God is Grating a Cloud, Part 1: Food With Friends

A lot of people I've met while I've been here in Germany have wondered, some aloud, others not so verbally, how and why I am the way I am--a food whore. What is a food whore you ask? Well, quite simply put a food whore is somebody who would do anything for what he/she deems is good food. A food whore's thoughts turn to all means and techniques of acquiring delicious food about 90% or more during the day, and sometimes even while he/she dreams. A food whore sacrifices nothing in the way of eating but is not a glutton either. Rather, a food whore saves calorie intake only for food that he/she deems to be superb. Food whores don't mind spending hours in the kitchen cooking an elaborate meal for purely existential reasons: The food whore can't stand the idea of wasting precious food moments in life by eating a mediocre meal if they can help it. Some people eat to live, some people live to eat, the food whore lives to eat to live.

With the world outside increasingly resembling an angrily shaken snow globe, I feel pretty lucky to have met so many friends of differing cultures and backgrounds with whom to share life enriching food experiences. Just like Mario and I practiced in the US, dinner with friends happens at least once a week here. Whether it's homemade Moroccan breakfasts with a sudden onslaught of hail pummeling the windows, authentic pad Thai and a movie to escape the driving rain, or Polish pierogi and karaoke to thaw a frosty evening, I just can't get enough of these experiences and am a firm believer of the philosophy that the best way to discover a new country is to break bread with their people. After all, it is true that you are what you eat and more often than not I have found a country's cuisine is a dead giveaway of the personality of its inhabitants. It's relevant to note that the hosts, no matter what country they're from--myself included when I cook a meal for my friends or family--without fail, will tend to gaze or steal glances with barely concealed anticipation at their guest's face as he/she takes the first bite. It seems this most ancient rite of acceptance into a new culture continues to transcend all language barriers. With almost nothing that I won't try, and few ingredients on my AVOID list--bitter melon, yuck!!--my reaction is always positive and with each time I sit down to a meal I become more aware of how equally different and alike we all are. Many thanks to the friends that have used their culinary magic to make me forget the weather at my doorstep, and if I haven't already, may I one day get the chance to visit the lands that helped to shape you.

Just another coffee break in our class in 2011. Turkish cheese spring rolls and a homemade apple crumble cake with coffee.

The end of the class semester brings the inevitable class party. Here we have clockwise from top left: Danish butter cookies, a Spanish tortilla, rice pudding with cinnamon and raisins, deep chocolate brownies and then Chinese fried rice made by yours truly, bibimbap, charcuterie plate, Some sort of pastry, and Korean potstickers.

Our teacher here in the right-hand foreground, Ulrike, is awesome and enjoys everything.

Another coffee break found us drinking hot and syrupy sweet Moroccan mint tea made by my girlfriend, Sofia.

She also brought us some homemade cookies made by her mom.

Here's Mustafa, that Turkish cook who likes to bake us delicious things at 2am after he leaves work.

Jairim mixing her bibimbap, a Korean fried rice dish.

Clockwise from top left: Spanish tortilla again, carrot cake cupcakes and Rice Krispie treats by yours truly, charcuterie selection, paella, and prosciutto wrapped melon.

A pajama party with my girls! Gözde makes her famous Turkish coffee the traditional way.

Elena comes from the Ukraine, Jooni from Korea. Here Elena tells us our coffee grounds fortune with a fake Russian accent.

Vincent and Georg cook up the traditional German meal for September, onion tart with sweet sparkling 'young wine.' Such a great combo!

Feuerzangenbowle, or fire tongs punch, helps warm up a chilly winter night with friends. It's basically mulled wine that gets some kick thanks to a flaming dripping sugar tower soaked in rum.

Of course we had to watch the film of the same name while we drank our Feuerzangenbowle; it's a great film and a German tradition.

Sofia cooks me a traditional chicken and flatbread dish in her home. I got to help make the flatbread.

Ladling on the sauce.

We could be in Casablanca. I feel so honored!

Ewa, our friend from Poland, is also crazy about Indonesia and has lots of friends there. Here she brings us some Rendang--a caramelized beef curry dish--brought from Indonesia and made by a friend's mother. You eat it with rice and with your hands.

Sujed shows Mario how to make fettucine noodles from scratch for a dish.

Fusion cuisine is Sujed's specialty and the fettucine noodles are topped with fried seafood and a coconut curry.

Sofia cooks us some amazing chicken tagine in traditional ceramic crockery.

Can we eat now, Esther?

Zul and Lars make some Malaysian goodness!

Breaking out the rice cooker for our feast.

The eternally well-dressed host, Zul, pouring out some beverages.

Grilling German style! Great weather calls for semi-al fresco dining.

To get more even browning, people here tend to own this type of grill with a hanging thing so it can spin over the coals. Sounds like a great idea but it's just a lot of unstable heating of meat, moving around, and burning of fingers since one needs to hold the hot chain when turning the meat over.

Typical German grilling calls for sides of boiled or grilled potatoes, salad, veggies grilled in foil packets, and ultimately a yogurt sauce of some sort as condiment for everything. Not a squirt of BBQ sauce in sight!

I introduce the S'more for dessert. The Germans were good sports but ultimately found it too sweet and messy for their taste.

Sujed makes a tasty snack of fried rice crisps with a coconut shrimp curry dipping sauce to go with our movie night.

Main dish was seafood with an avocado and mango slaw.

For another movie night Sujed does a delicious fish soup with a coconut banana sauce drizzle and croutons.

Fish and curry with rice and sauteed veggies.

Game night at our place starts off with a creamy chowder with spicy ground pork made by Caroline and Armando, followed by my Italian spinach dumplings with a tomato cream sauce, Parmesan, and fresh basil.

Garlic bread accompanies the dumplings.

 

Sujed makes an exotic mung bean brulee for dessert.

Another movie night, another creative creation by Sujed. Mango wrapped sticky rice with a sweet coconut milk sauce and salty roasted peanuts.

A heavenly combination.

For another movie night I make lentil pancakes with a spicy yogurt sauce. Sujed's satay sauce is above center.

Sujed cooks up some pork, fish and shrimp satays with a sweet cucumber tomato salad.

Yet another gift from our Indonesia loving Polish friend. Ewa brings me a boxed martabak mix that I can make at home. A delectable glutinous pancake with a cheese and condensed milk filling, I ate four whole slices before you could say 'midnight sugar-rush.'

Another satisfying German meal at the Heckmanns.

Pork roast, I think, with potatoes, salad and some corn bread muffins I brought along.

Looks like it's gotten chilly again! Elena and I enjoy an eggnog, my first, at the Christmas market 2012.

Ewa comes back from Indonesia with the real deal this time. Martabak straight from a vendor!

Some sweet treats as well, here we have some traditional Indonesian fruit gummi candy, durian filled chocolates, and green apple flavored 'air' bar. I call it that because I have no idea how to describe the texture of it. It's a candy bar as light as air and melts in your mouth upon contact.

Sofia cooks an out of this world Moroccan breakfast! From top left we have some traditional pancake-like bread rounds, jam, olives, homemade baklava-like pastries with muffins, croissants, homemade Moroccan cookies, poppy seed pastry rolls made by Elena, a traditional sheep's cheese, argan oil with a container of laughing cow cheese to its left, sweet flatbread, beef sausage and egg scramble, and cold cuts.

The yummy flatbreads are eaten with a tiny drizzle of the argan oil and honey if you like. I like.

Elena's poppy seed pastries, equally impressive.

The hostess with the mostest.

The baklava or kunefe-like pastries.

Hawaiian party at Ewa's!

I introduce the very Hawaiian SPAM musubi, aka sushi with lunch meat. They were a hit!

Ewa makes pineapple fried rice and a huge fruit salad.

My turn to make breakfast! Blueberry waffles with maple syrup, fruit salad made by Elena, and a smoked salmon and leeks Benedict with a dill hollandaise sauce.

Another snowy day, another excuse to cook with friends!