Robert, I loved your story of the restaurant in Twin Cities. My daughter in law is Vietnamese. They have a dedication to learning. When the family came here as refugees her father could not find work so the mother worked in an electronics factory while he stayed home and saw that the family all got a good education checking homework, talking to teachers, volunteering at school, etc. A few years later the family started a restaurant that became very successful. My daughter in law got her MA in electrical engineering before she was twenty. My grandson is now taking college level courses for credit in high school. I don't know how my mother in laws soup came out Zaftig Juan in my e-mail it was supposed to be Zafrigana Juha. I think it was my spell check that did it. Sorry. As a professional geographer I have promised myself to stay out of the Balkan argument. But I must say you are all right. The Balkans have no definite boundaries and anyone writing about the area seems to just decide on their own what areas to write about. Just say it is an indefinite area in Southeastern Europe. All I can say is that Grandma Santek (with a mark over the S) almost went into mourning when one of her daughters married a Serb. She still did not talk kindly of him up to the time of her death. Nothing against the Serbs but I must say this was not a good man as he turned out to be a wife abuser. Of course grandma blamed it on his being a Serb. We are getting away from genealogy but history and geography and culture are all part of learning about our past. Bill Kane

Bill, That is what I like about this group. I learn so much about my ancestors and the culture and history. I would not know it if Robert did not take the time and others here to explain it and give us links to go and check things out for ourselves. Thanks Robert for teaching us a little history lesson along the way. Joy ----- Original Message ----- From: "William F Kane" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2005 4:53 PM Subject: Re: [CROATIA-L] Mlinci > Robert, > I loved your story of the restaurant in Twin Cities. My daughter in law > is Vietnamese. They have a dedication to learning. When the family came > here as refugees her father could not find work so the mother worked in > an electronics factory while he stayed home and saw that the family all > got a good education checking homework, talking to teachers, volunteering > at school, etc. A few years later the family started a restaurant that > became very successful. My daughter in law got her MA in electrical > engineering before she was twenty. My grandson is now taking college > level courses for credit in high school. > I don't know how my mother in laws soup came out Zaftig Juan in my e-mail > it was supposed to be Zafrigana Juha. I think it was my spell check that > did it. Sorry. > As a professional geographer I have promised myself to stay out of the > Balkan argument. But I must say you are all right. The Balkans have no > definite boundaries and anyone writing about the area seems to just > decide on their own what areas to write about. Just say it is an > indefinite area in Southeastern Europe. All I can say is that Grandma > Santek (with a mark over the S) almost went into mourning when one of her > daughters married a Serb. She still did not talk kindly of him up to the > time of her death. Nothing against the Serbs but I must say this was not > a good man as he turned out to be a wife abuser. Of course grandma blamed > it on his being a Serb. > We are getting away from genealogy but history and geography and culture > are all part of learning about our past. > Bill Kane >