Sunday, December 12, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
I love Eastern Europe
Continuing on with my great pumpkin fiasco....
A very sweet and reserved Romanian girl named Elena volunteered to help me bake 4 pumpkin bread/cake loaves, spiced chocolate cookies and spiced oatmeal cookies. Anxiously I handed over my mom's recipe for this pumpkiney goodness that I infused with some of Paula Deen's recipe over to Elena. I felt somewhat bothered by just relinquishing control of it so easily but I knew it would be a something unlike she's ever cooked before. As Elena and I gathered random cups to eye ball measurements I suddenly had the feeling that this endeavor could go horribly wrong.
Well, three hours later Elena and I pumped out all that yummy goodness and the "pumpkin bread" tasted about 15% like my moms. My mom is a beast when making pumpkin bread and here in Greece I have decided that this can't be recreated without American supplies to support the cause. (aka I'm bringing already baked pumpkin loaves back with me)
The Balkans who tried our version of pumpkin bread really enjoyed it though and after all of the baking and such all it was devoured. I had about 50 students come drink hot chocolate, eat yumminess and watch Home Alone. My supervisor Klearchos was really surprised I got so much participation but lets be real... I baked food. Normally about 5-10 people get involved in activities here. I was proud about that.
Friday night was the Christmas party that the Student Council organized. First, I have this great love for techno music that I never thought I would develop. Imagine 70ish international college students who speak probably 5 different languages hanging out casually drinking to techno Christmas music. I love how diverse everything is here at the college. I have learned so much by being able to hang out with people from the other side of the globe. I love how traditional Balkan music is easily interchanged between pop music like Kesha. At one point I found myself at the head of the conga line leading people over the stage and around the room. All of last night I was thinking how much I really love Eastern Europe. I never imagined somewhere could have so many different cultures so geographically close together.
A very sweet and reserved Romanian girl named Elena volunteered to help me bake 4 pumpkin bread/cake loaves, spiced chocolate cookies and spiced oatmeal cookies. Anxiously I handed over my mom's recipe for this pumpkiney goodness that I infused with some of Paula Deen's recipe over to Elena. I felt somewhat bothered by just relinquishing control of it so easily but I knew it would be a something unlike she's ever cooked before. As Elena and I gathered random cups to eye ball measurements I suddenly had the feeling that this endeavor could go horribly wrong.
Well, three hours later Elena and I pumped out all that yummy goodness and the "pumpkin bread" tasted about 15% like my moms. My mom is a beast when making pumpkin bread and here in Greece I have decided that this can't be recreated without American supplies to support the cause. (aka I'm bringing already baked pumpkin loaves back with me)
The Balkans who tried our version of pumpkin bread really enjoyed it though and after all of the baking and such all it was devoured. I had about 50 students come drink hot chocolate, eat yumminess and watch Home Alone. My supervisor Klearchos was really surprised I got so much participation but lets be real... I baked food. Normally about 5-10 people get involved in activities here. I was proud about that.
Friday night was the Christmas party that the Student Council organized. First, I have this great love for techno music that I never thought I would develop. Imagine 70ish international college students who speak probably 5 different languages hanging out casually drinking to techno Christmas music. I love how diverse everything is here at the college. I have learned so much by being able to hang out with people from the other side of the globe. I love how traditional Balkan music is easily interchanged between pop music like Kesha. At one point I found myself at the head of the conga line leading people over the stage and around the room. All of last night I was thinking how much I really love Eastern Europe. I never imagined somewhere could have so many different cultures so geographically close together.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The great pumpkin search
Today was one of the most frustrating and (hopefully) rewarding days in Greece. First I want to express that at home, in the comfort of a country where anything I needed could be found at Publix, I am no culinary master. But here when improvision is vital when trying to recreate an traditional (or even standard) American food. Today was a quest for what was unknown to all of my new Greek friends. After lunch (it was lentil day!) Mrs Soula took me to her kitchen. Mrs. Soula is a sweet woman who is the school nurse and cooking teacher. This woman is amazing! Today I helped her zest mandarines for a marmalade she is making for a lady in the PR office at the school. Before I have walked into her kitchen smelling sweet, amazing Greek goodness and walked out with a jar freshly poured jar of pomegranate juice that she made herself that day! I have deemed this sweet and wonderful Greek woman as my Greek yia yia.
After this I met up with Klearchos, my supervisor and some members of student council to go to the store. After dropping of the students at a supermarket to get drinks for the Christmas party this Friday (because drinking alcoholic beverages is perfectly legal here and necessary for a good party) Klearchos and I went to Vasilopelos. The strange V word is the name of an international supermarket which is supposed to have everything from all over the world. I want to make it known to the world right now that this is a lie. Canned pumpkin does not exist in this country and if you try to ask anyone if it does and they are Greek they will look at you funny. So after searching for this beloved mushiness Klearchos called Mrs. Soula to ask how I could recreate this goo of pumpkin. Soula said that she would get some pumpkins and help me make it. After retrieving nutmeg, clove and brown sugar (which also isn't well known here either) we returned to scoop the students and their pile of selected beverages and returned to campus.
Walking back through the doors of Soula's kitchen I smiles at her until I looked down at the table and saw the ugliest, over sized grey pumpkin I have ever imagined someone cooking. Next to it two 3-4 foot long squash lay freshly plucked from a garden. It became clear to me that my mom's pumpkin bread recipe was going to be altered. Between my washing, slicing, scooping, chopping and boiling this giant squash I remembered a few important life lessons.... like the time I made key lime pie here where they have NO half and half. Believe me anything is possible with a little ingenuity and a lot of ambition.
I still have NO idea what this giant squash will taste like but right now it is in a mushed up, baby food state in Mrs. Soula's refrigerator.
Let's be real- no one here (except for the Americans) knows what anything made of pumpkin should taste like. So whatever that pumpkin goo tastes like I'm sure it can be fixed with some spices and sugar :)
I was ambitious enough to seek this out to bake pumpkin bread along with sugar and chocolate cookies for tomorrows movie event I've planned for my college students. Tomorrow (if everything goes as planned) we will have hot chocolate, pumpkin/squash bread, cookies and watch Home Alone 1. Keep your fingers crossed!
Kalinixta! (Goodnight!)
After this I met up with Klearchos, my supervisor and some members of student council to go to the store. After dropping of the students at a supermarket to get drinks for the Christmas party this Friday (because drinking alcoholic beverages is perfectly legal here and necessary for a good party) Klearchos and I went to Vasilopelos. The strange V word is the name of an international supermarket which is supposed to have everything from all over the world. I want to make it known to the world right now that this is a lie. Canned pumpkin does not exist in this country and if you try to ask anyone if it does and they are Greek they will look at you funny. So after searching for this beloved mushiness Klearchos called Mrs. Soula to ask how I could recreate this goo of pumpkin. Soula said that she would get some pumpkins and help me make it. After retrieving nutmeg, clove and brown sugar (which also isn't well known here either) we returned to scoop the students and their pile of selected beverages and returned to campus.
Walking back through the doors of Soula's kitchen I smiles at her until I looked down at the table and saw the ugliest, over sized grey pumpkin I have ever imagined someone cooking. Next to it two 3-4 foot long squash lay freshly plucked from a garden. It became clear to me that my mom's pumpkin bread recipe was going to be altered. Between my washing, slicing, scooping, chopping and boiling this giant squash I remembered a few important life lessons.... like the time I made key lime pie here where they have NO half and half. Believe me anything is possible with a little ingenuity and a lot of ambition.
I still have NO idea what this giant squash will taste like but right now it is in a mushed up, baby food state in Mrs. Soula's refrigerator.
Let's be real- no one here (except for the Americans) knows what anything made of pumpkin should taste like. So whatever that pumpkin goo tastes like I'm sure it can be fixed with some spices and sugar :)
I was ambitious enough to seek this out to bake pumpkin bread along with sugar and chocolate cookies for tomorrows movie event I've planned for my college students. Tomorrow (if everything goes as planned) we will have hot chocolate, pumpkin/squash bread, cookies and watch Home Alone 1. Keep your fingers crossed!
Kalinixta! (Goodnight!)
Thanksgiving and Pre-Christmas happiness
Thanksgiving here at the school was surprisingly very festive. The American interns were invited to both the staff Thanksgiving lunch and the donor dinner. The two delicious meals consisted of the most unique stuffing with chestnuts I've ever tasted, yummy turkey and cranberry. Aside from being a world away from family and familiar faces it felt very much like home. It was nice to be able to speak to so many people in unbroken English but still Greek words could be heard.
This past weekend the Christmas festival took place in downtown Thessaloniki. An enormous Christmas tree was lit in Aristotle's square near the water. I never feel as foreign as I do when I stand surrounded by Greeks who speak primarily Greek but it was still really cool. Hearing Greek Christmas carols was a pretty cool feeling standing in the middle of so many native Greeks was really cool.
When we were (the American interns) weaved our way out of the crowd to leave for the night I saw three Greek guys trying to take a picture of themselves awkwardly using one arm outstretched. I asked if they needed help "do you want me to take a picture of you all?" After I watched these three Greek boys with their dark eyes look me up and down checking if I looked too sketch to hold their camera (I assume) one said "no thanks! we don't need help!" His tone completely explained the situation- they had no idea what I asked them. These little scenes happen pretty often when I am out and about exploring the city.
Right now I am sitting in my office (which is like a glass box) watching 6 greek girls wrap lights and beads around a Christmas tree. Between Mariah Carey echoing out of a laptop and the spurts of laughter some are directing where such tree decorations should be placed. It's sweet to see this event happen, even though it perfectly sums up what I think Greek culture is like. In this room next to my office (another giant glass room) there is a tv where 7 Greek boys are sprawled out on the couches intently watching the soccer game. While the girls actively work hard at making the building more Christmas-ey the boys are focused only on one thing- "futbol." While some of the girls get upset about the placement of ornaments the boys jump up and get upset about some call the referee made on tv. Understanding this about Greek (and I believe all of Balkan culture) is important. When walking by cafe's downtown the first time I didn't understand why on some nights all of life seemed to stop and on every tv anywhere I could see the same futbol game on. When I first applied for this internship my friend Gea who told me about it explained what Balkan culture is really like. "It is like the national sport is drinking coffee and watching soccer" she said. I thought this was just a joke but it is very true. I know this is foreign to hear coming from the United States but everything is just very very different. Some things about the culture are difficult to accept but I really believe this "xallarah" (chill or calm) attitude about life is really beneficial.
The tree outside my office now has blinking lights, is wrapped in green shiny garland and has garnet and gold ornaments hanging from its limbs... Merry Christmas y'all!
This past weekend the Christmas festival took place in downtown Thessaloniki. An enormous Christmas tree was lit in Aristotle's square near the water. I never feel as foreign as I do when I stand surrounded by Greeks who speak primarily Greek but it was still really cool. Hearing Greek Christmas carols was a pretty cool feeling standing in the middle of so many native Greeks was really cool.
When we were (the American interns) weaved our way out of the crowd to leave for the night I saw three Greek guys trying to take a picture of themselves awkwardly using one arm outstretched. I asked if they needed help "do you want me to take a picture of you all?" After I watched these three Greek boys with their dark eyes look me up and down checking if I looked too sketch to hold their camera (I assume) one said "no thanks! we don't need help!" His tone completely explained the situation- they had no idea what I asked them. These little scenes happen pretty often when I am out and about exploring the city.
Right now I am sitting in my office (which is like a glass box) watching 6 greek girls wrap lights and beads around a Christmas tree. Between Mariah Carey echoing out of a laptop and the spurts of laughter some are directing where such tree decorations should be placed. It's sweet to see this event happen, even though it perfectly sums up what I think Greek culture is like. In this room next to my office (another giant glass room) there is a tv where 7 Greek boys are sprawled out on the couches intently watching the soccer game. While the girls actively work hard at making the building more Christmas-ey the boys are focused only on one thing- "futbol." While some of the girls get upset about the placement of ornaments the boys jump up and get upset about some call the referee made on tv. Understanding this about Greek (and I believe all of Balkan culture) is important. When walking by cafe's downtown the first time I didn't understand why on some nights all of life seemed to stop and on every tv anywhere I could see the same futbol game on. When I first applied for this internship my friend Gea who told me about it explained what Balkan culture is really like. "It is like the national sport is drinking coffee and watching soccer" she said. I thought this was just a joke but it is very true. I know this is foreign to hear coming from the United States but everything is just very very different. Some things about the culture are difficult to accept but I really believe this "xallarah" (chill or calm) attitude about life is really beneficial.
The tree outside my office now has blinking lights, is wrapped in green shiny garland and has garnet and gold ornaments hanging from its limbs... Merry Christmas y'all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)