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Valentines Day 2012

February 14, 2012
food, musings
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It’s that day again. To be honest, I love Valentines Day. I’m single, and to be honest, I’m not totally happy with that. But that doesn’t mean that I hate Valentines Day, or feel lonely and needy because I’m not in a relationship at this moment. Love doesn’t have to mean ‘relationship’, and it’s important to appreciate yourself as well. I have been a cynic in the past, but I’ve re-embraced that part of me that’s a hopeless romantic. I still dislike a lot of the commercialism that goes into the day, but the idea of on day all to itself to celebrate love is inspiring. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a relationship or not; there are all kinds of love in the world. You can celebrate with a significant other, your close friends, family, or even show a bit of love to yourself. I hate a lot of the negativity about Valentines Day. If you hate commercialism, fine, but don’t hate the idea of a day to celebrate love. If you hate relationships, why not celebrate the bonds you have with your best friends? I’m on my own today, but I’ve had such an amazing evening. I cooked myself a prime cut of steak, made sweet potato mash, and bought a tiny bottle of champagne and some truffle cheese and chocolate truffles. I also did an at-home manicure and facial while watching movies I love. I push myself pretty hard between working, studying and doing artsy stuff, so I thought it was a great opportunity to show a little love towards myself!

dinner
(My dinner, via dodgy phone pic)

Anyway, to all you cynics, I think you should consider a change of heart. To all the lovers and optimists, happy Valentines Day! Love you all!

High and Low Culture

February 1, 2012
musings
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Tonight, I met up with a friend to see Sol Gabetta (the Argentinean cellist, for those who don’t know) at the Konzerthaus Berlin. Since we were an hour early (as we got tickets at the box office) we had a glass of red wine and bruschetta before the concert. After the concert, I rode my bike home, ate leftover pasta and watched Family Guy. I thought how funny it was that my evening has had such a stark contrast.

6 Food Tips for the Truly Frugal

February 1, 2012
food, musings
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A few things you should know about me. First off, I’ve been a student for a very long time, so I’m used to living on a student budget. Two, I don’t processed food. I’ll make a very-rare exception here and there, but overall my food must be made from whole ingredients. This is for allergy and also health reasons. Because of this, I can’t afford to say “I don’t have the time” or “I don’t have the money” to cook from scratch (or almost scratch…I do use some bottled stuff that has recognisable ingredients!) Three, I absolutely hate wasting food. Savings aside, I think wasting food is really disrespectful somehow. Doing so is usually unavoidable to an extent, but I do avoid wasting food as much as I possibly can.

Over the years, I’ve learned that there are some really simple ways to save money cooking. I’ll share a few with you now, and perhaps more in the future. Just a disclaimer, some of you may find some of these gross. I assure you, they are safe and not gross once you get the hang of it, but those not used to cooking with such things may be a bit put off. I urge you to get over it, but if you can’t, just ignore it.

1) Stale? Don’t throw it out! I mean stale bread products. This can include bread, muffins, rolls or anything like that. As long as it isn’t moldy, it’s usable. I don’t recommend you eat stale bread, because it’s not very tasty, but there’s lots you can do with it. You can dry it out in the oven and grind it up for bread crumbs, you can cube it, season it and dry it out and make croutons, you can make bread pudding (this is great for muffins), you can make stuffing to use as a side dish to eat with a meal (it’s like mini Thanksgiving…who doesn’t love that?) There are a lot of possibilities. Google it. Back in the day, most people couldn’t afford to throw out bread, so there are a lot of recipes that use stale bread. I know we can now, but just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

2. Old pasta and rice are still usable. This is the same idea as the bread. If it’s not moldy or doesn’t smell funny and isn’t that old (just maybe a bit hard or chewy after a day or so in the fridge), you can throw this in soups or casseroles.

3. In most cases, buying whole cuts of meat is cheaper. This isn’t just because it’s not butchered, though that plays a role. You can also do a lot more with a whole chicken than you can with just a few chicken breasts. I usually make some sort of roast or dish with the chicken, then use some of the leftovers for a casserole, stir fry or pie, and then boil the bones and remaining meat to make stock or soup. Granted, I live alone, but one chicken can feed me for over a week (yes, I have a freezer, so I’m not actually leaving a chicken and eating it after having it sit around for a week!)

4. Cabbage is your friend. At least in winter it is. It takes forever to go off, and it goes a really long way. There’s a reason it’s used in so many different countries’ cooking traditions. It goes a really long way.

5. Storage is key. I think this needs to be its own blog post at some point, but the way you store food plays a huge role in how long it lasts. I freeze stuff when I know I can’t eat it (easy, healthy microwave meals for busy days!), but I also store my food well when I’m using it. I make sure I get rid of anything that’s going off right away, because it causes the other items to go off quicker. I store produce in produce bags that absorb the gases and help them last longer (I swear they actually work, and they can be washed and reused up to 12 times). I store grains and things in sealed containers. There are a lot of tips and tricks to storing food well, so I think I really will have to keep the rest as another post.

6. Due dates are suggestions, not rules. Due dates are not laws of nature. They’re printed mostly for retailers as a guide for when a product must be sold by. Overall, I follow them for things like meat, but some things I’m a bit more lenient, and tend to use my nose and eyes as a guide instead. Dairy is an instance where you can stretch it way past. Even if milk has gone a bit sour, it’s great for cooking (the cooking will kill off anything nasty).

Reflections on Berlin’s Future

January 22, 2012
musings
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One thing I’ve noticed about the Euro crisis is that there are a lot of people (more than usual) coming to Berlin. Countries like Spain and Italy have really high unemployment and youth unemployment is especially bad. Even countries that are doing “better” still have problems, and Germany is (so far) relatively stable, and therefore attractive. For a while, I kept thinking, “Why Berlin? Why not Munich or Cologne?” After all, Berlin has high unemployment compared to the rest of the country and lower wages, so how are we to support an influx of people (mostly young people) from the rest of the Euro zone?

I gave it some thought, and decided that maybe things aren’t so dire. I’ve had a theory for a while (a rough theory anyway) that some of Berlin’s problems stem from its underpopulation and high vacancy rates. The city is built to house something along the lines of 5 million people, but it only houses about 3.5 (give or take…I don’t know the most recent figure). This leaves a lot of the city unoccupied and though there are a lot of services located here, they are often under-utilised. Perhaps more residents will solve this problem, if they can find work. This is easier said than done, but another thought is that a lot of the people coming here, while young, are relatively well-educated and often creative. A well-educated, creative, diverse work force can be a very attractive asset to a city. I heard a rumor (no idea whether or not it’s true but it sounds plausible) that the city is advertising a cheap work force as an asset. If this is true, I think it’s a mistake. A cheap work force is hardly a unique asset, and within Europe it’s likely to be challenged by other places full of people willing to work for less money. Even the cheap real estate of the city will likely find itself up for competition. A skilled, educated and creative work force, however, is more competitive. Just my two cents.

Link Sauce #1

January 20, 2012
general, musings
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This may be the laziest post ever, but bear with me…I’ll write a real post later! I have some ideas floating around in my head, but I need to do a bit more studying and essay writing first. Until then, I’ll fulfill my blogging addiction by sharing some interesting things I’ve read over the week!

1. A UK town shut off all its lights so people could see the stars: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-16607293

2. Tensions between rich and poor at an all-time high (in the US at least, though I think this may be an international thing): http://moneyland.time.com/2012/01/13/class-warfare-study-shows-tensions-at-20-year-high/?iid=pf-article-latest

3. Save the bees!: http://www.grist.org/food/2012-01-13-honey-bees-problem-nearing-a-critical-point

4. Funny political protest signs. I especially loved the ones full of grammar and spelling mistakes insisting people “speak English”: http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnypictures/ig/Funny-Protest-Signs/

5. Bad habits you pick up growing up poor. I found this bittersweet: http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-stupidest-habits-you-develop-growing-up-poor/?wa_user1=3&wa_user2=Weird+World&wa_user3=blog&wa_user4=feature_module

6. Really great ideas for reusing items!: http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/2012/01/stop-buying-stuff-refurbish-things/

Enjoy!

On Reading

January 17, 2012
musings
3 Comments

I love reading, a lot. There’s a power that words have that film and television do not. It’s more permanent; a television show is fleeting. The words are there even after you put the book down, and reading a book is a lengthy process that involves patience, savouring the words and delving into the story. I can watch too much television or grow bored of watching movies, but I can’t seem to read enough. I have queues of books (on my shelf, on my iPad, on an Amazon wishlist) that seem to get longer the more I read. Each book represents something new to learn, a new world to delve into, or new characters to get to know. Joyce Carol Oates said that “reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” I definitely feel this way. It’s the ultimate escapism…the closest you’ll ever get to being someone else and seeing the world (albeit a fictional one) through his or her eyes. Also, reading is a super cheap form of entertainment!

On Food Allergies

January 14, 2012
food, musings
4 Comments

Having food allergies makes you have a strange fascination with food. It’s kind of like my mom and shoes. She has really wide feet and has a lot of trouble finding shoes to fit them, so whenever she comes to visit Germany (where wide shoes are more readily available) she buys lots of shoes, in various styles. Food allergies work along the same lines; you can’t eat anything you want, so you become a foodie and try everything you -can- eat. I’m seriously allergic to peanuts, peas, beans, lentils, and soy (basically, all legumes). I’m mildly allergic to apples, crab, hazelnuts (but just hazelnuts) and celery (I hated it anyway…good riddance!) If the latter group gets in my food, it doesn’t really matter. They’re very mild allergies and in a blood test, a reaction registered but nothing strong enough to worry about them touching things I eat. The former group, legumes, is a different story. If my food touches a peanut or a bean, it’s a trip to the hospital. Soy protein (somehow soy sauce is ok, but I think it’s the protein factor that does it) can’t be mixed into my food. This cuts out a lot of things. A lot of Asian food is out for me. Anything processed is out, because it’s fairly common to throw in soy protein to fill it out. I end up in awkward social situations where I’m in a really great smelling Indian or Thai restaurant, but have to try to explain to the waiter that I’m not ordering any food and then sponge off the free rice that’s served with the dishes everyone else orders at the table. Above all, it’s made me really love a lot of these foods, because I can’t have them all the time. At home, I love to cook (recipes make up a good chunk of this blog). So, every chance I get, I make something exotic. I make Indian curry. I throw together Thai chicken soup with leftovers. The other week, I was trying to figure out what to do with Scotch Bonnets, and I found a Senegalese fish recipe on the BBC website. I love to try new foods, and this is made very difficult by the fact that I can’t simply go to any restaurant and eat something new. So, cooking is my outlet. When I can try something pre-made or at a restaurant, I try things I normally wouldn’t have back home. Most North Americans are a bit squimish about eating things like haggis or chicken hearts, but not me! If it’s edible, I’ll try it. After all, there are so many things I can’t eat…I might as well try the things I can!

I have a lot of hope that someday in the not-too-distant future, someone will figure out how to cure food allergies. When that happens, I still probably wont eat peanuts or beans, but you’ll find me in Thai and Mexican (my favourite!) restaurants all over the city, enjoying the lack of fear that an allergen will touch my food. Until then, I’ll try what I can, and try to cook everything else!

Trousers

January 10, 2012
fashion, general, musings
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I have a lot of trouble finding trousers that fit in Germany. It’s not that they’re too long; I can always hem them. it’s the fact that even the waistlines are cut for much taller people. At best I get looks that invoke the 1970s or Marlene Dietrich. At worst I get Urkel pants.

steveurkel
(A ’90s nerd looks suspiciously like a modern hipster)

As a result, I buy jeans and trousers online and when I visit the UK and Canada, and keep them until they are far past their prime. I recently managed to let go of a couple of pairs of jeans that were threadbare in places and were full of holes and repurposed them into my old clothes quilt. But I’m at a bit of conundrum. I have a few pairs of trousers that I love, and they’re some of the only ‘dressy’ pairs I have. I’d like to keep a smarter wardrobe, even though a lot of my life revolves around a casual atmosphere. I’m not, at heart, a casual dresser. I have several pairs of trousers that are too short, as I grew a bit after I moved here (unusual but I’ve read you can grow until you’re 25 or so). I have a pair that I love, and they’re short but narrow-legged, so they still look ok with ballet flats and heels; however they’re quite faded and I’m questioning re-dying them (black is an easy colour to dye!) Others are not so easy, as they are wider-legged. I feel at this point options could include cutting them off into capris or shorts, adding some sort of trim to the bottom to lengthen them, or sewing the legs narrower so that they suit the shorter length. Decisions….

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