Incoherent Scribblings

Holiday at Tegernsee

Today is Christi Himmelfart (Ascension) and of course a holiday here in Germany! Since I am not now, nor have I ever been religious in any shape or form, I had no idea that this holiday/festival even existed until I came to Germany and even then I had to read up on it to figure out what the heck it is anyway! But that isn’t what is important today anyway…

Since it was a holiday today, A. had the day off from work. It was beautiful here today: warm, sunny, everything you could ask for May weather. So we decided to take a little day trip to one of our favorite places in the area: Tegernsee. (Visit the official Tegernsee site - in German, but nice pictures)

First we did a little sunbathing, then we stopped in a local museum that is dedicated to Olaf Gulbransson, after that we got some ice cream (mine was strawberry and kiwi, yum!), and finally we walked along the south end of the lake, where we came upon a local celebration complete with a Bavarian band playing Bavarian music and (I kid you not) yodeling!

All in all it was a fine way to spend a free day in May.

Jack Nicholson for President

A. and I just watched Mars Attacks! for like the 100th time. (Actually, it was only his 2nd time, but I have seen it about 100 times) Anyway, I have the perfect solution for the upcoming 2004 Election:

Two words:
Jack Nicholson

English Words in German

A couple of months ago, Neil wrote about English words in German and how they are invented. At the time, I thought, “I know exactly what you mean,” even though I could think of no other words than his classic example of “handy.” Until today.

I was sitting in my Business German class and we were doing a listening exercise. On the tape there was a woman who was complaining about how her colleagues were treating her. My teacher asked if we knew the word for this. At that time, she looked directly at me and asked what this was called in English. I tried to look like I was thinking this over, but honestly I was clueless. I personally thought the woman on the tape was just a little paranoid. Suddenly, one of the Russian girls in my class whispered to me “Mobbing.” Then it was clear. I had heard the term “das Mobbing” before, but filed it under “word not commonly used” in my brain.

In German, “das Mobbing” translates to “workplace bullying,” which is what the woman on the tape was describing. However, the only time I ever use the word “Mob” in English as a noun is in reference to organized crime or a large group of dissatisfied or angry people. I also occasionally use “mob” as a verb as in “the crowd mobbed the store,” but in reference to workplace bullying? Never.

The Home Stretch

It is less than 10 days until my 30th birthday… eek!

All I can say is A. better get me one heck of a super gift! I would really like some wind chimes and I still want those dimond-stud earrings… (I just want one pair… I don’t need 6 pair to go in all of my piercings… just one)

Tasty Cream of Broccoli Soup

I am a carnivore and unashamed of it. I didn’t fight my way to the top of the food chain to eat grass! Seriously, I can count all of the vegtables I like on one hand…

Broccoli happens to one of the those vegtables, and one of my favorite broccoli dishes is Cream of Broccoli Soup. I used to buy some seasoning mix for it when I lived in the U.S., but have never found it here. But today is kind of cold and rainy and when I was out walking about, I decided I wanted some Cream of Broccoli Soup. When I got home, I pulled out my three favorite cook books, The Joy of Cooking, The Complete Pilsbury Cook Book, and The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book and started thinking about how exactly I was going to make the soup. Each cook book has its own recipe for Cream of Broccoli Soup and through combining what I thought sounded good and leaving out what I didn’t from all three, I created my own Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe, which I found to be so tasty that I am going to share it:

Tasty Cream of Broccoli Soup:

Combine and heat:
1 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 teaspoons Chicken Bullion
2 Tablespoons Butter

While heating, add: **
Minced Onion (to taste)
Garlic Powder (to taste)
Thyme (to taste)
Parsely (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Flour

Bring to a boil.

Add 400ml, or approximately 1 1/2 cup, Cream.

Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Add 300 grams, or approximately 2-3 cups Broccoli. (I use only the flowerettes) Stir and simmer until Broccoli is tender.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with crackers or croutons.

That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!

**A word about seasoning:**
I am a big fan of tasting your food as you go along and seasoning it accordingly. However, if you MUST have measurements, try 1 teaspoon of the onion and garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme and parsley, and a dash of pepper.