Healthy Food

This topic has bothered me for quite a while.  I have always been a proponent of moderation in pretty much anything, including shopping for food.  I am lucky I live in a country where even the Aldi offers Bio products and local fresh produce. But here is my issue,  I do not like to buy the same products in the same shops over and over again.  That is, sometimes I buy Bio sometimes not.  Sometimes I shop in other stores and the same thing goes in those other shops.  I know the kinds of fruits that are standard in my house, apples, bananas, oranges... the rest are seasonal when possible.  We especially enjoy strawberry season here in Germany.  I like to buy a variety of food.  To give an example my family eats meat, but not only chicken, beef and pork.  We also eat turkey, goose, quail, two varieties of deer, ostrich, rabbit, guinea fowl and boar.  Some of these are seasonal but that is even better.

My point is that most of us are educated enough to know that mass produced steaks come from animals floating in antibiotics, suspicious feed and horrible living conditions.  If I eat meat from only one source then I concentrate the dangers inherent in that source.  Hence our consumption of Guinea fowl, as it resists rearing in the usual chicken pens.  Moreover, it actually tastes like the chickens of my childhood.  It is also disconcerting to roast a supermarket chicken only to find it floating in about a two centimeters of water.  It turns out that the company that sells them pumps them full of water to even out the weight.  Go to your market and check it out.  If all the young chickens weigh the same then they are injected with water.  I do not buy that brand at that supermarket anymore. I would rather pay a little more for 100% chicken then a little less but it is up to 10% water.

Here is where it gets tricky.  I have been informed me over several conversations that Bio food is labeled by a reliable agency as "Bio" and so it is trust worthy and my precautions are unnecessary if I buy Bio with that label... I disagreed.  Labels mean nothing because I come from South America so the local food tastes excellent but corruption can also taint a food source with cheaper feed, added sugar or chemicals to mature the fruit artificially.  But here is Europe, I was assured it is not possible... then we had this horse meat in the minced meat supply.  Well, it was for cheap ready made foods... right?  then it turned up in the minced meat.  Then it turns out that some of the Bio eggs sold in parts of Germany had not been Bio at all.  Oh and milk cattle, it seems, were given moldy feed, so the milk supply might be tainted.  These are the recent news in this part of Europe.  There is also the ongoing issues of chemicals leaked from plastics in our packaged food, hormones in the water supply, insecticides on our fresh produce and fertilizers polluting the water ways, oceans and water cisterns.  My point is that no one has said how long these issues have existed.  Moreover, how many violators do not get caught?  Many chemicals have not been properly tested for certain domestic uses.  Some government labels inform us that below certain concentrations X chemical is safe... What about when it is combined with all the other chemicals in the food supply?  I have looked for such tests but some are still ongoing and the rest are few and far between.  So I do not trust labels.  Yes, I am feeling smug.

I do spread the risk as a matter of habit but also so that my children taste all kinds of food and learn to discern.  I did the taste test with the Guinea fowl.  I prepared it exactly like my usual roast chicken... you know, standard Sunday night roast.  I received so many compliments from my troops.  It was interesting to then show my husband what we ate.  He was happy and I don't get comments about shopping for proper tasting chicken anymore.  One more fun example... We were in London for a Spring break a year or two ago and while doing the rounds at Selfridges (as one does) I decided on a whim to bring home some bacon from the butcher there.  I did not buy the most expensive one, by the way.  The reaction back at the flat was amazing though, my kids still talk about it and we will have to do it again when we go back.  I must say that the British know how to do bacon.  My children had only eaten the supermarket pre sliced stuff, so this was an eye opener.  Oh yumm.  So, the moral of today is, spread you food sources, buy local and try something new... 

Shopping for Real Perfumes While They Exist

 I want the Nanny, I mean the EU to allow me to take some personal responsibility.  I refer you to Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/.  This article basically reports that the EU is about to ban a great many natural ingredients in high-end perfumes.  Of course, in the name of consumer protection.  Apparently, 1-3% of the population reacts to certain natural compounds.  So the solution is to ban them or to limit the amounts allowed to such an extent as to make no difference.  The vast EU bureaucracy has over the past twenty years managed to do this to many different, and especially old or artisanal traditions.  Smoked fish or ham is not what our parents ate for example. I am allergic to rucola, walnuts and pine nuts. When I go to an Italian restaurant I inform them of my allergies.  No one gets upset or ill.  None of these natural products are banned by the EU, though if I may take the liberty, I bet 1-3% of the population also have similar allergies.  Perhaps they are not banned because they do not yet have artificial replacements.  Then again, I am especially allergic to artificial flavorings.

When I started shopping for my own perfumes in university, I found myself frustrated by how short they seemed to last on my skin or how they smelled after two hours compared to my mother's perfumes.  These were normal shopping center perfumes... so synthetic they may as well have a different name.  They evaporated fast and I mean fast.  They were designed to force me to shop again and again.  I did not get value for money.  Moreover, their price meant that I would walk into a gathering and every other woman in the room smelled just like me, however briefly.  To make the smell last I was encouraged to also buy the deodorant and body lotion and use them all in one go.  I am not sure how so many synthetic chemicals on my skin are better for my health than natural compounds tested for centuries.  A pleasant smell in these products are almost an accident; pharmaceutical and chemical companies have to shift their million dollar (researched, invented) products.  

I have a sensitive nose.  Smells affect me emotionally and they affect my memory very strongly.  I can sit in the tube and name perfumes as they go past me, to the amazement of Beloved Proof Reader, even if I have never worn that perfume.  Perfumes are an important part of my personal history and my every day life.  They add richness, depth and a sense of attachment to the past.  Chanel No 5, Safari, Issey Miyaki, Poison, One, several by Guerlain, Bond No 9, Tresor, Flower Bomb, I can go on... all mean something personal to me.  Some of these have more synthetic materials than others.  I do not know in what proportions but I can tell you that the older ones do not smell today like they did when I was young.  Regulations have done this as well as scarcity of ingredients.  

I always try perfumes on my skin.  This is part common sense and part self preservation.  Roma, for instance, gave me headaches.  One of the Guerlains but not all, give me rashes.  But I also get rashes from many skin lotions that often have so few natural ingredients they may have fallen in by accident like the bug parts allowed in our sausages. It is in the interest of high-end perfume makers NOT to kill you with carcinogens or to give you rashes because you won't wear it again.  I often go to Parfümerie Schnitzler im Breidenbacher Hof, Königsallee 11, 40212 Düsseldorf (http://www.parfuemerie-schnitzler.de/).  The lovely ladies here go out of their way to make certain I am satisfied with my perfume or anything else that goes on my skin.  They will, without exception, encourage me to sample the perfume on my skin for safety and to see if I still like it once the perfume has reacted with my own natural chemistry.  They will, when possible, give me samples to take home.  Rashes, headaches or other side effects usually turn up by then.  I can even return the lotion or perfume if I react later on.  Let me point out that I have been encouraged to sample in every shop I have ever visited, but it is the high end perfumeries that are especially generous with their time and products.  

Now lets talk about my nose and high-end perfumes.  There is no comparison to lower end perfumes.  Their smells are subtle and difficult to define, they change and bloom on my skin.  They are unique per user because the noses that design them want their perfumes to make you smell like a more wonderful version of yourself and not impose [Insert Starlet Name Here] on you.  So far, this is only possible with natural ingredients and in certain concentrations.  I buy an expensive perfume perhaps once a year.  Because their natural compounds  last on my skin I do not need to bathe myself in them.  I am often complemented on my perfume and people remember me because of it.  I am unique in the memory of people.  This is true value for money.  When I buy perfumes I tell the lady or gentleman what my experiences have been, with Roma, for example, and I rarely have reactions.  High-end perfumes with their high concentration of natural ingredients are wonderful on the skin, on the nose and in the company of my friends and acquaintances.  Synthetics are inadequate replacements and prone to (oops) create health problems in time.  Funny how the companies that produce them are not as likely to point out these issues as quickly as they will point out issues with natural ingredients...And funny how the EU decides to protect 1-3% of the population by asking 100% of the population to go synthetic.

Bistro Zicke in Düsseldorf

Sometimes I read books that include a local cafe or restaurant as character.  It is usually the cheap, art student hang out... you know a few blocks from the "adult entertainment" and a few blocks from their lodgings.  These kinds of places still exist to one degree or another.  These days people are not allowed to smoke inside (for which I am grateful), and the prostitutes have moved to other parts of town.  The atmosphere though is very similar and intimate.  One of these cafes or in this case, bistro, is the Bistro Zicke.  It has been around for at least 40 years if not longer and still today serves students, artists and dancers who live in the center of town.

I have been there before and always bump into the strangest combination of people.  There are art professors, pediatricians, retired dancers, students and desperate housewives.  The walls are plastered with posters of long past art exhibitions; everything is yellowed by the thick smoke that used to be the norm inside.  There are also some sketches and drawings directly on the walls.  The atmosphere is relaxed and unhurried.  What is especially nice is that I can still get a fantastic breakfast or lunch.  The breakfast for two includes fresh fruit, yoghurt  all kinds of breads (which Germans do so well), croissant, boiled eggs, fresh confitures, cheeses, and cold cuts.  We also enjoyed fresh orange juice and tea (for me), coffee for my companion.  The portions are generous and everything is fresh.  All in all the prices are also quite good.

It used to be like this in many cafes, say some ten years ago but today the portions are smaller and everything is sponsored.  One of my old haunts switched to a certain brand of tea which it advertises on the table; another place used to have excellent cheeses now it has these small same tasting packaged cheeses with a well known name on them.  If this is what I want to eat on a rare free morning then I can buy the same stuff at my local and pay a third of the price.  Zicke though still manages to hold on to quality and ambiance.  I like to walk there and I like to relax there.

Bistro Zicke | Bäckerstr. 5a (Conrner of Citadellstrasse / Berger Allee) | 40213 Düsseldorf | +49 211 327800
www.bistro-zicke.de

Coffee and cakes at Pâtisserie Passion

A few days ago I had coffee at this lovely cafe.  Originally, I was carried there by a friend on a fact finding mission.  She needs dessert for a large party.  Just as we arrive her phone rings and she digs in for a conversation.  Well, after staring at chocolates and tarts and cakes for a few minutes my will caves in and I sit at a table.  In a fit of deviousness, I order two coffees in the hope that she will have no choice but to sit and enjoy a cake with me.  In spite of my obvious chocoholic tendencies I have not been idle.  I spoke to the lovely waitress and informed her of our mission.

At last my friend came to the table, apologized with the only apology that is acceptable when it comes to being ignored for a phone "It was my husband".  As an aside, I have often noticed that when my lady friends call their husbands the calls are invariably short and to the point... he has no time to speak to her.  On the other hand, if he should call he expects her to be available to listen and take notes as he often calls because he needs something. These men assume that the wife is sitting by the phone waiting to be of service.  They are generally nice men, but the sense of entitlement to their wive's time sometimes irks me.  Anyway, we sat to enjoy ourselves.

It was a pleasant surprise when not one but both owners asked to sit with us and answer our questions.  As far as service goes, I was impressed.  These young ladies knew their own business and cakes well.  They were informative and friendly.  The cakes and coffees we tasted were delicious.  They cater but can also hold parties on their premises.  In short, I plan to go back, maybe for their breakfast  On the menu it looked good.

Pâtisserie Passion |
Kaiserstraße 34a, 40479 Düsseldorf | +49 211 178 35563 |  www.patisseriepassion.de

Welcomed at Cafe Muggel

The Cafe Muggel in Oberkassel, Duesseldorf is one of the first places I got to know well when I came to Germany.  I did not feel welcome with a baby in other cafes or restaurants.  My habit was to give my baby her lunch and then let her take her nap while out for a walk.  Once she was asleep the idea was that I could have a cup of tea and relax if only for a few minutes.  Waiters and managers as well as patrons often associate a baby with noise and smell, instead of associating the mother of the baby with a desperate need of TLC (tender, loving care).

The staff at the Muggel have, through the years, consistently been kind, attentive and patient.  All kinds of people come here at all hours with and without children to relax.  It is fantastic that they open at 8:30 instead of 10:00 because sometimes an hour or two in the morning before everything else like banks or shops open is all I have to sit with a coffee.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served and there is a bar.  I personally like breakfast and lunch best but I've enjoyed myself at midnight as well (without a baby).  Another fun bit is that they have a small movie theater downstairs called the 'Souterrain'.  They present independent or small films from all over the planet.  Look for the 'OmU' if you wish to see it in original version.

Cafe Muggel | Dominikanerstr. 4 | 40545 Düsseldorf | +49 211 554182

No More Dubbing Please

I take my daughter to watch "Brave" today at Cinestar, Dusseldorf.  Like many foreigners who try to go the movies here, I was surprised to discover that all films are dubbed in Germany.  Sometimes Swiss or Austrian films are dubbed into german German.  Cinestar is the only movie theater  that regularly has a few movies playing in what is called OV or OmU which is German for original version.  Alas, "Brave" is called "Merida" and will not be in English.  Children's movies in OV are even rarer than adult movies in OV.  To the theater's credit, this Summer they played "Ice Age 4" in English and 3D along with the dubbed versions.

Smaller theaters in Dusseldorf will have films in OmU but this is hit or miss.  I just never know which film will be shown, if at all in OV.  Sometimes I get excited if I see the OmU sign first and then find out the original language is Norwegian, though my Norwegian acquaintances rejoice.  Theaters such as the Bambi in Klosterstrasse, the Metropol in Brunnerstrasse or Souterrain in the Cafe Muggel at the Dominikanerstrasse will have foreign film in their original languages though they may not always be English.

Cinestar has been kind enough to answer my questions and complaints over the years but have changed nothing.  I was informed that the individual theater has no control over which reel they receive in OmU and which reel not.  I was extremely disappointed to miss "Captain America" as it was only shown in German.  I pointed out the the manager that to watch Captain American dispatching Nazis while speaking German was weird at best and laughable at worst, given that the hero is already wearing tights.  I got shrugs and sorries.

Some enthusiastic Germans have informed me that I live in Germany and that Germany is a German speaking country, therefore they wish to see their films in German.  I responded that if that is the case then why are they watching American movies like "Captain America" at all instead of watching German films, after all, we are in fact, yes, in Germany.

45 minutes away is The Netherlands.  The charming people there have the wonderful habit of subtitling everything, even tv shows, which means that "House" got to keep his sense of humor, such as it was.  Subtitling has the added advantage of letting us interpret the translation on a deeper level.  By this I mean that we can still hear the original actors and presumably the intentions of the director in choosing these actors.  "Como Agua para Chocolate" or "Life of Brian" are almost unrecognizable dubbed.

Then we come to the hateful habit of using the same voice actor for the foreign actor over and over.  I don't know if anyone else has noticed but actors like Meryl Streep, Robert de Niro or even Liv Tyler will modulate their voice, change tone, pitch and even accent for different roles.  This is something that is often beyond the talents of these voice actors who often seem to play Meryl Streep playing Julia Childs as opposed to the concept of Meryl Streep disappearing and Julia Childs appearing.  In short, German dubbing leaves me with the feeling that I am watching the same movie over and over again because the voices are always the same.  

Introducing, A foreign foreigner

Introduction

There are many books and blogs about being a stranger in a strange land. So why another one? Because I like reading and writing and as a foreign foreigner I hope my points of view are perhaps a little less biased. You see, I have no "home" to compare "here" to. I did not live in my native country long enough to form an attachment. In fact, I have not lived anywhere long enough to form any attachments.  For people with strong roots this can be confusing; "You must belong somewhere!"

This blog is about being a stranger who is most comfortable being a stranger.  Everyone who hears me speak asks where I am from.  Good question, do you mean where did I live last or what does it say on the passport.  Funny enough when I go back to my native country people ask me where I am from...

So whatever I experience has no home to compare it to, only my previous experiences without nostalgia or home sickness.  This is not a disadvantage.  I do know where my favorite pie is, a diner in New York; my favorite Mexican food is chiles rellenos cooked by Lucrecia in Mexico City; my favorite ale is Doombar at any good pub in London; my favorite book shop is Hatchard's on Picadilly; my favorite vacation is almost anywhere new.  So where do I belong?  .... with my family who are also foreigners in foreign lands.