Favors?

"Wedding favors are thoughtful mementos given by the newlyweds to their wedding guests as a symbol of gratitude for sharing their special day." I know I shouldn't say it (sorry Mom!) but most of these mementos end up in the kitchen junk drawer or in the trash less than 24 hours after the wedding reception. How many napkins and matches and mint tins can you really save? I realize wedding favors are an American tradition but after looking at a gazillion different candles, key chains, bubbles, magnets, notepads, wine stoppers, scented soaps, and miniature chocolates, I have found only two feasible ideas.

The Magic Bean. Plant it, water it, and in one week, a sprout with "Love" imprinted on it, emerges from the soil and continues to grow. Cool! Or not? I think Chia Pets are pretty amazing so I have a biased opinion about plants.

Personalized CD Labels. It would be really funny to make a soundtrack of my favorites (Nina Simone/Björk) and G's favorites (Snoop Dog/P Diddy) together. Cheesy but memorable.

Personalized Fresh or Silk Rose Petals. Can you imagine? These are not wedding favors but I had to show you - I love this idea. I think sprinkling them over the guest tables would be beautiful.

Any advice?

Fantastisch Sushi!

After over a year of trial and error, we have finally found Sushibar.

Obama & LGBT Pride

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama released the following statement to commemorate Pride Month:

"Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

"It's time to turn the page on the bitterness and bigotry that fill so much of today's LGBT rights debate. The rights of all Americans should be protected -- whether it's at work or anyplace else. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" needs to be repealed because patriotism and a sense of duty should be the key tests for military service, not sexual orientation. Civil unions should give gay couples full rights. And those who commit hate crimes should be punished no matter whether those crimes are committed on account of race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation."

"This Pride Month, let's make our founding promise of equality a reality for every American."

Sneak Peak

Every Friday night at 11pm, Cinema München (our favorite original version theater) features a sneak preview. Basically, you don't know what you're going to see until the movie actually starts. It's a hit or miss because it may be a blockbuster film or it may be something obscure. But overall, we've seen some good movies that aren't released until weeks later in Germany. It's a pretty cool back up plan for getting out, when the weather sucks or you just don't feel like going to an overcrowded club on a Friday night. Last night, we saw Shrek the Third. It was better than the second but still not as good as the first...but if you're a fan of the Shrek series, you'll enjoy it:)

Viel Spaß!

The Mini

Robbie has found a new friend and a new hang out! I met a super nice American girl, who just married a German in February. They live about six blocks from us. She and I have a lot in common and they have a 5 month old Hovawart, named Polo. He and Robbie were instant friends. Isn't he cute? He always looks like he's smiling!

We've been meeting on a regular basis and they've turned us on to the coolest dog friendly beer garden in Munich, the Mini Hofbräuhaus in the Englischer Garten . It's smaller than a typical beer garden but with all of the same amenities. There are so many different breeds and personalities but in general, all of the dogs get along and run themselves ragged (without leashes) in a couple of hours. Yes, Robbie is finally playing without a leash and not running away from us!

Going Green

As a "pseudo-vegetarian" for over 10 years, I am proud to say that I am taking another step towards becoming a true vegetarian. I've always wanted to be a vegetarian, for too many reasons to list. But the combination of constantly worrying that I wouldn't get enough iron and protein and the lack of choices at restaurants always pulled me in the opposite direction. Eating meat is convenient. While I've stayed away from pork and beef for all of these years, I have allowed myself to have poultry and fish. But after a lot of research and personal reflection, I will not eat chicken or turkey anymore. I won't shock you with details about the horrific living conditions of factory farmed birds. And they are shocking and repulsive. I know how it is....we don't want to know about the process. But I will tell you that the average American consumes 2,714 land animals in their lifetime. If I quit eating meat now, I could prevent the suffering and deaths of hundreds of animals over the course of a couple decades (vegan outreach). And it is a fact that nutritionists agree that plant eaters and fish eaters tend to live longer and healthier lives than meat eaters. Vegetarians have a lower incidence of diabetes and cancer. They have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, namely heart attacks and strokes. And vegetarians tend to be leaner than meat eaters, having a low percentage of body fat. Hello! These are just a few of the health benefits. And believe me, hard core meat eaters, I understand the argument can go both ways. But these are my reasons for my choice. I'm not trying to convince you.

There are several subcategories of vegetarians:

Vegetarians abstain from eating meat, fish or poultry.

Vegans do not eat animals or animal products - no eggs, no dairy, no honey, etc.

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians do not eat animals, but do eat eggs and dairy products.

Semi-Vegetarians aka Flexitarians eat mainly vegetarian food but limit their intake of either certain types of meat. (old me)

Pescetarians do not consume the flesh of land dwelling animals. In contrast to vegetarians, they do eat fish and seafood. (new me)

Raw or Living Foodists eat only raw food, because enzymes are destroyed by normal cooking processes.

Fruitarians eat only fruit, fruit-like vegetables (e.g., tomatoes, cucumbers), and sometimes seeds and nuts.

I realize that I have to stop eating fish and seafood in order to have a clear conscious. I'm going green, slowly but surly:) And while it might be true that one Pescetarian won't make a huge statistical difference in a world of meat eaters, at the very least, I am making choices that are good for myself and good for countless animals.