Chilli Walter

Boqueria Market, Barcelona

2011-09-08T11:36:00.000+03:00

One of the most colourful produce markets I have ever been to. It felt like being in the middle of a painting. All we tried from here was a peach. If you look closely at the third or fourth photo, you'll see the type I mean. They looked so good, we bought one, stood in the corner and shared it. When I look at the photos though, I wonder how we didn't get more carried away.

Help - The Beginning

2011-08-07T16:39:00.013+03:00

I can't believe I haven't written for so long. I certainly do have things to write about. I went back into my old posts and saw some drafts, things I had written but had never gotten around to editing or publishing. I realised that to write about what I would like to fill you in on next, this old post would have to be published, just to give you some background. I had to laugh when I read this again, there was a time when I was so clueless. Hard to imagine, two years on and I see myself as a seasoned professional. It is long but hopefully entertaining and an eye opener in a city where hired help is a part of daily life. The saga takes place within the compound I live in in Riyadh, a guarded community where expats can imitate life at home as far as that is possible. This was written in about February last year, the beginning of our posting here, we are now already nearing the end.

It all started when Husband informed me that a housekeeper is nothing to raise an eyebrow at here. There are many women making a living this way in Saudi Arabia and many more people making use of their services. You can just imagine how excited I was. Except for stuff to do with the kitchen, I HATE cleaning. I thought everybody did, but not so, there are some women, some good friends of mine even, who love it. They find it therapeutic and rewarding. I on the other hand turn into a resentful beast when I have to clean. There have been times when after a hard day scrubbing, dusting and tidying, I've sat down in front of the computer to write Husband a strongly worded email about his domestic habits.

I am clearly a danger to myself and to others when I have to clean and therefore shouldn't be doing it at all. What I didn't realise is that finding good help is not easy and I am fast discovering that I am almost as bad at finding someone, as I am at the actual cleaning.

It all started with Daisy. Daisy was recommended to us by her cousin and was supposed to come over and take a look at the house to see if she could help us out with a bit of cleaning. The arranged day came and the doorbell did not ring. We arranged a second appointment. Two hours later than scheduled, I answered the door and there was a lady who introduced herself as Sally. Sally also worked at the DVD store but seemed somehow to have the time to help me out around the house for a few hours a week. Naturally, I asked her why her name wasn't Daisy but she didn't seem to know what I was talking about and since someone finally showed up, be it Sally or Daisy or Bill I was happy to share the chores. Sally, seemed nice. Her English was good, she looked the house over and offered to start in a few days. She also told me she was married to the guy who fixes the air-conditioning, so if I had problems I could just call her. Things were looking up.

Sally's first day arrived. I hovered around the door, waiting for the doorbell to ring. It didn't. In my excitement I had totally forgotten to take Sally's number so I couldn't call her to find out if she'd had some sort of mishap on the way to my place. It was around mid-afternoon when I happened to stroll past my front door and find a note in it. The note read:

'Sorry Madam, I am not feeling well today. I cannot come.'

And that was it. No future appointment or phone number. I never saw her again. I wasn't exactly going to stalk her at the DVD store, so I continued with the household alone.

One morning Husband rang me from work and told me to go and ring the doorbell of a nearby home. Colleagues were sharing there and were very happy with their housekeeper. I should just ring the doorbell and introduce myself to Mercy, he said. I rang the doorbell, no answer. I decided to try again, ringing the doorbell persistently. I circled the back and saw that the terrace had been freshly washed, I went back to ringing the doorbell, determined to meet Mercy. No such luck. Answering the door was clearly not part of her job description.

I went back home a little wearier than before, wondering how on earth I was going to find someone and then the telephone rang. It was a lady I had just met on the compound. She had a full-time house keeper, Violet, who had a cousin Ruby, who would be happy to help me out. I arranged a time to meet Ruby, a little less trusting this time that anyone would turn up at all. When the doorbell rang on the arranged day at the arranged time, it was difficult not to get just a little bit excited. I opened the door and there she was. She looked serious. We discussed money and what she would do. She was eager. Could she start now? Yes, she could. She had a few hours before her next job. Wonderful. Pretty soon, she was busying herself around the house making my attempt at house cleaning look pretty miserable.

Ruby came twice a week after that. She wasn't always on time, once she promised a morning time and sauntered in early afternoon. Her explanation? 'I'm just late Madam.' Hmmm... Ok. I accepted. It's not like I had any pressing engagements. She helped with unpacking our shipment which had just arrived, with preparing the baby's things, she vacuumed very well and then... she asked for taxi money. If my pregnant self remembers correctly, this was on her third visit. Now, just think a minute about how fresh and new I am to all this. The request didn't sound right, but how was I to know? Perhaps transportation was part of the fee? The crazy thing was, the taxi money was more than her hourly rate. She was so bold in the way she asked I thought that maybe it was the done thing. So what did I do? I gave it to her.

It was around this time that I started venturing out more. Like I mentioned in my previous post, there were many new women to meet and I decided, with the house in good hands that I would go out and try to make a friend or two. That was fun and terribly informative. After a few questions, my uncertainty was proven correct. Not only was Ruby charging me more than others charged as an hourly rate, the taxi money was unheard of. People gasped when I mentioned what I was paying weekly.

This is probably a good time to explain that housekeepers do not cost a fortune here. That is how I tried to justify things to myself for a while but then I realised, this really isn't about the money. It is the feeling of being cheated. I was being taken advantage of. I talked to more ladies over lunch. The general consensus seemed to be to find someone new. It would be too strange, everyone agreed, to renegotiate her rate with her now. Then one of the ladies told a story about trying not to upset the housekeeper, as they might take revenge. She had recently found an expensive sweater folded ever so neatly in her wardrobe - burnt!

So, heeding advice, and not wanting to be taken for a fool anymore, I went about trying to find someone new. The new lady turned up on the same day I made the enquiry, promising to clean my house just as she cleans hers. I had made up my mind. Eventually, I made the call to Ruby. I explained myself clearly, I was finding her too expensive. She didn't argue. I thanked her for her work but told her I would need to find someone else. It was a short call but I made myself clear.

A few hours later the lady who had recommended Ruby to me rang. She sounded alarmed and wanted to know if anything had happened. What had gone wrong, why didn't I want Ruby anymore? I explained to her that she was too expensive, that I wasn't willing to pay taxi money. She asked if I would be willing to take Ruby back if I didn't have to pay for her taxi. But that was just confirmation for me that she was wrong to have asked for it in the first place.

I didn't take Ruby back, I would have felt too awkward.

It was at lunch a few days later that the phone rang and Ruby's familiar name came up on my phone. I answered without hesitation, not really sure what to expect. Ruby was mad and this time she had a thing or two to say to me. She started off very nicely, How is Madam? She wanted to know. Was everything OK? Was I happy with her work? Did she steal anything from me? Had she done anything bad? Clearly, she was not over it. Now, I didn't want to be having this discussion. It would have been a fruitless argument of her word against mine. I somehow ended the conversation with the clear message that she was not to call me again. There was nothing else for us to discuss. All the while though, I have to say, I was impressed with this lady's feistiness. She is definitely in the wrong line of work. Nobody wants an aggressive housekeeper, otherwise I would have hired myself.

Meanwhile, the new lady is OK. At first, because in some bizarre way, I missed Ruby, I noticed all the things that the new lady didn't do or did differently. But, now, I have become used to her. She comes on time and works hard. I do have a feeling that she broke the toilet seat, it was just the two of us at home and only her in said bathroom. Who else could it have been? Maybe she stood on it to clean the windows? I suggested. But no. She was certain. It wasn't her. I won't worry too much about that though as long as my floors are shiny, I'm in this relationship for the long haul.

Camels in a ute

2010-07-09T11:40:00.001+03:00

Literally. Just one of the many interesting sights you might see, driving the streets of Riyadh on the weekend.

Barefoot and baking

2010-04-10T21:48:00.003+03:00

That's right people. This is what I have been up to this last few weeks of freedom, before the little one arrives and then who knows what I will have time to do? I am sure baking will be the last of my priorities. When I am not lunching, it's quite possible that I am organising brunch at my place or whipping up something to take over when we are visiting others. So, what I would like to share with you are three of the favourites that are getting used many times over just because they are so simple to do and well liked by most. I don't really have the enthusiasm to slave over detailed recipes at the moment, plus my hand mixer broke just before I left Germany, so I am only doing things that involve a wooden spoon or a whisk at most.

Thanks to Orangette this cake is the one I have baked the most since arriving in Riyadh, at one point I had made two in one week. I like all things lemony and I also find this type of baking good in warm weather when I don't really feel like anything too rich. Most people have really enjoyed it, except for one kid who made a face after trying the lemon glaze on top, clearly too sour, so consider that if you have kids amongst your consumers. Most grown-ups love the tang though.

These brownies are just as simple but goes against what I just stated about citrus flavours and warm weather. This recipe from David Lebovitz's website is, for those like me in Riyadh, are for when you are entertaining with the airconditioning on. They are seriously rich but good. Good is understating it a little. making the Dulce de Leche doesn't really put me off because I just put a can of sweetened condensed milk into a large pot of water and boil for three hours. I check on it from time to time to make sure there is plenty of water in the pot and despite stories of explosions I haven't had any incidents at all. I get lovely caramel every time and you can also boil a few cans at a time and store them in the fridge. And then there are these also from David Lebovitz and this time easy would be understating it a little. This recipe is so simple, you pretty much just throw everything into a blender and the best part of all is to see the way they rise. For so little effort there is really provide a lot of satisfaction. They taste like donuts but they are not fried. What a discovery! Thank goodness for creative recipes like these. I hope you enjoy them even if you are not in your ninth month of pregnancy, a wee bit of simple, comfort baking never hurt anyone.

Ladies Who Lunch or Fitting In

2010-03-16T18:07:00.001+03:00

A lady who lunches. As most retail outlets close between 12pm and 4pm and most food outlets remain open, this is what I guess I will become. I accept my fate willingly. I like lunch. But first, one must have ladies with whom to lunch. Being new in town, it is up to me to go about finding these ladies and so far, the process has been rewarding. Firstly, there seem to be plenty of ladies around and luckily there are plenty of events organised in order to come into contact with them. One of these organised events are 'coffee mornings'. Usually held at the compound restaurant, this is a chance to find out who's new and catch up with the old. Sometimes, there are goods being sold at these events, giving the ladies an opportunity to spend. Another organised activity is the 'shopping bus'. The bus leave twice daily from my compound, providing yet another opportunity to spend but also giving women a chance to shop independently of their husbands and to visit a different mall everyday of the week. Of course, it is possible to get around with a driver but these shopping busses are well planned, in between prayer time and this make sense, seeing as everything shuts down for a good half hour during prayer time. There are many activities to get involved in. Cooking classes, reading clubs, sports and craft style activities are advertised constantly on a TV channel dedicated to telling people what's on. What I find that I am liking, is being presented with opportunities to do new things. I didn't do so many new things in Ulm so I didn't really know this about myself. A couple of days ago, I got together with a bunch of ladies and made my own beaded keyring. Something I probably would never have thought to do on my own, but it was fun to be creative, to meet new people and led to me signing up for future crafty events. One of which involves ceramics and what did I tell you? Lunch. I tried not to make my keyring too girly, as I intended it as a gift for Husband, but it remains attached to my keys. Oh well.

The pressure is on to look good in Riyadh, which might surprise some of you, because women are cloaked in an abaya and headscarf when in public. This puts a whole lot of emphasis on the parts that people can see. The sizing up of who you are, lies in the type abaya, shoes, handbag and sunglasses you wear. The abaya is something I am clueless about but locals are discerning. As an example, my current abaya cost about 150 SAR which is about 30 Euro. I have seen abayas that cost 2000 SAR (about 390 Euro) and have been told about ones that cost 6000 SAR (about 1,168 Euro) so, I guess the sky is the limit. I spoke to a lady the other day who confessed to wearing more make up here in Riyadh then she ever did at home. Somehow, covering your hair and clothes can leave your face feeling strangely exposed. There is an urge to make this one part of you that people can see clearly, look its best. When people can't be distracted from that huge pimple by that funky hairdo you are sporting, concealer becomes your best friend. I too must confess to regular manicures and pedicures since arriving. God forbid you step out in open footwear with an unpumiced heel or less than polished toenails.
Fortunately for me, I (think) I can tick off the handbag box. Husband (ain't he sweet?) bought me one that should score some points (I hope) on the Saudi scene. I am however, still rebelling with the shoes and the sunglasses. I know that the 10 Euro H&M slip-ons are not going to cut it for long nor will the two pound fifty Primark sunglasses but I will hold out for as long as I can.

Which probably won't be for very long at all. Sigh. The changes one must make to assimilate. What I am hoping, is that I will get lucky and won't have to pay full price for what I am quite sure will become a habit. My justification? Well, I have noticed designer goods are heavily discounted here when new season stuff comes in AND seeing as clothes remain hidden under the abaya, technically I don't really need to shop for clothes for the next two years. Right?

Some excellent news!

2010-03-08T16:04:00.005+03:00

I am pregnant. I am not sure if I have advertised that already somewhere here in another post. I am really not sure, as things have been so hectic of late. But now is the time to tell you all, I AM PREGNANT. This is by the way, not new news. I am about 33 weeks, well into my 8th month. This means people, that the baby is due next month. I realised that today, when I went to visit my doctor. It's the first time I am meeting the doctor whom I will be seeing regularly till the end of my pregnancy. Till the little fella is out here in the real world, which is, as mentioned previously - some time at the end of next month. According to this new doctor, lovely lady she was, it could be anywhere between the 25th and the 29th. Let's hope it's not on the 27th as she will be on a conference outside the Kingdom, she thinks. She isn't quite sure yet. The Kingdom, that is how people refer to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia here. Like the following, which you may receive as a friendly tip from a fellow expat when grocery shopping, 'Make sure you stock up on Oatabix, there are times when you can't find a box in the whole Kingdom.' A common problem here it seems. I was sure to buy two boxes the last time I was at the supermarket. Back to the point though, and the point is that I AM PREGNANT. There is a pregnant belly to prove it and a room full of baby furniture. I am all organised, things are prepared for his arrival. I have even got a pram, possibly the only one of its kind in the Kingdom. Gosh only knows we searched long and hard for it. Did I mention that the baby will be a boy? Reconfirmed again today by ultrasound, there can be no doubts now. I am hoping that writing it out in capital letters for you all today will help me to get used to the idea that indeed I AM PREGNANT. I am 8 months along and it still hasn't sunk in.

When I wake up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night (something I never needed to do without child) I find myself thinking in my blur of half asleep thoughts, Oh! That's right, I'm pregnant. That can't be right can it? Surely, I need to be a little bit more in touch with this whole experience? How will I deal with him when he gets here? I have no idea, and that is the scariest thing EVER. But the good thing is, my mum is coming. My mum, the woman who never owned a pram (with 3 kids!), who keeps asking me if I am in my sixth month and who tells me everything can be over in just a few minutes with a C-section, but crazily enough, I'd like to put myself through the torture of a natural birth. Yes, she will be here as chief support and I am really looking forward to it. I can imagine there will be moments when the two of us look at each other wondering, Right, what do we do now? and that will make me feel so much better. If, as they say, every baby is different, then surely there can be no expert on them. Luckily for me, my mum is not at all a know it all and that is great for me because I will end up feeling like I know a thing or two after all.

I know that I have lots of new news at the moment, I mean I have just moved to Riyadh and sure there is plenty to write about that too but I really wanted to get this pregnancy thing out of the way first. The other thing that has been bothering me is that I am not at all the way I thought I would be. I expected myself to be all 'earth motherish' you know? No to disposable nappies, yes to breastfeeding, no to epidurals and so on and so forth. But I am SO NOT! I find the less informed I am the better. One of my main botherations, and this may sound childish so please hold your judgement for a moment, is why they can't print pregnancy books without any pictures. I do not, repeat DO NOT at all feel inspired looking at other women in the throes of labour. I mean, we already know it ain't gonna be glamourous. Do we need the graphic confirmation? It just makes a nervous first time mother even more nervous if you ask me. I received a parcel in the mail the other day. That was exciting, my first parcel in Riyadh. A dear friend, who just had a gorgeous baby boy of her own sent me a book about breastfeeding. Don't even get me started on the pictures in that! Let's just say for some one who was pretty open minded about the whole procedure, I am now starting to wonder if I should get the whole thing over and done with in the first 6 months. It sounds terrible I know, and I shock myself with these unnurturing thoughts, but this is really what I am thinking. Perhaps, what I should be doing is avoiding books all together. I am such a visual person that images tend to stay in my head and haunt me, forever. On that note, I hope you haven't found the ones I have included here too offensive.

But of course, there is joy and excitement. We can't wait for him to arrive and change our lives FOREVER. I cannot tell you how many people have said that to me in the course of 9 months. Make sure you live it up now because when that baby arrives, it all changes. Things are NEVER the same again. You will NEVER get your time back. Your life will NEVER be the same etc etc. Not the most reassuring thing to say to a first timer is it? Please remember this when you are giving advice mums. This sort of thing leaves me wondering what on earth I have gotten myself into. The good thing is, since I am bursting to find out, I won't have to wait and wonder for long. My curiosity will be satisfied first hand in just over a month. Then I will be able to tell you myself, with first hand experience what, if anything, will EVER be the same again.

Craving

2010-01-24T03:08:00.001+03:00

A burger. Most especially a cheese burger with bacon from GBK, a hamburger chain in the UK. An order of their chips with smoked chilli mayo and an Oreo shake. Why do I torture myself like this?

Moving

2010-01-19T16:46:00.002+03:00

I received my visa the other day without any complications. We heard many horror stories from others but things have worked out well for us. Up till now anyway. We are hoping to be in Riyadh by the beginning of next month, wish us luck! I'm glad that Husband isn't here at the moment, he loves to hoard and I love to throw. I can leisurely sort through stuff without him yelling, 'No!' every time something goes into a garbage bag. Let the packing begin!

Eat, eat, eat

2010-01-14T19:27:00.010+03:00

I am back in Ulm after almost a month in Sydney. How hard it was to tear myself away from the blue skies and ocean and come back to the snowy whiteness of Ulm. It is pretty here though, just freezing and a high risk of slipping when you venture outside for a walk but lovely nevertheless. Christmas in Sydney was warm and full of food. In fact eating is pretty much all we did and I am not sad about that. Food is such an important part of holidays for me and there were so many Sydney specialities that I had been craving, I didn't even attempt self control. It was an eatathon without exaggeration, the type of eat fest that leaves you quite satisfied that no stone was left unturned, no craving unmet, for after all, who knows when I will visit again? It was with this mindset that we began our break and with lobster in XO sauce that we ended. Yum.

If I cast my mind back, I can offer you an overview of all this consumption. We started the trip with a family gathering where very delicious smoked salmon was served, that was a highlight. We went out for fancy Indian food. Then there was Hong Kong style crab in Ashfield. There was a sushi train making the rounds somewhere in there, the food I miss most in Ulm. An amazing meal and I am talking great here, at Restaurant Balzac. Prawns kept popping up everywhere, which isn't unusual during summer in Sydney. Mangoes. Avocados. Asparagus on the BBQ. Pink MOET on my birthday. Ho mok, ho mok, ho mok! I only ate it once but trust me, it deserves three mentions.

But it wasn't all just thoughtless gorging, there were some more meaningful moments too. Meaningful eating moments that is. My sister treated our family to lunch at the restaurant where Husband and I were married. The food didn't let us down and we were equally impressed by the service, the waiter remembered our event and we were able to reminisce on a few of the more interesting moments. Even better than that, was the panna cotta I ordered for dessert. Oh my, if only words could describe! We tend to share dessert in my family as we are all usually stuffed from the previous courses but I tried my very best not to share the panna cotta and they were, bless 'em, very understanding about it.

Then there was the icing on the cake moment, which actually was a cake. Not just any cake, but the very same raspberry and hazelnut cake that was the middle tier of our wedding cake. Baked as a gift by the very same friend just so we could enjoy a trip down memory lane. It was sliced at the thinnest and eaten like gold by my very, very appreciative family.

Are you getting hungry yet? I am.

Christmas was a time when I realised how lucky we really are to be able to indulge ourselves the way we do, flying to Sydney to be with family is in itself a luxury and I have to say that just vegemite on toast or crumpets and honey are enough to make me feel like I am in Sydney. And my wok frozen to the balcony is enough to make me feel like I am in Ulm. Welcome back. Take a look.

Avocado, wasabi and lime dip

2009-10-28T23:50:00.004+03:00

'What's that?' is an often heard question when an unsuspecting guest comes across avocado in a salad. Strange then, to have come across this recipe in a land where unpeeled avocados can sometimes be mistaken for papayas or even mangoes.I tried this after watching a reality TV cooking show where the contestant paired it with sashimi style salmon. I just eat mine with corn chips or crackers or in a sandwich. So simple but still so full of flavour. I can't give you a recipe with exact quantities, I really think this has to be made to taste. I use one avocado and then add a little squeeze of wasabi (I use the one that comes in the tube), say about half a teaspoon, and then a squeeze or two of fresh lime juice, say about 1 tablespoon. I then mush it all up together until you have mixed the ingredients through and then have a quick taste. At this point you should perfect it according to your taste buds. More wasabi and lime until it really hits the spot, but a little at a time as wasabi can quickly become the enemy. Although, some do enjoy that nose hair burning sensation. You should consider your guests though, if you are not the only one eating. You could also add salt if you think it needs it, I usually don't. I will add a picture the next time I make this. There seems to be none left by the time I remember to take a photo.

Lime or lemon filling for lime or lemon tart

2009-10-06T11:29:00.005+03:00

This is a short recipe for lime or lemon tart filling. It is from the Marie Claire 'Flavours' book. I find this one easy and suitably citrusy, the way I like it. I have tried other recipes, one that used condensed milk and found it way too sweet. I guess I'll have to do some experimentin' and come up with my own version, but till then...

Lime tart filling

1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 cup cream
1 cup lime juice

Place the sugar, eggs, cream and lime juice in a bowl and mix to combine. Skim the top of the mixture to remove any bubbles or foam. Pour into the tart shell, place in a 160C oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is just set. Refrigerate the tart until firm.

They also include a note that says you can replace the lime juice with lemon or blood orange juice if you so fancy. To make the tart shell, I use the sweet shortcrust pastry recipe from Nigella's 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'. Also really easy to follow and it hasn't failed me yet.

Plenty of personal growth ahead

2009-10-02T11:14:00.006+03:00

Wow. No entries at all for the month of September. Which really has been worse for me than it has been for you. Believe me. It isn't like I haven't had anything to write about, I find sometimes strange being that I am, that I avoid Chilli Walter precisely at these times. So after a one month hiatus, I am back with some new realisations. One of them being, it doesn't matter how many times I check my own page. It is NOT going to magically update itself. So what's been going down? Well, the biggest news is that we are moving, leaving Ulm that is and going somewhere other. Not Sydney because that would be going home. Not Paris because that would just be way too perfect and of course, how can a person grow when life is just so all round perfect? One can't is the answer and obviously, I have lots of growing to do. And how does one accomplish all this growing? So that one day, when one is older, one can also guarantee (because we all know these two things don't go hand in hand) that one is wiser? Challenges, of course! Now, seriously speaking, I thought I had met and conquered challenges enough by moving to Ulm. By even entertaining the possibility that I could spend the rest of my life here. When I had accepted that, I thought I had achieved some pretty major personal growth. Clearly not. Clearly, the powers that be feel that I need to be cultivated even more. Perhaps and yes, I see things much more clearly now, I have been an ungrateful twat, living here, complaining about the fog and the lack of good Asian food. So much so that life thought, hmmm... why don't we send her to the desert? See how she finds that. And so, yes people, we are moving to Saudi Arabia, to Riyadh. Right in the middle of the desert. Yay! I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to doing it all again. Meeting new people, learning a new culture and a new language and trying to feel at home enough at least for the next two years. Husband has a new job and he is pretty excited about the whole thing and of course being the good woman that I am my first priority is to support him. Goodness knows he has always supported me in my ventures. But it is still difficult not to feel sometimes, just some occasional times, like throwing a shoe at him just because he is so chirpy about it all. I know it is important and that Husband's half full and my half empty make a very good balance but nevertheless there are times when my hands are just itching, my brain using all its powers of self-control to control that urge to throw. What am I worried about you may ask? Why not just lighten up and see what Riyadh holds for me? Yes, quite right this is the attitude I am working toward and I am sure I will get there. I am after all a highly adaptable person, I say Grüss Gott now for Pete's sake! It's just the things I have been reading I guess, and I have been doing quite a bit of reading to prepare myself for my time over there. Alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia, and I do think this is terribly unfair as I can't imagine a quick shot of something would make the new surroundings just that teensy weensy bit more bearable. No pork either which doesn't bother me all that much really. One of the things I am obviously looking forward to is all the new food I will get to try. Foreign women must also cover up when out in public, which I have to say, strangely enough, is also on the list of things that don't bother me all that much. I mean, don't you have those days when you wish you didn't have to think of what to wear? Now, I'll be able to throw anything on and have bad hair days galore and no one will be able to tell because I will be all cloaked and veiled. Among the things that bother me is that society is totally gender segregated. I have read a bit about this but I think I won't really get the full idea of what this means till I am there and that is a wee bit scary for me. I am moving to a country that I have never visited, do normal people do stuff like this? There was an option for a weekend trip where Husband and I would get to look around and get an impression of Riyadh, but there were some issues with me obtaining a visa and we don't know if this can happen now. I think I would feel much better if I had some sort of first hand impression of where I am going to be living rather than going only with information that I have gathered from the internet. I am doing a German course at the moment though, and really enjoying all the contact I have with other foreigners trying to learn the language. There are quite a few Muslim guys in my course and it has been great talking to them about my move. When you tell a German person or any westerner that you are moving to Saudi Arabia it is almost like someone died. There is the downward glance that suggests they are very sorry to hear this most alarming news and then the quick cover up and a positive smile, 'think of all the things you will learn. How interesting!' One of my students, when I told her that I was moving to Saudi Arabia because of my husband's job, busted out with 'now that is love!' She could never do it. The guys in my class on the other hand are really excited for me. I have been able to tell them that I am pretty scared about the culture shock and they totally get it. But most of them are totally jealous of me. I am after all going to be living in the land of Mecca, where they dream of visiting at least once in their life. They keep telling me what a wonderful culture it is and how warm the people are and have already offered to help with my first Arabic words. I guess if these guys are anything to go by, I haven't got all that much to worry about.

Raspberry picking

2009-08-11T18:15:00.010+03:00

I went raspberry picking for the first time last week!!! It felt like a holiday to be able to do this right in the middle of my working week. A friend and I decided it would be a nice idea and they were so cheap. On the way to the raspberry field, I noticed some other fruit growing in abundance at the moment. So abundant in fact, that you can find pears on the street and no one seems particularly excited by this, except for the foreigner with the camera. There are trees so full of plums they look like bunches of giant purple grapes. Everywhere you look, something seems to be growing. Here are some pictures of my mid-week holiday, the raspberries and one of the many ways they ended up being eaten.

The leaves sort of act like a shelter for the berries and you have to really crouch down and see what's hiding behind them to find the good ones.The camera shy raspberry farmer, who wasn't too shy to hand feed raspberries to young raspberry picking ladies when he wasn't being photographed.We ended up with 1 kilogram of raspberries and took home 500 grams each. They were also very delicious and I think my friend ended up eating more than made it into the punnet. They taste best when just picked. The whole experience was like a dream, raspberries being my favourite berry and all.Other than cramming them into my mouth totally fresh, I also used them to top a lemon tart.I haven't got a recipe for you, there are so many recipes for lemon tart out there or you probably already have one that you like best. My friend said she ended up baking something with her berries too, I'll try to post the pictures here so you can see where the other 500 grams ended up.

Auf dem Kreuz

2009-08-02T21:13:00.008+03:00

Some may have noticed that I have been absent for a couple of weeks now, that is because Husband and I went on a little holiday. More on that soon but what I had wanted to share with you before I went away, is a lovely dinner we had with some friends at "Auf dem Kreuz". I ran out of time before leaving, that is why you are only reading about this now. "Auf dem Kreuz" in Ulm is one of my favourite restaurants. It is located a little bit away from the main drag, it is the only restaurant in a residential area, so some may not have heard of it. In summer time, when the weather agrees, they set up the traditional beer benches and if you get in early you can enjoy your dinner outside, admiring the beautiful old buildings that surround you.
That's exactly what we did a few weeks ago, ringing and reserving and emphasising our preference for an outside table. We got everything we requested and were excited about the food. The menu is seasonal and changes weekly, sometimes daily. There are some staples though, like "Zwiebelrostbraten" (Swabian steak with onions), but the unique thing about this place, is that it not only has Swabian specialities on the menu but also whatever the chef seems to feel like cooking. It isn't unusual to find a Thai style, glass noodle salad on the menu, for example, or Lebanese style octopus with mashed white beans, all pretty exotic for this neck of the woods. I have been to this restaurant many times over the last few years and have to say, while the dining experience is generally good, there are times when the wheels do fall off the wagon, if you know what I mean. Like the time we decided to take a big group of friends on a Saturday night and ended up waiting over an hour for our food. Or the time we went on a Friday night and it took a good half an hour to get the waitress's attention to order dessert and then, after waiting another half an hour with no sign of said dessert, we decided to cancel and leave. These two incidents did occur on very busy nights but be warned, while things can run perfectly smoothly even on a busy night, Friday and Saturday nights can leave you waiting longer than expected. Having said that, the service is friendly and they generally do their best to look after their guests. There was that time, when Husband ordered rose instead of red wine and didn't notice his mistake when she presented the wine to us. He only noticed something untoward when she poured the wine in his glass to taste, and rather than rich red, he got pale pink. She very graciously changed the bottle for us without charge, even though the fault was ours. On the particular Tuesday night that we visited, all elements came together very nicely, that is to say, no wheels falling off any wagons, resulting in an extremely pleasant dining experience. We ate, drank and very merrily enjoyed the warm, summer evening.
Not that I wasn't enjoying the company of our friends, but I have to admit to eavesdropping on a conversation at a nearby table. I heard English and an Australian accent and that always gets me curious but our friends were talking too loudly and I wasn't really able to pick up on who she was and what she was doing in Ulm. Nevertheless, she was lucky to have such foodie friends that would take her to "Auf dem Kreuz" for dinner. I think, I have taken almost everyone who has visited me in Ulm here to eat. If I haven't been with you, it is because I hadn't discovered it myself yet or because they were closed (they are not open on Sunday night or Monday night, are only open for dinner and take an extended break over Christmas). On the night we went, our friends ordered the very Swabian dish of lentils with "Spätzle" (Swabian noodles). This dish is also served with a Wiener sausage and a big ol' slab of smoked pork belly.

Husband ordered the lamb cutlets with chanterelles, served with delicious looking roast potatoes that I didn't try because I was busy tucking into my lamb curry.
Yes, that's right, I ordered the curry. This is probably the only restaurant in Ulm, the Indian ones included, where I order the curry without fear. It was well spiced, easy on the chilli and very satisfying. I was also impressed by the raita that came with it.

There are some I have spoken to around these parts who find "Auf dem Kreuz" snobby, this is something I don't really understand (if you have eaten here, let me know how you found it), compared to some of my dining out experiences, this does not rate at all on the 'snobby' radar. Although, that could just mean that I am one of the snobs and therefore feel quite at home here. I find the atmosphere laid back and very relaxed. Overall, a very nice dining experience, one to visit if you are ever in the area.

Jinxed

2009-08-02T20:37:00.004+03:00

Just a short note to explain that my last post 'Dear Sydney, Ulm is a ruthless flirt' was not accessible with some versions of Internet Explorer or maybe all versions I am not sure. It had something to do with having composed it as a Word document originally or it could have been that Sydney just wasn't happy. It should be fine now, let me know if you are still having problems.

Dear Sydney, Ulm is a ruthless flirt

2009-07-17T09:59:00.019+03:00

Dear Sydney,

City of my childhood, how did it come to this? It has been two years, the longest we have ever been apart and I have some confessions to make. Lately, I have been noticing some strange occurrences that at first I tried to deny but now I can't ignore. I would have slapped you to your senses if you had happened to pass such a notion by me 6 months ago. Three months ago, I would have denied all accusations defensively, aggressively even. That would have been my denial stage. Today, I am ready to confess it all. Sydney, Ulm has been flirting with me and worst of all, I think I have been flirting back. I guess it all started when the weather started getting a little warmer and I was able to wear skirts again and you know how much I like wearing skirts. Then the sky seemed to be an endless blanket of blue and well, that sort of reminded me of you. Up to this point, I was completely unaware that it had already begun. There I was running around barelegged under the blue sky, completely innocent to the seduction. Then, I went to Meera's house and she showed me her... um... really big zucchini and that is when I think I started flirting back. I mean it was clear Ulm was showing off but I had never seen one quite as big as this before.
I admit, the blue skies have been replaced with clouds, it has been raining almost daily but I would be lying if I said I didn't find it a little bit romantic. The clouds are the prettiest shade of grey, the same colour as my favourite t-shirt and you know how much I like grey... You also know, because whatever happens between us, you will always know me best, how much I love the smell of salt in the air. It is the smell of Sydney beaches that I missed in my first years here. So, you can imagine then, how shocked I was, when I breathed in the summer breeze yesterday. I mean, Sydney, salt is one thing, but sniffing the sweetness of berry flavoured air, that is another. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries wafting in the air like perfume and you know how much I like berries. And perfume. And all things sweet. Even the inedible, sweetness of air...
Yes, I sometimes get the feeling that Ulm quite likes me and wants me to stay. This could just be the separation talking Sydney, I mean it has been two years and perhaps come winter and the return of the fog, which is an unfavourable shade of grey entirely, I will regret my confession but the winter clothes are already in shop windows and I have caught myself thinking that I can't wait for mulled wine and boots and snow again. Now I know you are wondering who I am. What has this city done to me? There, I'd have to ask you, can anyone resist the attractive power of multi-coloured cauliflower? Where have you been hiding these Sydney?
Or for that matter, a 1 litre serving of beer?
I know you can't feel good about yourself after the last picture. Being the lover of beer that you are, I am guessing that feelings of inadequacy may be creeping in. Don't be too hard on yourself, no city can have it all. At least perhaps now you are starting to understand how powerless I really am in all this. It is a hopeless game of tug and war. Maybe you think I am easy. Maybe I am. But this assault on my senses has made me weak, even I am surprised at the spring in my step as I go about my day. Maybe it is this German course that I have been doing. I have heard it said, that the language is the key to the culture. Whatever it is, I am not proud of myself but I couldn't hide the truth from you any longer. I can only reassure myself (and you) with the thought that I will be seeing you again soon for Christmas and hopefully Ulm will get the hint. Will Ulm back off? Will I be at a BBQ imagining myself at the Christmas Market? Only December will tell. Till then Sydney, I will try to keep my straying heart faithful.

Yours determinedly,

Chilli

Highly Recommended

2009-07-10T21:20:00.007+03:00

A quick recommendation if you are at a loss as to what to cook this weekend or indeed during the week when you are pressed for time. I have been doing a fair amount of cooking lately and enjoying it very much. I am often inspired by other bloggers' recipes and felt the need this time to pass on the information. OK, so here goes... Yesterday I got home pretty late and wanted to cook something that would satisfy my very savoury craving for Asian flavours but of course, I didn't want to be standing there for ages preparing. Armed with some organic minced pork and a red capsicum I had picked up on my way home, I put the rice on as soon as I walked in the door. I then went here for Chez Pim's instructions for Pad Krapow Moo. Since reading this entry of hers, I couldn't get the picture out of my head. I had never tried it before but I knew this is what I felt like eating. Before you knew it there was a flurry of action in the kitchen as I put my seasoned wok to work. The result was better than good and all I can say is, try it! Be sure to do the egg exactly the way she says, it will take you to a level you never dreamt a fried egg could.

Mini Holiday Weekend

2009-07-06T22:20:00.007+03:00

Not sure if words will do our weekend justice, the pictures probably don't either. But fun it was! It was great to be 'in the nature' as the Germans would say.

Schmutz

2009-07-02T00:00:00.004+03:00

An exchange in the bathroom after discovering a strange mouldy substance.

Me: Hey, look at this! What do you think this is?

He squats down for an extra good look. Forehead scrunched, nostrils flared, eyes staring over the top of tortoise shell frames. And then the declaration. 'SCHMUTZ!' It was uttered with such disgust, that I felt I had somehow smuggled in and started breeding this Schmutz in our bathroom. That was the end of that conversation. It was a one word reply that got me wondering, why life is so simple for men. Why they don't have to consider changing their names after marriage, why they have a standard suit to wear to every occasion and why, above all, they know the answer to all questions. Even when they don't really know the answer. I could tell that whatever it was, wasn't clean, but what it was, how it got there - those were the answers I was looking for. This in turn probably made him wonder, why women are so complicated and need to discuss everything to the point of exhaustion, when a sponge and some spray seems a simple enough solution. This, believe it or not, brings me to my German class, where our teacher asked us today, to write down our favourite German word and the reason this word has made it to No.1 in our ever growing vocabulary. There were a few contenders for my favourite word. 'Schadenfreude' was one of them. A word brought to my attention by a friend. A word also used in English and which translates to malicious joy or revelling in someone else's misfortune. It is used, I guess because we don't have a word that is as fitting. The meaning is nasty but she liked, as do I, that there is one official word for that in German, whereas in English, we have to string a couple of words together to express this concept. The other German expression I like, is 'ab und zu' which means 'from time to time.' It isn't one word, but when you say it fast it sounds like aponzu and that reminds me of ponzu. A very delicious Japanese sauce. But after having a good think about it, the aforementioned bathroom incident came to mind and the declaration of 'Schmutz' made me laugh out loud. It has made it to my top spot because the way it sounds is just so perfect for what it wants to describe. If you look up LEO you can hear the pronunciation and see that the following words are given as possible meanings for the word Schmutz: dirt, dirtiness, dung, feculence, filth, filthiness, foulness, grime, grunge, mud, ordure, pollutant, slush, smut, soil, squalidness and squalor. How appropriate. A word that covers all manner of yuck.

And you? Any favourite words and reasons why?

Bucolic St Gallen and the pigs

2009-06-25T23:35:00.006+03:00

Though I haven't been posting as often as I would like to, there has been lots going on and lots to tell you. Unusually, time has become a bit of a luxury. I have finally been convinced by you know who to take a German course. It is an intensive course, which means it runs daily and I have to plan all my work around it. Anyway, I am in my second week of the five week course and am learning all sorts of interesting things, like adjective endings in the Dativ and the Akkusativ. Not. I love English. I keep wondering what I did in my last life to deserve the fate of not having German as my native language and having to learn English instead. Ah well... The grass is always greener, as they say. What I really wanted to tell you is that a few weeks ago, we visited St Gallen. Husband has some friends there and we stayed with them. Unfortunately, I left my camera at a friend's place and didn't have it with me on the trip, so I'm not able to post any pictures of the quaint, little city here. I am not sure why but I really enjoyed my stay there. I kept marvelling at the old houses, the window boxes and the pretty countryside. I guess, I must have been marvelling pretty obviously, because Husband's friend commented, 'It's bucolic, isn't it?' To which I responded 'What is bucolic?' Though, part of me wanted to correct him with, 'You mean beautiful' and another part of me wanted to pretend I knew what he was going on about. I am after all the native English speaker, English instructor and all-round English expert. After our walk, said friend pulled out his mega-huge edition of the English dictionary, which contained a definition I couldn't argue with. Bucolic, as a noun, is a country person or a short poem about country life. Bucolic as an adjective, can be used to describe country scenery or rustic countryside. I am very pleased to have this new word in my clearly not-as-developed-as-I-thought vocabulary. I am starting to wonder how I ever did without it, bucolic seems to fit a lot where I am. The other thing I did was go shopping and I am still not sure how this happened but everything I bought, in some way pertained to pigs. I found it very bizarre when I looked at my purchases at the end of the day. Not very sensitive, I know, with all the negative pig things going on at the moment. Nevertheless, below you will see my new piggy friends. The first one (moving clockwise), a stuffed toy pig was bought for someone else but I can't give it away. That has never happened to me before, so I am taking it as a sign that it was meant to be mine. Notice the little black bird on its hind quarter? Too cute. The second is a pork cookbook called 'Schwein & Sohn' titled 'Pork & Son' in English but I find the German title so much better. It is an award winning French cookbook filled with amazingly photographed recipes and nostalgic stories. And what is even more freakily coincidental, is that the book cover matches exactly with my stuffed pig's nose. Must be a sign that everything I cook from here is going to be a crowd pleaser. I can't wait to cook from it. In the third and fourth picture you can see what we have named our 'Tetsuya' piggy bank. We are saving up to eat at Tetsuya's the next time we are back in Sydney. Let's hope there is enough in there by our next trip or it may just be a shrimp or schwein on the barbie for us. Which wouldn't be bad either.

Izy's soy & ginger pork with silken tofu

2009-06-14T21:08:00.003+03:00

There are way more varieties of tofu than I am aware of and even a tofu lover like me is not sure if she wants to try them all. I do know that not all varieties are bland, smoked tofu tastes to me, like cheese, so I definitely wouldn't use it for the following recipe. This recipe, is for the variety of tofu that has a smooth texture and can be partnered with stronger flavours. Silken, tofu is one of my favourite types because it is, well, so silky. I love the texture. It is sort of like set custard or wobbly jelly. I like to eat this tofu the way my mum cooks it and that is with minced pork, cooked within an inch of its life and flavoured with soy sauce. The shiitakes are my addition. I think they absorb the flavours really well and add a bit of character to this dish.
I have cooked this since my student days and continue to do so for my devoted, food loving husband (one of the reasons he remains so devoted, me thinks). When my Australian friends were visiting, I made this for dinner one night, with about 500grams of pork belly. I went to the butcher and ordered the meat but somehow, didn't get across that I wanted it minced. My most excellent friend diced the pork into small pieces, not as small as mince of course but small enough to make me marvel at her patience and small enough to make it work in this recipe. While you don't have to use pork belly, I wouldn't recommend this with lean pork mince, the result will be very dry. The fat content helps to keep the meat moist as it is fried for quite a long time.

Izy's soy & ginger pork with silken tofu (for 2)

300g minced pork OR minced pork belly OR pork belly cut into tiny pieces
1 x 300g square of silken tofu
6 black dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water till soft and chopped
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/4 cup or 60ml soy sauce (and some extra to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, crushed or grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 red chillies, thinly sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced

In a wok, heat peanut oil until the surface of the oil shimmers. Add the ginger, and garlic and stir-fry. When the ginger and garlic are fragrant in the wok, add the pork and stir fry vigorously for 2- 3 minutes. Your wok should be hot enough so the meat fries rather than stewing in its own juices. Add half the soy sauce and continue to stir fry, once the meat is brown and cooked turn the heat down but not too low. The aim now is to get the mince to a nice dark brown colour, like what you can see in the pictures.
Keep adding the rest of the soy sauce gradually, tasting the mince as you go. From this point on the addition of soy sauce is to your personal taste. You don't want it to be too salty but you do want it to be quite tasty with the soy and ginger flavours. Add the shiitakes and continue to stir fry so the mince does not burn but continues to turn a deeper shade of brown. The whole process should take about 20 - 30 minutes and the flavour of the mince should be quite strong but not over powering. Remove the wok from the heat, place tofu in a serving dish that can fit into the wok and allows the lid of your wok to also fit on snugly.
Spoon the pork over the top of the tofu, and at this stage you can add a little more soy to the dish or simply sprinkle with the sesame oil. Place the tofu and pork dish in a wok filled with with 2-3 cups of simmering water and cover with the lid.
You want the entire dish to steam for about 15 - 20 minutes to warm through the tofu and incorporate all the flavours. When steamed through and the tofu is hot, sprinkle with spring onions and red chilli. I usually serve this dish with rice and if available, stir-fried Asian greens, if not I just slice some fresh cucumber.
Note: Feel free to use more tofu for this dish or less pork for that matter. I am usually in the position of trying to convert lovers of pork to tofu, so the 1:1 ratio works for me.

Germany's Next Ugly Face

2009-06-03T13:15:00.009+03:00

If you don't live in Germany, then you may not be aware that for the first time, in about 4 seasons of the show (I think), a black woman has been chosen as GNTM. A historical moment, I am sure you will agree. There was even a guy in the audience holding up a 'Yes she can!' sign. Just so you understand what this victory means to some. Like me, I am sure every dark skinned person in Germany has been told that she should enter next year. Now is our time, ladies. Like we have all been sitting around waiting for public acknowledgement of our beauty! Man, we knew we were hot from the get go! Now this win has even led to me being the centre of a couple of jokes, 'How wude!' I hear you say, but all in good fun I can assure you. A couple of days ago my photographer friend sent me this:Hmmm... something not quite right about that. Yikes! Now, you'd think with that kind of body, any head would work, right? WRONG! At least I can be certain of one thing now. God really did know what he was doing when he put my head on my short, belovehandled body.

For the real deal, check out this clip:

Best wurst in Zürich

2009-06-01T14:08:00.014+03:00

Not like we haven't done enough travelling lately, but since our suitcases seem to be permanently packed, we decided to visit family in Zürich this weekend. They were travelling through and thought it would be nice to meet up. Fun! A three hour drive from Ulm and an opportunity to see a city that I hadn't visited before. Before they arrived, we had the Saturday to look around town and to see what the city had to offer. Besides amazing chocolate shops and your standard retail outlets, there were some very attractive looking food establishments. One of these was 111 year old HILTL, which claims to be the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Europe. While we didn't eat there, the place was packed, a good sign and food was also available to take-away. We walked past a couple of interesting restaurants but strangely, many places were closed for business on a Saturday night. The prices also made my eyes water, food is much cheaper in Ulm. Zürich prices are more like Sydney prices and I've kind of blocked those from my memory. We did have the good fortune to stumble across this gem, the Sternen Grill on Bellevue. I have to admit, I am not the biggest fan of sausage in the world but couldn't bear to drag Husband away from this place, he looked like he was in heaven. I mean, it was the closest he will ever get to drooling and tail wagging as he looked through that window. I'm glad we stopped. At €4 a sausage this is a snack or a meal that won't leave too much of a dent in your wallet but compared to about €2,40 for its Ulmer counterpart it did make me cringe a little. We tried one white bratwurst, these are made from veal and it tasted, simply, like no other sausage I had eaten before. Really very good. It came with a little cup of hot mustard and a bread roll. The adjectives that come to mind as I try to describe the flavour sound like I am trying too hard to be some sort of sausage connoisseur and I am not, so I won't even bother. Suffice it to say that I can't imagine anyone taking issue with this recommendation. Now, we ate it pretty quickly between the two of us which means I clean forgot to document this discovery with a photo or two. But having come home and done some research I can direct you here and here for some pretty nice shots of where you should definitely stop by, if ever in Zürich.

I'm not trying to make you jealous. Promise.

2009-05-29T14:14:00.003+03:00

May has been a ridiculously great month. I almost wish it wouldn't end. I mean, not to rub your noses in it or anything, but I have been doing a lot fun stuff. I just wanted to update you on what has been going on lately, and why I love being in Europe at this time of the year. Last week was Husband's birthday. Yay! We celebrated with some good friends and a BBQ and my sister came over from London! Yay! After the party, we (Husband, sister and I) decided to chase the sun by driving to Italy where we stayed in a small, wine producing town close to Verona. We basked in sunshine, blue skies and temperatures of around thirty degrees everyday. I'm telling you people IT WAS GREAT. Here are some pictures from the BBQ and from Italy. Just to give you a little bit of an idea of what we have been up to...

Cooking at Meera's: Tom Yum Soup

2009-05-16T23:20:00.009+03:00

I have a friend here in Ulm named Meera. She is from New Delhi and I met her in the Ladies' Room located in the Ulm University canteen. As you do. She was really friendly and back then I must have looked like a total freshie. It was my first month in Ulm, I was taking part in a German course at the university and feeling a little bit lost. Anyway, she was very friendly, asking me where I was from and what I was doing here. We exchanged numbers and have since become good friends. The other day, we met in the city and were confronting our usual dilemma of what to have for lunch. While Ulm is not short of cafes and restaurants, nothing we suggested to each other really sounded very appealing at all. There are times when you just feel like something you can't quite put your finger on and you know you probably will have to cook it yourself. That's when I remembered, that in my own kitchen, I have been quite obsessed with all things Asian. I have a Neil Perry cookbook, I've had it for ages without really looking at the recipes and now, all of a sudden, I have been using it on a daily basis. And that is what I found myself telling Meera. 'The other day I made a chilli paste,' I told her, 'and I used that chilli paste to make my own Tom Yum soup.' 'I'll never buy the instant paste again!' I found myself declaring. Before we knew it, we were both heading to her place with all the ingredients we would need for our lunch. What a joy it was to cook in Meera's kitchen. Hers is about 20 times as big as mine, with the luxury of bench space I have not known in years!
What follows are the recipes for the chilli paste and the Tom Yum soup. You need the chilli paste to make the soup. I have added some notes with modifications of mine. This makes quite a lot of chilli paste (about 3 cups), so you could reduce the quantity by half but I wouldn't recommend it as it keeps in the fridge and you can use it to add spice to just about any Asian inspired dish. All the ingredients are available in Ulm, I usually go to Asia Shop Nguyen, opposite Galleria Kaufhoff and on top of Metzgerei Bunk. They speak excellent English and if you can't find something on the shelf, just ask, it is usually hiding somewhere.

CHILLI PASTE (Simply Asian, Neil Perry)
2 cups peanut oil
1.5 cups diced red onion
1.25 cups sliced garlic (I only had enough garlic for about 1 cup and it still turned out OK)
6 tablespoons dried shrimp, pounded (if you don't have a mortar and pestle you could just whizz them in a blender for a few seconds)
1 cup palm sugar (I added about half a cup and that was enough sweetness for me, I recommend you add sugar to taste)

1 cup tamarind pulp, mixed with 1.5 cups hot water then pushed through a sieve (while I did add the tamarind when I made this at home, I totally forgot it at Meera's, we didn't really miss it though, but then we are Indian with guts of steel. The tamarind helps to tame the chilli so don't miss this step if you feel that is what you need)

3 tablespoons chilli powder
1/2 cup fish sauce

In a wok (or a deep fry pan), heat the peanut oil until just smoking. Add the onion and fry until very dark brown but not burnt.
Remove with a slotted spoon, drain and set aside. Add the garlich and fry until deep brown, then remove, drain and set aside.
Add the dried shrimp and fry until golden brown.
Return the onion and garlic and to the wok, then add the palm sugar and cook until dark brown and caramelised. Add the fish sauce, chilli powder and tamarind water, and boil for 30 seconds.

Pour the paste into a blender and process until smooth. Store in a screw-top jar in the refrigerator, where it will keep well for several weeks.

Use this paste to make the Tom Yum soup below. Please note that if you have an outdoor stove, it would be a great idea to use it, as the chilli paste does really have a strong smell that lingers. If not just open all your windows as wide as they can go.

SOUR AND SPICY PRAWN SOUP or THAI TOM YUM (Simply Asian, Neil Perry)
4 cups fresh chicken stock (I used a concentrate, still delicious)
1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed, cut into 2cm lengths and crushed (I used two)
5 slices galangal, crushed
2-3 kaffir lime leaves, crushed in your hand
2 tablespoons CHILLI PASTE (recipe above)
4 tablespoons lime juice
5 green bird's eye chillies, chopped
2 teaspoons palm sugar (I didn't add this as I found my CHILLI PASTE sweet enough)
4 tablespoons fish sauce
6 large cooked king prawns, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped coriander leaves
6 oyster mushrooms, sliced in half

Heat the stock in a pot until boiling. Add the lemon grass, galangal, lime leaves and chilli paste. Season to taste with lime juice, chillies, palm sugar and fish sauce - the soup should be sour but balanced, and fiery hot.
Add the prawns, coriander and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. I chose to add about half a bunch of white, baby asparagus (these are in abundance here at the moment) and some pressed tofu.

Delicious!

Golden syrup puddings

2009-05-13T21:41:00.005+03:00

I think these may be the most baked item of my life so far. They are what I feel like eating when I need some love and it is nowhere to be found. I bake them when I find Husband dusting the TV cabinet, grumbling that I need to 'contribute to this living community more'. By 'this living community' he means apartment and by 'contribute' he means, keep the place clean you lazy so & so. I bake them when my students tell me that the DVD that I thought was hilarious, and couldn't wait to show them is LAME. When a non-native speaker uses the word 'lame' you know it must be bad. I bake them when it has been raining the whole week and a check of the forecast makes me wonder how many people are contemplating ending it all because they can't stand another month of overcast, below 20 degree weather. Am I the only one who feels like making a cubby house with my doona and living in it forever?

I haven't been able to find golden syrup in Ulm so I get my sister to bring over the Lyle's brand from London.

These puddings are also pretty quick to put together, so I make them for dessert when people come over, timing it so that I can get them out of the oven just when the guests start wondering what's for dessert.
I guess what I am trying to say is, I make them all the time and I don't really need much of an excuse. Not very helpful for Gina and The Twins. Yes, I know, this is my first mention of Gina and The Twins but they're old friends. Gina and The Twins belong to my, er... midsection. Which seems to be growing though the rest of me has stopped. Causing, as you can imagine, some minor (at risk of becoming major) problems with proportion. So familiar have these disproportionate bits become to me, that I've named them. Don't let that put you off baking these. You are probably far more disciplined than I am and for the Australians heading into the colder months, you can hide your Ginas under you warm clothes. No worries. I got this recipe from a book called 'Old Food' by Jill Dupleix. My brother bought this for me when I was still in high school. A whole twenty dollars it cost him. He can rest assured, it wasn't too bad an investment.
Golden syrup puddings

4 tbsp golden syrup
140g butter
140g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
140g self-raising flour

Heat oven to 180C. Butter four 200ml oven proof moulds, and pour a tablespoon of golden syrup into each one.

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and stir in well, then add flour and stir in lightly, until the mixture is quite thick. Spoon the mixture into the pots until three-quarters full, and cover each one with buttered foil. Place in a baking tray of hot water and bake for around 45 minutes until the puddings rise, and spring back to the touch. Remove from oven, and rest for 5 minutes before removing foil and turning out the puddings carefully onto serving plates. Serve hot with pure cream or clotted cream.

Note: I usually bake these in a 6 cup muffin tray with a capacity of about 125ml per cup. I find these to be quite rich and this smaller serving size suits me better. I just butter a big piece of foil and cover the entire muffin tray with it, folding in the edges. Of course, if you bake them in pots the syrupy part is more moist and gooey then when you use a tin. When it comes to turning them out, I do so on a big plate or tray that can hold them all and then transfer them to serving dishes. The white bits you can see in the pictures are chopped macadamia nuts, I added 50 grams to the batter with the flour.

I ate lunch for the two of us...

2009-05-10T18:20:00.003+03:00

Happy Mother's Day Izy. Remember when you were here? Around this time of year it was, doing funny things like writing your name with pebbles on the Italian seaside?
We didn't forget you this year. We went out for lunch to celebrate and I made sure I ate enough for both of us. Just so you know, I had asparagus soup with smoked salmon strips in it, grilled fish that came with wild garlic pesto and three different coloured pasta and vanilla mousse with strawberry-rhubarb compote. Yes, I thought you'd approve. The servings were huge, and had you been here we would have shared but you weren't, so now I am stuffed. Hope you had a good day too.

Nothing to tell you

2009-05-07T19:32:00.009+03:00

How can it be, that after a month of absence I still feel like I don't really have much at all to say? Perhaps the truth is, that there is indeed so much to tell you, and well... Where do I begin?

The Australians

We were visited by some Australians in April. The type of Australians that come and stay, expecting hospitality and tours of the country. Did I hear someone say 'high maintenance'? That would have made for a much better story, but they weren't. They were the type who didn't ask for much at all but appreciated everything to such a degree, you felt like giving them more. They left us with a super cute 'Thank You' card and some fond memories. Unfortunately, nothing juicy to write about. They were here for about 3 weeks, taking off now and then to see other parts of Europe but always returning to declare that Germany was their favourite. Now, this may have had something to do with the beer and the leather trousers but I'd like to think it was the tours and the hospitality. I am so glad they enjoyed it. They ate our food and loved it, drank our coffee and tolerated it, sat in our garden and chatted in it. Our place hadn't seen so much action since last Christmas. On parting they made promises to re-invade and invited us to do the same the next time we are in Oz. You don't have to ask us twice. After all that blood, sweat and hospitality we felt like we needed a break.

One of the Aussies twisted my arm into climbing the Münster. The view from half-way up.

The Holiday

Husband always maintained that he wanted to do nothing but lay in the sun, winter had turned his skin an interesting shade of transparent. But I on the other hand, like to think of myself as a young and sprightly adventurer. Surely a week at a resort, with nothing but sun and sea would kill me? I insisted on Madrid. I mean, what kind of person has lived in Europe for three years and hasn't even been to Spain? I put my foot down and Husband agreed. Madrid it is, he said. And that is where I came undone. If he had said 'no' I would've insisted and Madrid it would have been. But he said 'yes'. Knowing, I believe, precisely what kind of reverse psychological effect this would have on me. I started thinking and the more I thunk, I realised the very thought of scouring the city for the perfect tapas made me lethargic. Madrid isn't going anywhere, I told myself. Maybe a week of indulgence and nothingness is what I really need? And that is how we ended up in Makadi Bay, a few kilometres drive from Hurghada, in Egypt. A huge, but tastefully designed resort (almost as big as a small German village and possibly with more restaurants than one), where we could snorkel with the many multicoloured fish of the Red Sea. After 7 days of lying by the pool, swimming, snorkelling and handsome Egyptians, I've never felt fresher. And you can't see Husband's veins any more.

Where we stayed, Makadi Palace by night.

The Garden

Yes, we have one now. For those of you who know of our front garden as the bare, desolate place of wood chips, things have changed. The garden no longer serves as the neighbourhood cat restroom. It is home to life.

Photo taken on the mobile (sorry), our Japanese Larch.

A garden from Eiden

2009-03-22T01:16:00.007+03:00

Eiden, a shop I can imagine taking my sleeping bag into and staying over night in. The porcelain ware in this shop is just so pretty, it makes for a lovely atmosphere. It feels sort of other worldly when you go in there and I am never in a hurry to leave. Luckily the owners are very friendly, and I am often treated to cups of tea and a quick catch up in between spending my hard earned euros. I don't think my pictures really do it justice but they do have a nifty website (only in German though) with some photos that will give you an idea of why this place is so special. Jan and Dagmar Eiden, the owners also feature on the website photos. They make and sell porcelain cups, mugs, bowls, vases, soap dishes, the list goes on, not to mention lamps and lights. Everything is handmade in their work shop. Unbelievable! We don't have much of a garden, but to get ready for spring I bought a few hyacinth pots from Eiden and planted some bulbs. I am so looking forward to the flowers.
As you can imagine, as with anything special, Eiden's porcelain is not cheap but worth every penny if you appreciate the hard work involved and the individuality of the product.

A vase on display in the shop
Hand dotted bowls
Porcelain ceiling light - it's on the wish list!

And since I have shown you my hyacinths here, I will also show you Husband's beloved chillies. He plants them from seeds he has dried and this is the stage they are at now. These plants usually give us a yield to keep our freezer stocked for a good few months.

The babies

Enter maximum bid

2009-03-21T23:20:00.011+03:00

I realised today that I am fast approaching my third year of life in Ulm. Nuts! I can hardly believe it. It doesn't seem like that long but if I think about it lots has happened in that time. I wonder how I can still feel so foreign after three years here. Because I am, I guess. I still get asked if I am Indian everywhere I go. That's OK, I don't mind. I do feel that I am sort of a let down in both respects. I don't really know anything about India for those Bollywood fans and I am not really fair dinkum Australian. Know what I mean? People I know, those I consider friends here, still ask me when my friends from India are coming to visit me. You mean Australia? Yes, Sydney, Australia. That is where I am from. That is what I know. I have only been to India for about six weeks in my entire existence. It seems hard for people to get over the exterior. How can I explain it? It's like cutting into a watermelon to realise that the interior is of an orange. An orange that looks like a watermelon. That's me. A Malaysian born, Australian grown, Indian looking mish mash. This can have it's upside, I guess. I get lots of 'My! Look at your big eyes' style compliments. When I think back about growing up in Australia, I guess it wasn't really much different. Lots of people would try to guess if I was from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Fiji, India, Africa - where else do those black people live? I seem to recall that in school, and hanging out with friends I often used to forget I was different. There were times it would puzzle me when someone asked me where I was from, I would forget. Forget, that I looked different enough to prompt such a question. What do you mean where am I from? Here, like everyone else. But no, realistically, I didn't belong to that category of foreigner either. I wasn't born in Australia. But this is about Ulm. So, what have I learnt in my three years here in Ulm? What experiences have I to share?

I can start with some things I love about being here.
One of them is the distinctive change of seasons.
Flowers in Spring, red leaves in Autumn.
The proximity of where we live to Italy.
The proximity of where we live to London thanks to budget airlines.
Berlin.
The uninhibited curiousity and friendliness of small town folk - I love all the 'Guten Morgens' when I go for a walk.
I love that schnitzel is 'normal food' as opposed to 'junk food' here.
These people are serious about recycling and caring for the environment.
The bread.
No shopping on Sundays means Husband and I have a whole day to sit around staring at each other.
I can now speak a pretty good, broken version of the language.
The infamous German directness - straight faced, cuts like a knife,
nothing if not well meant.

Which brings me to the real point of this post. A friend, my German BFF (best friend forever), whom I went to visit the other day. We sat like usual, talked shop, drank espresso, ate sweets. Then he asks me to consider the possibility that people here may think I am a mail order bride. Hmmm... OK, so it wasn't as out of the blue as I have made it sound, it was in the context of what we were discussing but nevertheless, it had me wide eyed and speechless. His words were,'You know how Germans think.' They see Husband, they see you. You still look like a student. There is a clear age difference. They wonder, apparently 'How much did he pay for her?' Really? Is that what they wonder? I thought he was joking with me. My German BFF has a wicked sense of humour. But no. It seems in my third year here I have been promoted from standard foreigner, to Mail Order Bride foreigner. An unexpected title. German BFF has now been downgraded to Frenemy status (unbeknownst to him), subject to review if/when I get over this. I am already thinking of t-shirt designs. It's not nice to make people wonder. I may as well wear my status on my sleeve. What about 'He won me on E-bay' or 'I was purchased on mailorderbride.com (free delivery)'. All ideas welcome.

Bella Vista: Candle Light Dinner

2009-03-15T18:10:00.013+03:00

While we often go to Bella Vista for a drink or for lunch I am not sure we would have booked a Candle Light dinner there. We received vouchers to this event as a gift and of course, were eager to try it. We were treated to a four course meal from a set menu and were not let down where the candle light was concerned. Very romantic. These are held in the evening once a month or perhaps even more randomly than that (check the website for dates). I will focus on the third and main course as I think it had all the components to sum up the entire evening. The Filet de boeuf Tuna Kartoffelterrine and Shii-Take. This is how this dish was described on the menu. I am not sure if this was an attempt at being different, or maybe this is the way things are done now - describing one dish using every language under the sun. Fashionable or not, I found it a little confusing. What on earth were we supposed to expect?
Well, above is what we got. All the described components were on the plate. Personally, while the beef was tasty and cooked to pink perfection, the sashimi style tuna with ginger, carrot, bean sprouts and soya sauce are all flavours I love and don't get enough of here, I could have eaten a plate of just that. Yes, you are seeing right, for some reason the tuna was topped with a wasabi coated peanut. OK, yes, they are Japanese too, but flavour wise this was a pretty unnecessary addition. It had nothing to do with the rest of the dish, except may be for adding a little colour. Is this something else I have missed? Is purely decorative garnish (think sprigs of parsley) making a comeback? It may be, because the beef was not immune to this treatment. It was topped with a long ribbon of what tasted like deep fried spring roll pastry. Again, purely an aesthetic addition. Nothing to do with the dish and unlike the wasabi peanut, it didn't really taste very good. These oddities aside the dishes, while small (we were grateful for the bread basket on our table, the gracious wait staff kept it full for us), were well presented and flavoursome. Would I go again? I don't know, at €40 per person not including wine and considering the serving sizes, it is pretty pricey by Ulm standards. Lunch is easier on the wallet and you get the spectacular daytime view.

bee-sting

2009-03-14T00:33:00.005+03:00

There's a new lady at the market and she is selling home-baked goods. When I asked her if I could take a photo of her cute, little stand (I thought she had done a great job setting up) she said 'no'. She was all embarrassed that I might get the plastic sheet she had pinned up on the side of the stall that you can't see, to protect her from the wind and the rain. Not one to take 'no' for an answer, I took the photo and showed it to her. She approved. I managed to omit the offending plastic, flying in the wind.
As we were chatting, I asked her how business was going, I looked down to see what she had to offer. I realised, in a rush of excitement, that she was selling bee-sting and of course I bought a slice. Bee-stings are one of my favourite German sweets ever. Two usually thin, dryish pieces of sponge, sandwich whipped honey cream, topped with honeyed almond flakes. Heaven! After finishing our Saturday morning shopping I found the bee-sting somewhat squashed almost at the bottom of the bread bag, unwrapped it and sat down for my weekend treat with a strong cup of tea.
The first thing I noticed is that the sponge layers were thicker than what I was used to. But it wasn't until I had a mouthful that I realised why the sponge layer appeared to be so thick. The layer of honeyed almonds, usually reserved for the top had been replicated on her bottom layer of sponge as well. I have included the close up photo so you can see what I mean. If you look closely you can see the almond layer below the cream.
Well, was I ever surprised! I have tried many versions of this but this is the only I have come across with two almond layers. However, even though this was an interesting twist, for me, two almond layers did not make it twice as good. It was a little too sickly sweet for me and all that almond required more chewing than I was willing. So I had to bring in Husband to help me finish it. He is not the biggest fan of bee-stings but he tried it nevertheless and to my surprise was totally taken with it. The man who usually wrinkles his nose at me when I buy this creamy slice, exclaimed that this was the best bee-sting he had ever eaten. Well! So the new lady's bee-sting gets the title of 'cake of the week' for this week. Not really because I liked it but because it knocked Husband's socks off, and that is not easy to do.

Who brought the fish paste?

2009-03-11T13:51:00.005+03:00

'Who brought the fish paste?' I'll take that as a compliment. I'm certain it was intended as one because the asker proceeded to clean out all remnants of the 'fish paste' from the dish with a piece of bread. Glad you liked it. If Dagmar's dad liked it, (Dagmar of Eiden that is, who I will post about soon), then I am sure you will too. Thing is, I can't really call it my fish paste because the recipe comes from Nigella Express, and Nigella calls it Trout Pate. la-di-da. Well, I add a dash of Tabasco at the end and she doesn't. Is that enough of a modification to make it mine? This has been, to date, the most made recipe from my copy of Nigella Express. Due to it's moreish tastiness but also in part, to how unbelievably 'schnell' it is to make. Smoked trout is readily available here, in the exact quantity the recipe requires. It is usually in the fridge section and is sold in flat, plastic packets, boned, skinned and ready to use.
Nigella's Smoked Trout Pate or Fish Paste

2 smoked trout fillets, approx. 125g total weight
50g cream cheese
1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Spoon pate into a small bowl, making sure to get it all out of the blender. You won't want to waste any. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. I usually serve this with cornichons, tabasco and thinly sliced fresh bread.

Ulmer Wochenmarkt or the weekly Ulmer market

2009-03-08T21:40:00.010+03:00

It is a strange time to go to the market at the moment. Winter persists but spring is fighting back, there is no clear winner and so we are in limbo. Quite a few of the usual stall holders weren't there, I guess for this very reason. We have the tail end of winter veggies and not much else, although oyster mushrooms seem to be everywhere. Husband and I made our usual Saturday morning trip. We stopped to by eggs at our chicken lady, but this can be a complicated business, because she is right across from our meat man. We didn't really want to stop at the butcher, but he spotted us before we could get away and when he greets us with a robust 'Guten Morgen' we can't really walk past can we? We ended up with 2 types of smoked sausage and 3 types of ham.

Our butcher

It is also time for pussy willow (see new header photo), and ignoring husband's impatience I stopped to buy. Now there is a bunch sitting pretty on my dining table.

Nobody takes pictures at the market. This guys thinks I am weird. Notice the cathedral in the background?

The market is on every Wednesday and Saturday morning. It takes place in the town square, known as the Münsterplatz where the Münster, the cathedral with the highest church tower in the world, provides a dramatic background.

The potato man is out of Annabelle potatoes, our favourite. He says that they are an early potato. What does that mean? Does anyone know when is early for potatoes?

Blaukraut or red cabbage

Husband makes a mean Blaukraut. He cooks it the traditional way, with vinegar, sugar, onions, an apple, bay leaves and preiselbeere or lingonberries. When my mum used to make spaghetti bolognaise, bless her determined wooden spoon, somehow it always ended up tasting like curry. A dish without a pinch of her mixed spice was unfathomable. Husband cooked fish (perch), with the Blaukraut and somehow it turned out like a schnitzel. It was crumbed and fried but never before has fish had such a schnitzely quality. Needless to say, I had seconds. I love schnitzel.

Ever seen apples displayed like this before? All in the name of being easy to unhook and take with you.

These are the last apples for the season but the apple man will continue to sell what he has stored, as well as schnapps and juice over summer. He also does a roaring trade with berries. I am his number one raspberry customer, I'd like to think so anyway. When I first bought apples from him, I always used to get a free one for the road. This practice stopped after he noticed that Husband benefited from this freebie more than I did. I have a floury apple phobia, so someone has to test bite first. Husband's bite means there is little but core left by the time it's my turn. As the weather gets warmer, the market becomes unbearably beautiful. I'll have to try to remember my camera so I can show you what I mean.

Zwetschgenkuchen

2009-03-07T19:24:00.005+03:00

Zwetschgenkuchen is traditional German plum cake. Zwetschge are Damson or Damask plums and the cake made from these is very popular here when they are in season. They weren't in season a few weeks ago but it is possible to store them (this is where a cellar comes in handy) like apples until you are ready to whip them up into something delightful. The plums are sour and are usually used for jams and cakes. This cake was particularly good because it was served warm, and it had a unique base made from a mixture of almond and hazelnut meal. Usually, the base is similar to a buttery, sweet, shortcrust pastry. I much prefer it with the nutty meal, it goes together quite well with the deliciously squishy plums. We drove to Wirtshaus zum Silberwald (Silver Forest) to sample this Zwetschgenkuchen. Wirtshaus zum Silberwald is a very cosy restaurant with an open fire, tucked away, as the name suggests in the Silberwald which isn't very far away from where we are. They have a beautiful beer garden in summer. You really feel like your miles away from everything. It's not just the cake that is good here, the traditional Bavarian food is also worth the trip.

Chilli Walter's New BFF

2009-03-07T18:28:00.005+03:00

This is a bit sad, I know. My thermos is my friend. She has been loyal all through 'the intensive', offering support with warm lidfuls of jasmine green tea. Thank you Husband who brewed the tea fresh and filled her up every morning, and to my 'favourite Singapore supplier' (who will, from here on, be referred to as my FSS) who gifted it to me last Christmas. I love you both but there can only be one BFF. And because I can carry her around, she wins.

The Intensive

2009-03-04T17:29:00.008+03:00

I am tired. I have just finished day 8 (2 to go) of an English intensive course. In my case, my twenty kiddies (uni students actually) take part in the 10 day course and then, do an exam at the end of it. It's not easy on them either, nevertheless, when I finally walk through the door after a long day it's only me I feel sorry for. Last week was a shocker for my thighs. I usually sit when I am with small groups but a group of twenty requires a different kind of energy. Pacing the aisles and standing for the full five hours type of energy. At the end of the day, I cannot be asked to speak a full sentence. One may hear these utterances from me, 'Day? Good?' or 'Dinner? Kebab?' But I have to add, they are a very motivated bunch. I could hold up a pair of socks and they would be off, talking mile a minute, discussing the wider impact of socks on society and debating the advantages and disadvantages. There is nothing better than a group of non-native speakers who are not afraid to speak. We haven't discussed socks, I have been a little better organised. What have we talked about? Hmmm... The Stolen Generation. The movie Australia, however dismal, seems to have brought this into awareness. I was surprised that 80% of them (it would have been 100% if it wasn't for the film) hadn't heard or didn't have a clue what I was talking about. I guess Australia is too far away or Aussie history doesn't rate that highly on the scale of world history. One student did comment that they are so busy learning and relearning their own history that it leaves little time for others. Good point. One earnest lad stopped after class and asked me if I was Aboriginal. He was concerned. Was this my shocking history? Um... no. I had to laugh because I think my Indianess is so obvious. I forget that for some of my students, who perhaps haven't yet earned the dosh to do much travelling outside Europe, one brown skinned person looks just like the next. It's great. I wouldn't be mistaken for anything else in Australia. Here, I am mysterious. I guess I am not making it sound too bad, sounds like a day of chatting and joking with some bright young people. It is fun, but after a day of, 'what means...?' (You mean 'what does... mean?'), 'Can you say me...' (You mean can you tell me ...) and 'This car is only allowed to drive the doctor' (What do you mean?), the alertness required to hear and correct these common errors are enough to drain my batteries completely. After three years of life here, it isn't difficult for me to start to accept this Genglish (or as my sister likes to call it, Ingles) as normal speak. Most invasive and must be stamped out of my speak are, 'Have you hunger?' and 'Have you cooked the water?'
Today was the last day for presentations, I love doing this with the kiddies. They usually present on a hobby or interest. Unless somebody gets up and is all monotone or all we manage to learn about them is um and er (we did have a couple of those) they are pretty interesting. We had a bagpipe player today. A big guy, with a big instrument. I have heard and enjoyed the bagpipes many times but didn't really register how alarmingly loud they can be. Especially in an enclosed area, say... a classroom. Procedure in my presentations requires that them to have an interactive part, the bagpipe player decided that he would play a tune so the the class would know how it went and then he would play it again and we would all have to sing a little Scottish ditty that he had projected onto the board. Here it is :

O flower of Scotland

When will we see
Your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen
And stood against him
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again

So off he went with the first round, the windows were vibrating, the class was laughing, and after those initial notes knocked the wind out of me, getting my breath back, I too couldn't help but laugh. Until he stopped and looked up at us innocently. He was all set for us to sing along. A visual: A class full of German students and one Chilli Walter, launching together into a very uncertain rendition of 'The Flower of Scotland'. There was no singalong. I am, after all, there to maintain some order (party pooper!) and I really was scared a fire engine would turn up wondering who set off the alarm. The kiddies were disappointed, they were all set to give it a go. He played well, I like the bagpipes, but within the confines of a classroom I think the sound can best be described with the adjective 'violent.'

Tetsuya Envy

2009-02-26T19:52:00.006+03:00

I was forwarded this email by Anne-Marie, who received it from her friend Anastasia, who ate at Tetsuya's with a few friends - and was sufficiently inspired by her evening to write about it. Anne-Marie added a short message, 'Don't read if you are homesick'. She was right to caution me. I felt a number of emotions, homesickness was definitely one of them but I ended on insane jealousy. After reading I swear I could taste that crab custard and simply had to ask for permission to publish the email here. I love the details and find it very entertaining. I mean, would you send anything back at Tetsuya's? I would be praising the tap water. More power to you Anastasia! And a big 'thank you' for letting me entertain readers with it here.

Here it is, just as it was sent to me...

The Wednesday night before last I went to Tetsuya's (located at 529 Kent St Sydney) with Jim, Tas and the Sooz. If you're short for time, no need to read beyond this paragraph. All you need to know is that it is expensive but a sublime culinary experience. Our taste buds were tantalised and satisfied. Well worth the visit but don't bother with the wine menu accompanying the 10 course degustation menu: it's disappointing, especially where the vin rouge is concerned. I sent back the wine (pinot noir). Twice. But they were very good about it. The menu does change and I imagine so would the wine so I MAY consider doing the wine menu the next time I go.

Dining at Tetsuya's is perfection. The food was exquisite. Incredibly clean, sharp, pure flavours yet totally refined. My tongue was left begging for more. The service was excellent: prompt, polite, good humoured and never far away.

We initially had problems finding the restaurant and actually walked past it. Somehow we (i.e., Jim and myself) missed a heritage listed cottage in the middle of the city, almost parallel to the George St cinema complex. To be fair, there was a big gate that was probably designed to stop people from simply wandering in to have a squizz.

For those who are curious. This is what we feasted on:

1) Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Saffron and Vanilla Ice Cream. Refreshingly light, slightly sweet yellow mousse served in small martini glass. Great way to clean and prepare the palate for what was to follow.

2) Smoked Ocean Trout and caviar with what we thought was a lightly poached egg yolk and a subtly flavoured white sauce drizzled around the dish (don't know what type. i missed the name because the waiter spoke too quickly. And yes, it was in English). I found the dish a bit fishy on the first mouthful and thought that perhaps the trout was a little on the cool side when served but the flavour definitely improved (i.e., less fishy) as the meal progressed as the trout "warmed" up - at least in my mind. Suz disagreed with me on this point (i.e., the initial coolness and fishy factor).

3) Caramelised Leek and Queensland Crab Custard. Clean smooth, slightly textured. Crab situated at the bottom of a small Japanese style tea cup. Had to get all of the layers into the spoon as you scooped it out to get the maximum bang taste bud-wise. The meal was served with an incredibly crisp sake, chilled to perfection, the perfect complement to this dish.

4) Scampi prepared in 3 different ways. You had to eat them in a certain order. Anti-clockwise as it turned out. The first one was a bit very peppery (can't remember any more details beyond that) although you had to wait a bit for the flavour to hit the tongue. and when it did it was an incredible sensation. The next scampi was in a shot glass containing salt water and lemon olive oil - incredible texture. this was the sooz's favourite scampi. The third scampi (which was my favourite scampi) was served with pancetta and tarragon and pepper characterised by wonderful smoky flavour. Have no idea which of the scampis Jim and Tas liked. Don't suppose the Sooz and I could hear them above our moans of ecstasy. Accompanying wine for this course was a dry riesling from Mornington Peninsula. Not bad.

5) The next course was Tetsuya's signature dish: Tasmanian Ocean Trout with kelp topping served on confit of shredded apple and possibly fennel, fish roe and a green salad on the side. Divine. Accompanying white wine from Dead Man's Hill in the Upper Goulburn Valley. I think the wine was good - love the name.

6) Ravioli of Queensland Spanner Crab with avocado soup, buckwheat, tomato and basil vinaigrette. Margaret River Chardonnay that came with it was too sweet for my liking.

7) Grilled Fillet of Barramundi with Braised chestnut mushrooms and other stuff. Nice smokey caramelised flavour due in large part to mushrooms. Excellent

8) Twice-Cooked Spatchcock with foie gras and black truffle and some red wine sauce. I needed to add salt but not too much. The pinot noir that was served with it was the same one I had upon arrival. I really should have asked for the Shiraz instead but by that time I was a bit tanked so I didn't.

9) Grilled Wagyu Beef with (maybe pongyu jelly?) eggplant (i.e., aubergine), wasabi and some sort of mushroom. Excellent. Meat was succulent and the Cab Sav was a great complement to meal - far superior to the pinot noir.

10) Sweet lentils with Heidelberg Tasmanian cheese. cleansed the palate before dessert which was presumably the final course but was served in 2 different plates brought to us in succession. Hence the 12 courses in my email. Not sure I am meant to include the lentils but who cares?

11) First 2 desserts: peach sorbet with champagne jelly and raspberry shortcake. I liked the latter more.
Dessert wine was from Eden Valley. Am not a big fan of dessert wines.

12) Then we got 3 desserts but I only managed to record 2 of them for some reason:
Chocolate ganache on red bean with green tea
Lemon meringue with vanilla bean: incredibly light and very "fluffy", almost like a mousse. I liked this one more. No idea what the third one was but I remember my favourite dessert being the raspberry shortcake.
This dessert plate came with a Spanish Muscatel - was too rich for me.

Jim and I may have had coffee after this or we simply contemplated having it. I have no idea because after that we all fell into a food coma.

My rating: 4.90 stars out of a possible 5 (due to pinot noir).

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. To those I eat with when I am in my Southern Hemisphere home, please, please, please don't go getting any big ideas about going without me.

The Other Woman

2009-02-19T22:23:00.013+03:00

Sunday brunch at a cafe in Berlin. He was so engrossed he didn't even notice me snapping away.

Husband with Frau Sudoku, the other woman

This is the scene (in no way staged by me) on his side of the bed at home.

My biggest competition

Interesting encounters with raspberry jam

2009-02-18T17:30:00.008+03:00

I would be lying if told you that I only sampled one 'cake of the week' when we were in Berlin, and you would be a fool if you believed me. But of course, one was more memorable than the rest. Cupcakes are no typical German cake, but that is what made it all the more exciting! I hadn't eaten a cupcake in quite a while, they are a bit of a novelty in these parts. So when I saw the big pink sign on the street, beckoning passersby into Cupcake Berlin, I had to go in. There were a few different flavours on display, but to be honest I didn't really notice them. I was totally mesmerised by the chubby chocolate cake and the dreamy pink icing that was the Raspberry Delight. Husband of course, who just doesn't get the whole cupcake thing ordered a slice of cheesecake (New York, also good but it had nothing on mine.)
Interestingly enough raspberry jam made two appearances when we were in Berlin. Both times in ways that I had never eaten it before. Who knew so much was possible with a simple jarred spread? Back to the Raspberry Delight. The thing about this cupcake was that the icing was made pink with raspberry jam. Which meant it had tiny raspberry seeds through it and tiny flecks of raspberry too. This made the icing quite sweet but the fruitiness of the jam gave it a depth of flavour that can't be achieved with icing sugar and food colouring alone. The fruity frosting balanced out quite well with the chocolate cake which was on the bitter side of sweet, dense and moist. Yum! Yum! Yum! Taste aside though, cupcakes are such a symbol of all things lovely to me, that I think I would have enjoyed it just for the way it looked. Which I am sure you will agree is gorgeous!

Raspberry Delight

Raspberry jam showed up again when we visited the Tadschikische Teestube (Tajik from Tajikistan). A tea house located inside a historical building, where you have to take your shoes of and sit on bright, comfy cushions on the ground (there are some chairs and tables as well). Be sure not to upset the waitress by sitting somewhere stupid where she may be likely to trip over you. We made that silly mistake and paid for it with an ear bashing that the entire tea house fell silent to listen to. Not that she tripped over us, but she may have and how dare we expect her to have such acrobatic abilities of ducking and weaving with a tea laden tray by sitting the way we were! Humph! Some people! I recommend waiting at the entrance till she is ready to attend to you or better still make a booking. It is quite a cosy space and it was full when we were there so it makes sense to make sure you will get a seat, especially if you are visiting Berlin. Don't let the service put you off, once we were seated 'properly' she really was quite pleasant and the atmosphere and historic surroundings do really make it all worthwhile. Plus, when were there, it was snowing so heavily outside that we chose the wrath of the waitress over mother nature. Husband ordered a Canadian style tea, sweetened with maple syrup, served with cream and whisky on the side, to add according to taste. I ordered what I think was called the Lomonosov Tea. This was a mild black tea, served with raspberry jam and rum soaked raisins. The jam is used traditionally to sweeten the tea and raisins are to be eaten at your leisure, between sips. The presentation made tea drinking a real luxury. We didn't order any food, but there are lists of both sweet and savoury delicacies from the region but don't get too excited with ordering unless you have time. It took about 40 minutes for us just to get our tea. This is not a complaint, the atmosphere in this room is really relaxed and if you are not in a hurry it is not a bad place to be enjoying tea and conversation.

Tea with rum raisins and raspberry jam
It's all about the presentation: dainty tea cups and the raspberry seeds that sunk to the bottom

While the raspberry jam gave the tea more of a sour flavour (from the tartness of the raspberries) than sweet, I am still intrigued by the idea of using jam to sweeten things or to add flavour. I am inspired to see what other uses I can find for all the lovely home-made jam we have sitting in our kitchen cupboards. I am thinking fig jam icing for a ginger chocolate cake... Any other suggestions for jam, anyone?

A Hunting Story II

2009-02-17T19:28:00.015+03:00

Just a quick update for those who are following our apartment hunt. We found one last Saturday. It was love at first sight. Great location, huge, affordable, windows in every room, high ceilings. We expressed our immediate interest and told them we could move in straight away, great for them as it had been empty for a while. They told us they would get back to us on Wednesday. I spent the next few days thinking interiors. I was so excited by the place that I could hardly sleep waiting for Wednesday. I hear you. Don't get your hopes up, you're saying. Wait till that phone call on Wednesday. Well, yes, I know it's not helpful to get carried away but everything went swimmingly at the viewing. They spent extra time with us and asked us detailed questions, hobbies? jobs? Sydney?! Do we smoke? Nope. Do we have house pets? No sirree! We would make perfect tenants. Wednesday came. When we hadn't heard by 5:00, we called. We didn't mean to rush them but had they decided? Yes they had. She was just sitting down to write us an email. Sorry, she said. We've decided on someone else. Thud. Somewhere on planet earth, a tree crashes to the ground, and for some reason, I can feel the impact in my head. What? You mean not the friendly, non-smoking, no pet - having couple? Dare we ask? Why not us? Well she answers, we had some friends who were interested and we've decided to give it to them. Oh, OK then. And yes, of course, they can give the apartment to whomever they damn well please. But the question remains, why would you invite 12 other couples to come and have a look when you already have a candidate in mind. I just don't get that part of it. We smiled so hard our faces almost fell off. Alas! All in vain. We never stood a chance. I know that I shouldn't take these things too personally, but they are so much like job interviews, I can't help but wonder what people are looking for in a tenant. Never mind, I keep telling myself. It wasn't meant to be. Get back on that horse. We do have another viewing next week. The owner rang today asking if we'd like to come and see it. His first words were: There's no balcony, and it's not quiet. You have the noise from the trains, the buses and the cars. It is located on the corner of a busy intersection. At least we know he is going to be straight with us.
Fingers crossed - for what exactly I am not sure... We are going to have a look next Wednesday.

Top Tier Fruit Cake

2009-02-11T19:57:00.005+03:00

Baked in Australia with love. Transported to Germany with care. Eaten in Ulm with absolute delight!

This delicious looking fruit cake was the top tier of my wedding cake. Well, not exactly. On the day the top was a mock tier decorated to look like the rest of the cake. The wedding cake was a gift from a good friend and she baked the top tier and packed it separately for me to take back to Germany. I have read that it is considered good luck to save the top tier of your wedding cake and eat it on your first anniversary, so that's what we did. I can confirm that one year of storage had no adverse affect on the flavour. It was delicious.

Cake is a grand German tradition. One of my favourites. You will be hard pressed to find a 'hausfrau' worth her salt who doesn't produce a torte or a tart, at least once a week. I think it is fitting to begin this 'Cake of the Week' section with this very special fruit cake. 'Cake of the Week' will give me the burdensome task of trying a new variety weekly and sharing it with you. Enjoy!

Romance

2009-02-09T19:05:00.007+03:00

This conversation took place at about 07:15am German time, after I had showered and was getting ready for work.

He: Hmmm... Is that you?
Me: Is what me?
He: That smell. Are you using something new?
Me: Yes. My shampoo and bath gel are new.
He: No, no. (sniffs the air) It's not that. I am sure it's not that. It's a different smell.
Me: Really? Like what? I can't smell anything.
He: I don't know. I think it's either you or there's something smelly in the pipes... you know the sink. There might be something stuck in there.
Me: Umm... Are you telling me I smell like a blocked sink?
He: I said it's you OR the sink...
Me: Right...

Rituals

2009-02-09T00:10:00.001+03:00

A very happy one year paper anniversary to us! One year later and I am certainly older but none the wiser about how people get to their 10th, 20th, 30th... Hard work it is indeed! But I think we've done pretty well. No actual acts of violence though admittedly plenty of thoughts. Lots of bad words (expressed and suppressed), and plenty of brow furrowing moments. Through it all we have managed to recoup and come together and perhaps even like each other a little more than before. It has been rewarding too. Many lessons learnt and so many happy memories created that one wonders where the brain will find room to store a whole lifetimes worth. We have definitely earned our stripe. To celebrate we are treating ourselves to a trip to Berlin. This will be my third time to Berlin in less than a year (I think I'm addicted) but my first trip with Husband. I have travelled there by rail and by road but this time we are splashing out and going by plane! This sort of makes up for our very cheap but hopefully not too dodgy hotel. Now, our relationship doesn't really have much to do with a boiled egg, except for when it comes to our ritual of weekend breakfasts. This is something that, one year on, I realise has become a big part of our lives. Not every weekend is a lazy weekend, but a good few of them are and one of our favourite things to do is to set the table, inside in winter or on the balcony in summer and to have a proper breakfast. By proper I mean not the type of brekkie you would have during the week. Nothing quick and convenient. A proper German breakfast is quite different to what we do in Australia. It is mostly cold, like cheese and smoked meats. We often receive home made jams as gifts, our favourite at the moment is plum and whisky. Then there is of course bread (sourdough is very common here) or pretzels and danishes - bought fresh from the bakery. I guess, there is really no need for me to explain how or why this has become a regular part of our lives. It is just really relaxing - he eats, I talk, he nods - I keep talking. It's great. I usually like to have a boiled egg, mashed on buttered toast with salt and pepper. Not always, but sometimes when we have just been to the market and bought some good eggs from a local farmer. I really do think that these moments are what keep me sane. Mushing that egg on my toast, sipping my tea, talking about my week. A boiled egg is equivalent to therapy in my house. My theory is if we keep up our weekend breakfast ritual I'll see you back here this time next year...

29 on the 29th

2009-01-29T12:39:00.000+03:00

Image from the birthday card I gave her

I have just been to London to spend a few days with my sister for her birthday. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing her age with you (too late now) but it was a great time and we did many memorable things to celebrate. Our days were full but a leisurely type of full, if you know what I mean. If you don't, it was as follows. Wake up when you are good and ready. Eat some cereal. Get dressed and if you aren't happy feel free to have an outfit change or three, with your sister as your audience, sitting on the bed, nodding or grimacing accordingly. Head into town for a spot of shopping, stop for a drink or a bit of lunch. Hit the shops with renewed energy. Perhaps pop into a gallery and take in an exhibition. Discuss the finer points as you stroll over to Covent Garden, where you meet up with some friends and drink a pear cocktail or two. If you are feeling peckish, make a quick stop at the local GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) before heading over to West End for a musical (in our case Oliver), before hopping back on the tube humming musical tunes (resisting the urge to burst into song and trying to control your dancing feet) all the way home. Yes, it was a special trip. We found some great bargains (leather boots for 19 pounds, the cutest silk skirts for 15 pounds) but I won't go into too much detail, I hate to be the cause of envy. Speaking of which I haven't yet mentioned the show stopper, icing on the cake, rice pudding with a cherry on top moment that was Nobu. A birthday gift from my parents to my sister. The best type of present - one that I could share. So, between checking out the 30 000 pound cooking ranges at Harrods (dreaming is free daaarling) and more shopping at Knightsbridge we wandered over to Park Lane for a celebratory lunch at the restaurant Nobu. Walking past Fergie (not of The Black Eyed Peas variety, rather, the Duchess of York) on the way there and spotting Mr. Liz Hurley, Arun Nayar, leaving the restaurant just as we sat down at our table overlooking Hyde Park. Consider yourself at home!

What we ate, in the order the dishes arrived...

Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce

Black cod with Miso, our favourite, it had a texture that my sister described as 'silky'

Beef ''Toban'' Yaki, this came sizzling with really tender, rare pieces of beef

Chocolate Bento Box: Flourless chocolate fondant served with green tea ice cream

Pine nut Cake: Sabayone cream, pine nut mousse, purple potato ice cream and yoghurt

We enjoyed really helpful service on our visit. From the young French chap who collected our coats when we arrived, to our waitress who was very free with her recommendations (something I appreciate), to the Swiss waiter who told us to try the pine nut dessert. We probably wouldn't have ordered it otherwise (we planned to share the Chocolate Bento Box), he also kindly offered to take a photo of us. Whether it was all this, or the Saint Clair Sauvignon (closest to home we could find on the wine list - we get nostalgic on birthdays) that we washed it all down with, we were feeling rather giddy when we left. Each secretly wondering how the parents would react to the bill, and if we'd have to pick a pocket or two (or worse! stay away from the shops) to make it up to them.

Goodbye-ee-eye

2009-01-26T22:13:00.000+03:00

One of our last peppermint teas in Ulm at a cafe where all the furniture is for sale - even that orange lamp

A fellow Australian I befriended here in Ulm (actually, she befriended me) has gone home. That's right. Gone back to Oz. Packed up and taken off forever. I think. There's just no telling with Anne-Marie. But, it does seem rather permanent at the moment. She just left yesterday. Don't know what I'll do with myself now. Although it is a great decision for her it is sad for me and all the other people she got to know. And yes, I know it's not all about me but I'll miss her is all. Just today, I found myself in a situation and I couldn't call my 'phone a friend'. Nope.
I thought I would write lots about Anne-Marie but words just seem too wordy for her. Here are some pictures of the last couple of times we hung out and a clip of her 'leaving song' that was playing (and still is) in my head in the weeks up to her farewell. Goodbye-ee-eye.

Of course, she brings me flowers when she is the one leaving

A first on her last day, we ate cake at a cafe she had been boycotting because of it's name Mohren Kopf
(I will overlook any number of things for good cake)

Last day in Ulm

From Flight of the Conchords

Yamas, quite yummy really.

2009-01-25T12:48:00.000+03:00

There is a new cafe/restaurant in Ulm. Yay! That is in itself exciting. A new place to explore! Yamas, is owned by the son of the same family that used to own Paradies, where you could really find the best Greek food in Ulm. Paradies is still running under different ownership but the son has moved to the city centre to start a cafe/restaurant style eatery with some Greek and American (bagels, doughnuts) influences. What I am most familiar with at Yamas is the tea menu. We were going there quite regularly when we were on our post Christmas diet. They have a whole selection of chai blends and from memory I think there is also a whole page devoted to green tea. All the teas have interesting names, like Tension Tamer, so you can order one that suits your mood. I guess I was feeling like some sort of Vanilla Elephant because that's the one I have been drinking. Yamas has the most extensive tea menu that I am aware of in Ulm and for a tea drinker like me, that is good news.
Yippeeee! Our diets are finally over, so we went to Yamas, our first time in the upstairs restaurant section, to celebrate. We were a party of three: Husband, Foodie Friend and I. We all ordered starters, Husband had the haloumi with oyster mushrooms (yum!), Foodie Friend had the seafood salad and I had the scallops. Nothing to complain about here, everything was delicious and devoured hungrily. Servings were big for starters with Husband and Foodie Friend commenting that they didn't have to have mains at all, not me though!

From the top & moving clockwise: our wine in the sexy glasses, haloumi with oyster mushrooms, baby calamari, seafood salad

For the mains, Husband ordered a beef fillet steak served with broad beans and potatoes. Foodie Friend had the baby calamari served with potatoes and a drizzle of homemade pesto (there was also a herby, yoghurty sauce on the side that Foodie Friend said she didn't really need). While there were quite a few seafood dishes on the menu, I was feeling carnivorous after such a long period of deprivation and decided on the lamb with a thyme and rosemary flavoured sauce. While the meat dishes were not bad, Foodie Friend's baby calamari was great. Tender, fresh and flavoursome. I'll go back for a plate of my very own. Of course, I wasn't going anywhere without dessert, so we decided to share the dessert plate. It came with a few things on it - most notable for me was the honeyed yogurt. It was really nothing to write home about, so I'll stop here. A bit of a shame really, because there were some memorable desserts on the menu at Paradies. After my first visit to Yamas, for a meal that is, I would say that seafood is the way to go. This is a plus for Yamas as it can be difficult to find fresh, well prepared seafood in Ulm. Yamas also features a wall to wall selection of wines (great to look at) which include an interesting selection of Greek bottles. Not all the wines are listed on the wine list, the owner (who recognised us from our Paradies days) accompanied Husband to the wall of wine and talked him through some of them. Very nice touch. We ended up with a nice Greek bottle, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. It was poured into beautiful glasses big enough to sniff and swirl the wine in and decanted at the table. I will go back to try more seafood, for the tea and perhaps for a bagel. They are quite new and with the reputation of Paradies behind them, I think they will only get better with time.

She's clever!

2009-01-23T17:05:00.000+03:00

After weeks of warning my students that I wouldn't accept any silly spelling errors in the exam, here is what I go and do (or is that went and did?)...

Pointed out to me during the exam by an understandably perturbed student. Yup.

Ahem... Well you see Manfred, in Australian English we uhhh... ummm...

Work

2009-01-22T16:33:00.001+03:00

Some people may wonder (Izy, Rajee it's you I am referring to) what I really get up to here. You know when she says work, teaching English, off to class now - what does she really mean? Life has gotten more interesting since starting at the University of Applied Sciences. I say jump and they ask how high Frau. Walter? If only. Recently I asked a few groups to present, in English of course about a skill or talent they might like to share with the rest of the class. I was totally überrascht with the effort they put into this task and by some of the things these young engineering students could do. I had gymnasts, pilots and truck drivers under my nose all semester and didn't even know it. Bright little buttons they turned out to be. Needless to say (and I can hear the groans) the presentation activity is a keeper.

The gymnast

Demonstrating some self defence moves

Fish in tanks & a hunting story.

2009-01-22T11:31:00.000+03:00

The view from our balcony, schön no?

Coming from Sydney and now being in small town Ulm can be described a little like this. I feel like a fish plucked out of the ocean and put into one of those fish tanks you see in a Chinese restaurant. It is not crowded here but small it is. Like those fish that have to float around in their tanks all day looking at the same fish faces until someone has the hankering for steamed with ginger, soy and shallots, it is a rare occasion when I am out and about in Ulm that I don't see somebody I know. Those same faces. On the bus. Drinking coffee. Pushing their trolleys at Aldi. I have to admit, I envy those fish at times. They have a forseeable end. I on the other hand, may be here till I am on first name basis with the entire population. Forget anonymity. I have a running count on one couple that just keep turning up, these meetings seem random but I am seriously starting to think stalker. If you are out in Ulm on a Saturday, give yourself at least 30 to 40 minutes to factor in all those people you will bump into and stop to have a wee catch up with. What can get awkward, is when you bump into the same person twice. Do you stop and do it all again? Is a quick smile and a nod OK or is it better just to avoid eye contact and walk briskly on? How do the fish do it?
For a lot of Germans around here, who are used to living in smaller villages just outside of Ulm, Ulm is the big smoke. When I talk to people about wanting to get an apartment right in the middle of the city (I am about 15 minutes away by bus), they wonder why on Earth. It isn't close enough to nature for them, too many people, people are unfriendly etc etc etc. Ulm is small but it is thriving. There is an industrial area where I work a few times a week and it employs lots of the people who live around here. Hence, finding an apartment in Ulm is like going to the Boxing Day sales in Sydney. Be aggressive! The early bird catches the worm. Get your bottom out of bed and be the first to get your hands on the local paper, scour out the possibilities and make those phone calls pronto, lest you find yourselves in our sorry predicament. Our apartment hunt is approaching its one year anniversary. Ways to celebrate, anyone?
Tell friends, colleagues, neighbours anyone who will listen that you are looking. The more eyes and ears you have out there the better your chances are. We were extremely bright eyed in the beginning. If there was no balcony, we said, 'no.' If there was no garage we said, 'no.' If the neighbours looked at us funny, we said... well... 'no.' Oh my. What fools we were. A year on, and I guess you can say we finally get it. No balcony? Surely we can find some other use for our outdoor furniture! Street parking? So be it! The neighbours you say? Gosh! I'm already planning the party!

Ways to make a Chilli smile

2009-01-18T12:39:00.000+03:00

There are some things that make me really happy. Contrary to popular belief, I am really not that hard to please. It is really the simple things that put a smile on my face, though if you would like to overwhelm me with extravagance (I can point you to a 900 euro cashmere cardigan I have been eyeing), I will not stop you. That is testament to just how unfussy I am. I will not stop you from showing me you care. Express it in whichever way you will. Am I an egocentric vanity smurf? Perhaps. But it is just nice to know that people back home in Oz are thinking of me. That they remember that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I just moved to Germany.

Here are a few things that arrived in the mail from Oz courtesy of thoughtful friends.

The cover of a beautiful card...

Imagine finding these in a parcel...

It's always nice when there's something in there for the man of the house too...

Now, this did not arrive in a parcel but is nevertheless the cause of much amusement to me. Husband is overdue for a haircut, hence the Charlie's Angelesque bed hair when he gets up in the morning...

* The first picture is of a shadow cast on my living room wall of a miniature bike given to me by my brother. It appeared for a fleeting moment before the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

The Cricketers

2009-01-17T10:47:00.000+03:00

On our recent trip to London, over New Year, we were accompanied by a friend who is a huge fan of Jamie Oliver. Just to knock her socks off, we considered having dinner at Fifteen in London but didn't know if we could fit it in with all the other things we wanted to do. One of the things we did have planned was a drive to the country. We don't usually venture out of London proper when we are there, so we hired a car especially for a short tryst into the country side. The night before, it came to me in a moment of brilliance, that Jamie Oliver had his start at his parent's pub somewhere in the country. A quick google search determined that it was indeed still up and running and by his parents no less. So we decided on a trip to Cambridge with a short stopover for lunch in Clavering, Essex at The Cricketers.

The Cricketers is a cosy, charming pub where you feel like you can sit and enjoy the atmosphere for ages with a good bottle of wine. There is also accommodation if you would like to explore the surrounding area (I think the Maldon salt company is nearby) and stay overnight. We didn't have the luxury of time so we settled for a three course lunch and then we were on our way.

Husband was appointed photographer and was a bit slack it seems as we don't have pictures of all the courses, but you will get the general idea. My sister had a typical pub meal of fish and chips, the fish was cod and very, very good. Our Jamie Oliver fan chose the corn-fed chicken, Husband had the pheasant (not surprisingly, the best photo is of the pheasant) and I ordered the game and Guinness pie. Everything came with your choice of boiled potatoes or chips and cooked vegetables, which were brussels sprouts, spinach and carrots or salad. Phew! In the end, it really was a lot of food! I should add, that we were all very satisfied with our choices.

Here is our Jamie fan, taking her chips very seriously. They were as good as they look. Appropriately, you can see the Jamie magazines in the background.

Husband's delicious pheasant, stuffed with prunes & chestnuts, wrapped in pancetta.

The dessert was delicious. Of course we didn't need it but it was the perfect way to finish off the meal. We shared two desserts between four. See! We aren't excessive!

A lemon tart served with a berry sorbet. Light, zingy & worked really well after the rich meal

And this, not a great shot but let me assure you it was absolute divine dark chocolate heaven! Served with a dollop of creme fraiche, the flavour will never leave me. I will try to scout out the recipe - it was so subliminal it affected my memory. I have no idea what it was called on the menu.

I'd recommend this place to all foodies, whether or not you are a fan of Jamie. Although if you are a fan, signed copies of his latest cookbook were available when we were there. The menu is seasonal, but you can get an idea of it here on their website thecricketers.co.uk

Unconventional Tom Yum

2009-01-15T21:50:00.000+03:00

Husband and I have been detoxing since the 4th of January. There was so much excess throughout the holiday season that we felt like we must. The difficult thing about this was not just that we couldn't enjoy the warm hearty meals that go perfectly with the subzero temperatures but also the fact that there wasn't much to do in the kitchen. We both realised how much our lives revolve around shopping for food, preparing food and best of all, eating food. This is probably the reason why I am posting about this relatively unspectacular meal. It was spectacular to me becase it was just nice to have something cooking on the stove again. After 10 days of disciplined eating, I am happy to report that we can fit comfortably into our jeans again! Not only that but our detox period is officially over and we are easing ourselves back onto a normal diet.

To celebrate our success, Husband requested my version of tom yum soup. This is not at all a traditional tom yum soup. I just use the tom yum flavour for the soup and add whatever I think fits. My method springs from the same philosophy as Nigella Express (a Nigella cookbook that is dedicated to quick, uncomplicated meals. She even has a recipe for potato cakes that uses packaged, instant mashed potato. Yikes!). I don't make the soup from scratch but am always sure to have some bought tom yum paste in the fridge. Try any one in your Asian grocer or supermarket but preferably one without flavour enhancers.

Follow the instructions on the container and before you know it you will have a delicious soup boiling on your stove. Taste it to see if the flavour suits you, add more paste if you can handle more of a punch. While the soup is coming to a boil, I usually chop up my veggies. I like to add brocoli, mushrooms and carrots but anything goes really. This time, after our recent visit to Chinatown in London, I had some fish balls (that is really what they are called) and fried tofu in the freezer, so I added those too. If you have some shelled, cleaned prawns in the freezer (always a good idea), you could add those. Tonight, I threw in some rice noodles after everything had been boiling for a few minutes. Once the carrots are done and your noodles are soft, you are ready to eat.

Here it is boiling away on my stove, those puffy things are fried tofu

You can see what I mean by fishballs here

If you are in Sydney and in the mood for tom yum soup, a more traditional version that is, try any of the ones on the menu at Spice I Am in Surry Hills. You can have a look at their menu here spiceiam.com It is the most memorable tom yum I have eaten.

Motto for 2009

2009-01-15T16:47:00.000+03:00

This is a wonderful Christmas present from my sister, one of my faves! I have been using it daily and for those who know me personally (those privileged few), you are probably nodding knowingly. This is the perfect motto for me.
Here I come 2009.

There is a little bit of history behind this too. If you have never seen this before it comes from a British war propaganda poster. You can read more about it here www.keepcalmandcarryon.com/pages/history

First Post

2009-01-11T18:11:00.000+03:00

I am sitting at my computer having mental images of people shaking hands with me and patting me on the back. You may not get it but this is what it means to me, to have started my very own blog! I first had the thought some time in 2007 that perhaps writing a blog is something I would like to do. I have mulled over it and mulled over it and now finally here I am or here IT is. Don't ask me why it has taken me so long to get my act together. There were the understandable initial thoughts, like what will I call it? and what on earth will I write about? At first, I thought I would write about food, and it seemed logical given my passion for all things edible (OK, maybe not all things) but I decided against that. I realised as I was mulling over this blog and writing imaginary posts in my head (I tend to do that a lot), that there are many non-food related things I can post about as well.
Being an Australian, living in the South of Germany makes my perspective on everyday German life quite unique. I'd like to think so anyway. While I was mulling away here in Germany, a good friend back home started her own food blog and sent me the link. How the hell did she beat me to it?! Anyway, it is probably good that she did beat me to it, as she has been a big inspiration and a dedicated blogger since she started sydneyfoodieblog.com
The second thing I'd like to explain, in this my very first post (more pats on the back, even a few cheers), is the name 'Chilli Walter'. Besides having a nice ring to it Chilli is a name that I could have imagined naming one of my children one day. I am at present, childless but I can imagine a little Chilli running around one day. But the problem with this, is that I got married last February and this is not a name Husband can imagine. Husband is from these parts, that is, he is German and the name Walter belongs to him. Not his first name but his family name. Naming a child Chilli is beyond Husband's comprehension. In Germany they take baby naming quite seriously. They have laws about what are acceptable names to be giving babies and Chilli probably wouldn't be one of them.
So, Chilli vs Chilly in Southern Germany is about me and how I handle every day life here in this oh so cold and foreign land and how I eat for the cold too. I will definitely be posting about my chilli collection that I cook with to help keep me warm during the cold winter months. Not that it is always cold here but I am a little preoccupied at the moment, as it is somewhere between minus 5 and minus 14 outside. I haven't been brave enough to venture out all day. And Walter, well long story short, I can't imagine giving up my family name for Walter and haven't yet (Husband is a tad old fashioned and is waiting patiently for me to accept my fate) but I am considering it. I am hoping Chilli Walter will help me to get used to the idea.