Tweet07-12-2011 om 09:04 by Leslie Sherriff

My former career as an international relief and development professional took me to many interesting places, primarily the Balkan countries of the former Yugoslavia. One of my favorite places is Sarajevo, a city in which I lived for four years. When I think of Sarajevo today, I remember the wonderful times I had there – walking up and down the steep streets of the old town, drinking small, dark cups of thick coffee, and the pervasive smell of cevapcici, a dish for which Sarajevo is famous. Imagine my surprise last week here in Maastricht when I rode past a new food stand in my neighborhood of Heer called “Cevapcici kod Nene.”


I have lived in Maastricht for three and a half years. During that time I have very much enjoyed getting to know the town and its culture. One of the aspects of Maastricht I find intriguing is that while it is very much a small town, it has a very international nature. For example, I love the fact that nearly every time I leave my house I run into someone I know. I’ve never lived in a place like this before. I enjoy seeing friends and neighbors and having a little chat as we go about the business of the day. On the other hand, I’ve had the chance to meet people from so many different places. My friends include people from The Netherlands (of course), England, Singapore, Canada, India, Croatia, Israel, etc., etc. I did not expect Maastricht would have such a vibrant, interesting international community. And, of course, my family and friends back in the United States are still amazed when I explain that I really can walk to Belgium and cycle to Germany.


Thus, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when I cycled past cevapcici kod Nene last week. After picking up my three-year-old son from school, I just had to stop, say hello, and buy myself come cevapi for lunch. I had a wonderful conversation with the proprietors, which came out in a mixture of very rusty Bosnian, Dutch (also not perfect yet), English and the odd Spanish word thrown in for good measure. (I’ll write sometime soon about my adventures in learning languages…) The cevapi, small, spiced meat “logs” (about the size of a thumb) served on a toasted roll with onions, was great and my son was also happy after being showered with lollies.

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