Tea lady from the mine was preparing meals in TV

KARVINÁ – Would you have a Tatra chop steak? Creamy garlic soup? Also such wishes started to be heard by Martina Janíková (40), providing soups and snacks to miners in the Karviná Mine, ČSA Mining Plant. The miners recognize her as an amateur cook who had courage to appear in the “Cloth Laid” culinary contest programme broadcast by Prima TV.

“I learned to cook more or less by necessity. In order for us not to die of hunger after our wedding …” laughed Mrs. Martina, whose original profession is distant from both the gastronomy and the mining job. She undertook shoemaker’s apprenticeship. First off, she was providing snacks in the ČSM Mine, and afterwards, she came to the ČSA Mine, where by the way her husband Miroslav works within the surface rail transportation system.

 “It means that on working days, no meals are practically prepared at our place. We have our meals at work, and our children have theirs at school,” said the tea lady, living with her husband and two adolescent daughters in Karviná-Nová Město. At work, she is responsible for providing snacks and soups and drinking regime, and also provides her assistance in the kitchen. At home, she regularly appears in front of the cooking-range at weekends, and does not prefer going with her family to restaurants.

“I like cooking Hungarian Szeged Goulash best. And also the classical Czech cuisine. I love cheese and yeast spread,” said Mrs. Martina, adding that on the contrary, she could get along without sweet food, such as pancakes or cream scones. However for TV, she prepared her own recipes – crumble cake, pasta salad, creamy garlic soup and Tatra chop steaks.

“The TV programme shooting was a challenge! I did not take any day off, and as such, I spent eight hours at work and eight hours in front of the TV camera. I was visiting other competing persons in our region, and they also visited my place. The television crew also came to see me at the mine,” she described her experience. She filed her application for participation in the “Cloth Laid” programme by herself via the Internet and did not wait until they selected her for the contest. She did not win; nevertheless, she considers it as good experience.

(Radek Lukša)