! Shout Out !

Yo yo yo yo! This is a shout out!!!


To: my Mom, brother, Grandpa, Auntie, cousins and family for being wonderful people who continuously give me love and make me feel super special in this world.


To my friends. I am blessed to have such extraordinary people in my life. You know who you are. 


To: 101 Cookbooks (more importantly Amanda Bradley) for introducing me to the Okonomiyaki, or the deeeeelicious Japanese Pizza which I like to impress people with (http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/japanese-pizza-recipe.html). This website is loaded with other tasty and healthy recipes (SF, represent!)


To: Martina, my host sister, for exposing me to all sorts of fun and interesting German traditions, like last nights's Kohl and Pinkelfarht tour!! An unforgettable route, meal, and dancing to a combination of German pop and American randoms (incl. Bryan Adams).

Clockwise: grönkohl (green cabbage), kartoffeln (potato), schwinefleish (pork slab?), bratwurst, pinkel (wheat mixed with bacon, groats of oats or barley, beef suet, pig lard, onions, salt, pepper and other spices. Think German haggis). 

The exact composition of the pinkel recipe is guarded as a trade secret by the different butchers and therefore varies from village to village.

Mmmm...

A Tribute to Produce Produced Around the World

H 

is for the Heirloom Tomato 

I bought in Oakland, CA.

P 

is for the most Perfect Pickle, 

or the Jewish half-sour pickle. It is perfect because it captures the most delicious stage of the cucumber-to-pickle maturation process. 

Although technically not a vegetable any more, these were enjoyed at the world-famous Katz Deli in the Lower East Side of New York City.

B

is for this Beautiful Broccoli

my Aunt Pam grew in her garden in Grass Valley, CA.

A

is for that Absurdly phallic Avocado 

we found in Montezuma, Costa Rica. 

Compliments to master preparer, Marie-Claude (from Quebec, Canada).

 Y

is for the Yellowtail

Tayana and I saw at the Civic Center farmer's market in San Francisco, CA.

M

is for Bitter Melon 

(or Momordica charantia), the funny-looking wrinkly, groovy and spiky cucumber that Tayana and I also came across. Weird. 

 B 

is for Bells,

 brightly beaming in the beige baskets below (San Francisco, CA). 

P 

is for Paris the Pretentious Pineapple,

 Hawaii's hippest, coolest most "with it" pineapple. 

The pineapple on the right is definitely NOT with it.

C 

is for Crazy-Cool Catalan Cauliflower,

 and a bit of Romanesco, to the left. 

These violet femmes were found in Barcelona, Spain at the incredible La Boqueria on La Rambla.

O

is for Oyster Mushroom.

Fungi amazes me sometimes. These Neptunian delicacies came from the Montclair Farmer's Market (love) in Oakland, CA.

San Francisco and Oakland, here I come (if only for a brief visit)

Danielle Irissa Keiser 

is EXCITED for the following things 
(which do not occur in Germany):

Oysters.

Seeing my incredible, beautiful and love-saturated friends.

Lake Merrit (never thought I'd say that.)

California wine.

The Shears, the Bursells and the Kramers.

The Golden Gate Bridge. 

The rolling fog. 

Cecelia Bedelia the she-wolf princess superhuman.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

Legit, fresh and delish sushi.

Margaritas and REAL Bloody Marys.

A Massage with Sara. 

I'm such a bad blogger

I've been MIA for over a month - wtf? I am sorry I am such a bad blogger. 

Since turning in my 3 incredibly LONG papers for Jacobs, I've been traveling quite a bit. Alrik, a very good friend of mine, came to visit after never leaving the US. After a few cold days in Bremen, we spent New Years in Berlin, went back to Bremen (where I got the flu) then hung out in Barcelona. After that, I flew home to California where I have been for the past week. 


Some trip highlights: 


Bremen: 

• Martina took us to an adorable and affordable restaurant in the Schlakte called Schröters (this is a picture of the desserts we got: schokolade granache, johannesbeere sorbet and glüwine mousse.) 

• Schüttinger's Happy Hour is still amazing (beers are 2 Euro from 5-7)
• Jacob's University is so pretty when covered in snow

Berlin:

• Weinachtsmarkt was SOOO wonderful! My friend Claudi and her bf Alex were great tour guides. 

• Mexican food in Germany is not so wonderful, although Ta'Cabron tried. 
• Fireworks are legal and crazy and scary and beautiful. 
• Bars were open till 9AM. Shout out to Bar 11 ;)
• Lots of Irish Coffee, lots of dönner
• The Bundestag was heavily patrolled for the fear of a terrorist attack 
• The temp. changed 11 degrees from one day to the next

Barcelona:

• DOES NOT DO BREAKFAST! There are no huevos or breaskfasty-like foods; only crossiants and coffee or teeny little baguettes with chorizo inside of them
• Gaudi was a brilliant, crazy and magical architect. Sagrada Familia and Park Guell were unbelievable sights to behold. 
• Tapas and wine at any time works for me. Especially when the wine is 10 Euro a bottle and shrimp croquettes and padron peppers are on the menu. 

• The light fixtures/signs that line each street are so awesome. They really put a lot of thought and energy (literally) into lighting up the streets in beautiful and decorative ways. 
• Botafumiero is the most expensive restaurant on the planet. Don't go there unless you are a bazillionaire. 
• The market, La Boqueria, was simply marvelous. The way the fish, the figs, the fruits, the candies, were stacked, ready to buy and pretty much eat, was truly spectacular. I love fresh markets. 

Oh, and I'm totally over modern art. Although the Hamburger Bahnhoff in Berlin was interesting and the Miro Museu in Barcelona was unique, I've decided that I'm just not into modern art. I don't get it, and I'm over trying to. 

Given Me Joy - Marc Evans

I've been listening to Air Lounge internet radio and this song came up. Never heard it before, but I looooove it. It's like Luther Vandross meets Gil Scott-Heron meets Daft Punk...
Although they seem religious (and maybe they are to some), I think these lyrics are as romantic and sweet as poetry gets... 

She calls me sunshine

Saying that my face is big and bright as the sun shining through my smile into her heart 

 I’ve been called a lot of things before but never anything remotely close to celestial
See I know for sure she was heaven sent, I trust that she would know a fallen star if anyone would
At a time when I thought no one would see me shine, she removed her shades… revealing eyes more beautiful than exaggerated animation
Eyes that sang to me like Stevie Wonder lyrics being delivered by Donny Hathaway
Piercing my soul and reminding me of how good it feels to be loved unconditionally and then teaching me to love that same way
She calls me sunshine, but she sees in me that of which God has blessed me. The gift of song and lyric and the ability to love and even if I already didn’t love her for who she was, I’d love her for the gift God has given me in herShe calls me sunshine and she sees in my eyes a light, a light of hope, a light of love, a light of joy, a light for which she’s responsible but the truth is, that my eyes just reflect her sunshine.

She’s given me joy.

death by papier

The snow comes and goes. There will be 4 inches one day, and the next day, POOF! it is gone. I am puzzled.

I am thoroughly overwhelmed with my papers. Why I am writing this post is beyond me. I cannot get myself to formulate cohesive or focused thoughts about anything. WHY did I go back to school? Ah yes, to learn HOW to do this...

I am soooo excited for the next few weeks. Christmas, Alrik, Berlin, Barcelona, then home to LA and a visit to the Bay.

Just got to get past these papers, these damn papers....

When it spills, it gushes...

There is a veritable Niagra of blood coursing through my umbilicus

The sounds are a deafining roar inside the meat pump of the body.

- Alex Grey

http://www.futurehi.net/archives/000572.html