Once a friend of mine, a Brazilian who is also married to a German and who has already lived in Germany and Canada, is now in Mexico and might move back here in the near future (I do hope!), said she doesn’t really belong anywhere. I can totally understand how she feels. I love and miss some things about Brazil, learned to love some about Germany, and now I’m sure I’d miss lots of things from Germany if I went back to Brazil. After spending some time in another country, you broaden your horizons and become a different person if you want it or not. And there’s no coming back to what you used to be because you have experienced other things and you can compare them now. So the question is, where do I belong? You know what? I belong where my husband is, right by his side. Although the place is important, he was the reason I came here and now we’re just going or staying, no matter where, together.
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All posts for the month May, 2011
Here in Germany I have already had to answer questions like, “Should I avoid eating salads and whatever raw food in Brazil?” or “Should I be vaccinated if I want to visit Rio?”. Well, I always say no to both questions. We have very good chains of restaurants, I love salads and have never had any problems. There’s even a Brazilian law which gives customers the right to visit the kitchen and see how things are prepared. There are, of course, bad restaurants everywhere, but it’s just a matter of having good sense (which you should have in whatever country you visit) when picking a place to eat. Here in Germany they are even thinking of classifying restaurants according to cleanliness by hanging a sign at the door. This sign would be based on a traffic light system with red being for the very dirty ones.
When it comes to vaccination, that might be important if you’re headed for the Amazon. But if the Amazon is not in your itinerary, just pack your things, buy a dictionary, a travel guide might also be helpful and enjoy!
Don’t take me wrong, I don’t get mad when people ask me those questions. I just realize how little they know about South America and how negative the information they get can be.
Well, but now it’s just the other way around and not just false rumor. If you’re planning to come to Germany, avoid salads and raw vegetables. Peel everything which can be peeled and take care. There’s a virus called EHEC in German (in English, Escherichia coli O157:H7) which has already killed some people and sent lots to hospital in bad conditions. It comes from bacteria which can be found in the feces of cattle. Since farmers use the feces of animals to fertilize the soil, we can be contaminated by eating things which are not well-washed. The problem seems to be bigger in Germany, although I’ve heard some cases have started popping up in other countries in Europe. So, if you are in Europe, principally in Germany, a good idea is to eat the mangoes, bananas, papayas and beef from South America. 😉
Sorry to disappoint the ones who expected to read something about the hippy movement, but this post is, in fact, about plants and gardens. It’s spring and that’s an important topic here. There are huge garden centers all over Germany, which are always crowded this time of the year. Germans take their gardens seriously and invest money and lots of effort to have their dream gardens.
The variety of flowers and plants is huge and picking the right ones demand some research and professional advice. Each species has different features and needs, and have to be treated accordingly. You have to know the amount of water they need, which fertilizer should be used, if they are sensitive to the sunlight, etc. Planning a garden requires lots of considerations such as how much time you are willing to spend taking care of it and how much money you want to invest.
We try to keep it simple because we want to enjoy the garden and not just work there. With that in mind, my husband’s last project was to build an automated watering system. It definitely makes our lives easier because we don’t have to worry about watering our plants. We just set the time we want it to work and we don’t even need to be at home. He has definitely done a good job!
Three Dutch tourists were arrested in Copacabana last Tuesday because they were naked on the beach. A good tip for the Europeans planning to go to Brazil is not to get carried away with the feeling of “freedom”. Brazilian law is very strict when dealing with nudity and unless you’re wearing something (no matter how big), you’ll go to jail. So, dear tourist, keep in mind that although bathing suits might be little in Brazil, they are always worn; although people might be open and talkative, there are always some principles which shouldn’t, or in this case, mustn’t be broken.
Europeans usually misunderstand the lack of formality Brazilians deal with life and people. Barriers in north Europe are very clear and people are used to a bunch of social rules which help reenforce formality. I guess that when some of them get to Brazil they lose their boundaries, which can be troublesome. I have already mentioned this topic in another post, so if you’re interested in reading more click here. And if you’re interested in some more details about the case, click here.
The farmer’s market in Paderborn caters to anyone’s taste and offers a good variety of vegetables, flowers and fruit, from tropical papayas imported from Brazil to things which were unknown to me before coming to Germany such as Rhubarb and Kohlrabi. My mother-in-law grows kohlrabi in her greenhouse. It can be eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable in a stew. With Rhubarb she bakes delicious cake and I sometimes buy strawberry-rhubarb yoghurt.
May is also asparagus season and Germans go crazy about it. You can buy it everywhere and some restaurants even have an extra menu just with asparagus dishes. I’d say that the most popular dish here consists of cooked asparagus with potatoes and hollandaise sauce. Although it’s asparagus season, it’s like a delicacy here and because of that not very cheap. Some cities have asparagus festivals and attract lots of tourists. I can’t say I’m crazy about asparagus, but I can eat it.
Lots of people here have greenhouses where they cultivate tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, Kohlrabi and other vegetables. Unfortunately, this is not an all-year-long activity in Germany because of the low temperatures in winter, but it’s good to have fresh vegetables at least in the summer.
I don’t have a greenhouse, but my mother-in-law does. Although I think it’s a great idea, I believe I would never have one because it demands some work, such as preparing the soil, planting the seeds, watering, etc. I have to admit I’m not into gardening or dealing with earth. I like having a garden to sit in the sun, read a book and relax, but when it comes to working, no way!
However, I have my own raspberries and sometimes I grow basil in a pot in my utility room because I love the taste of fresh tomatoes (grown by my mother-in-law) with mozzarella cheese and my own basil with some balsamic vinegar. I think having herbs in pots is a good idea for the ones who would like to have something fresh and cultivated by themselves but whose problem is lack of space. Instead of having normal plants just for decoration, we can grow some spices such as chives, parsley, peppermint and others, which look good, smell good and can always add a fresh taste to the food we prepare. If you’re interested in tips on how to have your own spice garden click here.