Lunch at a Czech Buffet

Had lunch today at a local buffet in Horni Namesti in Olomouc. A kind of inexpensive place to get a good Czech feed, where people just sit down at the table with you to eat, builders, workmen, office workers and business people alike. Just line up with your tray, tell the women what you want to eat, in my case it was Goulash with bread dumplings, which was measured on scales to determine the price. The girl asked me a question I didn't understand, but to which I replied yes and recieved some sliced onion. A glass of beer to wash it down, as is customary here. I enjoy these kinds of local eatery, it really gives you a feeling that you are sharing a small part of of local life. It's also nice when people just sit at the table with you, here it's customary to say hello and goodbye (in Czech) in these situations.
When I'm in Taiwan it's a little different, looking so different to the locals, they generally won't sit next to the foreigner even if it's the last seat available, this applies at eateries, on buses and trains. Not always, but often enough to notice.......

The travelling fruitpicker

For the past ten years or so I've funded my travels primarily through fruitpicking. Initially I would pick whatever was is season wherever I happened to be, so it all began with apples in New Zealand. Between then and now I've done:

Three apple seasons in Kent, England

Oranges and Mandarines in Gayndah and Mundubbera, Queensland, Australia

Oranges in Hillston, New South Wales, Australia

Oranges in Goodnight, New South Wales

Kiwifruit in New Zealand

Apples in Batlow, Australia

Apples in the Huon Valley, Tasmania, Australia

Rice in Burma, Laos

Nine seasons of Apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots in Shepparton, Australia

Broccoli, Snowpeas, Zuchini, Rockmelons, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Cucumbers in Queensland, Australia.

I've pretty much given up on the vegetables. Now my partner Jenny and I usually just travel to Shepparton in Australia each year for the picking season there, the money we save there is usually enough to fund the best part of the rest of the year, which we spend most of living in Taiwan,
but that's another story.....

Who is Mr Quinky?

Welcome to the first posting on Mr Quinky's Eye For Detail. Why call it Mr Quinky, well it's a nickname I'm being called during my stay in Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic. If I happened to be in Taiwan it could easily have been called "Hello Su Su's Eye For Detail", or in another place perhaps "Mondegas' Eye For Detail".

Actually don't be surprised if the title changes depending upon the country I happen to be in!