Travel essays from Germany and beyond.
All the guests have left already, the weather is… Tippischenorddeutcheswetter, meaning rain turns into drizzle or downpour half the day, so not exactly the time to go anywhere. Although… I’ve survived rainy walks before. A year ago, I got caught on my way to the city (6 km) for a train to Hamburg, just on the outskirts, … Read more
Working in a kitchen is tough, stressful, and usually poorly paid. To cope with it all, to relieve the stress, the most common go-to is, of course, alcohol. A few words about substances. I love that term. And about addiction in the kitchen. I’m practically an expert here. Both rock’n’roll and depression fuel any kind of substance … Read more
Can you pay by card in Germany? Of course — but not everywhere, not for everything, and not always for free. But it’s getting easier and more common. You won’t be able to pay by card everywhere, so it’s good to always carry some cash with you. That said, it’s also not like you’ll starve or be stranded without it. … Read more
Starting tomorrow, guests are back on board, so yesterday I took advantage of the beautiful weather and, naturally, popped over to Hamburg to see The Twelve Chairs. I’ll write separately about that trip and those chairs because it’s part of a bigger idea I’m working on… You’ll read, you’ll see. But it’s a damn important … Read more
A very specific aspect of my work, stemming from cooking at a Buddhist center, is the presence of religious dietary restrictions.Many religions have such rules, obligations, and prohibitions… no meat on Fridays, no pork, no beef, no blood sausage, hot dog buns without hot dogs on Fridays (yes, that’s a real rule), no masturbation, no … Read more
Who’s tempted? What would you say to a delicacy like this? An exclusive, high-quality, and very expensive chocolate. With a distinct moldy note. And no, it’s not about some new product using camembert mold in chocolate. It’s about the latest hype in the food world — Dubai chocolate, which, in practice, turns out to be more moldy … Read more
One of the most important Christmas Eve dishes of my childhood, a dish never made at any other time, was “kutia”. For some, it’s noodles with poppy seeds. In Silesia, there’s moczka, there’s siemieniotka. A sweet dish with nuts, raisins, honey, and sometimes alcohol (a good kutia needs a touch of brandy) is a legacy … Read more
Kemm’s Kuchen, also known as Hamburg gingerbread, is a traditional Christmas cookie from the heart of Hamburg. Its history dates back nearly 250 years. In 1782, master baker Johann Georg Kemm baked his first brown Christmas cookies on Lange Reihe in St. George, in central Hamburg. photo author St. George is a district in the … Read more
The beginning of December marks the season of Weinachtsmarkt across Germany, which starts at the end of November. In Hamburg, there are dozens of them. The largest one is in front of the town hall. Many, like the one in the picture, are simpler setups. Along a street or in a square, you’ll … Read more
Gryfny Shalad for Advent. That’s about the extent of my Silesian, which is barely better than my German. These languages are very much relevant here because *Hekele* is a Silesian Advent salad, sometimes also served on Christmas Eve. And Silesia is one of the most fascinating corners of Europe. Situated between Poland, the Czech Republic, … Read more
