Shiny food
(Arabic brunch on Danziger Strasse: Berlin, Germany)
In September, during my couple of weeks in Berlin I must admit that I ate out as much as possible. In Glasgow and London it is completely impossible for me to eat meals in cafes too often without bruising (or hemorrhaging) my bank balance. In the UK I would venture that it is sometimes too painful to be enjoyable. Not so, Berlin. I was delighted to discover that I could have a meal – even a pleasant one – for generally half of what I am used to parting with. This was a boon and I was quick to take advantage of the situation by eating out more than half the time. Of course, some of these meals may have included currywurst and other types of sausage related produce – it was Germany after all.
Here is a shiny example of one of the favourite meals I had there. I was staying with my friend, Maz, in Prenzlauerberg and nearby Danziger Strasse was encouragingly stocked with second hand shops, knick knackery and restaurants. My favourable opinion of this brunch could have been bolstered by the fact that at a late lunchtime, it was my first food of the day. It was a collection of pretty much everything that the little Arabic café specialised in; halloumi cheese, hummus, chicken, excitingly zesty salad, grilled aubergine, various fritters and something vaguely resembling sausage. Oh, and a big splat of sour cream or similar to top it off. My memory is that it was fantastic. I love foods that are served with contrasting elements of temperature – the best example is a hot pudding with ice cream; there is something extreme about the blistering heat and the frosty iciness in my mouth at the same time. Along a related theme, what I enjoyed about this meal (amongst other things) was the variety of tastes and textures; there was crunchy, melty, juicy, crispy, chewy, crumbly things all going on concurrently – and that’s what I needed that afternoon. In a way, it reminded me of some of the crazy breakfasts I ate in Asia, mainly in Thailand and Singapore.
For the benefit of my mother (and other worriers), I am now recovering from my various bronchial and ENT infections. Life has been busy and draining of late and I must have become snowed under with the weight of it. Luckily I have been on a course of medication and have made significant improvement. So much so, I have been back at my desk all weekend in an attempt to catch up on lost time.
– Today Rosie is drawing, cutting and folding for today’s deadline in Glasgow, UK –
