As the author of a German cookbook I encounter a great deal of stereotypes and misconceptions. But in all honesty I must admit that I was guilty of unsubstantiated prejudice about Ukrainian cuisine, which, like all other East European cuisines, I believed to be heavy, fatty, and starchy. Continue reading
On my yearly visits to Germany I realize how the once familiar becomes unfamiliar, which often leads to funny situations. A few years ago I wanted to bake an American cheesecake. At the grocery store I paced up and down the cooler section several times looking for eggs and eventually asked a sales clerk. He stared at me, then walked me to a different part of the store with a shelf fully stocked with eggs. I stood there perplexed and it dawned on me that in Germany, unlike in the United States, eggs are often not refrigerated. Continue reading
When I met my husband, he had been living alone with his two children, 8 and 10 at the time, for several years. I was a 30-something having little experience with children, let alone ever any responsibility for anyone except myself, and an only child at that. As I slowly began to settle in the vast and unknown terrain of parenting, the kitchen was the place where I felt the most comfortable. Continue reading
Spoonfuls of Germany 