Prague Christmas

In Prague right now with my family doing some Christmas travels.. Having a blast, seeing some new places and having a great time. Good to hang out with the family as well as travel, two things of which I have not done much of in the past few months while attending cooking school in Erfurt.

We were in Berlin for a few days, my first time there. Saw most of the main sights, several museums and went to a couple Christmas markets. Erfurt is still my favorite Christmas market, and serves the best spiced wine, Gluhwein.

Off to Czesky Krumlov, a cool historic small town in the south of the Czech Republic tomorrow. Let the adventure continue.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy Kwanza.

Cheers.

Leipzig

Thomaskirche and Bach statue

Reggie and I with half meter long Bratwursts

Battle of the Nations Monument


This weekend I went to Leipzig, checking another city off my list. The city is huge and feels like an Eastern German city with the huge block houses and buildings built to symbolize strength, meaning that they are ugly as hell and big concrete blobs.




Highlights of the city include the awesome Baroque Nikolaikirche where peace prayers in the late 1980s helped join the two countries together again. The Contemorary History Museum, which is free and huge, shows the history of the last century, focusing on life in East Germany. Turns out the city of Chemnitz was called Karl Marx City during this time period.



Outside of the Thomaskirche, was a huge statue of Bach, who had played numerous time as the church organist there. The best part of the statue is that his pockets were turned out as he always claimed to never have money, having 20 kids with two women.



The Battle of Nations Monument, outside of the city, remembers the 100,000 soliders who died in the decisive 1813 battle victory over Napoleon’s army. The monument is 91 meters high, and very impressive with a large lake in front of it. To compare it to the Washington Monument in DC, something similar in a huge monument with water nearby, this monemnt was much more impressive. Gigantic and with amazing carvings on the stone when you get up close.



At the Christmas market, I got to try my first mug of grog, which tasted horrible, basically just hot alcohol. I also had a half meter long bratwurst which was awesome. The Christmas Market is huge and sprawling, taking over most of the city streets, and was packed with people the entire weekend.




Another interesting thing about Leipzig is that when you rent an apartment, it is often just the walls, with no kitchen and such. People have to put in their own oven etc. as well as the counters and sometimes even the floor. The buildings would often just have concrete floors and it would be up to the people to fill them in. its changed a bit now which the flooring having been put and left in, but I was in two places where the people had to put in their own kitchens.

Christmas at Fischmarkt in Erfurt

Nürnberg Christmas Market

After the pig slaughter on Saturday, I went to Nürnberg on Sunday through Monday morning to visit a friend from college and to see the famous Christmas Market there. The city is a lot bigger than Erfurt and was packed with people at the market. Shannon and I did all the toursity things from seeing the controversial marriage statue (first love till death do us part), the main churches, the tortue chambers under the town hall and a couple small bridges. The castle on the hill is amazing with a great view of the city and all the rooftops.

One of the best parts about the city is the city wall which is still intact and surrounding the downtown part. Lots of stands selling everything from the local sausages, to local giingerbread cookies, to everything. It was a great trip to a fun city, highly recommended, even for a short period of time.

The Slaughter of a Pig

I got to participate in my first pig slaughter on Saturday. A friend of mine’s parents slaughter a pig every December after buying it 13 months earlier. They just got a baby pig weighing 20 kilograms and the one that was slaughtered was 250 kilos, which multiply by 2.2 is a lot of pounds.

I arrived at 7am via a local train, having missed the killing of the pig by a half hour. The pig was lying on a raised stretcher and was being scrubbed clean when I got there. The blood had been drained (and saved for the Bloodwurst to be made later on) so when the pig was stood up and then cut open, it wasn’t as blody as the last couple of weeks in cooking school seminars on wild game and meat.

After having the local Veteranarian come to make sure the meat was healthy, the local butcher started cutting up the pig into different parts. The bones, head and legs were boiled, making a stock, while the meat was separted into different parts, for bacon, schnitzels, cutlets, and the rest for sausages. We made Leberwurst from the liver, Blutwurst from the lungs and miscilanous meat and then bratwursts from the good meat. Used the intestines and bladder to stuff the sausages, making 115 bratwursts which was a hell of a lot.

The whole day we ate fresh meat off and on, both cooked and uncooked. Being with people from a small town who do this every year, they made sure I tried everything. To offset the amount of meat, we drank schnapps on and off the whole day, part of the slaughtering tradition. At one point when mixing the Hackfleisch (ground pork with spices that can be eaten raw) myself and Marcus, a cousin of my friend, had to take several shots of schnapps after each time of mixing the meat from one side to another. Got to love the traditions.

We finished off the day eating fresh liver, Hackfleisch and other types of meat such as wild boar and deer that they also had, along with more schnapps. Quite an adventure from very early on until late. And I got to take home some stock, sausages and ground pork, not too shabby eh?

Hobbys

So with the days getting darker and colder, I figured it was time to start up some new hobbies. Yesterday I got the supplies for two of them. The first, a melodica, the classic kids toy. Basically a small piano flute, quite entertaining to me, and perhaps a little annoying to others. The second is a paint set, which I got a the Euro shop. A canvas, 6 acrylic paints and brushes all for 3 Euros.

I bought the melodica at a large flea market where they were selling everything from bier steins to DVDs to old Nazi paraphernalia. For 35 Euros I could’ve bought an ashtray with a swastika and Hitler’s face on it. The swastika had a sticker over it as it’s not a very popular symbol these days. There was also old clothes and weapons from WWII, such as a machine gun, things that normally wouldn’t be at a flea market in America.

Exploding Pumpkins

So this is what I found when I entered my kitchen after hearing a bang in there. I'd been trying to bake a squash that I'd bought, and it had a really hard shell so I was baking it for quite a while. It wasn't getting any softer so I gave it another couple minutes after already an hour and a half, and then boom, it exploded, bursting open the oven door and sending seeds and crap all over the floor. Quite exciting.

Wild Boar and Deer Tuesday

So yesterday, we had the lovely pleasure of having the opportunity to skin a whole wild boar and two small deer. Part of our Game Seminar. Interesting to hang up a dead animal without its inside organs, but everything else there. Our chef showed us how to cut the skin off and then we all got to try it. I wont go into details, but it wasnt the prettiest or nicest thing that Ive done, but it was good to see and learn how to do it, in case it comes up again in my cooking career.

Today, Wednesday, we will skin wild rabbits. The Germans dont waste too much with these animals, composting the hide, using the bones for stock and the meat to be for goulasch and other dishes.

On a happier note, I get to go to Leipzig tomorrow to meat with the American Generalconsolate, and talk about our expieriences in Germany. Should be good to get away from all the meat.

Christmas Market, Snow and Dead Animals

Three new things happened in Erfurt yesterday the 126th of November. One: the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market, with tons of stands selling everything from crafts, to spiced wine, to candy) opened. Two: I started a seminar on game (rabbits, pheasants, wild pigs etc) and got to watch a lovely video about how to cut up a recently shot animal. Three: it started to snow (had happened on and off most days) and actually stayed on the ground. The photo above shows two of the things, snow and the Weihnachtsmarkt, and if there was a dead animals carcass on the street, then I would be able to show all 3 things.

So the Weihnachtsmarkt, which is something typical of most German cities is awesome. Big festival, that goes on up until a few days before Christmas. Well known markets include, Erfurt, Nuremburg, Dresden and Berlin. This is the 157th annual market in Erfurt, and it has taken over the whole city. There are stands all over the city, giving the place a Christmas atmosphere. People come out of the woodwork for the market. The city expects almost 2 million people to attend this years market.

“Wednesday will not be pretty and it’s going to be bloody, but so is having a baby” said our head chef today describing how on Wednesday during the Game Seminar, we will get nice and bloody cutting up rabbits. Nice warning. He also said that if heard a cell phone go off, he would be happy to put it under water so it wouldn’t be so loud and disturbing. Quite a character.

Cobblestones get mighty slippery with snow. Something I figured out last night as the snow stuck. The snow is awesome, and it fit great with the start of our Christmas season. Lots of people out and about, drinking Gluhwein (spiced wine) and browsing the many shops. A great atmosphere, although a little on the cold side.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

This is what my Thanksgiving meal is going to look like. Me cutting the fillets off the fish body after scraping off the scales. Then I'll cut off the skin and make an awesome meal out of fish. No Turkey for me this Thanksgiving.
Yesterday at the fish seminar we make a salmon puree and used that as the stuffing for our Scholle fish fillets. Rolled the fillets around the puree and then poached the fish, serving it on a bed of leek and tomatoes surrounded by pasta covered in a sauce made from cooking off the bones, heads and other parts of the fish that aren't useable. Quite a tasty meal and I look forward to eating something similar today on Thanksgiving.

To everyone in America, eat a turkey for a me.

From baking to fishing

Last week, the baking seminar was awesome. Making pies, strudels, cookies, cakes, eclairs and souffles, and then getting to eat them and take some home. Very tasty throughout the week.
This week is another fish seminar, not quite as enticing, but interesting nonetheless. Im looking forward to skinning more fish, cutting up fillets and then steaming, sauteeing, frying, poaching and baking fish. Cant wait.

Another soccer filled weekend with Germany winning 4-0 over Cyprus, attending the loss of our local team Rot Weiss Erfurt (Red and White Erfurt), and then playing soccer with several friends in a pickup game against some young teenagers who we whooped.

No snow flurries for the past few days, although still just as cold. The Christmas market opens next week so everyone is getting excited, with the streets decorated and Christmas trees popping up all over.

Snow and baking

So this morning I woke up to snow flurries out my window. It went on for an hour and then was sunny for several hours. And it is now snowing again while I type this. Not sticking to the ground yet, but should soon I think. Pretty awesome.

This week I'm having a baking seminar. Yesterday we worked on yeast dough, making an awesome Apple Strudel and a fancy, twisted loaf of bread (half of it shown above, after being mostly eaten). The loaf was simple, simply roll out 3 rolls of dough, and then braid them together, pinch the ends so it doesn't come apart, brush with egg wash so it shines and then bake for a half hour at 160 degrees celsius.

On a side note, it is my sister's Birthday today, so a big Happy Birthday und Viel Glück zum Geburtstag to her!

I'm famous

What sort of face do you make when they decide to name a street after you, and then mis-spell your last name?

Weather

Cold. The weather is cold here. On Saturday for Martini is was in the negative degrees, celsius of course. The average high is about 5 degrees here, not including the wind chill effect. And for the past several days we have had some lovely rain in Erfurt. Friends in Dresden and Berlin have seen snow flurries.

On Sunday I explored a castle amidst a rainstorm and wind. Quite entertaining until the feet got wet. And later at a festive music concert (direct translation) in a nearby church, it was freezing. I could see heaters, but they definitely were not on. Everyone was still in their coats and if you breathed hard enough, you could see your breath.

On a side note, after over 3 months in Germany, I just found an extra sock. Looks like one of mine, but does not have a match and Im not missing any pairs. Strange. With the next 9 months, I hope to somehow find another one to match it.