Rehovot

I think those puff-pastry things are called "trobičky", little tubes (or little trumpets). Too bad the Municipal House's restaurant was closed; their cafe is lovely... (So many good cafes, here...such lousy service...) Yay, dark beer! I look forward to reading more! Edited to add: strange about the KFCs. I have yet to go in one. They are ubiquitous. As is McDonald's. (I only go in those to fit in.)

Here's a quick-'n-dirty sampler translation. Someone who actually speaks German, please feel free to correct it. My other half (who does speak it) could only laugh hysterically at my pronunciation. Ei mit Ei--egg with egg. Champignon--mushrooms. Geflügelleberaufstrich--goose liver pate. Gervais mit Zwiebel--cheese (?) with onion. Matjes mit Zwiebel--smoked fish with onion. Matjes ohne Zwiebel--smoked fish without onion. Speck mit Ei--better-than-salami with egg. Zwiebeln mit Ei--onion with egg. Ei mit zwiebeln--egg with onion. (Just kidding!) Räucherlachs--smoked salmon. Ah, you little guten brotchen.

I made ribollita, this weekend, and was happily immersed in the first spoonful when my Czech father-in-law called it "very good borscht". We'll see what happens with minestrone, next weekend.

I'm addicted to this place. Every time we head to Vienna, I make a beeline for their sandwich buffet. Pfiff! More pfiff, pflease! Sacher torte at the Hotel Sacher is vastly overrated; the best Sacher torte I've had in Vienna was at Cafe Braunerhof (Thomas Bernhard's haunt), where the slice was much tastier...not to mention more fresh. This cafe also provides some of the best people- (and waiter-) watching in Vienna.

Do go on. Moving away from the Middle East certainly reduced my Embassy spam. Could you say more about Dead Artists' Street and what's on offer, there?

This usually works, for me: Take a sharp, long knife. Cut. Run the knife in hot, hot water. Towel dry. Cut again. If you cut on the diagonal, it produces cool diamondy lemon bars, but, better yet, you get all these bits that must be eaten while cutting.

Ah, yes, the dining hall...aka cafeteria...aka buffet...aka menze. The choices at a Czech dining hall or gastrocafeteria are designed to be cheap, traditional, and bland. The community's lunch involves soup that met chicken, at some point; some kind of meat (chicken, beef, pork, rabbit) with sauce and dumplings. Or meat with white rice. Or fish square with potatoes. The basic meal is meat + starch. Inoffensive? I don't think so...

I keep eyeing Ikea's kitchen stuff, but haven't bought anything, yet. I'm glad someone started this thread. I do know that whenever I go to browse, the majority of the people in the returns line are holding pans and woks...minus handles.

Turkey Tetrazzini could use an update or elevation or promotion. I love it, but every time I make it, I feel like I'm in an "I Love Lucy" episode.

A Western blog, excellent! With all that great landscape, do you hike or camp a lot around Moab? If so, what are your culinary standbys for trekking? Look forward to reading more!

The French Laundry?

As for the first claim, you're right. Czech salaries are far less than Western European or American ones. However, as to the second claim, even "natives" who have not left the Czech Republic miraculously have managed to develop not only tastebuds, but taste. They can also smell condescension from way off. To dismiss a whole class of people and food because they don't belong to the upper class is to miss out on the real food and flavors of a country. It's not all hernas or Kampa Park. As in the rest of the world, all you have to do is know people who will show you the hidden good spots. Becherovka. And I'd skip the hernas. You can get the same dose of second-hand smoke with a lot more insight into Czech culture at the Kavarna Lucerna, in the Lucerna Passage.

The Karel Berg market chain, which caters to Russian immigrants, is also pretty un-kosher... I took a field trip to the Rishon LeZiyyon branch of Tiv Ta'am, once, with another American expat. It seemed like a giant Trader Joe's, with a cafe and a fast-food place, inside. Predictably, we bought marshmallows and taco chips. Oh, and about ten kinds of Elite chocolate. Any chance of seeing some eclectic Elite flavors, Michelle?

Hi, Swisskaese! I'm delighted to see the start of your blog. The Mehane Yehuda market is one of the places we didn't get to, before leaving, so I'm looking forward to your photos--and to the week's feast! Is that Chaim Weizmann's kitchen? (It looks a lot like my old one; I miss the giant sinks and all the counter space!) Chol tov!

Yes, they are called “Eskimo.” It’s rich vanilla ice cream on a stick, covered in chocolate. We have these here in Prague, too. They're highly addictive. Great blog, Alinka! It's fascinating to see Moscow from your perspective. Have fun settling in.

Yay, a Springs blog! Mmm, bison... Where are your favorite places to grab a bite to eat or have coffee in/near town?

Oh! I was just looking at sample recipes from Bittman's book, online! May I?

Great blog, and an awesome garden! For someone like me, who can barely keep alive a few herbs, this is staggering. You mentioned earlier that your heritage is Mexican and Polish; maybe you can comment on how both cultures have influenced your tastes, or if one is more dominant in your cooking/eating than the other... Or maybe Italian won out over both?

At home, dinner with my family usually lasts 4+ hours. This tends to drain the uninitiated. At about the four-hour mark, everyone has usually had the minimum amount of wine required for prolonged storytelling... I always thought this was normal, and then I married and discovered it wasn't. Or is it? In what cultures is this normal, either at home or out at a restaurant? Edited to clarify where exactly all this eating and drinking are going on...

Like annarborfoodie, I'm moving, too, but in two weeks. Last week, I looked in the pantry, and found we had a good month of staples left. Since we don't intend to eat a month's worth of food in two weeks, I gave half of it to a good friend, and came up with this menu from the rest. No doubt you can figure out what the pantry finds were. --Warm lentil salad with goat cheese and walnuts --Spring rolls --Risotto with dried mushrooms --Kasha with spinach, walnuts, and sour cream (with an Oxo cube) --Whole-wheat pasta with sun-dried-tomato sauce --Sesame noodles --Polenta --Sbrisulona cookies (from cornmeal) Well, I am cheating a bit and buying fresh veg and meat to supplement this... Otherwise, I would be faced with mutiny by the Other Diner.

Danskos for me, too. Ask any teacher... Now that I spend a lot more time in the kitchen than I did when I was teaching, I realize how great they are. And how low our countertops are.

Thanks, Miriam, for the tips. I can't wait to try the recipe.

Great setup, bethesdab.! It would do H.D. Thoreau proud... "I went to the woods to live simply...and to get the heck away from football!" Monday night, my husband and I plan to go back to the sushi place we went to for the kickoff game, to watch the U.S. trounce the Czechs. Whoever wins, one of us is bound to be disappointed.

Thanks, Miriam; I look forward to trying this! Would it also work with white flour, or are there some adjustments one would need to make?

Absolutely! When I get in a chicken-roasting mood, we go through one sleeve of garlic per weekend...Could you be persuaded to post your challah recipe or add it to recipeGullet? The meal sounds lovely, all 'round. Tomato wine, brilliant...