At first I thought it was just one badly-branded jar of peanut butter. It was rife with US stereotypes. The Statue of Liberty, an anthropomorphized peanut wearing a cowboy hat, and a color scheme reminiscent of the American flag covered all but a few inches of space. Most damningly, the brand name was “McEnnedy.” I thought it was such a bizarre mash-up of American-sounding name conventions. It reminded me of “Häagen Dazs,” the ice cream brand whose nonsense name is meant to sound Danish, but is a decidedly American invention. Of course, E and I bought a jar of McEnnedy brand peanut butter and ate it all. It tasted… fine.…
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The Egg Cups of Berlin
I have eaten exactly 1/4 of a hard-boiled egg in my life, and it was in a salad on the plane on the way to Berlin. It was … fine. At the time, I didn’t realize how appropriate this experience was. Eggs that have been boiled are quite popular in Germany. At least, they are judging by the popularity of cups to hold them in. How popular are egg cups, you ask? Well, the cupboard in the furnished apartment we’re renting contains (among other things) three coffee cups… and four egg cups. Egg cups, as far as my research has taught me, are best for soft-boiled eggs, which I’ve never eaten. I’ve only…
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Churros con Chocolate
One thing that is better in Europe than in the United States is hot chocolate. Hands. Down. This is not to say you can’t find delicious hot chocolate in the U.S., but the standard hot chocolate in this country is a far cry from the standard hot chocolate in countries like Spain and France. I particularly love ordering hot chocolate in Spain when it comes with a healthy serving of churros (fried dough) for dipping. And by “healthy” I mean “large,” just to clarify. Hot chocolate in Spain is mostly melted dark chocolate with a little milk and sugar mixed into it. Sometimes it’s so thick you need to drink…
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India, Incoherently
I’ve been thinking about India lately. Disparate thoughts. Not terribly coherent. It’s hard to be coherent about a subcontinent; I worry about simplifying or fetishizing. My partner, E, and I moved last month, and since then I’ve eaten dinner at Momo N Curry, a Nepali and Indian restaurant a few blocks away, about once a week. I ate momos (Nepali steamed dumplings) for the first time in McLeod Ganj, a community in the foothills of the Himalayas, and I’m always excited to see them on menus in the US. But what really sold me on this restaurant was the carafe of free chai by the front door because it tastes…
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Underwhelmed by Indian Food
I love to eat. I have a board on pinterest called “The Opposite of a Picky Eater,” because that’s what I am. I will try everything once (or twice) and there is almost nothing I dislike because most everything is agreeable to me. My categories are more or less: 1. this is delicious or 2. this is not delicious, but I will still eat it. Of course, that’s one of the reasons I don’t blog about food very much: I don’t have the most discerning palate. I still manage to be something of a foodie though, because I’m always on the look-out for food experiences that fall into the delicious category.…
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Travel Linkspiration: May 2013
During May, I roadtripped through the Southeastern United States, spent a weekend in rural Maine, and visited Canada for the second time in my life. I took a photo of this Moose Mountie in Toronto’s CN Tower. He looks like a fun guy, no? In case you missed it, here’s what else happened around the internet in May: Ever in Transit ponders how travelers hope to make deep connections with places and people, but admits this isn’t always possible. Remember what I learned in Amsterdam? Well, Ali’s Adventures learned a similar lesson and explains how she’s ignoring what she should do while traveling in favor of what she wants to…
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The Hana Highway and Hana Town: A Pseudo-Local Perspective
I lived in Hana, Hawai’i for two months while working on an organic farm, and, as such, I have some insights into what life is like there. I want to share my pseudo-local perspective with anyone considering a visit or a more extended stay like mine. These are the insider tips you learn from living in a place, and knowing people who have lived there longer, but they are not the lifetime of understanding that comes from being born and raised in a place. Hence “pseudo-local.” I’ve mentioned the Hana Highway twice before (here and here), but I’m dedicating a post to it now because it’s one of the main…
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8 Reasons Why Krakow Should Be on Your European Itinerary
I loved the time I spent in Krakow and, in my previous post on this city, I mentioned that I think it has something to offer most travelers. Here are eight reasons your next European vacation should take you to Poland’s cultural capital. 1. The Price is Right Poland is not an expensive country. Currently, 1 Polish Zloty is equal to 0.32 United States Dollars, so if you’re from the US, the UK, or the Eurozone, your money can go far. You can easily eat dinner for under $10, and a six bed dorm room directly off the main square (conveniently named Main Market Square) will only set you back…
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A Perfect Sunday in Copenhagen
A recipe for a truly lovely Sunday in Copenhagen: Assuming it is sunny, begin your day at Rundetaarn — the Round Tower. This is a tourist attraction in Copenhagen’s Latin Quarter that offers spectacular views out over the city; plus it’s an interesting building in and of its own right. Rundetaarn was built between 1637 and 1642 and is 114 feet tall (34.8 meters). In order to climb to the top, you won’t take the stairs; instead, you will follow the tower’s unique spiral walkway. The tower was built to serve three functions for the scholars of the era: it housed a student’s church, a university library, and an astronomical…
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Happy Thanksgiving from Croatia
There was no turkey to be had in Dubrovnik, and my friend Katie is a vegetarian anyway, so we celebrated the day with a multi-course meal at a Bosnian restaurant. My meal came with a baked potato! I told Katie I was hoping to find apple pie somewhere in the city, but when I saw a dessert on the menu called Tufahije, and the description was “baked apples with walnut and chocolate filling, whipped cream,” well, I was sold. Please note the walnut brittle tucked into the whipped cream. We wrapped up our meal with tea, which came with complimentary Turkish Delight. All in all, I thought it was a…
