A First.

In the oven, as I type this, is the first banana bread loaf I have baked in Germany. This is monumental for me, because banana bread loaves are just...home to me. I baked them in my old kitchen, and the act, here in my new German kitchen, was inexplicably comforting. It's good to feel like I have a home again.

Speaking of home, I realize I haven't update the blog in a while. A lot's been going on, and it mostly has to do with my process of settling in. I've memorized bus lines, street names, stores and cafés. I've made some German friends. And best of all, I now have a library card. Last week, I checked out four books, one of which (an Agatha Christie, of all things) I'm almost done with. I've also been checking out a few movies every week, my one rule being that I can't have seen them before. Last week, I watched Farenheit 9/11--finally, it's been on my list for years--and a Hitchcock (Rope). I was surprised by Farenheit 9/11, because it was so damn tame. I mean, I was expecting the ballsy, assholic Michael Moore of Bowling For Columbine or Sicko. You know, the one people complain about so much. The one who, truthfully, I find hilarious. But this Michael Moore was staid (well, for Michael Moore, anyway) and really stuck to the facts. There was significantly less wild conjecturing than is the norm for his movies. I really liked this one, actually, though I wish there had been a little more meat to it. It felt too weak, too much like a carefully crafted facade. A liberal facade, mind you, but a facade nonetheless. Perhaps my perspective is different because I watched it during the Obamazeit, with renewed hope that the war will end. But I just couldn't help feeling like it needed to be a little more hard-hitting. The scenes with the mother who lost her son were very good--probably the best in the whole thing. At times, I wished the whole movie was about her.

The Hitchcock was weird. Rope was the first movie Hitchcock used Jimmy Stewart in. It's based on a stage play, which became apparent as I watched it. The whole thing takes place in one room, with a tiny cast of characters. It's a macabre concept: two guys murder their friend, just to see if they can do it. Then they put him in a trunk, invite over his parents and fiancee for a party, and serve the food on the trunk. One of the murderers is a creepy sociopath, and the other is a confused and scared lackey who has an unfortunate affinity for strangling chickens. Jimmy Stewart plays their one-time schoolmaster, who attends the party and figures out the crime. I actually found the plot and the darkly ironic situation deliciously weird, but the execution of the whole thing on film was awkward. The two murderers were terrible actors, and Jimmy went way too quickly from a cool, collected, wisecracking intellectual to a sanctimonious preacher of good moral values. As usual for a Hitchcock flick, however, the camera work was great and there were some fantastic side performances. Rear Window, The Lady Vanishes and Vertigo still remain my favorites.

This week, my cinematic adventures continue with The Squid And The Whale and a German film that I heard was good, Keinohrhasen. It looks like a RomCom to me, which is perfectly fine after sociopaths, Michael Moore, and depressing, artsy family drama.

As for other news...I've discovered that Düsseldorf has a very large Asian immigrant population, so Asian food (Thai, Laotian, Korean, Japanese) is in my future. Frankly, I'm thrilled, but I fear the curse of not enough hot chilis (Germans, for the most part, hate spicy food). I'm figuring out Calculus in German (no easy feat) and generally trying to stay positive. Last weekend, someone stole my favorite hat, so I immediately had to get online and buy two that are more or less exactly like it. They're on their way, and I could not be happier--my ears have been a bit cold this week.

The election here is coming up, and I'm curious to see if Merkel will be dethroned by the portly, allegedly "STARK!" F.W. Steinmeier. Personally, I don't find it as scintillating as election season in America (where are the debate parties, during which everyone swears at the t.v. and occasionally even throws marshmallows?), but then, I guess Americans tend to go a bit overboard on 'historical moments.'

Well, the tome has been written for September. More to come later, if I can get motivated enough. Like, for example, how the banana bread recipe that I converted myself into grams turned out.

Plant fat?

For those of you I've talked to about this, more research has informed me that:

Plant fat=not hydrogenated! Which is good, because a lot of stuff here has that ingredient.

Everything that is hydrogenated says: "gehärtet pflanzliches fett." (Hardened plant fat, literally.) This I will avoid.

Also related: Holy crap. OREOS NO LONGER CONTAIN TRANS FATS!

That's all for now. Just a quick note.

foodstuffs, German-style

Allow me to take even more time off from making this blog intelligent, interesting and/or insightful to say:

Schoko-Müsli, I love you.

I now eat this every morning. I don't want to know what all goes into it--I just want to keep eating it for as long as I am able to chew breakfast cereal.

In other news, I had my first döner the other night. Extremely delicious. It's unlike any Middle Eastern food I've ever had, and really wasn't how I was expecting. Anyway, I look forward to more in the future.

List post, because I'm too lazy.

Myths about Germany: true or not?

Some myths about Germany debunked:

1. Germans do not only eat sausage and potatoes. They eat pasta, salad, fruit, etc. I have not had a potato yet (though it is only my second day).

2. Germans do not leave their milk/water/beer out of the fridge. All drinks go in the fridge, except for unopened mineral wasser. Everything is cold. I don't know why, but for some reason, people I talked to in America were convinced that Germans drink warm beer/warm water/warm everything.

3. Germans do laundry.

4. There is internet. Unlimited internet. It is cheaper than in the U.S., because it includes phone service. It's kind of slow.

5. People in Germany are blunt and this makes them seem rude. Wow! This is what I was told. Maybe I haven't been around enough Germans yet, but every German I've met is completely normal and/or friendly. Maybe I come from a place where people are unusually blunt. I don't know. In my limited experience, however, Germans are hospitable and easy to get along with. It is common here for people to laugh at each other, which we wouldn't really do in America. For example--if there's a crazy person talking to him/herself on the street, people laugh. If someone trips and falls, people laugh. If you respond very enthusiastically to something, people laugh. But weirdly enough, it doesn't feel unkind to me. It's just a different kind of humor and perspective than we have in the U.S.

6. Germans don't use napkins at meals!

7. People bathe! You wouldn't believe how many people told me Germans don't bathe often. In my experience, they bathe more often than Americans, and brush their teeth more, too.

8.  There is maple syrup here. But Germans don't eat pancakes (and I haven't yet seen a waffle), so I'm not sure what they do with it.

Some myths about Germany that turned out to be entirely true:

1. People here love chocolate and dairy products (especially Eis!).

2. Almost everyone smokes. Smoking is allowed in every public place, and the inside of most buildings smells like cigarettes. Also, teenagers are allowed to smoke in school.

3. Pretzels are prevalent. They are soooo good. I bought one as soon as I got here. They are lightyears better than American hard pretzels, and definitely better than American soft pretzels. Inside, they are buttery and delicious, and on the outside, they are dark brown and covered with kosher salt.

4. Nobody drinks tap water/water that isn't sparkling. I'm in heaven, since I prefer sparkling wasser to plain, anyway.

5. Forks and knives are placed on plates differently. I can't really explain.

6. Germans LOVE Obama! As soon as I made my preference for Obama known, I was immediately met with smiles and "yes we can!"s. (Please ignore grammatical incorrectness there.)

7. To buy products, you do have to go to several different stores (stores usually specialize in one particular area). Sometimes a supermarket has a shoe store or purses, but for the most part, shopping takes half a day because of all the stores one must drive to.

8. Fußball=national pastime. Everyone seemed surprised that I don't have a favorite team to champion.

And now, some observations:

1. Germans love American pop from the 80's: Cindi Lauper, Sting, Depeche Mode, Bon Jovi (ugh!), and especially Michael Jackson...it's played on the radio all the time here. I can't say I miss the terrible American neo-Country genre, though.

2. Germany has the best soft drinks ever. My favorites are Lift Apfel-Schorle (sparkling apple juice, which is not as sweet as it is in America) and Mezzo Mix, which is basically coke with orange essence. It sounds weird, but it's very good. All soft drinks have real sugar, not corn syrup.

3. A lot of people ride bikes here, but cruisers, not mountain or road bikes.

4. The streets are quite clean, but the poor street trees have cigarette butts littered all around them in the dirt.

5. Public transportation is extremely efficient. The buses come every ten minutes.

6. People seem really happy and content here.

7. There are not many black/African or South Asian people, but a lot of Turks. White Germans are blatantly racist about Turkish immigrants (or Germans of Turkish descent, for that matter). This makes me pretty uncomfortable, because where I come from, people at least pretend to be more tolerant. Also, have any Germans ever met a Jew? Not the ones I know. I don't even tell them I'm Jewish because I've heard some pretty stereotypical things come out of their mouths about non-Christians. Oof.

8. There are no SUVs! Hallelujah! People actually drive fuel efficient cars!

Update to end all updates (I think)!

I haven't written in a while, and the midwest/east coast trip is progressing rapidly. Basically, I'm in New York right now, staying in a cheap-ish hotel. What has happened since my last post:

1. On my second day in St. Paul, I made the discovery f University Avenue, a big, ugly street that houses the local Asian population. There are Hmong restaurants, video-rental shops, delis, groceries, etc. There are also Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese businesses. One of my favorite lunch items that I frequently buy at home is Banh Mi--Vietnamese sandwiches made with some kind of meat (usually grilled/barbecued), pickled veggies, cilantro, jalapeños, aioli and soy/fish sauce on Vietnamese french bread. I decided to see if I could find these tasty sandwiches on University. Lo and behold, after about five minutes of driving, I noticed a small Vietnamese market, situated in what looked like an old movie theater, advertising "sandwiches." In the very back of the store, past cans of what appeared to be Chinese Spam, was a deli counter, where two women and a man were dutifully churning out the biggest, most delicious looking Banh Mi I'd ever seen. Barbecued meat hung tantalizingly behind glass. I noticed that, on many of the sandwiches, the women were putting on a kind of bologna-like lunch meat that is used often in Vietnamese dishes. When asked if they would put barbecued pork in the sandwich instead, one woman behind the counter replied that it would be extra--bringing the sandwich to $3.50, rather than $2.75! This was fine with me. The woman proceeded to pour on three different kinds of sauce--soy, and a few others that I'm not sure about (one may have been fish). There were plenty of delicious pickled veggies, the pork was amazingly good (so much better than any meat I've had on Banh Mi before) and the bread was thick enough to not get soggy and retain its crunch. For my money, this is the best Vietnamese sandwich I've had anywhere. I enjoyed it with a cool can of sweet soy milk while sitting in the sculpture garden across from the Walker Art Center. (Later I went into the Art Center, and reappeared again with a Moleskine sketchbook and a collapsable Japanese sandwich box, courtesy of the gift shop!) That night, I went after a quick dinner to try Izzy's Ice Cream, a local, all-natural (sort of) ice cream shop in St. Paul. Some of the flavors were a bit off (banana key lime, anyone?) but the two I got, bananas foster and 'peace coffee' were delicious! Izzy's has this concept where, when one orders a single scoop or larger, they can also get a small "izzy" scoop on top of their first. It's a great way to maximize flavor choices, while not having to order too much ice cream. Although I am personally biased and slightly prefer the ice cream of my work, this was very tasty and I went back a second night, unable to resist another scoop of the coffee.

2. Mall of America. I actually went on the second day, just because...well, I was curious. Yes, it is a huge shopping mall. Yes, after twenty minutes I felt zombified. Never again. That's all I'll say.

3. Met some old family friends on the last day in Minnesota. They were nice, old-fashioned, New Yorkers by birth. We ate at a cute little pub in the tiny town where they live, but unfortunately, my food wasn't very good. The root beer was great, however!

4. The next day, I flew to Boston. Once again, I had a layover in Chicago, so I can proudly claim to be reasonably well-acquainted with O'Hare. Hmmm. Boston was overcast, but still quite hot and muggy. I discovered a Taiwanese restaurant in Cambridge that was just great. I ordered Chinese squash with some kind of mountain vegetable, which came in a clear, garlic and ginger sauce, and the fish of the day, which was steamed and served in a hot garlic chili sauce containing so many Szechuan peppercorns my tongue went numb! Yes! After this successful dinner, I went to Toscanini's, because it has been my mission to compare ice creams on this trip. I have to say that Toscanini's is very, very good. The pistachio was rich but heavy on almond extract, which tasted good but didn't allow the pistachios' flavor to really shine. Their burnt caramel flavor was amazing, and not very sweet--something I value in desserts (because, despite my job and my love of baking, I really don't have much of a sweet tooth). I'd definitely go back for more burnt caramel, and my only complaint was that it was kind of melty. The texture was just perfect--silky and creamy.

5. Day five entailed a drive to Western Mass., (what seemed like) a ten-fold increase in humidity across the state, and a torrential downpour that lasted for hours. I actually enjoyed this bizarre weather, and ended up exploring Northampton while getting rained on. I had to exercise extreme self-control on a visit to Faces, which is a store selling apparel and home decor (think Urban Outfitters, but half the price and decidedly cooler). I was particularly besotted with a pear of teal, feathered, patterned moccasins that were wild, bizarre, and seemed to have been made for me. Even now, I dream of them. I also met a person who I'm convinced is supposed to me my new other best friend: this guy at a cafe who made me a (really tasty) au lait, then pronounced the name wrong, adding that he "really likes to mispronounce things." Finally, someone who understands the need that I have harbored, from a very young age, to incorrectly pronounce words. I thought I was the only one.

6. Today, I spent the entire afternoon in New York City. It was an amazing experience, and I feel that I can't really do it justice because it all happened too recently. I haven't had time to play it back in my mind and retrace the details, and honestly, I'm not even sure if I'll be able to do so at a later date. But there will probably be a NYC post in this blog's future. Tonight, I actually ate in the restaurant that is in my cheap hotel. And by cheap, I don't mean pretty-nice-but-also-affordable-cheap. This is Best Western style, baby (though not actually Best Western, because those don't exist in the East). The pizza turned out to be good. Seriously. The crust was perfect and crisp and thin, and I swear they put an entire bunch of basil on top. Plus, it was only $11. Woo, cheap hotel pizza!

Concluding this post, I'd just like to say: six days until Germany.

Eleven days

...And counting.

Oh my god.

My mouth thinks it has died and gone to heaven.

Basically, a family friend from Chicago who makes amazing deep-dish pizza invited me over for dinner before I go to Germany. Hooooly shitttt. So good. I try not to swear excessively in the blogosphere, because it sounds stupid later (i.e., when I reread my blog posts out of boredom). But, there is no other way for me to convey the deliciousness of this pizza. Words, profanities even, cannot express how good it was. I wish I'd had my camera and taken pictures, although it's dark and rainy here right now, so they wouldn't have come out well at all. Anyway, it was a simple pizza--mozzarella, tomato sauce (with copious amounts of garlic, of course), Italian sausage, olives, onion, basil. My favorite toppings. Home-made crust! I could go on and on about that crust. Sweet Jesus, that pizza was good.

And for dessert, there was ice cream from a certain locally-owned ice cream shop. That I happen to work at. Ahem.

It's the little things like this evening I spent with friends and family, eating good food and having good conversation, that I will miss the most when I am away. I can't wait for this next chapter in my life, but at the same time, I'm reminded a little every day how much I care about everyone here, and how lucky I am that life right where I am makes me this happy.

Here are some things that are making me happy this week:

*There is deep dish pizza in the fridge for lunch before work tomorrow.

*Orange blossom honey

*Economy pack of Twining's Earl Grey Tea

*Honey-nut Cheerios (Good breakfast cereal can make my day, actually.)

*I've seen so many of the people I love, but who I am never able to visit, in the past few days.

*Ice cream!

*Fresh vegetables from a friend's garden

*The premier of the next movie installment in a certain over-hyped franchise involving a boy wizard, which I may be going to with coworkers

Is anything not making me happy? Honestly, the list is very short:

*Packing. Ugh. My life=boxes.

*Mt. Eerie is playing at a local music fest. AND I'M GOING TO MISS IT. A sad turn of events (but I'll be in Europe...!).

More at some point in the future. Right now, pizza-bliss/work-induced weariness are lulling me into a sleepy daze. Oh, July.

Next Year's Living Arrangements

Just today, I learned where I'll be living in Germany. 

It's a small, North German city of about 150,000 called Neuss, just to the West of Düsseldorf. I'm extremely excited, as Düsseldorf is very similar in size to my current city of residence, and Neuss, from what I've seen via Google images, is home to some seriously beautiful, medieval architecture (as well as located on the Rhine). As an added bonus, I'll be very close to the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Train trips are in my future.

I really haven't researched all that thoroughly yet, but I did find an interesting fact about Neuss somewhere on the internet: apparently, there's a huge heap of garbage somewhere in the city that people there are considering making into a ski slope (because the rest of the terrain is, apparently, quite flat). Somehow, the idea that I will be living in a city where the residents will gladly ski down a mountainous trash heap comforts me beyond measure. It sounds like something people would do where I live (after they'd gotten over bitching about the environmental irresponsibility of having a mountainous trash heap, which admittedly could take ages).

Disappointments and Quandaries

First of all, I didn't go cosmic bowling.

Ok, so this wasn't entirely disappointing, as I was severely tired and hungry by 9:30 last night, which was a full hour before I was supposed to show up. Still, it would have been enjoyable, as bowling tends to bring out the ridiculous in everyone.

Then, the Phil Elverum show...

I won't say that it was horrible. Phil Elverum was good. But the venue was a building that is an extension of a well-known state university where I live, and, well, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was sitting in a college seminar called "Hear Phil Elverum Play 101." In fact, huddling on the floor (there weren't enough chairs--I blame the local "indie" media for making this so well publicized), squished in next to hipsters in aviators, skinny jeans, and second-hand cardigans, I felt more like an eager second-grader at a school assembly than anything else. But at second-grade assemblies, nobody has piercings or drinks tall glasses of beer. 

I would have been marginally ok with this scene if not for the fact that, for about forty minutes before Phil Elverum even played, everyone in the room was subjected to some "local artist's" installation that consisted of ear-drum-bustingly loud white noise (mostly recorded crashings of local waterfalls, amplified ten-fold and combined with what sounded like the squeals of tires on an expressway) and seizure-inducing black and white images rolling and flashing around on a screen at dizzying speed. This went on. And on. And onnnn. Do you see where I'm going with this? I was bored almost into a state of catatonia. Hipsters all around were discreetly leaving, hands held over their ears or clutching their cell phones as they frantically texted, presumably informing their friends that Phil Elverum was not playing and that they were bored. Or at least, that is what I would have conveyed, had I been in their place. Finally, mercifully, the noise--excuse me, the art--ended. Would Phil Elverum finally play?

No. Instead, there was an interminable interview with the "artist," in which he talked about "mother nature's power" and some sycophants enthusiastically volunteered that his work had helped them to "find their quiet place." Please. The worst stereotypes about the art world were confirmed and displayed for all to see, and I had to hold back a derisive snicker. My friend who was with me was trying hard not to look too amused, and we kept shooting each other knowing glances. The upside to the interview is that Phil Elverum, when asked "Don't you strive to create his quality of sound when you perform?" answered in this quiet, unassuming voice, "I don't think I could ever make that much noise." I felt a little sorry for the "artist" as Phil Eleverum continued to underhandedly insult his work, but I was too annoyed that I'd had to sit through half an hour of it to really be that sympathetic.

All in all, I've had better Saturdays. Today it's work, and then study, and then crash. I could not be less stoked. On the upside, I'm looking forward to Germany, and have been thinking about my year ahead frequently as my departure date looms closer. Three months? Where has the time gone? Only three months left in my beautiful city, three months left with my wonderful friends, three months left eating my home-cooked meals, sleeping in my own bed, waking up to the familiar view out of my window of the flowering trees. Three months left in which to hike for the last time along my favorite trails to the beach, camp for the last time in the mountains, see local shows, walk around the city snapping photos. Yes, I can do all of this in Germany. And I can do it when I get back. But I'll be gone for a full year, and it seems very final. Like I have to cram in everything I've ever wanted to do here before I leave.

I've also been thinking/wondering a lot about what it will be like to live in Germany. Mostly just about the quality of life--what the dating scene is like, whether there is cheap ethnic food, whether there are organic farms, if I'll be able to work out when I'm there, what people generally do on the weekends, if the coffee is good, etc. With the whole internet at my fingertips, I still haven't really been able to glean much information about the real, everyday lives of those who live in Germany, and I doubt that my experience will really be similar to others', anyway--I believe everyone experiences a country differently depending on their individual tastes and beliefs. But I'd still really like to be able to have an in-depth conversation with someone else who's lived/studied there, even if our experiences won't be similar. I feel like it would put this whole situation into perspective for me.

Well, I did it!

All my hard work paid off--I won the Germany scholarship. My mind is just...racing, as I attempt to process this information.

I.

Cannot.

Believe.

I thought I would be finding out in April, but I found out this afternoon--just five days after being interviewed by a panel of judges. I find myself wondering how this happened, only to realize that, after putting so much effort into the application process, I should have been more surprised if I didn't get it. I'm extremely grateful to the judges, who were friendly, accommodating, and generally just amazing people. I was sick with a fever, and they rescheduled my interview so that I could have a thirty minute conversation with them. How cool is that?!

Now all I need to do is call my German grandmother, as she'll be overjoyed. She already told her German friends about this.

Exhaustion

I am so exhausted right now. Busy day at work, slept badly, not much coffee consumed. I feel really crippled by how tired I am. It's taking a lot of effort to press these keys, but I wanted to belatedly post some news.

I am a semi-finalist for the scholarship! More interviews on the horizon.

There. Now it's out. And I don't have to write any more. I am excited, but oh-so-tired.

Interview I

I have my first interview for the scholarship tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about this. I'm actually fairly confident in my ability to be eloquent, interesting, and outgoing, but I also am plagued by an image of sitting there, in front of the interviewer, completely stumped by a question. Being at a loss for words is never a good situation to find oneself in, and I can't shake this paranoia that I'll be completely unable to answer a question. This fear may not be realistic (I find that on most subjects, I have a lot to say), but what fears are?

My second fear is that I won't be able to shut up. Somehow, I need to strike a balance between enthusiastic/forthcoming and poised. I need to express myself verbally without coming across as too pushy, or not interested enough. Perhaps I'm overanalyzing.

My baking exploits continue. This time, it's banana bread! I tried a new recipe this time, because I only had two ripe bananas, and the recipe I usually use calls for four. The new recipe includes yoghurt. I found that the resulting bread was moist, tangy, and quite delightful. I'll post the recipe later.

Three days until inauguration. I can smell the change!

Boring Christmas Post!

Christmas dinner was very low-key this year.

The menu:

Steaks seared in butter and olive oil with mushroom-shallot-red wine garnish

Mashed potato/yam combination (with more butter, of course!)

Brussels sprouts with mustard vinaigrette

Christmas cookies and coffee for dessert

All in all, a satisfying dinner, and a good day. By the end, despite the coffee, I fell into bed and slept like a log. I baked all day, so it's not surprising. Today, it's back to work--the snow is finally melting and the temperature's up, so I feel a little better about leaving the warmth of my home for the harsh outside world.

No new developments as far as Germany goes. I'm working on a photo collage for the second application, and all is going well. Hopefully, I'll have more interesting news to write about in a month or two.

More Forms...

Some new forms came for the scholarship today. Extremely excited and my love of checking boxes and filling out reams of tedious information stimulated, I immediately set about filling out what I could. I, of course, need numerous odds and ends, but the deadline's March 1st, and I'm relatively sure I can be finished by then.

I also have been informed that I must now submit to an interview to assess my character/eligibility. Time to crack the ol' guidebooks and start the mock-interviews. Fun?

I'm actually pretty excited.

I may be living in Germany at this time next year.

It's crazy. I'm thinking about it, and it still doesn't seem real to me. I'm not sure yet if I'm actually going to go, but I'm hoping that I do. At the same time, however, what keeps going through my head is the mantra: "Are you out of your fucking mind?"

I might be out of my mind. I don't really care to think about it. And I'm trying not to think about the adjustment from my lovely city of residence at the moment (I really do love this place) to a new city in a country I've never been to and can barely speak the language in. When the opportunity presents itself, however, who am I to turn down travel (not paid for by me, I might add) to a new and interesting place? Especially Germany, where I've always wanted to go? It's interesting, because my schooling here in the United States has always included a lot of anti-Germanic spiel. I never took much stock in it, since my amazing grandmother is from Germany, and I feel that Hitler is not a fair representation of all Germans. Just as I wouldn't want to be judged solely on my country's choice of leaders (although that's looking up now), I feel it's only fair that Americans not pass judgement on the now two, three, four generations of people who have been born since the time when the decision was made to give Hitler power. Do I worry about neo-Nazis and skinheads? A little. I've read reports of them. But there's a sizable population of them living in Idaho, and white-supremacist conventions have taken place in the suburbs of my city, so there's not much more risk in Germany than here at home, from my perspective. The world will always have its fringe populations of haters.

That said, I've been doing some research on Germany. The first comment I got on going to live there, from my friend Naomi, was this: "If you can stand eating sausages all the time, then go for it!" Now, I love a good sausage, but I could not live off of them 24/7. I need vegetables and curry (curry is a staple of my diet--Indian, Thai, Japanese, I'm crazy for it). But after googling food in Germany, I have managed to find out that there is hope. Germany appears to have not only other types of European cuisine, but Thai and Middle Eastern as well! Of course, the first thing I worry about is whether or not the food will be good...typical.

Anyway, end of long post. Off to do other things, like developing the beautiful film I finished shooting yesterday. More about Germany, food, and possibly snow later.