For those who don't know: Marko Vidojkovic was born in Belgrade in 1975. Published the novels "Dance of Little Demons", "The Devil is My Friend", "Pikavci on the Beach", "Claws", "All Redheads Are the Same", "I Want Something Nice to Happen to Me Now" and "Claws 2: The Dealer and Death", as well as the collection of stories "God help you".
The novel "Claws" went through five editions from October 2004 to May 2005 and, as one of the best-selling books by a local author, won the Golden Bestseller award. In 2006, Vidojković received both the award and the Kočić feather for "Claws", and the Vital award for "All blackcaps are the same". Published in Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Germany and Poland. He was an editor in "Maxim" and "Playboy" magazines. (Source: Lagoon)
We talked with Marko honestly, as if we had known each other forever, in the nice atmosphere of Pravda Caffe in Belgrade.
I am very glad that we have Marko Vidojković as our guest today, one of our most famous young writers, as others like to say... It is probably more important whether you feel young or not?
Mind you, I am neither young nor popular as a writer anymore. Now I'm more popular as a barker on television. I almost ruined all those beautiful literary things that followed me from the age of 25-26 to 35-36. Thanks also to some market realities, which is that once upon a time, you could really live from selling books, especially if those books were bestsellers. Today, there are slightly different books at the top of the charts than they were back then - in 2005, 2006, 2007. And the price of the book is quite low, and the purchasing power has dropped a lot, there are even pirates, yes, I mean, not even the best sellers. book authors cannot live by selling books.
What is your favorite book? Which one did you write?
Without a doubt, my favorite book is "All Little Red Riding Hoods Are the Same". Now a new edition for Laguna is out. I noticed that it is the only book - it came out first for Samizdat B92, then it came out in a joint edition of Samizdat and Vital, when it won the Vital Prize, then it came out for Rende and now it came out for Laguna - whose every new edition I read with incredible enjoyment! It was the same this time. I can say that this book is awesome because it managed to capture a phenomenal moment, which did not exist in Serbia before that, and I don't think it will exist for a long time after that... It was a time before the crisis, when the transitional Serbia had some prosperity in see - when people had jobs, when those jobs paid well, when books sold well, when a lot of people were still in the country. Everyone expected everything to get better, and I was a famous writer, female readers contacted me via e-mail, via ICQ, we all enjoyed my fame. In "The Red Hats", I caught that moment, when it was possible to be a famous writer in Serbia, regardless of the fact that you are basically a marginal and feel like a rock star!
At a forum that I had in 2005 at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, when asked about what kind of book I would like to write next, I presented some of my ideas, and one of the students said: "You know what, I would like to read how is to be you in Serbia, at this moment." I realized that it is...., actually, a great moment and that it is possible that it is a unique moment, so I combined my idea of a new novel and her wish and that's how we got "Crvenkape ". A man needs to recognize when something happens to him, which the Americans would say: "Once in a lifetime"! And I had several such opportunities and, I would say, I used them all. I was like the editor of Maxim in Las Vegas in 2006 - I wrote a book about it called "The Editor". So, as editor of Playboy, I was in Mexico in 2007, and I made the most of it. When I say I made the most of it, I mean that I made the most of it there, because when someone sends you from the Belgrade sidewalks to a five-star hotel, somewhere on the Pacific coast, of course you don't want to be a normal business traveler, to "pay attention in class", like what colleagues from normal countries do. When you come from Serbia, after so many years of captivity and when you feel a little bit of that life on high, I have the urge to live... So that's what I did - I lived and then I wrote books about it.
Well, we have to read... Now a question related to "Claws" and "Claws 2", which are now very current in bookstores, book stores. Especially "Claws 2", which is also a newer edition... How much both one and the other book are equal to the reality of the time in which you lived. How autobiographical are they, or not? How much is reality and how much is fiction?
Both are quite fictitious, but they are inspired by real events. And "Little Red Riding Hoods" were written, more or less, in the same way. So, you have something that happens in your life and that serves as the basis for a novel... And then, when you write a novel, it must not necessarily be autobiographical, because the most important thing in a novel is the story, and not to recount what happened to you in life... You "borrow" people from your life, you "borrow" places, you even "borrow" some parts of the plot. But, nevertheless, the action you come up with is crucial. Now I will explain it with an example: in "Claws 1" there is a moment when the main character, together with the rest of the revolutionaries at the Faculty of Law, break into the premises of the Student Union and call for elections for the new Student Union. In the book, it happens right after the '97 protests, but in reality we are only in the fall of '97. made a coup at the Faculty of Law. Nada, for example, who is the main character in that book, is an absolutely fictional character, a character that is, in itself, a symbol. So, Nada, her name alone tells what she is... However, when it comes to her physical appearance, the fact that she cut off her eyelashes, I "smeared" from a painter, whom I met in those months, who cut off her own eyelashes... The way the main character and Nada met - I was "touched" by myself, by the way I met my ex-girlfriend, in '96. at the villa on the glory. The way the main character and Nada were making out, I was "smeared" by the way my then girlfriend and I were making out...
With those examples, I can best explain what it looks like in the production process... In the end, when everything is over, when our lives are over, about which someone could sniff, what is true and what is not - only a book remains... It will outlive us all. The scariest thing is when books die along with their writers. But most of what I do in life turns out to outlive me, no matter how long or short I live... It's a nice feeling, especially when it comes to books. None of us can measure how much today's books are really worth, because that will only be measured in 100 years.
When it comes to "Claws 2", I wrote them inspired by two things. I was inspired by the death of my father, which happened suddenly six years ago, the death of my uncle, which happened, also suddenly, in the same period of time and the death of my aunt - tomorrow we are going to give her a six-year memorial. It has never happened to me that someone so close to me, and I should say young, died, and then three of them died in six months. It disturbed me greatly in every way. In 2011, I also started writing a book dedicated to it. Among other things, with the idea of "reviving" the villa, and the uncle, for a short time, at least in the book... The point of that book, however, lies in showing the difference between the Serbia of hope in '96, '97, when the downfall of Milosevic was "cooking" and the Serbia of hopelessness, i.e. Serbia today, as it is in "Claws 2" and as it is today, in reality. In "Claws 2" I came up with how we all need a magic pill that, when swallowed, turns us into who we really are. Angels and dealers can deal in that kind of crap, as it happens in "Claws 2". I wanted to show that the Serbia we live in is a Serbia of hopelessness and that only a miracle, a literal miracle of God, can save us. So, there is no escape for us.
What I'm interested in, and your opinion about it: how these Talk Shows ("talk shows"), as they are called, always have some topic, flipping through the daily press... How does it not occur to anyone to flip through a good book, a good comic , of some "Alan Ford", so that he draws some parallels with what is happening to us, or what they imagine is happening to us?
Because it belongs to culture, and what is happening to us is non-culture. And the tabloids and the press are a reflection of extreme unculture, a reflection of our bottom. I was called the other day from the editorial office of a tabloid to send some messages of peace, and I thought to myself, "Well, you are the first to send war-mongering messages." You and all your colleagues. You are the biggest warmongers, along with the top of this country. To send some kind of anti-war message, for the sake of make-up, at a moment when, in one day, thanks to the same media, war hysteria can be created, within two days the war can start - regardless of my cries ... it is completely hypocritical. And it's idiotic to ask me to do something like that. So, flipping through the daily newspaper is one of the activities that can be described as swimming in the mud, or ugh……, even better. And it is a difficult discipline, basically.
To end the question about books, since there are very popular chefs in the West, who have turned into writers, which of them would you be, if you had such an opportunity? Let's say, the well-known Bourdain, or Borden, as the Americans pronounce it? What is your attitude towards his life, ie. your life according to his life, your way of cooking…?
Do you know that Nigella Lawson was banned from entering the United States of America because she openly promoted the use of cocaine?
I do not know.
Well, now you know. To me, somehow, it looks more like me. So, Nigella Lawson. I'm kidding, of course, what black cocaine. As for Bourdain, I love his shows, and I was lucky enough to translate an interview he gave for the US edition of Playboy when I was working as a Playboy editor. The shows are great, the only thing is that he is too oriented towards fast food and junk food. The chef I could compare myself to in terms of cooking style is Gordon Ramsey. Not only because of swearing, but because I picked up the most good manners from him. Anthony Bourdain is, of course, much more interesting to watch, especially "Layover." It's a phenomenal show, it's a pleasure - you get to know the city, you get to know the people, you get to know what they're up to - and that show has no equal! Then again, as for Nigella Lawson, she was popular before my cooking, so I have no idea what kind of cook she is, really.
There are some little things with Gordon Ramsay - which I heard, you know, no one tells you when you start cooking, and it happened to me less than three years ago, at what temperature you should fry the onions. You turn it on a six, in fact it should be rocked on a three or four lightly. I heard that from Gordon Ramsay. I also found out from Gordon Ramsay at what stage the spices should be added. There are some dishes that should be added immediately with the oil, at the beginning. And spices should be placed somewhere in the middle, and somewhere at the end. He turned out to be honest, as far as giving away his tricks, and then it gets into your habit. It's something I never counted on - that I would cook. Because, at a time when there was no money, I fed myself with bread and pâté. At the time when the money was over my head, I ate exclusively in restaurants. And then I started cooking, thanks to my wife, that is. "thanks" to her autoimmune disease, called celiac disease, which excludes gluten from her diet. Here, now I'm taking a rare opportunity to drink wheat beer. I'm kidding, there are no restrictions in our house, but, quite simply, conscience and love tell you to pay special attention to someone who has a problem with the food they eat. On that, what kind of food will you eat. And so my cooking began.
I read in one of your interviews that contrary to some situations you had in your life, now you like to overeat. I'm interested, as a follow-up to this story - what are the dishes that your wife and you prepare and what do you overeat, under the signs of allegations? That is what do you like to eat in a domestic atmosphere and how do you manage to find something, say, in a restaurant, because of her illness? That is very interesting, how do you manage in Belgrade with celiac disease?
And then what someone quoted was old. That was at least 5-6 years ago, who knows from which phase of mine it was. My overeating dates back to the nineties, when there was no food. I mean, it wasn't for me... Keva didn't have a job, she didn't have any income. I was a high school student, then a student - I had no income... There was no job... There was nothing. I fed, mostly, in houses. There was no greater happiness for me than to go to someone's house and get drunk there! What a miracle. That's what the nineties looked like... You should always remember what they really looked like. My ex-girlfriend's Keva was a phenomenal cook, and they had some relatives in the countryside, from whom they always got fresh cheese, eggs... She was a master of pies, a master of sardines, a master of breading, a master of all living things! In 1993, '94, in those worst years, I mostly ate at their place. When I go to the chalet for lunch - it's at the chalet, for example, it was on Sundays - I'm relieved, like a horse, that I don't have to eat on Monday. Well, that's where my tendency to overeat and to leave nothing on the plate comes from. Pathology caused by lack of food in adolescence. And then it remained to this day...
We are divided in the house: my wife is in charge of sweets - she makes unprecedented krempitas, she makes unprecedented rolls, she makes phenomenal brownies... I am in charge of spicy dishes. I like Indian, Mexican, Italian, Northern European, Middle Eastern, it depends on what day I want to eat... If, for example, we are going to eat pork, then I usually take some curry and cut it into strips - it depends on whether I want to go astray to the Chinese variant, but, more often I will deviate to the Northern European one and spice it up, for example, with plum jam, or with sweet forest fruit... I like to mix all flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, sour, it has to be represented to some extent. I extract the acid either from aceto balsamic or from lemon. I extract sweetness either from brown sugar or from honey or from some fruit. As far as the fish is concerned, we will solve it at Bailon's market - we will go and get mackerel, which is already baked.
We usually eat rice with meals. There are plenty of gluten-free pastas to buy. Three years ago, when my culinary venture began, gluten-free pasta was hardly available. Today it is possible, for just 200 dinars, you can find good Romanian corn pasta of half a kilo in a package in any - not exactly in any, but you can find it in a supermarket. When, for example, I prepare Bolognese... I learned from the Turk from 24Kitchen that a little cinnamon goes very well with ground beef - that's a very strong tip...
Maxut?
Maksut is a face! I also saw and picked up a lot of styles from him, because their kitchen is, at least, ours. In short, people were able to get an impression through this, what we, in fact, eat at home... And as far as life with celiac disease in Serbia is concerned, the situation is getting better, there is - I will not advertise, I expect that people will be able to find internet - gluten-free take-away restaurant, in New Belgrade, where you can order: pizzas, sandwiches, muffins, biscuits. You could only dream of that before. At one time, there was a bakery in Novi Sad that produced it, so they sent their products to Belgrade. Now that bakery doesn't exist anymore, but they still send their breads and pies to Belgrade, you should find them on the Internet... You can also look for them in supermarkets. It is very important that people know that they should avoid alcoholic vinegar, because it is, in principle, "de-intestinal" and not, in essence, good for the digestive tract. That's why it's better to pickle food with either apple cider vinegar, or acetace, wine vinegar, or lemon, whatever... Just not alcoholic vinegar.
As far as restaurants are concerned, you really need to know what doesn't contain gluten... It's wheat and some other grains... Buckwheat and millet are actually the only grains that don't contain it. You cannot eat pasta or pasta or anything that contains a grain of flour. The problem is that French fries and meat are fried in the same fryers, so a gluten reaction can occur. However, most modern restaurants have an offer where you can find something gluten-free.
In the West it is customary to warn you. I had a rare opportunity, at the end of last year, to attend a lecture by an Englishman, a chef, an expert on these things, and I was very surprised that you in the West get - of course, I did not see it, but he claims that in Great Britain it exists in some better restaurants - you get a list marked, for each dish, from which you can get a shock or an attack... At some unknown restaurants, the boss even has to come and explain to the guest, because he says that the fines are unbelievable...
We are still far from that, basically, luckily here, so you have to deduce: there is no gluten in the steak, take it, brother, steak, but it depends on what sauce you are going to eat it with... That's where someone can get away with it. . Our people love a splash, it's... ga... it killed us, you understand. The moment we throw out the sauce - well, we can't throw it out, but sauces can thicken with cornstarch without any problem. I can't believe why it always has to be wheat flour? However, according to research, 1% of people suffer from celiac disease... There is also a problem with mayonnaise or ketchup, which are bought in supermarkets and which, of course, contain alcoholic vinegar. What's the big deal? So that the little bit of vinegar you have to put doesn't turn out to be wine-like? Okay, come on, lemon, lemon juice may be expensive... But no, they use alcoholic vinegar here, while there is no alcoholic vinegar in mayonnaise abroad. No one, in the normal world, puts more alcoholic vinegar. Only ours. Pickle, dear brother - pickle equals Serbia... Serbia - pickle...
And finally, if you can single out, which one is the best bacon and the best sweet? Or does it not exist? Or is that all?
Indeed, it does not exist. It depends on how I wake up that day... Sometimes I like a steak, sometimes I like a well-made burger, sometimes fish - it turns out that I'm only talking about meat, but we're both carnivores, it's not like we're not. However, when it comes to my kitchen, we currently have a hit dish, which I call "chicken delle Alpi"... It's a pasta, actually, accompanied by chicken with chopped green peppers, with sweet cream, garlic, and I'm giving away the secret ingredients... parmesan cheese on top of that, of course. Cooking is - I will say the same as all new cooks - experimentation and unprecedented fun! It's always interesting to me that - even in the dishes I make all the time, I sometimes change something... Let me see, let me put this in now, to see how it will be, compared to the last time... And I almost never eat it...!
To me, it's fantastic - I think I've heard Ramsey or Bourdain, or both of them, even - that they say that cooking is, in fact, cooking with the heart... That is, you can't hit the gram. To me, people are fantastic, when we, for example, publish something, and they take it: "I do it with 21 grams, and you put 19 grams..." And then when the comments start... It's fantastic!
It's a matter of feeling! And the thing is, you have to try it while you're cooking. The thing is, somehow, to take the pan off the fire at the right moment... So, it's all like playing a sport. You have to be aware of everything you are doing at all times, focused and ready to improvise.
Marko, thank you very much! We enjoyed…
You're welcome!
Belgrade, September 2016.
Interview led by: Miodrag Ilić
Photo: Recipes and Cookbook online, Linkom-PC
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