Travels with Zen-Aida » Food and drink

Japan: Delicious white strawberries!

zda — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:13:12 +0000

Ever on the lookout for new gourmet taste sensations, I found these white strawberries in Tokyo’s famous wholesale Tsukiji food market. Beautifully packaged, as they should be for the price of 800 Yen for 6 strawberries in early February (that’s about $10 or 8 Euro). Amazingly, they really tasted like strawberries, as did the red ones, of course. Incidentally, the colors red and white symbolize the New Year, and since we have just begun one, it is fitting that there should also be red and white strawberries to celebrate it, no?

Quick internet research has shown that, indeed, white strawberries are new on the market and that there are even some other kind such as “pineberries” which are strawberries but taste of pineapple. “Alpine whites” (Fragaria vesca), which are cousins to the “fraises du bois”, much smaller and more intense in flavor, have been around since the 18^th century.

Japan: Tokyo’s “cat cafes”

zda — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:05:54 +0000

By now it is a known fact that pets can help to combat stress symptoms. So it is a logical conclusion to combine two pleasurable activities in order to achieve a positive result: have a tea or coffee break and pet a cat to feel relaxed. The Japanese solution: visit a “Cat Cafe”.

What can you expect? I visited the “Calico Cat” on the 6^th floor of an unpretentious office building (ater all, there is no need to have a fancy ground floor shop, the cats wouldn’t appreciate it) and was first asked to take off my shoes, put on felt slippers, put my coat and belongings in a locker, wash my hands thoroughly and read the rules of the house: petting and playing with the cats is allowed, picking them up or disturbing their sleep isn’t. That will be 900 Yen = $10 = 9 Euro for the first 60 minutes, please, lint/cat hair remover included. Drinks and a cat food snack (for the cats, not the human) are extra.

Enter the spacious, wall-to-wall carpeted lounge at the risk of being overrun by one of the 49 (!) cats in residence here having one of its silly moments (we cat lovers know about these) and succumb to bliss. Cats being cats, they will mostly ignore you or graciously allow you to pet them. All the cats here are pure bred, very well groomed and kept: Abysinnian, Mau, Siamese, Persian, Russian Blue, Birma, Bengali (this one almost ran me over) and even two of the new, short legged Dachshund-like breed. Non-chalant is the best word for their behavior. They are all used to having guests fawn over them and take all this adoration in their stride - meaning that most of them are sleeping on one of the many pillows, wall perches or in boxes. I approach a magnificent Maine Coon and it briefly allows my stroking its silky fur before it decides to walk away. The Bengali sets his sights on me as the next likely victim to play with and even brings me his favorite toy as an invitation to do so. I am in heaven!

Not all the 49 cats are on duty every day, today it is just 26, and even if they are “working” they always have the opportunity to go into their own off-limits lounge next door. Discretely, there are several litter boxes hidden from sight. Most importantly, there is absolutely no tell tale odor. In fact, several air purifiers/humidifiers are placed in the large room, surely contributing to the level of comfort for humans and cats.

For the hard-working Tokyo resident, living in a small apartment that possibly does not allow pets and away from home most of the day, a cat cafe offers a welcome bit of R & R. A gentleman sitting on the low couch in the corner seems to be a regular visitor as he has three cats around him and has now dozed off himself, lulled by the soft music and the hushed voices of the other customers. Often, there is a waiting line, as there is a limit to the number of guests allowed in at one time. There are about 13 such cafes in Tokyo and all are an oasis of peace and quiet in the turbulent capital. There is even a department store - the Ikebukuro branch of Tokyu Hands - that has a an area - the Neko (cat) bukuro House - with 20 cats running around where visitors can interact with them (1000 Yen for 60 minutes). But then, we cat lovers know that even a brief encounter with our beloved furries is worth waiting for.

Berlin: Pret à Diner temporary restaurant

zda — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:22:25 +0000

Berlin is known for its temporary installations in out of the way places– boutiques, events, galleries, restaurants. When three top chefs combine forces under the catchy name of “Pret à diner” and present exotic sounding menues for just 35 days in the cavernous rooms of the old mint, I listened up. Sure enough, reservations were snapped up quickly. I was lucky to have won a reservation via the off-beat/up-beat news service of Sugarhigh, which often comes up with quirky news and things to do.

The “Alte Muenze” building exists since the 1700s in Berlin’s historic center and has last seen action when the first Euro coins were minted, up to 2005. Tonight, potted candles lit the way down dank stairs into a cold drafty corridor, past heavy, open armored doors (now gallery space for contemporary art) and into the converted bar-room, thankfully warm. A flute of Veuve Clicquot champagne cheered my mood immediately. Hip and hot Chef Bernhard Munding was presiding tonight. “Peanut drama in a rice paper roll” was a disappointing wrap – because no sauce – of fresh veggies and only drops of green curry and a shaving of pomelo. “Tofu scents betrayal behind a Shimeji’s ear” turned out to be a delicious miso-based soup with shimeji mushroom, coconut and Asian chickpea. For the main course I chose “The ox discovers a potato’s past” : two slices of tender ox shoulder, smoked potato mash (without any smokey-flavor) and sauteed radicchio. My vegetarian friend opted for the “root vegetables meditating in lemon”, which turned out to be just that. “The tangerine stays in the nutty jungle on a milky boat”, featuring panda nut ice cream (salty/murky taste and, incidentally, not a nut at all but the fruit of the Pandanus tree), tangerine compote and a very smooth panna cotta (better description than the menue’s ‘fried milk skin’), rounded out my menu.

Would I come back? Not necessarily for the food, maybe for the atmosphere. Fancy names cannot cover up a lack of substance.

Madrid: Tapa stop at Mercado San Miguel

zda — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:40:06 +0000

Sightseeing makes hungry, as we all know. And what nicer way to have a snack than to go to a market, especially a newly restored Beaux-Art period one right in the center of Madrid, off the Plaza Mayor.

Built in 1916 and recently restored by private investors, the Mercado San Miguel now offers delicacies in its 33 interior stands. From giant prawns and all types of fresh sardines and oysters to jamón iberico in its many variations. Wash it down with a pint of beer, or better yet, an Andalucian Manzanilla. And move on to the high-towering meringues and sweet pestañas to go along with your espresso cortado. The home-made bright colored macaroons make a good gift for a wheat-allergic friend as they only contain almond flour, egg white and sugar. Of course, you can also do your daily shopping here, and the produce does look very fresh, but you will end up paying a premium for getting it at this location.

And when the sun sets - the Mercado is a favorite meeting place for Madrid's beautiful people, so there is every reason to visit this very picturesque glass, steel and wood structure and rub elbows with the wine and tapas crowd.

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Japan: Kyoto fleamarket around a temple

zda — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:35:45 +0000

Voices hushed, feet in socks shuffling softly on tatami mats, sandalwood smoke from incense sticks, heads bowed in ancestral prayer ... not so at the Kyoto temple fleamarket: a cacophony of voices, from shrill to shriller, boom to bass, everyone trying to overtrump the other and all with the same message: “buy me”.

Hundreds of dealers have set up their temporary stalls around the temple, sell everything from silk kimonos, plump and juicy orange sharon fruit, antique porcelain, wire-holders for bananas and other kitchen gadgets, mounds of exotic smelling dried fish, seaweed ribbons by the yard. And in their midst, a calligrapher calmly sweeps his brush with swathes of black ink over absorbent rice paper.

Australia: Delights of “the Hunter”

zda — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:16:32 +0000

The northern Hemisphere is getting ready for the golden colors of Autumn, but in Australia, Spring is being welcomed with open arms. So, too, at the Hunter Valley Gardens. This 25 ha. (60 acre) privately owned, themed garden was created from scratch in 1998 and opened to the public in 2003. By far the most fun (and delightfully kitsch!) is the “Storybook Garden”, with lifesize plaster figures making nursery rhymes come alive.

You can stroke Mary’s little lamb, hug Humpty Dumpty, roll down the hill with Jack and Jill, have tea with Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. If you think this is just for children, think again. No matter how old you are, it will bring out the child in you!

On the more serious side, there are ten gardens that show horticultural traditions in various countries or periods in history: the Chinese Garden, the Italian Grotto, the Formal Garden, the Rose Garden, etc. Sixteen full-time horticulturalists (and no volunteers!) care for “eight kilometres of walking paths, more than six thousand trees, one million ground covers and six hundred thousand shrubs. A floral display featuring a variety of plants and statuary, all of a standard that you won't see elsewhere in Australia,” according to the official website. And it is true – I spent a most enjoyable day there, enjoying the various scarecrow figures that had been created by schoolchildren from the valley, walking around the lakes and enjoying a good lunch at the restaurant. This was the time of the Spring Flower Festival and thousands of annuals were in full bloom.

Bill Roche and his wife Imelda have created a stunning attraction, rightly called "the jewel of the Hunter" – and all this after retirement (well, yes, and the necessary small change to be able to undertake this venture in a most professional manner).

But this is not the end of my visit to “The Hunter” as the valley is locally referred to. In fact, most people come to this part of the world for a completely different reason: vineyards and winetastings. Even I, a non-drinker, tasted a most subtle “Sweet Shiraz” – almost a port – at Golden Grape Estate, that I would definitely want to have in my cellar. And as we all know, where there is good wine, good food follows, or maybe it is the other way around. At any rate, you can easily spend a week here and not be bored, visiting the vineyards, tasting the local specialties – olives, olive oil, cheese and all the good things that go with it...

Valdivia: town of rivers, beer and chocolates

zda — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:50:38 +0000

What a beautiful place this city must be during the summer months! Surrounded by three rivers and countless inlets, coves and baylets, it reminded me of the Puget Sound region around Seattle, only on a slightly smaller scale. Now, during the winter, we were lucky to get a couple of hours of sunshine (more...)

But no matter, enough to get a general impression of a city that has been built and rebuilt three times: founded initially in 1552, then again in 1645, and rebuilt again after the horrific earthquake of May 22, 1960 with a Richter scale peak of 9.5, the tsunami effects of which were felt as far away as Japan and Hawaii. In the mid 1800s, the Chilean government actively sought immigrants, mainly from Germany, in order to colonize the area. Come they did, bringing their work ethic, culture and beer: Kunstmann Cerveza (Beer) is one of the most popular brands in Chile and they have their own Beerfest at the end of January; as is Entre Lagos chocolates and marzipan with an enormous - and, of course, delicious - selection of types of chocolates, marmelades, cakes and very creative forms of marzipan fruits and figures. The Anwandter and the Frick families established schools and museums, which still exist and flourish today. Now boasting a population of about 156.000 inhabitants, it is also the home of the most important university in the south of Chile.

Of course, fan of open markets that I am, I visited the fish market right next to the river and was rewarded by seeing the main attraction of Valdivia - sea lions. I saw six, with one of them posing beautifully for a photo. Most likely because of the fish market and other food sources, there is a large resident colony of sea lions in the local waters, cohabiting peacefully with the human residents, boats, etc.

Kaffee and Kuchen with Goethe and Schiller

zda — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:24:25 +0000

Weimar and Goethe are to the German speaking world what Shakespeare and Stratford-on-Avon are to the English speaking world. (more...)

This city was called home by the paramount German poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Friedrich von Schiller, composers Franz Liszt and Johann Sebastian Bach, the painter Lucas Cranach the elder, the philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder, just to name the most prominent ones. Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Hans Christian Andersen, Lyonel Feininger and Walter Gropius are no less prominent contributors to the world cultural heritage who spent part of their lives here.

Weimar, in the province of Thuringia and first mentioned in records in 899, is a jewel of a small city of approx. 65,000 inhabitants, located in the middle of the country and easily accessible by train or car. For centuries, it has rightly held the title of a cultural capital and not only since it was European Cultural Capital in 1999.

In the 20^th century, Weimar was the cradle of the Bauhaus movement, whose architectural influence is still with us today. In fact, 2009 marks the 90^th anniversary of this movement. It will be celebrated with many events, the main one being an exhibition from April 1 to July 5, 2009.

And last but certainly not least, it is home to one of the most famous libraries, the Anna-Amalia library, named after the duchess Anna Amalia von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, recently restored and now again open to the public, after a horrific fire threatened to destroy it completely in 2004.

For anyone interested in the German classics, this charming town is a must-see. Stay at the Elephant Hotel, now a member of the Sheraton Luxury Hotel Collection right on the central market square, or the elegant Russischer Hof on the Goetheplatz. In addition, there are many smaller historic buildings that have been converted into hotels or guest houses, such as Hotel am Frauenplan.

The Thuringian National State Opera & Theater

There is a wealth of things to do (by the way, be sure to take a look at the excellent website set up by the Klassik Stiftung Weimar for up to date visitor informatiion): Visit the Goethe and Schiller houses, the Anna Amalia Rococo Library Hall (see note below about reservations), the Belvedere Castle complex, the Herder Church with its magnificent triptych altar by Lucas Cranach the elder, attend an opera performance or concert in the Opera House, and generally explore the nooks and cranies of the cobble-stoned old city and its adjacent parks. You will find numerous antique shops (after all, the city was a magnet for the arts in the 18^th and 19^th century), art galleries and a ginkgo tree museum.

Established thanks to the initiative of Mr. H. G. Becker, the small, private ginkgo museum is centrally

The Ginkgo Museum on the main square

located on the main square. The ginkgo tree was introduced to German gardens during Goethe's time in the mid-18^th century. He was so fascinated with it, that he started a tradition of giving dried ginkgo leaves to his friends, even writing a poem about it to one of his many female "muses". Highly revered in Asia for centuries for its alleged healing properties, it was the first tree to come back to life, less than a mile away from where the atom bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. This tree species, known to be at least 200.000 million years old, older than the dinosaurs, rightly has been named "immortal".

Commemorating a dark chapter of World War II history is the Buchenwald Memorial to the concentration camp set up in 1937 and in operation until 1945. It is located only about 10 km north of Weimar. More than 250.000 inmates from about 50 different nationalities were held there. After the end of WWII, the Soviet regime continued to use the facilities as an internment camp. By the time it was finally disbanded in 1950, approximately another 28,000 persons had been held there (of which ,more than 7000 died).

For English speakers, there is a two-hour self-guiding audio-guide available, at €3; call or email anmeldung@buchenwald.de beforehand to reserve these guides as only a limited number are available.

Eating out:

If you are In the mood for a real gourmet meal go to Anna Amalia Gourmet Restaurant In the Hotel Elephant.

Sausage Stand in front of the Town Hall

However, Thuringia is well known for its sausages and other "Wurst" delicacies. Enjoy one of these at the market stand on a bun with spicy mustard. The sausage stands are there every day, but the colorful market with its array of local produce and regional delicacies is held on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings. Another charming lunch spot is the home of the famous 18^th century protestant preacher J. W. Herder, situated behind his church. Simple, forthright and home-made meals in an historic environment. Be sure to visit the adjoining "Herder Garden", where, in season, many of the vegetables used in the kitchen are grown.

Weimar Kaffee Roesterei

If in Germany, remember to do as the locals do and enjoy Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) at about 4 p.m. The Kaffeerosterei is run by Sabine Zotzmann, one of the few female coffee roasters in the world, who actually roasts her beans on the premises and thus promises the real bean flavor, as well as some excellent home-made Kuchens (the "Ruebli" or carrot cake on Wednesdays is a dream!). Another favorite is the old-fashioned Café am Frauentor, also with an excellent and extensive selection of cakes - one of the really sinful ones is the "Thueringische Schmandtorte" (Thuringian Cream cake).