TooGoodtoGo App review: some cheap fruit & veg in Kaiserslautern

Recently, I read about an app called TooGoodtoGo, which allows restaurants and stores to sell leftover food at a low price. It benefits consumers with a deal; benefits the store by selling something that otherwise might make it into the trash; and of course it benefits the environment, too, by diverting food from the trash.

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that a few stores in Kaiserslautern participate. One was a fast food fish restaurant (Nordsee), which isn't for me because I don't like fish. However, the other offering, Real, a grocery store, was just what I had in mind: for 3,50 euros, I would receive at least 10 euros' worth of fruits and vegetables. Participating stores sell a limited number of shares but several were left at Real, so why not give it a try, I thought.

I downloaded the app, found the offer from Real, tapped buy, selected one portion, clicked buy, added my payment method, and received a receipt. Pickup times were between 1600-2000, so I tooled over to the store and went to the front desk and told the staff member I was there for the TooGoodtoGo pickup. After looking over my in-app receipt, she swiped it and told me to pick it my package in the produce department and then come back through customer service so she could buzz me through the gate. Easy enough.

I received about 8 different items, including: rucola salad, another container of some weird lettuce, some pale yellowish-orange carrots, cherry tomatoes, oranges, an apple, a head of broccoli, and a container of broccoli and cauliflower. Everything is still fresh enough to eat raw but I won't have high hopes for a long shelf-life since part of the purpose of the setup is to help the store move some of its older produce.

My treasure trove of fruits and veg

So, do I feel that it's worth it? Yes, I was happy with my purchase and I feel that I received even more than ten euros' worth. It is somewhat difficult as one person to use all this up so it might make sense to split the purchase with a friend, especially when it comes to the salad and fruit. I could make some vegetable dishes and freeze them though. For those who juice fruits and vegetables, it's a good haul. I think I'll even blend some up for a fruit smoothie of my own.

One downside is that the app is still gaining traction. In Kaiserslautern, there are only three participating locations, and even in bigger cities in the area, like Mannheim, there aren't a lot of options yet, but I hope that the app's popularity will grow and more stores and restaurants will participate.

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All opinions are completely my own. I received absolutely no compensation or consideration from the app or the store. I'm independent, yo!

Store Review: K-Town Cupcakes

K-Town Cupcakes

Richard-Wagner-Str.15

Kaiserslautern

Payment: cash only
Parking: paid, streetside

Need a sweet cupcake fix in Kaiserslautern? Until about last year, your only way to do so was to hope that one of the local bakeries made up a batch for fun, to place a special order for some from a bakery, or if you're in the know of the right Facebook groups, you could order a gourmet dozen from one of the military spouses in the Kaiserslautern area who bakes them up in her home (which I also totally recommend as there are some really talented bakers here!).

Last year, K-Town Cupcakes opened up a few blocks south of the K in Lautern Mall, on a side street.

It's a small, cute store with a few bistro tables and window seating. They offer both a display cabinet of cupcakes that can be eaten there or taken away, as well as custom orders.

 A variety of gourmet cupcakes are on display, as well as some meringue candies. Flavors when I visited red velvet, blue berry, strawberry, chocolate cake with cream cheese, raspberry, currants, and more. Additionally, vegan cupcakes are on offer, too. They're priced from 2,80 - 2,90 euros each.

So, on to the important information: are they good? Yes, they're decent. I find the frosting tasty but a bit crunchy/grainy as I don't think they have access to the same type of sugar that Americans use in our cupcakes. Also, since they have to refrigerate the cupcakes to keep them from melting in their unairconditioned store, they are not quite as soft as American cupcakes, but they're still good. If you're buying many cupcakes for a party, they can be a bit spendy, too.

All in all, though, they're good for a gourmet pick me up. Just beware that they don't always keep to their posted hours, which can cause frustration. If they sell out early, they close up shop for the day. This leads to unreliability but this isn't uncommon for small German businesses; call ahead if you're making a special trip.

My week: August 21 ed.

I met with my tandem partner to practice German. I've been wanting to practice pronunciation so we worked on words like Eichhörnchen (squirrel), hören (to hear), and some other umlauted words. I don't think I'm ever going to get ö, ü, and r correct in German. I've given up on ever saying that it's humid outside because an umlaut makes all the difference and can dramatically change what you're trying to say (German speakers know what I mean on this one).

It's been about the two year mark since tandem partner A. and I've started meeting. She's helped me immensely with German and any errors are mine, despite her excellent tutoring. A. is pleased with her progress in English and I'm impressed. She uses many idioms and employs a wide understanding of English. I highly recommend that those learning a new language practice conversation regularly with a native speaker because it enforces what one learns in the classroom.

I took off Friday and headed to Darmstadt for a seminar in the evening. I was feeling as if I could use a mini vacation so I decided to explore the city and meet some locals. 

I ate lunch at Djadoo, a Persian restaurant that offers a buffet lunch for about 10 euros. I won't lie; this lunch was part of the reason for taking the day off. The other more pressing reason was that I was feeling a little burned out so a day off seemed a good way to refresh myself. Anyway, I was able to snag a table inside at this handsome restaurant. I think it would've been even nicer to sit on the terrace under the umbrellas. If you'd like to do that, make a reservation. The buffet was tasty with various rice and sauce dishes, plenty of them vegetarian. There were sauteed vegetables, salad with dressings, and a few desserts. My favorite was the eggplant dish. I tried the ghormeh sabsi, which I also eat at home (from a tin), and it was good but a bit more citrusy than I usually enjoy.

After lunch, I took a short walk to Waldspirale, a housing development designed by an Austrian, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It undulates over a whole block, and is mostly apartments with some businesses scattered throughout. For those interested in art and architecture, it might be worth stopping by to view the building.

I wasn't done with viewing architecture; my next stop was Mathildenhöhe, an Art Nouveau artists' colony, reached by a pleasant 20 minute walk across town. I am enraptured by Art Nouveau and enjoyed my time very much. I visited the museum, which is somewhat small, for 5 euros, and admired works from the artists who were in residence in the early part of the 20th century. I also stopped by the lovely Orthodox church on-site and basked in its opulence.

Afterward, I stopped by the bustling downtown area to look around before the seminar that had brought me to Darmstadt. It's a typical German downtown with chain stores but does also have a palace, a theater, and other amenities, and was very busy.

The next item on my itinerary was the seminar, held in a suburb. It covered optimal body alignment for both everyday living and for sport and performance. I was chosen as someone to work on at one point and I unintentionally turned my session into a stand-up comedy routine, with full support from the teacher. He's from Ohio originally so we joked about Ohio-Michigan rivalry. I made sure to tease him about "The" Ohio State University. Yes, really, that's how the university refers to itself -- always with "The" in front of the name (I find this practice silly and pretentious.) 

The other participants had been shy and demure; I am neither, so we definitely had a lively session. One of the ground rules of using this method is that one has a head and a body. The teacher started to ask if I had a head. I told him that I definitely had a mouth. At first the other students were a bit shocked by our bantering (they were mostly Europeans and seemed rather serious) but they really seemed to get into it and clapped loudly at the end. I hadn't set out to be so raucous but since the teacher encouraged it, why not?

That night, I stayed with an architect. Man, the theme really was architecture on this trip! We had a nice chat and the next morning he made a lovely German breakfast.

I then met another Darmstadter for a hike at the Freizeitpark am Oberwaldhaus, which cracks me up a little bit at its name. It's a "free time park." Heaven forbid that one goes there when one should be doing something else! I enjoyed a nice chat with the woman who showed me around and I even navigated us successfully back to the parking lot after she missed a turn (I'm usually quite good with navigating, even in new places).

I really enjoyed Darmstadt, which I hadn't expected to enjoy to that extent. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy architecture. Oh yes, and I'd also recommend it to those who enjoy Persian food, too, as there seem to be several Persian restaurants in town!

The next day, my coworker hosted a potluck for my friends. We all had a great time and she was happy to meet some new people. She enjoyed it so much that she offered to host again! How sweet is that? I love to introduce the people in my life.

It was an excellent week, filled with architecture, friends, and new experiences.

Product review: Backwerk Vegan Sandwich

It's Germany.

If you're a vegan and you need food from a chain store that's not a grocery store, what are you going to eat?

That's a question I asked myself last month, as I reverted to be vegan for a new year's reboot. It's hard enough to find vegan food in the US; once I was reduced to ordering a bowl of oatmeal and some French fries from a diner. In Germany, it's even harder because this is the land of meat n' potatoes or salads drenched in yogurt dressing.

Backwerk, a chain of bakeries, offered a pleasant surprise with their new vegan menu. One can choose among wraps, bagels, and sandwiches filled vegetables, falafel, avacados, and/or tofu. Vegan yogurt topped with fruit is also available.

I bought the "Frische Schnitte Vollkorn Vegan" sandwich, which was on whole-grain bread with a vegan spread which seemed somewhere between a butter and a fake cream cheese, with tomatoes, rocket lettuce, and cucumbers inside. I enjoyed the nutty, thick bread and found it quite filling, though not calorie dense - a win! I think it could have used some more vegetables inside but it hit the spot and cost less than 3 euros. For vegans who need something on the go, Backwerk's offerings can help one avoid a sad and unhealthful lunch of pommes frites.

Street Food Festival in Kaiserslautern, 19-20 December

Facebook event
19 December, Saturday 12:00 - 21:00
20 December, Sunday 12:00 - 19:00
Held at: Kammgarn
Schoenstrasse 10, 67659 Kaiserslautern 
On-street and lot parking available; pay at the meter 




Get your street eats on at the BE! Street Food Weekend this weekend. Located in the courtyard of the Kammgarn cultural center, it's a collection of food trucks of cuisines around the world. Entry is free and the food's prices are reasonable for a food festival, at about 7 euros for a meal.

I saw the following available:

Portuguese baked goods, including churro-looking snacks
Maultaschen
Tex-Mex
Burgers
Pulled pork, even deer, and other BBQ
Spiral, fried potatoes
Eritrean food (including injera, a flatbread, served either with greens and lentils or with a beef option)
Currywurst, cheesewurst, regular wurst, fries
Beer stand

I ordered the vegetarian option at the Eritrean food stand. I enjoyed the greens with lentils, at 5,50 euros, served with spongy injera.

The Veggie Clubhouse burger: McDonald's and quinoa?

I heard something on the radio this summer that gave me pause: there was an ad for McDonald's that mentioned something about a quinoa burger. While I don't like McDonald's except for the occasional McMuffin if I'm desperate for a breakfast on the run, I was curious about this burger. I'm not into fast food but if I could find something that tasted decent and was vegetarian, it could be an option if I'm on the run.

I finally tried the burger. It's presented on a toasted bun with cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, and a sauce (which might be what they put on Big Macs but I'm not sure since I haven't had one in more than 20 years). The patty itself has quinoa, bell peppers, onions, and leeks all ground up.

It was reasonably crisp, which I think is because it seems fried. It was okay but I'm not super into fried foods and knew it would equal heartburn later as it seemed rather greasy. As far as flavor goes, it definitely had that salty-greasy, rich thing going on, which is what registered the most after the bun and toppings. However, if I had to eat a non-breakfast meal at McDonald's, I could order this again if I wanted to deal with the greasy aspect of it.

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Obviously this post is not sponsored, just to be clear. I'm not sure that the company would pay someone to say that she would buy the burger if there weren't any other options ;)

My week: June 28 ed.

I had German lessons and a lot of stress in the beginning of the week. I had so many things to get done at home and realized the enormity of some of our upcoming projects at work. My brother and sister-in-law were visiting at the end of the week. I wasn't sure how I would get everything done until I had the liberating thought: instead of trying to work a couple hours before I picked them up in the afternoon, I would just take the whole day off. Duh. I stress myself out so much by trying to do all the things. As it was, I was up until midnight the night before working on things and then spent two hours the next day preparing. I was so glad that I didn't try to go into work!

-I picked up my family at Frankfurt Hahn, which is not really anywhere near the actual Frankfurt. However, the drive is pleasant; I take the 63 to the 61 to the 50. My GPS was bound and determined that I should take the 6 to the 62 and I told it absolutely not. The construction that way is just awful right now!

We headed to Bingen, where we sat under a tree near the ferry and enjoyed the delicious, vegan picnic I had packed for us (based on this meal that I made for friends) since SIL is vegan. Following lunch, we took the ferry across the Rhein River to Rüdesheim am Rhein and basically repeated the trip I took there in December, minus the Christmas market part. This gave my family the chance to see a twee German town with fachwerk buildings.

-We continued to Cologne, where we walked around, had dinner at Cafe Especial (which is some of the better Mexican food I've had in Germany), and viewed the Cathedral.

The next day, we wandered around Cologne some more, stopping to eat lunch at a vegan restaurant (which had delicious quiche and a "milk" shake with cookie dough that we shared). We also browsed a record store and Saturn, then had to get on our way back home.

Originally, I had planned to meet with my friend R in Kaiserslautern, but we got stuck in a nasty Stau on the 61 and would've been too late. Instead, we met in Mainz and ate at Im Herzen Afrikas, which is a delicious Ethiopian restaurant. I've been meaning to try the Frankfurt version for quite some time. Even though we didn't have a reservation, they were able to tuck us into a corner.

-On Saturday, we got a late start and headed to Heidelberg. Just after arriving, we were stuck in a fierce thunderstorm so we hung out at Red, a vegetarian restaurant where we had purchased lunch.

When the storm had abated, we continued to the Heidelberg castle, taking the Bergbahn (mountain rail) to get to the top. It's possible to hike up there, too, but it's steep, we didn't have time, and we had no interest in coating ourselves in any additional sweat. Unfortunately, we were too late for the English tour, but my family was content with wandering the castle grounds.

Afterward, we walked around Heidelberg and stopped by the Kulturbrauerei, a beer brewery and restaurant.  My brother had wanted to visit a beer hall but this region (and points west) is known for wine and beer halls aren't so common. C, who used to live in Heidelberg, came to the rescue with the name of the brewery. There wasn't any dancing on tables or any lederhosen, but they enjoyed the beer, nonetheless.

We grabbed a train home and ended up back in Kaiserslautern around 11 p.m. My family was hungry but it can be difficult to find a restaurant whose kitchen is still open that late, even on the weekends. We lucked out and convinced the staff at Spinnrädl to cook us something, even though most of the staff had gone.

Everyone was happy with the place; they were able to put together a beautiful vegan salad to my SIL's specifications; I ate some Kaesespaetzle, and my brother ordered some incredibly regional food, liver dumpling soup and Saumagen (a Pfalz specialty that former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl loved to foist upon visiting dignitaries). 

I'm not a huge fan of German food normally (it's too heavy and not always so vegetarian/vegan friendly) but I do like visiting Spinnrädl with guests upon occasion because of its ambiance (it's the oldest surviving fachwerk building in town); it serves traditional, regional dishes that are tasty (well, to the meat eaters); and while it's tourist-friendly, it's somewhere that the locals eat too and prices are in line with other restaurants.

-The next morning, we got up early so I could drop off my family at the airport again. I'm so glad that they visited and I was able to share my life here with them. I hadn't seen them for 2.5 years and won't see them again until next year when I visit the US.

-Following that, I had some work to do, went strawberry and cherry picking, ran to the store to pickup some household things, and even made strawberry jam using hot water bath canning. Phew! 

Picking strawberries in Kaiserslautern

Late spring is bringing wonderful things to Germany, and that includes strawberries and Spargel, two culinary favorites as the cold of winter is forgotten. Fans of fresh produce can enjoy a delicious treat by picking their own strawberries.

I took advantage of the strawberry fields in Kaiserslautern. Just through the industrial park on the east side of town, the fields are located above the highway. Take Wartenberger Weg and follow the "Erdbeerland" signs, which wind through fields and even takes one under the highway to the cowpath that leads to the red treats.

Just follow the Erdbeerland signs!

At the top of the hill, there is a clearing for parking and in the middle of the fields is the cashier's hut. In the hut, one can purchase strawberry wine and already picked strawberries.

View from strawberry fields, looking toward the A6 & 63 junction.

Even better yet, though, is picking one's own strawberries. They're less expensive to purchase. Before picking strawberries, give your container to the cashier to be weighed. The cashier will give a receipt; keep it, because when paying, the customer presents it for the weight of the container to be deducted. From there, the fields, and the delicious strawberries, await! Pick to your heart's content.

The fruits (har har) of my labor.

This website has more information about the strawberry fields mentioned, as well as additional fields in the region.

Erdbeerland Ernst & Funck

Here is the Kaiserslautern location:

Wartenberger Weg
67657 Kaiserslautern
Open Monday through Sunday 0800-1800;
open Thursdays until 1900 during the harvest season

Meze dinner success!

I had three friends over for dinner on Saturday and pulled together a tasty dinner of Lebanese-influenced meze, light appetizers. I made so many of them that there was no threat of leaving the diners hungry, for sure!

Here are the delicious, fresh dishes we ate:

Falafel (bought from Vitamingarten)
Lebanese salad
Red beet hummus
Hummus
Tabbouli
Fresh veggies for dipping
Homemade pita chips (sorry, Stacy, but mine are so much better ;)
Tzatziki sauce
Spargel strawberry salad (this is German)
Hugo cocktails
Unsweetened iced tea (I'm a Northerner so we don't ruin it with boatloads of sugar ;)

With the exception of the tzatziki and falafel, I made everything else from scratch and dang was it delicious! I impressed myself, especially since I'm not a person with domestic skillz. My friends enjoyed everything, but didn't talk too much during the meal. They were too busy chewing. All in all, it was a success and we enjoyed one another's company and a very fresh, summery dinner.

My week: May 17 ed.

This was a fun week! It might be summed up as: learning German, traveling for work, celebrating men's day, hanging out with a sneaky Moo Doppelgänger, eating foraged salads and smoothies (and not dying, which is a mega bonus), the gaining of a new Moo fan without that person even meeting him, and seeing Nuremberg through the eyes of some locals. Oh yeah, and I also came to acquire Horst der Stinker.

-I traveled for work early in the week. The air conditioning was not functioning in the work vehicle so we drove for two hours with the windows down. I ended up with a mega headache, probably a migraine. I have heard from many Germans that having the air conditioning on in a car gives them a headache, but I'm rather certain that having air pounding one's ears while flying down the highway at 80 mph isn't so healthful either.

-After I rushed back to town, I stumbled through one German class. My headache was raging to the point that I could barely focus my eyes so I skipped class #2.

-I traveled again for work later in the week and decided to make a mini vacation of the trip while I wasn't working. I took my own car so there was no problem with air conditioning.

I stayed with three different hosts and had three very different, but fun experiences. The first family who hosted me live so far out in the country that their "village" is only about ten houses surrounded by farm fields. I arrived on the evening of a German holiday, which is both Ascension Day and Father's Day/Men's Day. The wife in the family told me that the men would be drunk when I arrived, but I was still welcome to stay. I was fine with that; it's not as if it's the first time I've been around drunk people and I've gone to other parties where I've only known a few people (and not even well) and had a good time.

Men's Day involves men getting together, going on "hikes," pulling a wagon of beer, and drinking the beer. They might get together for a grillparty afterward. When I arrived, the men indeed were in the middle of a grill party. They cheerfully boasted about their five mile walk. I asked how long it took and laughed when they said it took five hours. It must have been a very slow walk, I said. They replied that they had to stop at a bar along the way and played some soccer games with kids. That would explain why their pants were covered in grass stains, which they proudly (and tipsily) displayed. They even won one of the matches; they were especially proud of that.

It was an enjoyable evening; everyone welcomed me warmly and spoke English. They were incredulous when I said I could speak German too and kept switching back to English. That's fine; they were speaking the Franconian dialect and it is hard for me to understand it. One of the guys had studied in the US so we had a good chat about that. Soon, the Fraus returned from their own party and collected their men. I was trying not to crack up because it reminded me a bit of parents picking up their children from an eighth grade party.

After we cleared up from the party, my hosts and I spent some time hanging out, chatting amicably. I also met their kitty, who looks quite a bit like Moo looks and is friendly too. He's a sneaky little bugger, for sure! The next morning, I stepped out of the room and when I came back, sat on the bed but heard a weird noise and bolted upright. Then something fuzzy touched me. It was the kitty's foot! He sneaked in and laid on the bed.

It's like Moo #2! Gray, white, and friendly. That's how I like kitties to be :)

 -The next evening, I stayed with a different host, out in the country side again, but not so far out this time. I have been interested in foraging wild plants to eat but have always been afraid to try on my own. L, the host, is incredibly well-versed in plants and alternative health so she shared her knowledge with me for a lovely evening. We "shopped" her garden for our dinner. At first glance it looks a bit overrun with weeds. After all, many of the plants are indeed what some would consider weeds: nettles, dandelions, and others. However, her collection yielded a very edible selection that made a delicious dinner salad, complete with dressing made from other weeds. L told me that if people knew how healthful dandelions are, they'd all be picked and eaten.

The next morning, she made me a delicious green smoothie made again from plants from her garden and sent me on my way so I wouldn't be late for meeting the next host in Nuremberg.

-I then met R and her friend E in Nuremberg as they were just finishing up breakfast, inviting me to join in. I was still full from the smoothie so I declined. E had brought an extra bike by for me to use. R and I took the bikes out to explore Nuremberg while E left for home to finish studying.

I was a bit wobbly on the bike; it was too tall for me, but that just made things a bit more thrilling all around ;) R showed me around, taking me to a retro/second hand clothing store that she likes. I liked it too; I picked out a necklace and shirt, which is Moo-colored (gray) and will join my ever growing collection of Moo colored shirts and sweatshirts (a bit of an obsession, perhaps?).

We then visited a section of town that was offering a Flohmarkt (flea market/yard sale) in the courtyards of building blocks. Apparently different sections of Nuremberg have them throughout the summer. One can find the sales by looking for a balloons hung outside the residences in the sections scheduled for the sales.

E met us up with us again and we hung out for a while at Eisdiele, which is a cafe, ice cream parlor, and art forum. I really liked the vibe there.  The ice cream was great, too!

R and I rode our bikes to downtown Nuremberg. I picked up some postcards then we stopped at the youth hostel in the former castle stables to see if an employee I knew was working that night so we could say hi. My brother and I had met him in September when we stayed there and he was super nice. Unfortunately he wasn't working but I did leave a note from him.

We biked back to R's apartment and she took me along the river. Whoa, it's amazing! There's a huge park that runs along it. People were grilling, playing games, and hanging out. R told me that there's a free festival under the bridge that's really good too.

After relaxing at home for a bit, we ventured out again to the supermART art exhibition at the former Quelle building. Artists set up their works throughout the building as music played and people sipped beer and wine. It reminded me of some of the art events I attended in Detroit; it had a homespun, alternative feeling. I really enjoyed it.

The next morning I was inspired by my earlier stay with L so I made a fruit/vegetable smoothie for R and it turned out well. We finished those up, I said goodbye, and drove home. I invited R to visit me and I talked up Moo so much that she's excited to meet him. He has a new fan club member already. We had gotten along famously and I hope to have her out to visit as soon as both of us have some free time.

It was an awesome weekend. People were so generous, offering access to their lives and showing me a really good time. Life is good.

The joe that was too sloppy

Sloppy Joes, a messy and saucy cousin of hamburgers, are a part of American cuisine (if it can be called that). They include ground hamburger cooked in a tomato-based sauce (called, aptly enough, sloppy joe sauce; it's somewhat similar to BBQ sauce). The filling is served on a bun and is a common family dinner.

An American cafeteria* in Germany had vegetarian sloppy joes on the menu and I was intrigued. I ate texturized vegetable protein (made from soy) based joes when I was in college (and have since) and like them. I guessed that these would be something similar and chose them for lunch.

Imagine my surprise when I received a huge lake of sauce on a plate but no bun. I asked where the bun was and they said it didn't come with a bun. Um, isn't a sloppy joe a sandwich? I did finally manage to talk them into giving me a bun instead of a side of vegetables.

Things got even more komisch when I tried what was really just "sloppy sauce:" there was no "joe" in it. In the sauce, I found about a baby carrot sized amount of carrot shreds and about the same amount of onions. However, it wasn't enough to make it similar to a hamburg filling; it was more like a garnish. 

I was essentially served a plate full of sauce. By that time, it was everything I could do to keep from bursting into giggles. The situation was absurd; I ate a plate full of sauce for lunch.

For the record, it tasted good and I would have been thrilled if it had some sort of meat replacement in it and was willingly served on a bun. Heck, I would have even been cool with having lots of shredded carrots and onions as the "meat." I was a bit disconcerted about eating sauce for lunch.

I told my coworkers the story about this and we laughed so hard. When I explained the thing about the carrots and onions, S said that she imagined something like a population density map being used to demonstrate the ratio of vegetables to sauce. I started imagining how things can be measured by PPM (parts per million). Would the carrots be measured as PPS, parts per sauce?


*this cafeteria is American through and through, with American staff and American ingredients, so I can't blame the ridiculous situation on a misunderstanding of American food by those who are not from the US.

Lazy, easy, interchangeable cheap vegan crock pot soup recipe

You could call this "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" soup recipe. Or you might call it: "let's raid my non-gourmet, cheap, mostly vegan pantry because I need soup to pack for lunch" recipe. You would also be justified if you wondered if this even will count as a recipe because I'm not going to give out very specific measurements. Those kinds of recipes from other people make me crazy because I don't have mad domestic skillz and need less ambiguity. However, I've found that this recipe is easy to modify to one's tastes and available ingredients. I'd say go easy on the ingredients with strong tastes; you can add more seasonings or vinegar later. By the way, let's talk about the vinegar: holy heck, is it ever awesome in this soup! Along with a small helping of the red chili flakes, it helps give this soup a taste slightly reminiscent of hot and sour soup from Chinese restaurants, without all the greasiness or overly sour taste.

Lazy, easy, interchangeable cheap vegan crock pot soup recipe

-Cut and peel some vegetables; I used carrots (3) and onions (1/2 of one)
-Add some uncooked lentils (I used about a cup)
-1 packet of Knorr® Vegetable recipe mix* or vegetable bullion or stock (to taste)
-Red pepper flakes or sambol oelek, to taste, starting small (optional, but it helps amp up the flavor)
-Red wine vinegar, to taste (I used 2 Tbs)
-Some form of non-meat based oil; I used 1 Tbs olive oil and 1 Tbs sesame oil

Throw all of this in a large crock pot, and add enough water to cover everything with an inch above the ingredients. Cook until the vegetables and lentils are tender.

I cooked mine on low heat for 8 hours, but that was because I was lazy and let it cook while I was sleeping. You could try cooking it for a shorter period with higher heat. Experiment (and don't get ticked at me if it doesn't work to your liking; I'm not a food blogger by any means ;)



*I absolutely promise that this post is NOT sponsored by the company. I just happened to pick up a ton of these packets on the clearance shelf and had to do something with them.

Rüdesheimer Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen

This past Saturday, C. and I drove a bit more than an hour north to Rüdesheim am Rhein, a wine-growing city on the north bank of the Rhein. Our plan was to visit the Rüdesheimer Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen, or the Christmas Market of the Nations.

Rüdesheimer Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen Welcome Sign

Getting There

I had been talking to my dad about the plans for the weekend and he was excited about the trip; he had visited the city in the 70s. He mentioned that he had to take a ferry across the Rhein to get there. I doubted that a ferry would still be necessary; after all, it had been forty-ish years since he had been there and wouldn't a bridge have been built?

Well, I was wrong; indeed, a ferry is still necessary. Mr. GPS directed me to Bingen. We parked in a free lot and walked onto the ferry. During the winter, it doesn't run as often, but we didn't have to wait very long. Just be sure to check for the last boarding time! The trip is about 4 euros round trip, per person.

After the short ride across the river, we followed the crowd to the town of Rüdesheim, a short walk. I was glad that I had left my car across the river in the big lot because parking on the Rüdesheim side didn't seem to be super abundant and people were walking everywhere.

The Market

The international Christmas market lines Rheinstrasse, which faces the river, and continues north along the small side streets until it reaches Oberstasse. As an international market, it has more than 120 booths with specialties from 12 countries, according to the tourist information website.

Most of the offerings were German, which makes sense. There was plenty of wurst, Glühwein, potato pancakes (reibekuchen), lebkuchen, and other typical German things to eat and drink. The international portion of the market was much smaller; it included things such as African masks (perhaps slightly dubious in authenticity), Australian hats, a jaunty British bus with cocktails and snacks, and some others.

There was one booth quite unlike the others: the Hanf-Beckerey, or Hemp Bakery! It was an old-fashioned looking booth filled with cheery workers cooking up sandwiches with hemp seeds. On offer were chicken or vegetarian sandwiches, served on grilled bread. The workers were quite silly; if one ordered a vegetarian sandwich, he had to sing a song! The booth cracked me up because it all looked so traditional, including the cooks wear chef hats. However, the hemp stenciled on their hats and their flag broke that illusion.

Though some of the "international" offerings seemed a bit forced, we were enchanted by the Scandinavian (sub) market located in a courtyard in Drosselgasse, a small passage that's worth visiting on its own. We passed beautiful fachwerk buildings as well as the beautiful stained glass windows on the Rüdesheimer Schloss. Once in the market, we touched the soft elk skins and I very purposefully avoided touching the multitude of wool offerings as I'm allergic. Grilled elk and salmon were available from food vendors.

Entrance to the Drosselgasse; it's even prettier at night!

There is certainly enough within the market itself to make for a pleasant visit in its own right. In addition, the town has some other offerings of interest that make a visit definitely worth it. More information will follow, including details about our trip to the mechanical musical instrument museum and the ride on the cable car.

Düsseldorf trip, day 2

We wanted to fill our our second day in Düsseldorf with art. We started with a visit to the K20 Art Museum, which houses works by 20th century masters, including Picasso, members of the Munich Secession, the Blaue Reiter, and so on. Admission was a bit steep at 12 euros but we thoroughly enjoyed the art. 

Following the K20 visit, we had every intention of attending a really cool art market with djs. Unfortunately, we didn't note which district housed the address and the two places we visited were nowhere near where we needed to be. We ended up at the far edge of the local trains and then gave up.

We decided that it was time to head back to get the car, eat some lunch, then head home with a slight detour to Cologne. For lunch, we made a stop to Jade Vegatarische Küche, a vegan and vegetarian Chinese restaurant near the hotel. We enjoyed an inexpensive, filling, and vegan lunch.

After lunch we hopped into the car and made a quick journey to Cologne. I visited the city last year with my cousins and we enjoyed ourselves. However, we only saw about three of the seven Christmas markets. One market was especially curious; it was the gay and lesbian market. Though I'm not part of that community, I was extremely nosy and wanted to know what it would be like. Would there be naughty ornaments? Strangely shaped foods? Lots of sparkly things? I honestly had no idea what to expect so of course I had to find out.

C. and I wandered over after driving around the block several frustrating times while trying to enter the parking garage. The market was similar to most other Christmas markets but there were indeed shiny/sparkly decorations and some naughty chocolates and lebkuchen with very saucy things written on them. There was a booth of men's underoos and a booth with some mermen ornaments, which I thought were pretty cool; if I had a Christmas tree, I probably would have bought one.

The underwear booth! See the shiny decorations to the right?

We were delighted to learn that we were in time for a men's talent show hosted by drag queens. The show was fantastic and we thought that the guys were adorable. The whole show had such a local feeling to it; I wondered if the guys had been talked into competing by their friends. They had to showcase their talents. One guy made snowmen as a fundraiser and another guy did yoga. That totally cracked me up because it's not what I would think of as traditional talent show offerings. See where it felt like they were talked into competing by their friends? The winner lip synced and danced to Beyonce with one of the drag queens as his dance partner, which the crowd enthusiastically received. The whole thing was fantastic! C. and I decided that it was totally worth the trip.

As we headed home, we reflected on our trip and our impressions on Düsseldorf. Though we enjoyed ourselves and were glad that we checked out a new city, we weren't super impressed with Düsseldorf. It just felt kind of...soulless, perhaps. It had been bombed heavily during the war and it seemed to have a lot of ugly post-war buildings. The whole city is great for those who want to shop, but...well, it feels a bit like Mannheim in a very commercial sense (without Mannheim's great music scene). Most cities have some sort of pulse and we just couldn't connect with Düsseldorf's.

Düsseldorf trip, day 1

My friend C. and I decided to spend the weekend of November 29 in Düsseldorf as we hadn't been there before and wanted to check out the Christmas markets.

I made a hotel reservation at the Hotel Astra, which is in the southern outskirts of the city. As I turned down the hotel's road, we ran into traffic resulting from the flea market right in front of the hotel. I was looking forward to perusing it after checking in at the hotel but was denied entry to the parking lot of the hotel. What the heck?! As a result of the flea market, there were no spots available. When I asked the guy guarding the gate where I should park instead, he shrugged his shoulders and said "somewhere downtown." Thanks, dude. I was NOT pleased with any of the situation; I had chosen the hotel because it was inexpensive and had free parking. Since I wasn't from town, of course I wouldn't know a good place to park elsewhere!

Thanks to Mr. GPS finding us a Park and Ride lot, I calmed down from my Hulk Angry mode (I greatly dislike driving anyway so the parking situation didn't make me any happier). We ditched the car at the Südfriedhof P+R lot about two miles from the hotel.  We fumbled a bit with figuring out the tram lines but we were soon on track and made our way to the Hauptbahnhof and then to the tourist information office across the street from it to get some information.

We visited the following places:

-Gut & Gerne Schockolade shop: in this quaint building with hardwood floors and light walls, the chocolates are anything but quaint. The store offers a wide variety of fresh chocolates in interesting gourmet flavors like balsamic caramel (actually really quite good without tasting like salad dressing). The chocolates are presented in display cases throughout the room; ask the staff to bag up your selections. Other gifts, such as chocolate bars, sauces, creams, and assorted sweets are also on offer and an adjoining cafe offers beverages.

-Christmas market at Flinger Strasse. There was a drink hut with a huge Christmas pyramid on top with somewhat frightening characters twirling around. We had no idea who they were or what they meant but I sensed some potential satire.

We wanted NO part of this!

-Christmas market at Marktplatz. There was a Ferris wheel, among other things. We thought that the portion with fronts painted to look like old timey businesses was especially neat.

-St. Lambertus Basilica. Gothic and Baroque art and relics lay beneath modern stained glass windows that manage to enhance, rather than detract from, the interior. We stopped by the parish rummage sale and I picked up some ridiculous tchotkes that I plan to use to fully tease a friend for a somewhat inside joke.

-Stier Royal: we ate dinner at this burger place. I normally would run far, far away from burger places but there was both a vegetarian falafel burger and a vegan chickpea burger option. I picked the latter, served with marinated and grilled veggies on top and enjoyed the surprisingly hearty "burger." The sweet potato fries were crisp and delicious. C. enjoyed her very meaty burger and regular fries. We were impressed by the friendly and attentive waiter who helpfully explained the menu.

-More Christmas markets, followed by a trip to Primark, just because I haven't exploited any child laborers lately. I bought a sweater and a pair of gloves, a purchase that was most definitely influenced by how cold I was after walking around.

There was even a Gepäck Bus, which we took to mean that it was a bus where one could store one's purchases and continue shopping without being weighted down. It appeared that we were correct as we saw another one with an employee checking in some bags from a shopper.

There was an actual human in addition to Santa to watch over the bags.

Some resources for being vegan in Germany

Being vegan takes a bit of added work, but that doesn't mean that one must be stuck eating uninspired salads. Doing a bit of research first makes all the difference. Earlier I wrote some tips for being vegan in Germany. Now I'll share some helpful sources.

• Happy Cow is a restaurant guide with reviews and listings of vegan restaurants around the world and there is coverage of many areas in Germany. It's a great way to identify some restaurants of interest. There is also information about vegan stores, organizations, and even B&Bs! 
• A Vegetarian in Germany is an eclectic blog filled with useful reviews of restaurants in and around Saarbrücken (as well as information about living in the area). The author provides helpful information about the menus and the ability of the restaurants to cook vegetarian and vegan dishes or modify existing dishes.
• Finding Vegan Strength blogger Shannon G. wrote a comprehensive guide to being vegan that was featured on the Germany Ja! blog.
• Visit the Reformhaus. What, go to jail, you ask? No, silly, go to the health food store; Reformhaus is the German name for that. (I love the name, because I imagine that if the store could talk, it would say that it intends to reform people into veggie and organic eating machines). Alnatura is a chain of health food stores in Germany.
• Use the interwebs as additional inspiration and a DIY approach; find a new favorite blog or recipe website for ideas. I recently stumbled across The Vegan Stoner and was totally charmed by the site's adorable illustrations and easy, delicious recipes. I have to admit that I a bit confused about the "Stoner" part of the title (after all, there didn't seem to be hemp seed recipes or anything like that). I read on the site that the recipes are so simple that even a stoner could make them. Um, okay. It's a cute site though.

Being vegan in Germany: at home, at a friend's, and at the restaurant

Well, here I am, 30 days into the Vegan Pact I made with some friends. Being vegan in Germany isn't the easiest thing ever, but then again, it's not the hardest thing, either. I would say that it takes some planning and thought, and I would rate it as a bit more difficult than it is to do in the US. I'll discuss some considerations.

At Home
Being vegan at home is the easiest place to do so. Once you have some staples of vegan cooking, it's reasonably easy to whip up something.  I am a huge fan of stockpiling vegan cooking staples to throw together quickly. I will also admit that I'm naughty when I'm a vegan: I don't always buy fresh fruits and vegetables so I turn to dried, canned and frozen goods to take me through the busy times (which is mostly all the time for me).

At a Friend's House
Oh boy, this can get awkward. It's always such a kindness when a friend invites you over for dinner and who wants to hurt someone else's feelings by saying that you can't eat something she cooked for you?

There are several different approaches to take with this. First of all, let your friend know that you appreciate the invitation. Explain that you're vegan and you do have some dietary restrictions; would it be possible to accommodate them? Elaborate on what you can/can't eat as not everyone understands what goes along with being vegan. Offer to bring something (at least you'll have a "safe" thing to eat then). Perhaps you can eat the side dishes? Be diplomatic and be careful with your friend's feelings. After all, she probably just wants to spend a nice evening together and here you're giving her a list of what you can't/can't eat!

At the Restaurant
I have found that being vegan in a traditional German restaurant can be somewhat difficult. Much of German food focuses on meat and potatoes. The potatoes might include some sort of meat (such as Speck)  and/or might be covered in some sort of cheese or cream sauce. Even the salads tend to have dairy in the form of yogurt or cream dressings.

It's not impossible to eat vegan at most German restaurants, but you'll have to think carefully and there's a strong likelihood that you'll end up with a green salad topped with some sort of vinegar and oil dressing. Perhaps a dish can be made in a vegan fashion? It never hurts to ask. If that fails, check out the side dishes and see if a combination of those works.

That's not my favorite dinner, so I like to take a different route for dining out in Germany: I try to visit ethnic restaurants or vegetarian/vegan restaurants. For ethnic foods, I love Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Mexican restaurants. It's easy enough to find vegetarian and vegan foods there.  Even better yet is to visit a vegetarian and vegan restaurant. They're not super common but they are out there.

Finished week 1 of the vegan challenge

My friend had the great idea to be vegan for 40 days. Since I alternate among being vegetarian, vegan, and then eating BACON, I thought that I may as well join too. I just finished up the first week of being vegan.

It was a roller coaster. I don't want to dissuade anyone from being vegan because it can introduce one to some awesome food that one normally wouldn't try. However, for me at least, there is a bit of detoxing time. I obsess(ed) over cheese; I had to pick up some things at the store and forced myself to walk quickly past the cheese aisle and all its lovely offerings.

The other problem was that I had been eating a rather rich diet (at least for me) before I went into this. I had been having cheese, desserts, and meals out several times a week so of course I was craving these things.

The cravings came to a head earlier this week: I went on a candy bender! I bought some candy after first making sure that it was vegan and went to town on it. Of course I felt like crud later and told my coworker (who was with me at the time) that I am to have no more candy.

I'm doing okay so far with that part. I haven't bought any commercially prepared sweets or candy. I did make a loaf of homemade vegan banana bread with half of the sugar that the recipe called for. I plan to share it with my friend when we take a trip together.

If I can't eat cheese, candy, or desserts, then I start craving carbs like bread. My next goal will be to cut way back on anything that contains gluten since I don't feel great after eating it. I won't go so far as to say that I think I'm gluten-sensitive, but I can say that all the carbs from flour aren't the best for me.

After meeting that goal, then I'm going to work on mostly eating vegetables with some fruits, beans, seeds (i.e. quinoa), etc. I once lost 10 pounds in two weeks by following that diet, which was really quite healthful. I had to eat a couple cups of raw vegetables a day in addition to some yogurt for breakfast. By the time I had done that, I was not very hungry for much else! I certainly have plenty of time left since there are still about 31 days left to the challenge.

Oh, glorious land of cheese.

I see this and I'm all like:

Aw shucks, here's some corn for you

I saw this guy during the Bad Dürkheim Wurstmarkt. At the festival, a roasted ear of corn cost about 2,50 euros. That kills me because in my home state in the summer, one can buy about a dozen or more ears of corn for the same price.

 

This version is a bit more sinister. Corn Dude is all like, "RORRR! I WILL PUT MY CHILDREN ON YOUR PIZZA AND SALADS, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T BELONG THERE! RORRR! I HANG MY CHILDREN FROM MY CORNY GUTS!"*


(No, seriously, look under the sign - there's corn hanging down. Creeeepy)


*Note: the antibiotics I've been taking have been making me feel a bit strange lately.

Restaurant Review: Eat Mode, Amsterdam

Eat Mode Pan-Asian Restaurant
 Zeedijk 105 - 107
1012 AV  Amsterdam
T: +31 20 3300806

Opening hours: 12:00 - 23:00hrs
Free wireless internet for customers

When we first ventured forth into Amsterdam, our initial stop was in Chinatown to find a bite to eat before continuing our adventures. My travel mates C. and J. were enthralled by Eat Mode and their hamburger with buns made of fried ramen noodles so we stopped in.

Both ladies ordered the burgers. I order the udon noodles with stir-fried udon noodles. My dish was quite large and filling for less than 8 euros. It was fresh and tasted good, topped in dried seaweed strips.

Both of my friends were pleased with their hamburgers, which were about 9 euros with a side of sweet potato fries, dipping sauces, and a small side of salad for garnish. C. said that the hamburger tasted fresh and like a decent cut. They both liked the fried ramen noodles that served as the buns and said it tasted like typical ramen. The sweet potato fries were great; they were very fresh tasting and fried up to perfection (I tried one :). J. also enjoyed a melon-orange juice and liked its fresh, intense taste.

The restaurant offers a little bit of everything: Chinese, Thai and Japanese food; hamburgers, pho, and more. I'd say that it's a jack of all trades and master of none, but the food is decent enough and reasonably priced despite the restaurant's tourist-heavy location.