Suspicious of Sweets

A mainstay of Christmas at home has been my chocolate chip cookies, but they got a much cooler reception here where pastries and cakes --not keks (cookies) are more the norm.

I made several batches, but they were not enthusiastically received. "Oh," said one guest at a party picking one up with the tip of her first finger and thumb, "are these sweet." When I told her yes, she put it delicately back.

"Do these goes through easily?" asked another Bosnian friend eyeing the platter nervously.