Deduction: 

⁠"As long as the gypsy wheel keeps spinning, everything is alright."
An homage, 2020 

"Gypsies’ Cartwheels" and "Gypsy Cutlet": being no longer politically correct and up to date, these foods have been renamed "Circus Wheels" and "Escalope Hungarian Style" (or "Red Zora Cutlet" or "Piroska’s Escalope"). Having grown up with Romani people in Vienna’s fifth district and in southern Burgenland, I naturally became aware of the fact at an early age that the expression "gypsy" was actually abusive racist language. Nevertheless, at the same time, this name was always also a strong, yet positively connoted word. Such expressions as "Big Cigano" or "Zigo Style" stand for freedom, strength, lightness of being, easygoingness, aplomb, and a good deal of street smarts—and probably also for a certain sense of or attitude toward life. When we were younger, my friends and I declared these concepts desirable qualities, and they became a dogma for us. We copied the Romani people’s style, listened to gypsy music (turbo-folk/gypsy brass), and eagerly frequented concerts featuring Fanfare Ciocarlia or Boban Markovic. 

⁠For me, the saying "As long as the cartwheel of the gypsies keeps spinning, everything is alright" has two meanings: on the one hand, it suggests that you should pursue what you are determined for, do what you are meant to do, and be the way you are—probably the key to happiness; on the other hand, it describes a way of coping with one’s problems and dealing with life. Lightheartedness, a playful attitude, and possi- bly also some gallows humor will make the sun shine again and let your glass be half full, not half empty. 

The cartwheel of the gypsies is the spiritual part of a vehicle, a sort of Tibetan prayer wheel or Wheel of the Gypsy Mindset that will help you let go of your worries and problems. 


Text from the book "Caspar David Kärnten" 2021
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