At the Bauhaus Archive, in Berlin

Our pilgrimage trip to the Bauhaus Archiv was definitely - well - amazing.  I was so giddy with delight that I kept taking pictures of everything, even the floor.  I'd have even more pictures of the amazing artwork, but I was told off by one of the guards.  

And, on a side note, if you ever have the chance to visit it, go hungry.  The cafe connected to the gift shop was fantastic.  We hadn't had breakfast yet, so we ordered the medium sized breakfast option, complete with a variety of cheeses, preserves, breads, eggs, pastries, caffe lattes, and orange juice.  The most serendipitous part of it all was that it also ended up being the cheapest of all of our meals in Berlin.  Here's to good art and good food!

Amsterdam, Part 2

We had heard that Amsterdam was small, but my friends and I found ourselves more than pleasantly surprised with the number of darling cafes, restaurants, and boutiques, especially in the Jordaan area.  I would highly recommend making time to wander around in that area, should you ever have the opportunity.  (It's also where the Anne Frank House is situated, so that's an additional attraction.)

More Cheese Please, in Amsterdam

Going to Starbucks in Istanbul

The selection at this Starbucks in Istanbul made me a little sad that the Starbucks at home don't even have my favorite morning buns anymore - at least, the Starbucks I frequented.  Those were one of the few things I would break my gluten free diet for - that is, while I was actually being good about not eating gluten.  Or dairy.  Or corn.

As you might have suspected with all the posts concerning waffles, I am no longer adhering to any of my former dietary restrictions.  (I realize that this would have been much easier on all of my friends in Columbus had I stopped sooner, but know that I enjoyed every bite of that giant Gluten free chocolate cupcake Ellen found for me.)  I figured that continuing my cleanse might make this trip a bit - well, impossible?

Here's to...enjoying food again?  Afiyet olsun!

I Love Cilantro, Unapologetically

lion heart vintage/Flickr.com

I read this article on my NPR app a couple of days ago, and was so amused that I thought I would share it with you.  I have always loved cilantro - thought everyone loved cilantro - until I went to college in Rhode Island.  I discovered there* that such haters actually exist!   

Maybe it was all of the Tex Mex I ate growing up?  Or is it really in the genes, as the NPR article claims?  What do you think?

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*Thanks to someone who ended up becoming a dear friend, despite her dislike for something so essential to my favorite dishes, haha...  (Maybe this is a little pathetic, but I can easily tell you that the easiest way to become fast friends with me - apart from loving Jane Austen, Downton Abbey, and old movies - is by being compatible with me, food-wise.)

Food! Part 5

Asma Yaprağı, Alaçatı.

We went here for dinner on our last night.  Hands down, best food in Alaçatı.  It's traditional Turkish food, but oh-so-mouth-watering-good...

(You'll have to excuse my blur-fest of pictures.  As I've said before, it might be worth my bringing a real, non-iPhone camera along with me now and then..)

Food! Part 4

[At dinner one night in Alaçatı.]

Me: I don't know whyyy, but I've been craving octopus all day.

Mom: Hmm.

Me: Oooh!  They have some on the menu.  Shall we order the one with tomatoes, peppers, and cumin, the one grilled, or the salad?

Dad: The one with cumin.  Sounds interesting.

[It's brought out.  The above photo is taken.]

Mom: Hmm.

Dad: Well!

Kaylin: [Silence.]

Me: Ok, Dad, you go first.

Dad: Ok.  [Chews.]  Tastes good.

Me:  Ok.  Tastes like chicken, sort of.  But - good!  Mom?  Aren't you going to have any?

Mom: Hmm.

Me: Mom?

Mom: Hmm. 

Me: Mom...come on.  I tried the liver you ordered the other night, even though you knew I think it always smells (and therefore tastes) like dog food.  Come on.  Just try it.

Kaylin: [Still silent.  She had already declared that she wasn't in the mood for seafood.]

Mom: Hmm.  Well.  But...but - it's just...so...big!  I've had octopus, but not like that.  Hmm...hmm.  Ok.  Well...ok.  [She takes the smallest bite possible, wincing as she chews.]  Hmm.  [Cough]  Hmm.  [Cough.]  Ok.  That's enough.  [Cough.]  You can have this bit back.

Me: Haha..ok.  No, that's fine.  You can keep it.

What a Difference a Flight Makes

Ahhh!  What a difference a short flight can make.  While it's definitely beautiful here, it's in a different way: the air is crisp with the feel of fall in the air, the entire mood of the city changes constantly throughout the day as the sun goes back and forth behind the clouds, occasional church bells have replaced the frequent calls to prayer, the sounds of French mixed with English and (occasionally) Flemish fill the streets, and I have to constantly remind myself to reply to people in French instead of Turkish.*

I hope that all of my American friends are enjoying their pumpkin spice lattes, by the way - I didn't have a chance to get one before I left.  My consolation is that I'll be thinking of you while I'm eating my (real) Belgian waffles.

*Not that I really have any right to infer that I'm very conversant in either language, but there was a Groupon for Rosetta Stone a couple of days ago, so I ordered all four levels of the French version.  There are also enough French speakers here on the DTS with me that I'll hopefully(!) have a chance to make up for the last eight years I've spent mostly forgetting the small amount I learned in high school.

Food! Part 3

Even though I'm in Brussels now, I will still continue to post about my trip in Turkey, since we ate saw so much!  This lovely photo was taken in Izmir.

Care to guess what this is?  

Hmm...don't want to?   I'll tell you: it's stuffed intestines.  I'm not kidding!  Don't worry, it's not stuffed with what might have been left in there when the animal died, haha..  I think it was mostly ground lamb, rice, and veggies.  We all rather enjoyed the taste; it was just a little difficult to get past the fact of it - does that make sense?

Food! Part 2

This market in Alaçatı gives Whole Foods a run for its money.

Food! Part 1 of...well, we'll see.

After trying to avoid it, I decided that several posts dedicated to different foods we've had while here in Turkey were absolutely necessary.  And - why not?  You all know I'm admittedly a food snob enthusiast.  I think that the foods you eat in a place are as much a part of the experience at sight-seeing or shopping.  (Half of my sight-seeing really is just my looking for a nice little cafe...)

This is a little corner cafe my Dad and I found in Alaçatı on the outskirts of town one day.  I of course had spent the last half hour* searching for just-the-right-place (it was our next to last day there, and I was trying to make the most of it), only to reach the edge of town with the bazaar in front of us.**  It was hot, I felt dehydrated, I was tired, my feet hurt, I was being melodramatic, I was even starting to whimper a bit (pathetic, I know).  Luckily, my dad we were fortunate enough to find this place.

What we ate is called gözleme.  It's kind of like a Turkish take on quesadillas, and can be filled with various things.  Ours had beyaz peynir (literally, white cheese - but also known as feta) with green onions and parsley.  I personally prefer when they are filled with spinach, but it hit the spot, nonetheless, and we were able to continue back to the B&B through the bazaar afterwards.

*After dragging my Dad from boutique to boutique, looking at linens (and what-not) for however long...

**We both had already walked through it the bazaar on our way into town, and neither of us thought we could handle the crowds without refreshments of some sort.

Never Apologize! Never Explain!

I'm currently sitting in one of my favorite cafés here in Columbus, sipping a chai and hand-tacking some ties that I brought with me.  Some women a couple of tables away from me are discussing how they are here to toast Julia Child and that they do it every year on her birthday.  Apparently, today would have been her 100th birthday.  I found a nice article that was in the Times in '04, should you be interested.

Like most people my age, I fell in love with her on account of Julie & Julia.  I loved the book, and even though the movie wasn't as wickedly funny, who doesn't love Meryl Streep?

Bon appetit!