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Drago Oman

Blue Mug

Sweet

Material:
Ceramics
Description:

The single-handed cup in indigo blue is decorated with white motifs: the Christmas market in the square in front of the Vienna City Hall and the monument to Johann Strauss in the City Park in Vienna.

Size:
The cup measures 10cm in height, the diameter is about 8cm.
Age:
About 26 years.
Method of Acquisition:
Purchased at the Christmas fair in Vienna in 1994.
Item Owner, Age and Location:
Drago Oman
, 64,
Maribor
Date of Submission:
7. 1. 2021
Story:

Christmas Lights and Weak Knees

 

The teacup is one of three that my wife and I purchased around 1994 at the Christmas market in front of the Vienna City Hall. We wanted to create a festive atmosphere for our seven-year-old daughter, so we combined our visit with a short sightseeing tour of the city. It was a typical tourist bus trip. As soon as we arrived, we enjoyed coffee, tea, and the famous Sacher cake to warm up. After indulging in some treats, we ventured out into the chilly city to see the sights. We were excited for our daughter to experience the Christmas market, which we wanted her to see only at dusk when all the lights were bright.

 

Our journey first took us to the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna, followed by a visit to the imperial treasury in the Hofburg, and finally, we enjoyed a quick stroll through the Museum of Art History. By this point, we were quite tired and cold, and we could barely wait for lunch, which was so late that it was already getting dark. After lunch, we finally headed to the Christmas market. The city was illuminated by countless lights, creating a magical festive atmosphere. As we wandered and shopped, time flew by, but soon the chill set in again. "A warm punch will help us warm up quickly," I said.

 

Cups full of fragrant, sweet and hot drinks warmed our hands as we continued our journey through the fair. After a few minutes, my daughter stopped, looked at me with big eyes and asked: "Daddy, why are my knees so soft?" My wife and I looked at each other and only then realized that we had inadvertently served her a punch with alcohol. This observation made us laugh uncontrollably, which was also joined by our daughter. Fortunately, these fair punches were mostly just over-sweetened tea with a bit of alcohol in it. After a few minutes, her daughter's knees became stiff again.

 

Today, every time I look at this mug, I am flooded with memories of that alcoholic incident, which makes me laugh again and again. And every time I feel the sweet taste of Christmas punch, cloves, cinnamon and other spices. I am sure that I will have this feeling when I look at the cup for the rest of my life.

Color

Tastes appear in color systems as bipolar concepts, divided into opposites such as bitter-sweet, sour-salty and umami-kokumi. We associate sweet taste with the color orange, cyan blue with salty taste, green with sour, and magenta red with bitter. Shades of green are usually associated with growth, while yellow, orange and bright red indicate activity. On the other hand, dark red, magenta and purple symbolize slowing down, while passivity is expressed by various shades of blue.

 

dr. hc Vojko Pogačar, academic painter

Music

First, we chose musical instruments that illustrate different tastes: for the "salty" guitar (Astrid Kukovič), for the "bitter" piano (Sašo Vollmaier), for the "sour" harmonica (Dominik Cvitanič), for the "hot" violin (Andreja Klinc) and for the "sweet" flute (Asja Grauf).

 

Melodies were created spontaneously. The improvisations of the "bitter" melodies were low and legato, the "salty" were determined and articulate, the "sour" were high and dissonant, and the "sweet" were unison, slow and soft.

 

Asja Grauf, professor of flute

Movement

I experience salty as a mixture of all tastes. It awakens a pleasant, relaxed, unusual feeling in me. I associate this taste with long, emphasized and controlled body movements. Bitter is a taste that awakens confusion in me, because with each bite my body decides whether to approve of this taste or not. I associate with it fluid movement with various emphasized and accelerated movements. I can enjoy sweet for several hours a day. My body relaxes when I enjoy sweets for a long time, which cause a pleasant feeling of joy. I associate with sweet slow and easy movements. Sour usually ends quickly. Each bite causes a short shock in my body, and then disappears completely. I associate with sour taste abrupt, fast and uncontrolled movements. Hot is a taste that usually lasts a very long time. It awakens an unpleasant feeling in me that is hard to shake. These are long, strong movements and individual shorter, more intense ones that show evasion and discomfort.

 

Pina Batič, dancer

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF TASTE

An important task of modern museums is to connect the past with the present, to introduce innovative approaches for the education of new generations and to contribute to cultural and social development.

 

Read the personal stories of the individuals who contributed their items to the Museum of Taste.

 

At the same time, we invite you to join this project yourself and participate with your contributions.