One more, you know you've been in the Czech Republic far too long when...

... you want to pay everything with your Stravenky. Whichever restaurant, shop, supermarket you go, before the menu, you first look for this little colorful sign; you are deciding on an eating out plan and you first decide, the place needs to take stravenky; you get the bill and you first ask if you could pay with stravenky.

Stravenky is simply the magic, or evil, if you ask what it is. These tax deductible meal vouchers have been our best company when eating out and, sometimes, grocery shopping. The Czech Republic is not the only European country that has it, although it'd be perfect if we could use our Czech Koruna stravenkies for a Belgian beer in Antwerp.

How long can its magic last? Well apparently not very long. According to the latest news:
"Efforts to cancel the tax deductions granted for meal tickets are back and stronger than ever. Even politicians who previously intervened to save the stravenky last year, like Deputies Miloš Melčák and Michal Pohanka (ODS), have changed their minds about the program."

Is this the end of a glorious era? So sad...