Well, the ?90s span till more or less ?95-?96 because that?s when everything happened. Afterwards? one can?t tell: what?s 2000, what?s ?98! That?s what I think. (woman, 42, designer)

I remember that there had appeared many political parties. Shooting up like mushrooms. Everybody started developing political opinions, discussing politics everywhere, including at work. Nobody could tell how much of it was work and how much was pure talking. Each person was the smartest in what he was saying and everybody was arguing. There was a point where you could either shut up or argue. And I remember a moment during a family meal when everybody was fighting on politics and my mother-in-law said she wasn?t interested in all that stuff and that she liked Ion Raţiu¹ because he was wearing a bow tie. (woman, 42, designer)

When a dissident happened to arrive from abroad, he was accused of not having eaten soy salami, soy food. (woman, 51, secretary)

There had appeared this slogan that everybody knows: ?If you hadn?t eaten soy salami, shut up? or something along the line. (woman, 42, designer)

Because of the de-industrialization, people had been warned to undergo professional reorientation but some went hedge and ditch because they were too smart. For example, a friend?s neighbour would walk up and down an alley? walking and dangling. The man had attended three faculties, among which Law and Philosophy, but he went crazy because he had nothing to do, no place to work. There were others too who were setting themselves on fire in front of the city hall or of the government? (man, 23, student)

In schools, uniforms ceased to be used, which lead to conflicts between well-off and poor parents during consultations: ?My child doesn?t have to wear a uniform like others do because I have money? why does he have to look like all the rest? He has to stand out. We don?t mix with the communists and with the poor.? Then, children reacted: ?I won?t go to school dressed up like that. Give me money to buy heaven knows what shoes, jeans, blouse or mobile, because everybody would laugh at me for not having what they have and then would think I?m down on my up pers. (woman, 51, secretary)

1 Presidency candidate in 1990, from the opposition.