Hello from Kiel!

Sorry for neglecting this blog and withholding fascinating updates from you. To make up for some lost time, here is a very quick Heza re-cap:

• retired from German university system as of yesterday,
• fully employed at a trademark consulting firm as of the beginning of June,
• volunteer/vice-chairwoman for a non-profit, multi-national music association in Munich as of February,
• and now veteran drinker of mövenschiss!

It looks like it sounds but it is quite tasty. What is it? Seagull Poop. Just kidding! It is a generous spread of Meerrettich (horseradish) on a slice of salami (or pumpernickel) and a shot of Korn (corn schnapps). It is the signature shot at elmövenschiss. Their fish soup is fantastic and full of fresh seafood.

We picked a pretty foggy day to visit Knokke in late December. With the wind and cold temperatures it was difficult to enjoy the normally beautiful scenery. I remember my feet were freezing that day and after 30 minutes of walking, I couldn’t move my toes. Misery.

Besides walking there are plenty of things to do in winter on the shore. In the off-season dogs are allowed to play on the beach. Kids pedal bicycles or four-wheelers on the sidewalk. There are also a few joggers and people fishing on the wave barriers. You could take in the architecture. I loved the thatched roof tops on the buildings. They look like orderly bird nests made of water reeds. The older thatched roofs are especially pretty because green moss grows on them. There is also plenty of art to be seen or money to blow at the casino. Still all these things can’t beat a hot coffee in a cozy, warm restaurant on the beach.

We stopped at a Brasserie called Andorra and ordered three cappuccinos. I secretly wanted to put my toes into the hot mixtures. But on all thoughts, that’s just gross. I noticed that people prefer to speak in French in this town, even though the way they speak French it sounds very obnoxious and harsh. I spoke in German to the waiter and some how that worked alright. We still had a little bit of hunger so we decided to each enjoy a small bowl of soup, or so we thought. Because Knokke is a so affluent, we mistakenly believed a 14 Euro fish soup would be a small appetizer. Instead we each received a deep, enamel crock pot with fresh fish, muscles, crab, shrimp and veggies. My bowl alone was enough to feed a small army. Lucky me, I love soup. It was simply delicious and filling. My toes were warm and toasty from the inside out.

In some ways Knokke remindes me of Harbor Island in Tampa. It is a cute town and a nice place to visit if you have ties there or an eager wallet wanting to be emptied. To see more photos, click here.

This past Saturday, we welcomed Martin and Lydia for the first time to our home and had a grill party for their arrival. It also happened to be Lydia’s bday. They brought us a beautiful tree with purple flowers for our balcony. How sweet. Saturday also welcomed a rain spell that still wants to trump my immune system. I’ve been tired for three days straight. But I refuse to be sick so close to our trip to Rome. So here’s the rest of the beginning of the story. It’s a touch of rant..

Thursday, I made a surprise visit to Regensburg for the 4. Jubiläum des ersten Kusses. Although the romantic surprise was slightly thwarted by work and simply turned to an extra treat for us to see each other a day early. Boom chicka wahwah plop.

I had perfectly planned my trip to Regensburg, left on time, remember all my belongings etc. But I did tax me a bit. I woke up Friday morning beat, eyes itchy and reluctant to stay open and a headache. Dust? I noticed that there was pollen floating all around Regensburg. It could be I am not used to the plants in this part of Bavaria. Or some bug going around. I headed out to the city center after the Hausmeister stopped by, took one long, puzzled look at me and tried his best to utter his request in the clearest and slowest Hochdeutsch he could muster. Sweet, but really I need to practice my understanding of Bayerisch.

I made my way to the Burger King near the cathedral to set up my study area and try the new “Long and Strong” chicken club sandwich. Like I said in the previous post, I’m a weakling to xxl photos of tasty looking sandwiches. You may ask yourself, why not study in a library? Most libraries (if not all) in Germany require that you put your bags in a locker and carry your material in your hands. Considering my writing utensils, calculator, dictionaries, study material -I just don’t have that many hands. And forget sneaking in some water or a candy bar for quick, by-your-desk, brain fuel. It’s just more convenient to sit in a restaurant and absorb the grease and thermo. It’s a mystery to me why this Burger King am Dom rarely has any visitors. I think I got a clue with the improper use of the English language, phallically named chicken club. So disappointingly Ew. Oh well, I got a lot accomplished in BK’s deserted lard-mill.

Alex and I left Regensburg with Sebastien relatively early for Munich. Since we were having company over the next day, I didn’t feel like cooking Friday night. Soon as we arrived at home, I suggested we go for Indian food at Baldeplatz. There were little signs in the beginning that this evening would not end without a hitch: waiting for 10 minutes for a waiter to see us, the appetizers tasting not-so homemade, the impossibility of getting the three server’s attention and our meals though tasty, just not as spectacular as before. Maybe they lost their cook, the head guy was on vacation, who knows.

Everything was slightly off kilter. When it came time to pay, they took our credit card but said that it may take some time because they had problems with Telecom. After a few minutes the servers gave up and demanded cash from us. Between the both of us we didn’t have enough to pay for the meal. Alex then suggested that they should be able to use a manual card swiper in the event of a electronic failure. Our server said that the didn’t have one. This is when things got prickly.

The server apologized said that they had been having problems with Telecom all day, that they didn’t have a manual swiper, blah blah. Alex asked if they’d write out a bill and we’d come back to pay after we both picked up cash from our bank. The waiter said we had to leave something behind. Yeah right. Alex then reminded them that we were not obligated to pay then. They have signs on their front door stating they accept credit cards, EC cards. We didn’t receive a warning before we ordered. This is was just plain bad business.

I stayed while Alex made the 600 m trek to the bank. At this point I was okay, a little annoyed but still enjoying my pleasantly full belly. The server came back apologized again and said he’d bring out some schnapps. I shouldn’t have refused. But I didn’t want anything else to eat or drink. Nothing else would fit. But the poor, embarrassed server took that as a challenge that I was doubly dissatisfied and kept pestering me, what did I want!!

He finally offered a Mango Lassi and I gave in and said fine. Anything to relieve his suffering. He came back with a double serving in a beautiful copper cup. I had two sips of the good necker, but I had already eaten too much, discomfort was setting in so I let it sit there. When Alex returned, he rightfully asked for all the change back. The server blew his top, ‘we tried everything we could, we offered you (me) Mango Lassi..’ which he then looked at the copper cup and with an accusatory tone, ‘you didn’t even try it!!’

Then it felt like I was sent back in time. The days when I had to sit at the dinner table when I was mentally and digestively done with the plates before me and mother and father fighting with me to finish my food. I detest being put in this position so I reacted with a child-like response, ‘Yes, I did!’ That was it. I was done with this place, this crap from an over excited, disorganized idiot. More words come to mind but what’s the point. The evening was damned. It was just time to take a breath and start over.

Adventurous Cuisine

Zimmes & Zores

Warngauerstr. 17, Giesing, Phone: 089 5506 4970 Website

I’ll start off with the disadvantage: It’s not so near Marienplatz or an U-bahn stop but if you get off at the Silberhornstr. tram stop, you’ll be there by foot in 10 minutes.

Nothing but praise: This restaurant is number ‘Uno’ in my book. Every time we have eaten here, the food has been superb and service was friendly and attentive, and prices reasonable. The restaurant is cosy, definitely NOT fancy, has a non-smoking room, displays a bit of artsy playfulness, but otherwise it’s clear the focus is on the food. [Update: Since February 2008, all open-to-public restaurants are required to be smoke free. Z&Z also add a little red deco. The place is packed on Friday nights. ] The menu is presented on a clipboard on a single sheet of paper because the dishes change every day as may the restaurant’s chef. The highlight for me is that they offer half portions of most all dishes for a reduced price if you aren’t hungry for a major feast.

Update 2009: Perhaps the restaurant was sold. The food or service were nothing up to par to previous years.

Suggestion: Great place for a first time date or with friends who like to tease their culinary palette. Open: 10-24 o’clock Monday-Friday

French Cuisine

La Bouille

Neureuther Str. 15, Schwabing, Phone: 089 39 99 36 Website

Disadvantage: Get off the U-bahn at Josephsplz, then prepare to get lost. That has been our experience 75% of the time. Bring a street map just in case.

Embrace French Snottiness: Yeah yeah, there are better French restaurants in Munich, but you’ll pay way more. At least that’s been our experience so far. Some may also argue that La Bouille is also a tad on the salty side, and on one visit I would concur, but maybe I had a cold. But I think it’s a great place to start when you are first getting to know French dinning style. Everytime I’ve left the restaurant, I was happy and not overly blotted that I ate too much. I love that I’m enjoying a dish, which simply couldn’t be made at home. The menu is consistent and diverse with fish, poultry, and red meat meals. Open: 12-14:30 o’clock Monday-Friday, 19-24 o’clock Monday-Sunday