Operation Gent

My buddy Lautaro visited this past weekend with his girlfriend Eva, in what we call Operation Payback-Payback. Meaning, first I crashed at his placed several times in Buenos Aires. Then, he initiated Operation Payback by crashing on my couch in Edinburgh. Then, I paid that back by staying at their place in Vienna. Then we had a neutral meeting in Cologne. Now he paid back my pay back by crashing on my floor in Gent. I will pay back the payback-payback next week in Luxemburg. Complicated and nerdy, all while perfecting our traveling bum skills at the same time. Don't mind if I do.

Stupid pose in Gent city center.

Lau, their Chinese friend, and Evi at the castle in Gent.

Bicycling Belgium

Since it finally got really nice out recently, we took a nice bicycle trip from Gent to Brugge. Belgium is a bicyclists paradise, and not just within cities. They developed a network of dedicated bicycle paths connecting various cities, through rural farmlands, highlighting different landscapes and items of historical interest, and complete with indicator signs so you know how to get where you want to go. You can easily bicycle to many places in Belgium. Plus, most of the country is about as flat as Chicago, so no difficulties in climbing hills.

The ride to Brugge was about 50 km (31 mi). We stopped once for a beer by a canal in a tiny town, once for lunch, and plenty of short breaks here and there to take in the scenery and refuel.

Bicycling the countryside is also exceptionally cool due to the various WWII relics and memorials you can see that are not necessarily published tourist attractions. Small but interesting tidbits of history. Part of this route was filled with concrete bunkers that the Germans built in WWII. Apparently they were used for storage and the Germans had planes that took off from the adjacent canals. The walls of the bunkers are 1 meter (3 ft) thick!!! They are also quite typical of WWII bunker (such as ones in Scotland and north of San Francisco) in that their roofs were covered in grass to camouflage them from bombers. Now they have bats living in them :) There was also a memorial to 52 Canadian soldiers who died at that location. The memorial was comprised entirely of scrapped tank parts.

You know your in a tiny town when you can stop in the middle of the main road.

rural bicycle path

Belgian beer break!

This town's highlight. And emptiness on a Saturday afternoon.

WWII bunkers built by the Germans.

Memorial to Canadian soldiers made of tank parts.

Lunch time in another small town!

Flea market in Brugge

Having an ice cream in Brugge

The concrete was oh so comfortable for a nap after a long day. Brugge's central plaza.

Soupy Loopy

I got a little soup crazy at some point in the winter. I think I was inspired by my new 'vegetable guy', whom I was introduced to in November or December. He only sells at the market in Ledeberg on Sunday mornings and the Friday morning market in Vridagmarkt, and is the only both organic and local seller. At first, he had lots of vegetables which I had never tried nor knew the names of nor knew how to use (kohlrabhi, endive, sunchoke!?). Now, I have pretty much gone through his entire selection of winter vegetables, using them in some form or another, but quite frequently in soups! He is a friendly guy in his 50s, who is quite chatty when his tent is not mobbed, and even throws in occasional free item or two now that he knows me as a regular. I was introduced by a Romanian girl, and have since brought Ethiopians, Costa Ricans, Australians, and others....he seems to enjoy the international contact and even asked me about US politics on one occasion (he said the Tea Party was a bunch of crazy people, haha). 

So, for the pleasure of your taste buds, here are a few of my yummy winter soup recipes:

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Belgian Endive Soup (Serves 6-7, can  halve recipe)…damn good :)

4 Belgian Endives, cored

2 white onion,

2 garlic clove, diced

4 tablespoons butter

4 large potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cup milk or cream (I used half of each)

(I also added 1 carrot and 1 turnip in addition to what was called for in original recipe)

salt and pepper to taste

chopped chives dill sprigs for garnish

Mince the Belgian Endives, reserving a few small leaves for garnish. Saute the onion, garlic, and minced Belgian Endives in the butter for three to five minutes. Add the potatoes and chicken broth and simmer for about fifteen minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Put this in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the milk, salt, and pepper and blend. Serve hot or cold. Garnish with the small Belgian Endive leaves, chives, and dill. Serve with white rice (also veggies or salmon would go well). 

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French Veg Soup

3 tbsp EVOO

6 cup Water

2 tsp Salt

1 onion, cut ¼” dice

2 medium yellow potatoes, ¼” dice

3 Leeks, white and pale green part only, thinly sliced

2 medium turnips, diced

3-4 carrots, diced

1 celery root, peeled, cut, diced

1 fennel, trimmed, cored, diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

Note: You can probably put chicken or something in this, or chicken broth. More salt is probably necessary and maybe pepper.

Boil EVOO, H20, and Salt. Then, add all veggies. Cook 30-35 minutes. You can probably saute some of the stuff first like the leek, onions, & carrot.

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Pumpkin Soup (wow, this was awesome) Serves 6 or so

1 kilo pumpkin (can keep skin on), chopped

1-2 potatoes peeled chopped

1 sweet potato (orange)

1 large yellow onion peeled diced

Approx 1 to 1.5 L chicken broth

1 carrot peeled chopped

Sautee onion for about 5 minutes with oil and butter. Then sauté a chopped piece of garlic. Add chopped pumpkin, chopped sweet potato, and chopped regular potatoes and chopped carrot. Add coriander (1/2 tsp). Cook approx 30-35 minutes .After, blend to desired consistency. Add about 150 ml of cream. Garnish/serve with chopped parsley and/or cinnamon. (can serve with shredded white cheese also). Serve with good brown bread (can make croutons out of it with oil in a pan). Also sauté the seeds (don’t use much if any oil at all) on low heat for awhile until brown.  Serve with bread. 

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Rojas Soup/Stew (perfect for when your sick!)

Place uncooked chicken thighs (drum+thigh) in pot. Add small-medium yellow potatoes which have been cut in half. Add water. Boil for 20 or 30 minutes or so until cooked. Serve with rice. Also serve with Rojas tomato paste: cook a tomato in a sauté pan for a long time until liquid sauce consistency. (She actually grated the tomato on a cheese slicer first).

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Generic Simple Veg/Chicken Soup

Sautee sliced leeks and carrot slices in pot with oil. After awhile, add a shallot (could add onion) and minced garlic. Then add something like 6 cups water. Add chopped celery root, chopped turnip, sliced potatoes. Then add chicken (best in wings or breasts with bones & no skin). Also add an ear of corn (cut into 6 or so sections). Add the Claudia special (puree some red/yellow peppers and carrots then add to pot). Seasoned with salt & pepper. Red pepper flakes might be nice (for some hotness). Could add other vegetables also. Or other spices such as oregano or tyme. Boil 30-40 minutes until all is tender. Could add a chicken boullion cube also for more flavor. Even good with couscous added. 

Spring is Here

And the people are out like there's no tomorrow.

Laundry + Beer? Belgium, Yes.

Just in case you get thirsty while you wait for your spin cycle to finish. You have the choice of  carbonated water, sprite, coke, or beer. Because why should you have to wait until you've finished laundering to enjoy one?

Beer vending machine at a laundromat on Overpoortstraat in Gent.

Church or Cathedral?

I was reminded recently by a Belgian friend on the distinction of a church and a cathedral. It should be a no-brainer, shouldn't it? It seems that since I've been here in Gent, with all the massive and impressive churches, I'd just taken to calling them all cathedrals. On the other hand, I can't name a single cathedral in the bay area off the top of my head. They just all seem all relatively simple plain structures, so why not call them a church? I mean, you need at least a few gargoyles and cool arches to elevate it to cathedral status, right? I'm just religiously challenged. Complicated stuff (highly important, as well). 

There is a church less than 2 blocks from me, which towers over a massive plaza. Nobody seems to ever be coming or going. The bells ring, and ring, and ring, and ring. The plaza is always buzzing with events, but the church seems ever so static. For that reason, I never decided to go inside this massive domed thing in 4 months of last year. I recently made the effort and walked the two blocks to check it out. And if this is only a church, it just makes me wonder how filthy rich the Catholic Church has been over the centuries to create structures so detailed and impressive which still were not even considered the regional centers of church life. This is essentially a neighborhood church. Check it.

Clergy Approved.

Nice backdrop for a festival.

Nice backdrop for some sitting action.

And so it goes...

 It's always tough to see good friends leave. Especially in this international program, you spend so much time with people in what feels like such a short time; countless of hours over classes, studying, dinners, drinks, etc; become good friends, then time seems to expire and people must go their different ways. Such a mix of different people coming together quite closely probably wouldn't be so possible in many other ways except an Erasmus program like this. Today, Netsanet had to leave for Edinburgh. Dennis and Mark left a few weeks back also to Edinburgh. Laura is leaving to Germany. Andrej was here for a few weeks and now moved back to Lund. And while it is a bit sad to see everyone go, especially after spending one to one and a half years with each, I know that I'll see them again, hopefully in Costa Rica, Canada, Germany, Ethiopia, Slovenia, etc... (and at the very least, for graduation). In any case, I look forward to new experiences and better friendships with all the fire students, oceanography students, and others who are staying in Gent.

Me, Andrej, Brecht, and Mark on the Slovenian coast.

Hands down, challenger for photo of the year. Funny Germans. Laura & Monika.

Some coffee with Nets this summer in Addis Ababa

Well, my beard is hilariously huge. Mark, Helene, Hernan, Dennis, Rita.

Purchasing Beer Belgian style with Dennis.

Light Festival

Things like this are part of what makes Gent such a unique and fun city to live in. They are always putting on creative events and festivals which use the amazing space and landscape of the city so effectively. From the floating string orchestra accompanied by a laser light show on the canal in the middle of the city last October, to this 4 day light festival, which transformed the entire city center into a showcase of artist designed light shows melted into the city's incredible architecture. 

Thats the main building in the city center.

The castle

One of the city's churches.

Belgians Sit

Can't say I've seen this phenomenon anywhere else, but when the weather is nice Belgian students really seem to just enjoy sitting together on the concrete in circles before, after, and in between classes. I think it's great.

The Hugo

Frituurs (French fry stands) in Belgium are generally filled with heart attack inducing mystery foods. The Hugo might just be the epiphany of junk food. Dennis, Netsanet, & I purchased burgers and split a Hugo between the three of us. We were easily defeated by Sir Hugo. Fries topped with mayonnaise, fried sausage chunks, cripsy fried onions, a brown sauce, and god knows what else.

The first step in eating a Hugo is to push aside all your morals, ethics, and any previous concern for the welfare of your body. Then, after tasting it, you can actually say "Wow, although it looks like crap, the taste is surprisingly decent!"  After that, you must give your arteries at least a 1 year vacation from further Hugo consumption.

Maybe The Hugo is Belgium's attempt to match Scotland for food inferiority?

The Hugo - Junk food pinnacle.

Hooray for Stupidity!

Clearly, these guys are not accustomed to exercising their brain power in rationale ways, and neither are the people who are subjecting them to this. I saw them around lunch time the first time while bicycling to the city center. They were in droopy bed-sheet sized diapers and there was an ineffable stench eminating even as they were on the sidewalk and I was bicycling by in the street. Later that afternoon, I passed them again at another location in the city. This time, on the sidewalk kneeling on the ground with some bros standing in front them pondering like Pinky and the Brain what to do to them with a big grocery cart full of beer. Then, that evening, the pinnacle of stupidity:

 

Good to know that there are people of equal stupidity elsewhere in the world to match the morons in some fraternities and sororities in the US that do similar things. Hooray!

Belgian Thanksgiving!

Mark & I wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, Canadian and American style. So last night, we hosted a dinner to show everyone what it was all about. Without no ovens to cook in, and things like turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberries pretty difficult to locate here in Belgium, the traditional idea was tossed out the door. So we decided to have one big potluck amongst all the international students in our fire program and also in our residence. The variety of food people cooked was pretty unbelievable, and rightly so I left stuffed, along with everyone else. We had food made from at least Colombia, Iran, US, Canada, France, Brazil, Spain, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, and Argentina. And damn, it was all delicious!. I think everyone left with a good impression of what Thanksgiving is for. Good time.

Olives wrapped in proscuitto and tossed with pistachios and bacon:

One guy brought home made mac and cheese. I was in heaven!

One loaded plate. Check out that deviled egg, side by side with an empanada! Oh yeah.

Not turkey, but it will suffice:

All 3 members of NAFTA getting along:

Sweet Rice:



Tiramisu:

These days kids are dressing up in their evening best for Thanksgiving:

And not just the guys:

Mesmerized by the desserts:

Funny faces at the kids table: