Showing all posts tagged Food

In Blogging and the Web, Geek Talk, hobby, Sreisaatv2

Cheers to Czech Food and Drink

Author sreisaatPosted on 6 Comments

Behold the Czech Republic’s EUROPA stamp a philatelic feast for the eyes, and my entry for this week’s Sunday Stamps with the theme food. Issued by the Czech Post in 2005, this illustrated stamp celebrates the nation’s culinary delights, where meat reigns supreme.

Czech Republic’s EUROPA stamp classified under the Food and Cooking category. Issued by the Czech Post in 2005.

Poultry, pork, beef—you name it, Czech cuisine offers a variety of hearty options, often accompanied by their beloved knedliky. These dumplings are a carb-lover’s dream are a comforting staple, made from wheat or potato flour, lovingly boiled into a roll, then sliced and served piping hot. I stumbled upon a photo online that’s a virtual twin of the stamp’s illustration, minus the beer.

I found the this photo online, almost exact copy of the stamp, save for the missing beer. Source.

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room—or should we say, the beer in the mug? The stamp proudly features a frothy mug of beer, which is practically a national treasure in the Czech Republic.

Beer is not just a drink in the Czech Republic; it’s a way of life. The country boasts the highest beer consumption per capita on the planet. With legendary brands like Budweiser Budvar and Pilsner Urquell, the Czechs have made their mark on the global beer map. But wait, there’s more! The Czech Republic is home to over 470 different types of beer. That’s right, folks, 470. And with that 470 different types of beer, the Czech Republic offers more than one brew for every day of the year. Everyday is beer festival, hurrah!

I love this stamp. As a foodie and a stamp enthusiast – it’s a small rectangle of joy celebrating the big flavours of this vibrant culture. Collect, lick, and post… or better yet, I’m going find myself a Czech beer and pour myself a cold one and toast to the love of food and stamps! Na zdraví!

In Blogging and the Web, Expat Life, Geek Talk, hobby, Sreisaatv2

Sunday Stamps: A Taste of Lusophony

Author sreisaatPosted on 6 Comments

This week’s Sunday Stamps takes us to Portugal, the ancestral home of Fernão de Magalhães, or Ferdinand Magellan, who, ironically, was famously credited with circumnavigating the globe and discovering my home country, the Philippines, after switching his allegiance to Spain.

While Portugal might not be immediately recognized as a sporting powerhouse, the country has steadily made its mark on the Olympic stage. Known primarily for its prowess in athletics, Portugal has expanded its medal-winning repertoire to include canoeing and judo and more recently in surfing, skateboarding, and breaking. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was a particularly triumphant moment, as Portugal secured its best-ever Olympic medal haul. And let’s not forget the global phenomenon that is Cristiano Ronaldo – proof that Portugal’s sporting prowess extends far beyond the Olympic stage.

My stamp features a mouthwatering no caldeiro a tempura – a fusion of Portuguese and Japanese cuisine. It’s part of the Sabores da Lusofonia (Taste of Lusophony) series celebrating the culinary diversity of the Lusophone world – a term encompassing the Portuguese speaking community, akin to Francophone or Hispanophone. Beyond the shared language, Lusophony is a tapestry of historical and cultural threads. Interestingly, over 300,000 Brazilians of Japanese descent, known as decassegui, speak Portuguese as their home language in Japan – a fascinating tidbit from the Wikipedia.


No caldeira a tempura, a crazy good mix of Portuguese and Japanese tastes. This stamp is part of the Sabores da Lusofonia commemorative series, featuring representative dishes from eight Lusophony countries.

I love the crisp postmark on this stamp – it’s a rarity that allows the image to shine through. Interestingly, sabor in my native Visayan-Hiligaynon language means “taste” or “flavour”, and also as a verb to mean “to taste”, both mirroring the stamp’s theme. A question though – if a postmark is applied to a stamp, do we call it a cancellation mark, instead?