Well, after the 2nd day of Spring shoe shopping and coming home empty handed,
I broke down and ate a Filet-O-Fish for lunch. Man, it's been a long time. Why do the worst foods taste so damn good? And why do all of the fabulous shoes in Munich only come in sizes up to 40?
Munich is such a cool city. Every time I think I've experienced just about everything it has to offer, I discover yet another surprise. Last weekend, we discovered Arabesk, the first Arabian restaurant to open in Munich, in 1984. We love Arabian cuisine, especially hummus and the flavorful spices they use to season grilled meat and fish. By the way, I have to mention that I have created my own hummus recipe. The ingredients are not very authentic, but it tastes the same and with half the fat. I'll post the recipe soon. Anyway, when you walk in Arabesk, you are overwhelmed by the decor. The walls and ceiling are literally covered with intricate Arabian tiles. It's really one of the most beautiful restaurants I've seen in Munich. Most of the seating accommodates large parties but if you have a party of two, you can reserve a small private booth - super romantic. We chose to sit up front, near the stage because they feature live Bauchtanz, or Belly Dancing. And this Belly Dancer was awesome! I still can't figure out how she can shake her bottom half so fast and keep her top half perfectly still. I have been trying so hard to imitate her moves for G and his only response is shaking his head... The Belly Dancer was also very personable - she picked out guests from the audience to join her on stage. Yes, I was chosen, and yes, I went up on stage and tried to shake my moneymaker and no, I will never post those pictures!
They also offered Schischas or Hookas. Love it! It's so relaxing after a meal. But before the meal, we started with a variety of Mäsä, or appetizers. Everything was dynamite, especially the hummus. For our main courses, G ordered lamb and I ordered fish. His lamb "melted in his mouth". And my fish? Well, at first, when my dish arrived at the table I was a little intimidated. The fish was served whole, with the head on, one eye staring. But our waiter must have seen my reaction because he quickly came over and offered to cut and debone my fish. He delicately deboned my fish, tableside. And it was delicious.
Our experience at Arabesk was an 11 out of 10. Really! The food, decor, atmosphere, service, and entertainment - they were all unique and superb. If you are in Munich, it is a restaurant not to miss.
Brenner Grill
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!
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.
Our Raclette dinner was fantastisch!
A delicious meal with no real cooking involved.
Happy New Year! So, after rolling out of bed this afternoon and immediately taking pain medication for my schmerzhaft headache, I headed straight for the kitchen and started on my first batch of homemade waffles or Waffeln. I added cinnamon to the original recipe from G's Mother and because I'm a little manic about fat, I scaled down on the butter and eggs. After 20 minutes, G, Robbie, and I had delightfully delicious Waffeln! The color was a little inconsistent but overall, our new tradition of New Year's Day Waffeln was a success!
Well, after a wonderful Christmas holiday with G's family, we are back in Munich. G's Mutter und Vater were sweet and thoughtful, as always. And considering hosting Christmas with a full house (2 children/adults, 2 significant others, 1 Puggle and 1 Jack Russell) G's Mutter was in a cheerful mood every day and seemed genuinely happy just to have her family together under one roof. And in order to appreciate her cheerful mood, even with the typical Christmas chaos, you have to appreciate her food! First let me explain....G's Mutter is the Martha Stewart of Germany. Seriously. She can cook or make or bake anything. Not only will it taste amazing but everything looks like it has been prepared for a photo shoot in a cooking magazine. She makes her own Marmelade. Yes, with the cute jars and appropriate labels. Every traditional German dish I have tasted for the first time, has been from her kitchen. And this Christmas was no exception. I tried Kartoffelpuffer with Rübenkraut or potato pancakes with a thick golden syrup. I also tried Seezunge, a white fish in a creamy mushroom sauce with shrimp. Dessert was an all day snack for us. G and I ate Weihnachtsgebäck or Christmas cookies non-stop. And G's Mutter surprised him with his favorite dessert, Tiramisu. Every afternoon, we were like children, waiting for her next surprise. But the best meal was, of course, my favorite, Kaiserschmarrn! Kaiserschmarrn with Apfelmus or applesauce and vanilla Waffeln or waffles. It was a meal and dessert all rolled up in one! So, on New Year's Day, she bakes bretzen or fresh soft pretzels. It's a tradition, like my Oma preparing black eyed peas or some Japanese people having Mochi, in order to bring good luck and prosperity for the new year. Because one of her Christmas presents for me was my first waffle iron (she also taught me how to make them from scratch) I've decided to start our own little family tradition of making Waffeln on New Year's Day. I think no matter where we are in the world, or how much we celebrate the night before, or when we eventually have white chocolate babies, I will always be coherent enough to make waffles, right? Well, just in case I don't do so well for the first round on Sunday, I still have a box of my Favorite Aunt's pancake/waffle mix stashed away! Shhhhh!
When I saw this box of cereal, my first thought was, "Mmmmm. I would love to lie in bed and eat those little pillows straight from the box." Don't they look yummy? I decided to take a picture and of course, G protested and said people would think I was strange. When I insisted, he simply walked to another isle and pretended we weren't together. Anyway, then I wondered how can a breakfast cereal have so much sugar, almost like a dessert. When I was kid, my Mom didn't allow us to have sweet cereal. We were stuck with Chex, Kix, and Wheaties, the breakfast of champions. More like the breakfast of the bland. Her favorite was Cheerios. And we almost drooled at the table if were allowed to have...brace yourself......Honey Nut Cheerios. Party time! Don't get me wrong, as an adult, I appreciate my Mom giving us nutritonal breakfast cereals rather than cereal that would have rotted our teeth and made us fat. But when I was a kid, I would have traded my Cabbage Patch Doll for one box of Fruit Loops or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I wanted to be cookoo for Cocoa Puffs. Remember Fruity Pebbles? And Lucky Charms? Those magical marshmallows.......pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, purple horseshoes, and green clovers. And don't get me started on the king of all cereals, Captain Crunch! Oh well, that time has passed. Now I'm a Special K and Shredded Wheat kind of girl. Thanks Mom.
