Julie

I’m talking about beverages. What are you talking about?

Thanks to shrewd marketing, Ficken* is finally gaining popularity in Germany. Of course, too much Ficken can make you tired. If this happens and you find yourself low on energy, you might want to try some Pussy**. I’m not sure if they have Pussy here in Germany. I didn’t find any at Christopher Street Day, … Read more

Ask the Expat: how to eat zucchini flowers

Do you ever post recipes? I had somewhere heard you could eat the zucchini with their flowers, but I’d never seen it done.

 

One of the reasons I was so excited to start a balcony garden was realizing that I could have a cheap and plentiful supply of zucchini flowers. Yum yum yum.

Zucchini flowers are quite easy to cook and eat. You can pick (easiest with scissors) male or female* flowers, preferably on the day they bloom. Wash them gently, inside and out, and pat them dry with paper towels. Pluck out the sexual organs inside, if you’re so inclined. The flowers can be refrigerated and kept for a day or so, but it’s best to eat them the same day you pick them.

Read moreAsk the Expat: how to eat zucchini flowers

4th of July with the expats

I can’t remember the last time I observed the 4th of July, but who can resist a BBQ by the river with friends? The banks of the Isar River are extremely popular in the summer, especially in the area near the Tierpark. There were multiple groups of Americans out celebrating their independence here yesterday, and … Read more

WTF photo of the day

I can kind of see how someone in Germany decided to name a receptacle for feminine hygiene products a “Lady Bag”. Certainly, much worse offenses against the English language exist here. My ability to comprehend this item, however, ends at the graphic. Any ideas?

Porvoo: small-town Finland

OK, back to last month’s trip north. The charming little town of Porvoo made for a perfect day-trip from Helsinki. It’s about an hour away, and the bus service is frequent. One of the quintessential sights of the Nordic countries is a row of colorfully-painted wooden houses, and Porvoo had plenty of them. The helpful … Read more

Notes from a wet Munich summer

Summer in Munich has gotten off to a rather rainy start. Some people are complaining about this. Not me! Luckily our balcony garden doesn’t seem to mind the rain. We’ve been enjoying a steady stream of fresh strawberries, peas, and zucchini flowers. Yum. This weekend 18,000 orange-shirt-clad people ran through the city in the Munich … Read more

A Rainy Day in Bad Tölz

Munich has been awfully rainy this week. What to do? Grab some friends and hop on a train somewhere, of course. Bad Tölz is an adorable little town about an hour from Munich. Despite the rain we had a lovely day. We… …wandered the streets and imagined how cute they would be if the sun … Read more

Ask the Expat: a week in Bologna

My husband and I are planning our trip to Europe this summer and have decided on spending some time in Bologna. I think we want to make it our home base for about a week. We will likely be there the last week of August after my husband finishes a course in Ireland. I have … Read more