On My Own

I often feel that most of my people who are in my age bracket are pretty far ahead of me on the grown-up scale. Like, kids and houses and making consequential-type decisions. I'm a late bloomer. But move over all of you, because Heidi's got her own place!

I can't officially move in yet due to red tape, blah, blah, blah, official move-in date, etc. which is too boring to write down. But I do have the keys and the former tentant has vacated.

So I visited yesterday and danced around and walked through all of the rooms (all two of them, plus a bathroom and foyer and closet of a kitchen). It's not big or luxurious, but it's just for me. And the thing is, as soon as I walked in, I wanted to protect it. I wanted to get out a bucket of soapy water and clean everything, washing away its past to make room for my future. Sappy, I know. But exciting.

Food for Thought: Comforts of Germany

We all have specific foods we eat when we want to be comforted, feel cozy and secure. Well, maybe you don't. I, however, do. If you know me, you already know what my one addiction is. It involves comfort liquid and tastes like Christmas.

At home, spaghetti is my best friend. It loves me, and I love it. We cultivate a harmonious relationship with each other. Now that I am in Germany, other foods have joined in the relationship and have become treasures to my palate.

Reibekuchen. Basically an insanely delicious potato pancake. Fat and greasy with crispy crunch on the outside and warm, grated potato on the inside. Most Germans eat them with apple sauce, but I'm a firm believer in the kraeutersosse (herb sauce). I get a fix sometimes at the Tuesday market in the town square. While I realized 2 is a limit you should stick to at one sitting, you cannot fail with hot, deep fried potatoes.

Feldsalat. I love vegetables. It worked nicely with a vegetarian diet. There are so many delicious lettuces to find at the market here, but my favorite is the feldsalat. Little, tender leaves that actually look like they were plucked from a field. I can combine anything with them (cranberries, nuts, tofu, tomatoes, mozzarella, beans, cauliflower, anything that is left in my fridge) and have a blissful time.

Maultaschen. I can't make these myself, but oh how I love Aldi for offering a cheap and delicious version. They are pockets of pasta with a mixture of pork and green-type veggies inside. Catholics used to eat them during lent because they felt the meat was concealed in the 'pocket'. I don't know if they managed to trick God, but I'm darn glad they tried.