Got the inspiration for this quiche from Thursday Night Smackdown. We had
So conditions were favorable for a quiche this weekend. Continue reading Ham, Mushroom and Cheese Quiche
Regensburg’s Donaumarkt is, as I have written before, one of my weekend joys. Due to construction at its usual spot down on the riverbank, it has had to move Alter Kornmarkt — at least temporarily. Will it end up there permanently? How long into the autumn season will it continue to run?
We’d heard about it from our friends the Heidelbergers for years, but a scheduling conflict always got in the way of our own enjoyment of the Kulinarische Weinwanderung Freinsheim — a path through the vineyards outside a small town with plenty of local traditional and fancy-pants eats along the way — until this year. Continue reading Kulinarische Weinwanderung Freinsheim — 7 km of food and drink
You know it’s Fall when the last weekend festival around Regensburg has come and gone. Stadtamhof is our island neighborhood just over the Steinerne Brücke from the historic Altstadt, and it hosts a wine festival every year at the close of the summer. The music is usually awful — this year was no exception. The food can be kind of hit-or-miss (this year seemed more of a hit — particularly the Flammkuchen). And Regensburg isn’t much of a wine region, so the winesellers are pitching domestic whites (and Federweißer) from real wine regions in Germany and imported reds from all over. On the first day, almost no one showed up because the weather was so foreboding. That made getting a seat and something to eat particularly easy. Today, the second and final day, it was packed. Which is fun at first, but quickly grows tiresome.
Happy Fall!
My sister and I visited my parents for the weekend in rural Michigan about a year ago. One afternoon while it was time for a snack, they said “You guys need to try this, but we’re not telling you what it is. We’re positive you’ll like it. See if you can guess.” They spread a tiny sample of a dark brown paste on a cracker and I took a sniff. It smelled good — really good. Thoughts of Sarah’s family and hometown flooded my mind as I took a bite. I asked, “Is this a chunky barbecue sauce?” “It’s BACON JAM!” they exclaimed. Of course! It’s not a big surprise the smoky, savory, and sweet flavor elements reminded me of Kansas City barbecue. Continue reading Bacon Jam
It might be easier than travel.state.gov thinks to go through a passport renewal. I burnt up four solid hours in travel time today for nothing. I’ve calmed down quite a bit, but am still smoldering a little. Hopefully someone else won’t have to waste any of their time on this topic. Or Madam Secretary will give me a shout out. That would make things a little better, too. Continue reading Passport Renewal for American citizens abroad
WEBMU 2012 in Berlin was last weekend (I’m still recovering from it). Given that most or all of the attendees have visited the usual tourist spots in Berlin — Brandenburger Tor, Reichstag, East Side Gallery, etc. — our WEBMU hosts put together a program off the beaten path, concentrating our activities around neighborhoods in East Berlin. My favorite agenda item of the weekend was our visit to the Stasi Museum in Lichtenberg. Continue reading Stasi Museum via WEBMU 2012 in Berlin
It warmed my heart at the Spitalkeller recently with some local friends to hear that the Chattanooga Choo Choo lives on here in the Oberpfalz. And while musing about life changes with an old work colleague and his soon-to-be wife on my last night in Iași last week, the muzak DJ hit upon another song they and I both knew well. Continue reading Entschuldigen Sie, ist das der Zug nach…?
(Alternative title: Rumänien, das Schmandsland)
I’ve been visiting Romania for almost six years, several times per year, for about a week at a time. I don’t get much exposure to the language (though I find it exceedingly interesting) because these are all work trips and we work in English or German (depending on who is visiting with me). Basic conversation, travel-related vocabulary, and all the other first-year language lesson topics have mostly remained a mystery to me. But there’s one area in which I am starting to feel more comfortable: food. Continue reading Romania: Paradise for Sour Cream Fans