BonVivant

After a 6hr flight from Reykjavik... Time difference from Iceland: 4hrs, and from my home time zone: 6hrs. I really needed something green after 5 days in Reykjavik. "Cobblestone salad" has grilled flat iron steak, crisp bacon, avocado, blue cheese, stout dressing etc. I forgot about the dressing... I'm like a rabbit when it comes to salads, unless I'm in Thailand or Vietnam. Descriptions on menu: Montreal smoked meat, beer mustard aioli, Swiss cheese, marbled rye. The "Montreal smoked meat" doesn't look like the kind I've seen in pics on the webs (Schwartz's to be precise). Also, I ordered this one because other things were burgers. (I used to think, as a teenager, I could forever live on burgers, ketchup flavoured crisps, fried chicken, pizzas, fried potatoes etc!) My plane has a turboprop engine! Bombardier Q400. This was yesterday. I'm actually in Quebec City now. Toronto airport has no AC which made me feel unwell being sensitive to heat (or changes in temperatures, noise, people's presence and so on). Quebec City was also 24C yesterday. It's hard to be outside my "bubble"!

I tried 3 new things to day: fermented shark, smoked puffin breast and guillemot breasts. For lunch I just had dried haddock and dried wolffish, plus 2 beers. Got it at the weekend market here in Reykjavik. It's not that bad. You get a hit of ammonia, yes, but that's why it's always eaten with copious amounts of spirit to overpower the ammonia. The portion sold at supermarket is much bigger than at the flea market I went to today Gratuitous photos of Reykjavik today And from yesterday's day trip to see the waterfalls, geysers and location of tectonic plates.

Islandic langoustines because I'm still in Rejkjavik and had planned to eat them. Waiter pours the soup at the table. The soup is rich and delicious. Another favourite fish of mine. 5 langoustines with garlic and butter. The aftermath. Directly after eating the above I walked to this intersection where this hot dog kiosk got its "fame". I've been asking Icelanders about it but they scoff at it. Have read about it during my trip research, of course. Had to try it for myself. It looked pathetic... It tasted like NOTHING. Even cardboard has a taste (me thinks, haven't tried that one yet)! I don't get it. Maybe it's just me? I am critical and can think for myself and I think this is rubbish. Together with Icelanders I scoff at it!

I like words. I like beautiful words. I like beautiful words that make interesting stories. I like beautiful words that makes interesting stories which make me think. I like how you have a way with words, LZ.

Texts on my notebook read "eating makes happy". (Posting from Reykjavik) Langoustine soup I had it in Spitsbergen before. Tastes a little fishy and gamey at the same time.

No elaborate lunches this time, just cheese and bread (last 2 pics). I'm going to turn off the electricity in the house for a while. Do not underestimate the amount of cheese and beer I consume weekly! This lasts me 2 1/2 days. This hard cheese has strong beer in it. Creamy, runny and nutty Semi hard Bread of the month from a bakery inside a windmill near my house. Bread pron! No weekend cooking projects and there's a tap-takeover beer event at my regular pub so that's where I'm going to now. Bringing the La Trappe cheese and an Italian buffalo milk's cheese to share with the pub staff. It appears my life revolves round beer and cheese!

Made a typo... "the mouse" is actually a she. But it doesn't matter at all. The mind does it for me. If you have ever watched any of the mouse sketches or cartoon you' notice you couldn't stop smiling because the creature is so adorable and clever.

Once upon a time I sat next to a German at the bar, in a German pub in Hong Kong, who let me have a bite of his bread which had a thick layer of Schmalz on it. I was sold. If you are afraid of fat you won't enjoy Schmalz (...but it's so gooooood!). I made it with smoked pork belly. Mouse is waiting for his Speck. Eggs go well with dried roe. Contrasting ingredients next to each other, on both plates: fat and fatless. A very popular meal in German speaking countries. The idea is to use up leftover ingredients.

Insert Crocodile Dundee* accent: That's not choripan. Now thaaaaat's choripan. (* Line from the film "That's not a knoife. [draws a large Bowie knife] (Now) that's a knoife.) Bread and sausages have the same colour. Choripan I had in Argentina. Just some old bloke in an abandoned garden next to the road who sold choripan to passersby. Chewy corn bread sourdough from a bakery inside a windmill near my house. Got chocolate all over my face and hands eating these. Ricotta and Lindt's 99%. 2 figs down, 8 more to go. (Text in pig: "one eats happy/eating makes happy") Salmon belly Seaweed comes with the oysters

The answers are... #2. Bull kelp (Durvillaea antarctica). Eaten in Chilean Patagonia in a salad or cooked together with other ingredients. Needs to be soaked overnight. Then boil shortly with some acidity, slice into pieces. What are the chances of getting blood from a stone or seeing me cry? Well, the chances of getting blood from a stone are far greater. Look up the term and see more pics. It could be potentially gross if you are HSP ("highly sensitive"). I ate it, several times. The colour is striking but the taste is even more so. Has a strong flavour. Like bulk kelp, it's sold everywhere at markets in Chilean Patagoinia. This is the market where I made the photos.

You got #3 right. It's a bean stringer. Made in Australia even. I don't think I have anything else that's made there. Will tell you answers to the other 2 tonight if no one can guess them by then.

Can I play? Could be an easy one, this one. Not food but it's a tool for a certain food.

Kayb, thank you. I'm always working on myself, my food, my photography... for myself. Introverted perfectionist extraordinaire. I ate a few whilst dipping them. Some just slipped and made a mess. (Or maybe I did it on purpose...)

From this sunless weekend: Latvian smoked sprats. And some more fat... foie gras au torchon. Seaweed comes with my weekly oysters. Quickly warmed it up in a pan with some tamari. Finished with sesame oil. Dried tuna roe brought back from Alicante, Spain. I brought back enough dried and tinned stuff to last a little while. Why do I adore Spain so and almost everything they eat there?! I win in fig eating contests against the Turks. Got 2 dozen figs this weekend and have been gorging on them. Lindt's 99% pure chocolate.

Norway.

Nooooo! But indeed yours truly will be visiting Iceland for a few days. Shortly. Besides, I won't have time to "report" it everyday.

What I know anyone can know. My heart is mine alone. Normally I just eat my liver "nach Berlinerart"/Berlin style. Today I do what I please. Well, OK, any day, really. Got a few things from the Turkish butcher yesterday i.e. figs, goat heart and liver and more. Liver is never photogenic, fig slices or a pile of fried onions will make it look better. Taste is mild, hardly any trace of goat. -------- PS: it's been some time since I posted on this thread. My commitment to photographic excellence is almost zero this summer. It's gone, temporarily. I mean this cooking-and-photographing lark. It's been upsetting being someone who enjoys both eating and photography. I hope it returns soon.

This weekend (and finally, finally, finally the sun!): The mushrooms sank. There were lots in this. Smoked pork belly brought back from Tallinn. A whole 2.5kg piece in vacuum seal bag. Estonian customs did 2 swab tests on my bag and laptop each. They didn't know what it was and wanted to open all my things anyway. I said "Speck" when asked then suddenly they lost all interest and let me go. (Mwahaha...) The mouse Gutted that I left 2kg of these behind in the fridge in Tallinn. Now I just pay eur.4 for 100gr here at home. Have 600gr in my possession this weekend. Inside thin, folded fried eggs. What it looks like from above I'm no ploughwoman but I eat like one. That's my cheesecake, blue Stilton. Some Köfte spice mix is in the lamb mince. The 2 little loaves in the tins are the same thing, just enclosed. The same smoked pork belly in one of the photos above. Looks a little like Turkish pide with lamb mince? From leftover bits of mince and pastry. I forgot the gherkins...

I was not around but I had an idea it was dried beans. Took this photo in Zhaoxing, a nice little village surrounded by rice terraces. Dong people in Zhaoxing hang all kinds of vegs outside to dry.

Has a fine crumb, very chewy, a bit airy, just a bit sweet, moist but not sticky. Seeds I can identify are lin, poppy, coriander and sunflower kernels. I like the crusty top quite a bit. The bread is served with every savoury meal in this country. (Apparently,) if you accidentally drop it on the floor, you pick it up, kiss with with respect and eat it! Memories of years of living in destitution still remain so vividly in the mind. Didn't occur to me to ask for the recipe. Seems like the kind of place where you order, pay and bugger off. They go straight back to work.

Black rye bread with butter was my lunch. Plus a beer and sea buckthorn berries. Found the bakery, got the bread and hurried back to eat it whilst still warm. Bakery also has beer made for them (I didn't know that!). Each loaf weighs about 850gr. According to Estonians this bakery's black bread is held in high honour. Hard to find the bakery but I did find it! There's a simple counter where one can get the bread and beer to go.

It tastes meaty but no real taste of smoked paprika. I think there's normal paprika in it. Smoked paprika would be nice of course.

Available here in Tallinn. I haven't seen both at home, especially the "spring onion". Not a fan of spring onions at all but the hibiscus beer makes it less errr... gross.

Got a few things at the market for lunch and dinner. I love smoked things so standing in front of these kind of stalls is always agonising. I had some hard choices to make here. How much fat can I eat today...? Hmmm... The same salmon belly on the plate. All these smoked things smell so instense. The sprats (next to the salmon) are also nice. Stallholders make their own gherkins and guard the recipes closely. My acquaintances say customers have their own favourite gherkin makers and are loyal to them. Gratuious photos of beautiful Tallinn (unfortunately, it is extremely extremely touristy). Almost like the printed photo... Being there! I mean here. There are more towers around the old town along the wall but these are most photographed ones.

I just wanted to try a typical Estonian cheese. Estonians like German food and so do I. Whilst on holiday here I can just continue eating my normal bland food. Salted herring and smoked hake (I thought it was haddock), under eur.2 each. I'm gobsmacked it costs half or 1/3 the price here. --- Tere, yes I will eat some bear sausages and "meat soup" at Olde Hansa soon. It is the most touristy medieval themed restaurant in town. Even my acquaintances here in Tallinn recommend the meat soup. Had dinner at Ö yesterday! Lasted 4.5hrs! Was invited to go in the kitchen to see head chef (Ranno) before I left! Waitress said she was most impressed with my exhaustive research on Estonian food and craft beers wishing more tourists would do this as well. Anyway, it's to be discussed somewhere else. But here's a preview for you: goat's cheese mousse which came with the smell and "mist" of Estonian forests. (Never mind the stranger with whom I shared the table. Ran into the same stranger in Spitsbergen back in 2012, where I got the same shirt.)