How I became Bulgaria’s etiquette guru

ian skidmore

I am not sure that a man who is so rude about his hosts is quit the right person to advise them on etiquette. But it was awfully kind of you to give such a puff
to him. I take it he is related?

Biliana Rousseva

High-end humour, Dylan.
No Borat-like bros, pal.
Thank you for the good laugh. :-)

Biliana Rousseva

High-end humour, Dylan.
Thank you for the good laugh.

@ian skidmore: *handshake*, pal.

Matt

It would be all the more humorous if it wasn't actually true.

Alex Nikolov

Your illusions of your book's big success in emerging markets are endearing. Your book is virtually nothing..in any market! Nobody reads style guides if they are not bite sized and in a men's magazine. Even less so in Bulgaria.

This is what actually happened: your book was the first of its kind in Bulgarian and it generated some interest, albeit low.

You are some British dude from a big shiny magazine - hence, you are a big star in Bulgaria. For one night. Nobody remembers your name afterwords. You remain the British magazine dude somebody through a party for. And your book..wait, what book?

There is something else which is endearing - the fact that you have dedicated your life to 'style'. I feel sorry for a person whose values system must be terribly skewed. Any style book can only be a cathedral of the fake. Its readers - worshipers who need to be told the exact form of fake they need.

All else put aside, Bulgaria is corrupt, and its media are laughable. And there are deep problems with Bulgarian cultural developments over the last 20 years. Deeper than you understand. I don't expect more from a writer of style guides, however.

Biliana Rousseva

Matt, mind Ian`s posting.
Unfortunately, is very much true. But such truth cannot serve as an excuse for someone`s demagogy.
In any case... yes, Ego Magazine`s owner is a great guy organizing such a party. And then, it`s too cheap drinking and having fun in Bulgaria too.

Dima Peteva

So much for good manners, then.

georgi

Mr. Jones,

Indeed, our Bulgarian culture is at that level, and point in time, that most of us (but not all of us) still admire English people like you..

As charming as your comparison of Sofia to Birmingham is, I don't think Birmingham would be referred to as "UK's ugliest city", if its central part looked a bit more like Sofia's. (I have lived in Brum for a year).

Aaand, the Borat card wore out a long time ago, so double check when playing it, the joke might be on you..

Kielan

Miserable idiot! If you have eyes only for the ugly things in Bulgaria, it is your own problem really. I heard that many visitors of Paris notice only the dog shits on the street. And to be honest, what makes one place depressing is the bloody weather, and more depressing weather than the English - there is nowhere else in Europe! That's why British drink till insanity! And you, silly Bulgarians, this is not an high class English humour, this is some bitterness and hostility you should recognise, stop admiring the one who is spitting in your face, open your eyes.

Bulgarian from Sofia

Dear Bulgarians, English, etc.
Mr. Jones was guest of the BG mafia. His host Spas Rusev is a former driver in the State Agency for Foreign Aid, who started to collect his money from stolen foreign aid for miserable bulgarians 15 years ago. Recently he is well known as go-between person in coruption deals with government. This is something that Mr. Jones could understand very fast using google search.
So now he could say: How I became Bulgaria's Mafia Guru...Congratulations!

Sue

Mr. Jones,
You are incredible dull person. I am currently living in Sofia and can't remember any informationa about you mass media appearance here. Plus, who told you that BG was the most miserable place in Europe to live in during 70's and 80's? I have live memories from the 80's, and believe me - there were more restaurants and pubs than in UK, especially in Birmingham at that time. By the way, after spending 2 yars in UK I lost my habits to go to pubs. Your pubs are more than terrible.

Roman Emperor Vespasian

Pecunia non olet (From Latin "money does not smell")

dylan jones so cool...

Watch this video from Bruno, one of Borat's cousins... It exposes the high sophistication of shady characters like our Dr. Jones here...both hilarious and sad:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2lKq794fII&feature=related

Amedea

OK. Most of the the comments are negative and obviously come from BG. I am Bulgarian and my comment is positive: elegant humour and very accurate and true observations about the people who the author met in Sofia. Yes, he was a guest to the mafia but so his contemptuous estimations are even more valuable and more offensive (even if he does not know it and I believe the case is such). One proof for this are the vulgar and dull comments in the site where I first read the material in Bulgarian. Even the officers from the EU that stopped the money from the EU funds did not receive such malicious comments. Obviously the target was hit!
By the way to bring here Brian Ferry (a favourite musician of mine) for people who listen mainly "chalga"(local vulgar music) is the same as to give to a pig Lindt chocolate.

the vice-count

the man with no right pedigree to pretend to be arbitre d'elegance...hahahah-a r b i t r a i r e !
a fortiori,I am not agree with style definions of this man and gentile men's quarterly.

the bulgarian Proustian writer Lyubomir Milchev is much contemplative ,panache and exciting.

Roberta Balin

Mr Jones,

You can never, ever have a royal accent! Especially not in Sofia! We Bulgarians are certainly more cultured than you think. The condescending tone of your article is really insulting.

muiiio

Why does everyone get so offended? The author spent his time in Bulgaria surrounded by the nouveau riche - his experience and impressions could, by no means, have been any different! These are the people who "import culture" by means of "style", just as Mr. Jones implies. How many of you, who live in Bulgaria, have NOT seen the big black or white "lifestyle vehicles" of the "high class"? The thick-necks and their inflatable dolls? What matters in this shiny little corner of Bulgarian society is price, not value. Looks over substance.
What I disagree with is reducing all that is Bulgaria to this image. However, seeing as this is obviously a satirical piece, I find it more than acceptable. A hefty helping of rough humor.