Cookin' Ain't Easy!!

Everytime I live in Germany, I always find myself cooking and sizzling the day away. It isn't that I don't know how to cook, but sometimes I forget. For a long time I've wondered what it is that awakens my culinary senses. Could it be the fresh produce, that chokingly polluted air or something else that makes me want to whip up Waldpilz Geschnetzeltes and Kartoffel Salat?When I lived here about 7 years ago, admittedly, I was not a very good cook. I played around with things in the kitchen and usually regretted the mess I made. However, I learned quickly that McDonald's is a poor substitute for nourishment and walking three miles to get it wasn't any fun either. So, I taught myself to cook through trial and error. I remembered some of the tricks I learned from the Food Network and cautiously followed recipes I found online. It worked-- most of the time. Emeril's recipes are still too complicated to follow and I prefer the practicality of Alton Brown or Sara Moulton to any of the gonzo exotica dishes of Iron Chef.

So, what is it that makes me want to cook in Deutschland and not at home? Familiarity and friendships, plain and simple. At home I usually know exactly what is good to eat and I trust my "instincts" cultivated by my experiences in the United States. I know the 'cultural model' of dining out in the States like the back of my hand. Chain restaurants provide consistency, but with moderate quality and taste. Specialty restaurants that are family owned can be surprisingly delicious like Ruan Thai back home. There is nothing quite like their Pad Kee Mao or Green Curry with tofu. All their food seems to have a sweet taste of heaven that can't be imitated. I know everyone by name and a few are good friends. That type of relationship doesn't happen overnight or within a year of living in a foreign country. Dining out is a social occasion, where you sit back and enjoy another person's company. On the contrary, cooking at home for one is solitary and often reflective. It takes time to settle and find one's roots. Unfortunately, I've never had the time to find my roots here. Maybe when I move here with my husband at the end of the year, we'll grow strong roots together and I'll stop cooking (at least fo awhile) and get out and taste the world.

Mauerspaziergang- Walk along the Wall 29.05.07

The rain kept coming down today. The clouds refused to stay away. This was Mauerspaziergang day. Heavy clouds looming overhead filled my heart with so much dread. A house divided can not stand, a wise man once said. Capricious and fickle, they waved the hammer and sickle. The other two flew, and of course, the red, white and blue. Mr. Hollywood came from afar and remarked that "Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar.” Ist es doch wahr? Walls made of concrete in tight physical spaces intruded onto private mental spaces. A totalitarian force obscured people's faces. Political aggression or moral transgression?"If you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Open this gate!"

SEE THE RING 28.05.07

Karneval der Kulturen 27.05.07

The rain seemed to hold back its fury, at least for awhile, as this year's Karneval der Kulturen 'culture carnival' in Berlin began. Turkish pop music blared out of a corner store, as a man selling Turkish fast food shouts, “Bitte schön, lecker, lecker, lecker! Ein Döner ein Euro. Bitte schön, lecker, lecker, lecker!” The heavy humid filled air carries the smell of multi- cultural cuisine throughout the bustling international crowd. Falafels, bratwurst, baklava all melt together as giggling children dance around the sidewalk eating wads of cotton candy. A cacophony of foreign tongues shouts, laughs, haggles, and scolds young children. CRASH!! A young boy breaks a bottle on the steps of a convenience store; a woman furiously mutters something in Turkish and begins clearing away the debris. The tempo changes as the parade begins. The crowd watches a group of young and agile people dressed in white loose clothing sway with the rhythm of African drumbeats and kick and play fight in the Afro- Brazilian art of Capoeira. Beyond the festive atmosphere, political expression is current and raw. “Kein Mensch ist illegal,” was a leitmotif carried throughout the parade. Masquerading asylum seekers chasing after the“visum,” while the "polizei" chased after them, made it clear that all was not well within Germany for the nearly 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers. Two large plastic and metal figures sculpted in the image of people with only "temporary protection" stroll through the street. Hollow and nearly invisible, those with "temporary protection" are without any guarantee of permanent asylum. Away from the pulsating rhythm of diversity and integration is the challenging future of Germany's diverse population.