Category: Food
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The boring meerkat, ubiquitous squirrel and chocolate acorn
Squirrels are America’s meerkat. The locals don’t bat an eye at them, but the visitor finds them fascinating. While living in East Africa, meerkats were boring. Meerkats, meerkats, more meerkats. At the American zoo, they draw crowds. I haven’t seen North American squirrels in a zoo in Africa (embarrassing disclaimer: I haven’t been to a…
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American Road Trip (Part II): Coffee in the shadow of the Little Bighorn Battlefield
On some days of this trip our goal is to cover miles, not stop at every point of interest. We do have to get to our final destination this summer. . . But we couldn’t pass up the National Historic Landmark at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Americans are taught about the historic events that took place among…
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The fruit of too much lemon – Moroccan preserved lemons
The dwarf lemon tree in my backyard bears too much fruit for its size. Doesn’t it have a season of not bearing fruit? It bears so much I can’t even give them all away. A few months ago I decided I couldn’t just let the fruit rot. I juiced some and froze the liquid…
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Looking beyond the “best” cup of coffee
I have more coffee paraphernalia than I need. Six stove top espresso makers (thank you estate sales and thrift stores), French presses, two different types of grinders, a roaster, canisters with various blends and grinds, frothers. . . We like our coffee and we like it good. I guess you can say we’re coffee snobs.…
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San Diego goat makes a tasty meal (yes, even you could make this at home)
{Warning: Graphic photos of raw goat meat contained in this article} We don’t try to recreate Grandma’s perfect holiday feast for our family festivities. We’re certainly not opposed to eating a traditional American feast, but we often just go with something we really like for a meal because we like it, not because it’s tradition. My youngest brother,…
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Parenting by Fear OR Spargelzeit and baby’s first food – Trier, Germany
Trier, Germany is notable for its well-preserved Roman ruins. Indeed, some of the buildings I would not even call ruins and are still very intact. I remember the impressive architecture, but I also remember Trier as the place my daughter got her first taste of “real” food. No, watery rice cereal doesn’t count as “real”…
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San Diego answers with a community Christmas Market
Last Thursday when I posted about German Christmas markets I admit I was feeling a bit sorry for myself that I couldn’t be there this year. Traditional food and drink, artisan wares, community gathering. I was pleasantly surprised three days later by a fest that took place not two blocks from our house and supplied…
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Pumpkin patch German style – no cheesy scarecrows allowed
As pumpkin pie latte season approaches, so does the season for the world’s largest pumpkin patch, to use the term loosely. This festival adopts a theme each year beyond simply “pumpkins.” Last year the gardens of Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Germany were transformed into a dinosaur park with sculptures of dinosaurs created out of thousands…
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that store down the road with the foreign name. . . try it.
I find that after living in the same place for a year or so, I settle into my favorite haunts and hideaways. There is an occasional foray into the unknown, like my recent drive through an off-my-beat neighborhood because I needed something only carried in “that part of town.” I stay in my comfort zone, as most creatures do.…
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Leonard’s, The Great Equalizer – Honolulu, Hawaii
The native and the foreign. Red with sunburn or white with sunscreen. The wrinkled and the botoxed. Some dripping with sea water. Jolly babes young and old. Cadillac rich and missing-car-window poor. They all come stand line to receive a pink box, contents whopping hot and fresh out of the fryer. Malasadas oozing with stuffed…
will travel with kids 