EAST – WEST by Momo Kapor
In the East, clerks work from seven to three. In the West, from nine to five. The clerkly East wakes up at half past five. The clerkly West at seven. The drowsy East creeps through a foggy winter morning, cursing jobs, the state, life, fate... the East is half-shaved. This is because men shaved the previous evening so as to be able to sleep longer in the morning. The smoothly-shaved West rides in the metro in silence. The East tells political jokes in an overcrowded bus. The West reads newspapers in complete silence. Nobody talks.
The East falls in love with an unknown green-eyed working girl. Naturally, the East arrives to his working place at half past seven and angrily says to his boss: "What? We are not in the West, for God's sake!" The West begins working at nine. The East gradually comes to himself. He has had three coffees and has read in the newspaper what is happening in the West. At half past eight, the East discusses last evening's television news... The West is already immersed in work. He cannot discuss what was on 67 channels as nobody watches the same program.
At half past ten the East, with a two-hour handicap, goes to his deserved breakfast. He breakfasts head in tripe, goulashes, pljeskavica, burek, bean soup, lamb with sweet cabbage, stewed sauerkraut with meat and similar dishes, as if he's been digging all morning. Later, he chews a toothpick and has three beers with medals from a world exhibition. The West has a lunch break between twelve and one o'clock, He eats a sandwich with cold chicken (white meat) and drinks "7-Up". Then he returns to work. In the hall of the company building he drinks his first instant-coffee from a paper cup.
The East already has the advantage of three beers and two vinjaks (grape brandy). On the way he hears about a sale and drops by to see what's all about and returns to the office two hours later. The West agrees to hold a trade union meeting on Saturday because it is a non-working day. The agenda is to decide whether go on strike.
The East is given a frozen flank of beef by the trade union, which is placed into the freezer. The bloodstained suit is being dry cleaned. At three the East goes home, but first he drops by for one more beer. The West is still working.
The East has a lunch and then the family walks on tiptoe because the father is tired from work. The West continues to work. The East is still napping on the divan, having first covered his face with a newspaper because of flies. They wake him up at 19.30 to watch the news. The East has a thousand objections about the economic situation. After watching the news, the East sets heartily to a light dinner: cooked pork knee joint with horse radish and red wine provided by the father-in-law from the village.
At six o'clock the West returns home. He has no energy to read newspapers in the underground. The West has extracted everything from the West. The East is fresher in the evening than in the morning! He plays cards with his friends and opens a third bottle of red wine. An exhausted West takes off his shoes and has a whiskey to recover. He drops into an armchair and watches flickering television images without understanding the issue at all. He wonders if life has any sense. Where does this all lead to? He eats his dinner in apathy: a tasteless Atlantic fish and cooked vegetables. A glass of white wine.
At this moment the East has the advantage with five bottles of red wine. The West goes to bed early. Tomorrow is a working day. The West will live only on the weekend. From five p.m. Friday to Sunday morning. For the East, every day is a holiday. I wouldn't live in the West, he says to his wife, if they give me a million a day!
The West takes sleeping pills. The East carelessly borrows money from West. The West grants credits to live from the profits of the East. Both East and West sleep like babies and dream in colours.
from JAT Review
The East falls in love with an unknown green-eyed working girl. Naturally, the East arrives to his working place at half past seven and angrily says to his boss: "What? We are not in the West, for God's sake!" The West begins working at nine. The East gradually comes to himself. He has had three coffees and has read in the newspaper what is happening in the West. At half past eight, the East discusses last evening's television news... The West is already immersed in work. He cannot discuss what was on 67 channels as nobody watches the same program.
At half past ten the East, with a two-hour handicap, goes to his deserved breakfast. He breakfasts head in tripe, goulashes, pljeskavica, burek, bean soup, lamb with sweet cabbage, stewed sauerkraut with meat and similar dishes, as if he's been digging all morning. Later, he chews a toothpick and has three beers with medals from a world exhibition. The West has a lunch break between twelve and one o'clock, He eats a sandwich with cold chicken (white meat) and drinks "7-Up". Then he returns to work. In the hall of the company building he drinks his first instant-coffee from a paper cup.
The East already has the advantage of three beers and two vinjaks (grape brandy). On the way he hears about a sale and drops by to see what's all about and returns to the office two hours later. The West agrees to hold a trade union meeting on Saturday because it is a non-working day. The agenda is to decide whether go on strike.
The East is given a frozen flank of beef by the trade union, which is placed into the freezer. The bloodstained suit is being dry cleaned. At three the East goes home, but first he drops by for one more beer. The West is still working.
The East has a lunch and then the family walks on tiptoe because the father is tired from work. The West continues to work. The East is still napping on the divan, having first covered his face with a newspaper because of flies. They wake him up at 19.30 to watch the news. The East has a thousand objections about the economic situation. After watching the news, the East sets heartily to a light dinner: cooked pork knee joint with horse radish and red wine provided by the father-in-law from the village.
At six o'clock the West returns home. He has no energy to read newspapers in the underground. The West has extracted everything from the West. The East is fresher in the evening than in the morning! He plays cards with his friends and opens a third bottle of red wine. An exhausted West takes off his shoes and has a whiskey to recover. He drops into an armchair and watches flickering television images without understanding the issue at all. He wonders if life has any sense. Where does this all lead to? He eats his dinner in apathy: a tasteless Atlantic fish and cooked vegetables. A glass of white wine.
At this moment the East has the advantage with five bottles of red wine. The West goes to bed early. Tomorrow is a working day. The West will live only on the weekend. From five p.m. Friday to Sunday morning. For the East, every day is a holiday. I wouldn't live in the West, he says to his wife, if they give me a million a day!
The West takes sleeping pills. The East carelessly borrows money from West. The West grants credits to live from the profits of the East. Both East and West sleep like babies and dream in colours.
from JAT Review
-714499.JPG)
-770777.JPG)
