus one or another from time to
time. KISS (yes, I know they aren't from L.A.), Autograph, Quiet
Riot, Mötley Crüe...
And generally 1980's and 1990's metal: Saxon, Accept, Dio,
etc.
In addition, I like rock in other languages than English,
especially ex-YU rock. Almost no one of my friends shares my
strange interest for the latter, so if you're a fan of Osmi Putnik,
Divlje Jagode or any other band, I'll be glad to have a
conversation with you.
But generally I accept many music genres - from oi! (street punk)
to pop. Everything depends on my mood.
I haven't mentioned Polish music, movies, etc. (just that one book
that influenced me so much), because I'm convinced that outside of
Poland only total freaks are interested in that. However, if you're
one of those freaks, I can tell you what I like. :-)
Food
Mostly Polish cuisine, although it is very fat. Vegetarians curse
it, as it contains much meat, but that's just a sign of ignorance.
There are some tasty Polish dishes that are vegetarian-friendly.
For example the rich variety of dumplings.
It is also important because I'm not a huge fan of meat. I prefer
fish, but usually I eat vegetarian dishes.
I like experimenting with other countries' cuisines. I especially
recommend Bulgarian cuisine. Чорба по селски, зрял фасул по
тракийски, розови палачинки - simply culinary wonders! And баница -
yum!
Among the other things I've ever eaten are Georgian khachapuri and
Bosnian cake with nuts and raisins (if you're from Bosnia and
Herzegovina, you can probably enlighten me what's its name).
Oh, and just one more thing. I often prepare meals myself, but that
doesn't mean I like cooking (as people around me think so)! :-)