The Ides of March

We filled the last few weeks with cooking classes, skiing lessons, and bike rides downtown.  Sunshine and 60 degree weather beckoned us outside and we enjoyed open windows and fresh air.  Dave introduced sports day - biking, baseball, soccer, and basketball folded into the weekend afternoons.  We biked downtown to the amazing farmer's markets.  Huge change from last year when it snowed EVERY DAY from Thanksgiving to Easter.

Wan, an amazing Thai cook, introduced me to her native cuisine.    Her mother ran a food truck in Bangkok.  She took us to an Asian grocery store and showed us the various vegetables, coconut milks, curry pastse, and fish sauces.  We returned to her house where she showed us how to make Red Curry Pork, Pad Thai, and Thai Fried-Rice.  This class was the last in a series of six.  I only learned about it recently, so I talked her into a doing a private one in April.

Last weekend, we traveled back to southern Germany for a weekend of skiing in Garmish.  The unseasonable warm weather created poor conditions for real skiers.  Thankfully, I can barely stand in my skis, so I welcomed the sun.  I spent the first 90 minutes of my class cursing the graceful kids cruising around me in this "Kinderland."  How can I cut my all-day class down to two hours without looking like I a drop out.  I looked at the snow "beach" chairs with envy.  My calves screamed at me and I wondered at what point this activity would become fun.  Of course, my kids already graduated to the next level hill while I could barely make a wedge.  I did enjoy the long lunch break, and two cappuccinos eased my afternoon.

At 2:30, I met the kids at the mountain restaurant to conclude the lessons.  Their instructor said, "Owen and Emily did a great job.  Have a safe trip home."  "What??  You are not coming with me??"  I silently yelled, "You expect me to get myself, these two kids, and this equipment back down the mountain by myself??"  "Pull yourself together,"  I thought.  I mentally broke the journey back into three parts.

Part 1: Emily, Owen, and I slowly sludged to the ski lift.  A few tears.  A few panicked yells, "Keep walking." We made it.

Part 2:  I pushed the two kids onto the moving ski lift, secured my skis, and jumped in.  A huge sigh of relief.  Yes, I managed to get everyone safely in - my first time ever going down a ski lift.

Part 3:  At the mountain bottom, we jump off.  Owen notices his $32 gloves remained on the moving box.  I try to grab them.  My awkwardly huge boot gets caught.  The kids start screaming in panic.  The German ski worker does not offer to help or stop the lift.  Instead, he starts yelling at me in German.  The lift continues moving.  A kind person picks me up.  The German guy continues to yell at me.  I look at him and yell back in English, "Look this is my first time," grab my screaming kids, and attempt to walk away with dignity.  Never again.

We always stop at our favorite donut store when we bike downtown.  America… and Germany… Runs on Dunkin.

Cultural Differences

Dave spent the winter working at the Consulate in an office with German Nationals.  Each morning he greeted Claudia, "How ya doing."  When he returned from lunch he would again say, "Hey, how ya doing."

"Still fine," Claudia said irritated.

"Oh do I say that a lot?"

"You all do."

"Does that bother you?"

"It seems…..what is the word for plastic?"

Cooking With Emily's Class

During September, I volunteered to be the February cook for Emily's class.  "I will definitely have more time then."  And February came so quickly…

FIS has a small kitchen, sized perfectly for primary aged kids including a stove, oven and sink.  Parents come in twice a month to teach the first graders to cook waffles, cookies, and breads.

The teacher requested a Valentine's themed activity.  Heart-shaped spritzers seemed the perfect multi-step cookie for this crew.  I prepped the dough, made a few batches, and organized decorating kits for the kids.  The kids came through five at a time for a twenty minute lesson.

I showed them how the cookie press worked and we guessed what shapes the different "stencils" make.

We discussed tempering chocolate - how delicate it is to melt.

The kids started licking their fingers.  My heart stopped as my true germ phobia came out.  I wanted to tell Emily not to eat ANY of the cookies at snack time.  Of course, this comment would be crazy - at least according to my husband.  (Really, would it?)

I stayed for lunch and met her friends. Seoyeon, from Japan, had Tupperware full of sushi rolls.  The ham roll is her favorite.  Sanvi, from India, ate curry vegetables.  Emily snacked on her turkey, chips, and banana bread.  Food alone shows me the diversity of her classroom.

Happy (7th) Birthday Emily

Emily celebrated her birthday in style.   She woke up at 6 am on Jan 22 - an hour earlier than usual - "it's my birthday."  Two slightly aggravated parents explained,"Today is still a school day.  Birthdays are not like Christmas.  We do not all get off."  When she got off the bus in the afternoon, plenty of presents awaited - packages form Aunt Jenny, Aunt Linda, Gigi and Grandad, Mima and P-pa.

And of course, there was cake.

Our angel - halo and all

A few days later she chose five friends to bring to "Frozen."  The movie played in English at the posh German theater downtown where you buy tickets for actual assigned seats.  The girls sang "Do you want to build a snowman" all the way to the U-bahn.

I loved the movie.  (One of my favorite actors Josh Gad played Olaf and more importantly, the women in the film did not depend on Prince Charming.)  Several great themes for this crew - including the kid hiding in the back.

Florence: A Day of Art

The next day, I organized a "Context" tour of the Uffizi Gallery.  I discovered "Context" through Trip Advisor and loved the concept.  They "provide in-depth alternatives to traditional tours by using a network of architects, historians, art historians, and other specialists."  AND the tours are in English.  The Paris tours booked early so Florence provided my first opportunity.  Patricia Rucidlo, our guide breathed the Italian Renaissance.  She described the Medici's and the dynamics between Raphael and Michelangelo like she knew them personally.  I loved every minute of it.  We again walked right into one of the busiest museums in Europe.  Gotta love traveling in January.  An older couple (like at least 70's) from California joined the tour.  (He was a well connected venture capitalist sporting his Notre Dame green. "Yes, Mark Zuckerman is a pretty nice guy.")

After the tour, we revisited the wine shop for a leisurely lunch followed by a little more shopping.

Our hotel sat adjacent to the Duomo.

 I did not want  to leave.

Florence: Girl's Weekend

After a December full of long hours, stomach flus and colds,  I anticipated a weekend eating breads, drinking wine, exploring Renaissance art, and indulging in Italian leather and more importantly, laughing until midnight with a close companion.  My friend Diane, posted in Vienna, met me for the three day excursion in Florence.  Still adjusting to the balance of a new (second) baby and the demands of a full time job, she craved an escape as much as I did.

The women at the Consulate raved about the January sales at a place called "The Mall" an outlet for out-of-season products from Italian brands such as Prada and Gucci.  I coupled my weekend of eating and art with a quick purse-shopping trip.  I arrived early on the Friday of MLK weekend and followed a motley crew to the bus station for a ride to the outlets.  These women go every day of their trip, but I only devoted Friday to this excursion.  An hour later, the bus pulled up to Italy's Leesburg.  I knew two hours gave me plenty of time.

For Saturday morning, I found a "Florence Food Tour" on Trip Advisor.  We met our guide in a Segway store in a deserted ally for what turned into a private tour.  No one travels to Europe in January.

We started at a coffee house where we learned how to make espresso properly, how the beans are found and about the different coffee bean roasts.  (Coffee bean pickers recognize poop from the below animal to find the best crop.)

Our tour guide translated as the owner provided a passionate dissertation.

Our Guide

The coffee bar owner.

Next we went to the oldest truffle shop in the city.  While truffles are in the fungi family, they are not mushrooms as I thought.  Instead, truffles are tubers which are hunted by trained pigs and dogs.  Like gold, they cannot be "grown" and instead are "found"  making them extremely valuable.

A truffle-cream sandwich.

In the 1500's people used this window to sell wine.

Next, we went to family-owned wine and sandwich shop.  The store originated in the 1500's when it was used to sell fish.  The family recently renovated it and turned the marble fish baths into beautiful displays.  We learned about Chianti Classico, the wine of Tuscany.  The rooster tells consumers that it was produced in the Chianti region.  Sadly, most true Chianti wines are not exported.

The store also carried prosciutto and salami from local farmers.

Next, we went to San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale, a market full of olive oil stands, fish mongrels, butchers, and bakeries.  We learned Biscotti refers to all cookies not just twice baked ones.

We tasted amazing olive breads...

and soup.

 We sampled balsamic vinegers and had an incredible liquor in which you dip cookies.

Finally, gelato….

We spent the rest of the afternoon digesting as we stopped in Italian boutiques where practically everything said 50% off.  (I could not resist some skirts, pants, and a camo-jacket.)  Italian leather shoes decorated dozens of windows.  One persistent leather guy, on a side rode, insisted we look at his jackets.  One appeared perfect for Diane, so of course, I had to try it on too.  "You look like you are 25."  "You girls must capture all the men." "I am giving you a great deal."

Of course, I ended the day with a new leather jacket.