Ich hab das schon probiert!

So I tried it. The legendary, cultured health tea drink, kombucha. Interesting, but not really worth it, I don't think.

Ingwerbier Neuausgabe

Yum. Ginger ale aus eigene Ernte. More or less.

It's actually very yeasty and doesn't have the strong, sharp ginger flavor like I like. I don't know how Hansen's does it.

Ingwerbier!

So I'm trying something new this week: Ingwerbier!

That is, making ginger ale/beer. I figure I'm a chemist/biologist, I've worked with yeasties and other bugs, so I should be able to deal with these little guys. I guess I'm a little nervous because I've been so well trained NOT to want to eat what I'm playing with, but I'll get over it, I'm sure. I took some shortcuts on this recipe, but I think it'll turn out well. The quick and easy version is shown here, but I've seen more complicated versions resulting in more flavor or increased alcohol content (this stuff is essentially OH-free). I'm not sure how brave I am yet, but we'll see how things go tonight and I might get braver.

In other news, I love ginger and the way it makes the room smell.

deutsches essen?

more on what i'm eating. i eat alot, by the way.

i've been trying to increase my fish intake (omega-3 fatty acids may or may not be good for you, but i'm pretty sure fish is). my solution has been herring and sardines. quite tasty for coming from a can. i'm guessing this is pretty german from the amount of pickles and fish in the supermarket.

to accompany, a lovely hefe-weizen weißbier. i've decided i really like hefeweizens and not too much else so far.

ok, not quite german: turkish melon. interesting taste, almost exactly like a cucumber, but a little bit sweet. not really what i wanted when i bought it, but it's tasty with vinegar and sugar.

noodles with tomato-onion sauce. i really don't know why people buy tomato sauce in a jar. it doesn't taste anything like the real thing, and not in a good way.

typical german beer. i've decided i really don't like it. pilseners are much more like regular american beer (i think, i can't say i've had much american beer). i've got some other types to try though and i hope they will be more interesting.

wunderbares website

http://www.foodsubs.com/

that is all.

pizza (das war schwer)

yum. um mich für wäsche waschen zu belohnen, habe ich eine pizza und eine flasche bier gekauft. es war besonderes gut nach einer schweren nacht.

for the deutsch-challenged: i rewarded myself for doing my laundry by getting a pizza and a beer! i've been wanting to try german beer and this seemed as good of a time as any. i actually really liked it, despite my usual reservations about beer. it was light and easy to drink and had an ever so slightly minty flavor which was really interesting. apparently in germany, beers of the 'pilsner art' are the most common (as deduced from the huge number of pilsners in the grocery), and this particular one is from münchen (munich). the pizza was also really interesting. 'pizza gorgonzola'--very tasty and perfectly hit my craving for some flavorful, hefty cheese. i bought some goat gouda the other day a the cheese stand, but it just didn't have a robust enough flavor. i think once you learn to like blue cheeses, you really can't go back very easily to anything less intense. although the brie i bought was good too.


also, i'll include it just for fun:

that would be red cabbage (blue here because of basic soil and water, red because of vinegar). balsamic vinegar, honey, some hot pepper, cinnamon, and mango chutney (so good) makes it perfect. this is the end of it, but a head lasted me for 3-4 meals (i'm not really sure one of them counts--it was kind of an all day eating marathon on sunday).