A question about Halloween being celebrated in Poland devolved into a heated discussion about “a devil’s holiday” between my Polish students in an English class this week. I defused the discussion by bringing up El Dia de los Muertos, the Hispanic holiday that seems between both Halloween and All Saint’s Day, spiritually— where mourning and... Continue Reading →
Inspired by the chilled, spicy köfte I had in Turkey, I decided to make my own veggie burgers— and man, did they turn out wonderful. Easy recipe, filling, great tasting results— I think I have a new favorite food! The allure of a package of veggie burgers in the fridge is two parts: the convenience... Continue Reading →
Whether from a street vendor during the Tastefest or in Eastern Market,* or a package of homemade ones from the Polish Market, pierogis are both a quintessential comfort food as well as a popular ethnic food in Detroit. Brought by Polish immigrants to Hamtramck, those potato-filled treats evoke so many memories: frying store-bought ones with my... Continue Reading →
This is, hands down, my favorite holiday— and I like giving as many things as I can a Halloween-y touch. Costumes, spooky things, candy— and of course, the proper colors. So, here are reviews of two pastas, which when combined, make the perfect Halloween noodle dish. First up is Tolerant red lentil penne pasta, which... Continue Reading →
“Those who dream of a banquet may wake to lamentation and sorrow. Those who dream of lamentation and sorrow may wake to join a hunt.” —Zhuang Zhou, 4th century, BCE I’ve written about food in novels before— but I recently finished two books that drove home how integral food is, in both a cultural and... Continue Reading →
Flashback to grocery shopping in the United States: “Hey, I haven’t had this kind yet,” I said, picking up a pint of gluten-free cookie dough ice cream. My friend stared. “There’s more than one kind of cookie dough ice cream... that doesn’t have wheat cookie dough or milk in it,” my friend said slowly.” “Uh,... Continue Reading →
So, confession time: while my move to Poland went pretty smooth, my new job is not quite working out the way I envisioned. My boss has been fumbling with my schedule, with work-permit related paperwork, and even with addresses of the businesses I’m supposed to teach English at. What’s a writer to do? Well, go... Continue Reading →
So I was nominated for a blogger award by S. at Just About Vegan— (thank you!) and so I carefully put the award graphic up on my blog. Then I promptly forgot about the post I had to write, because I had to do things like pack a suitcase and move. I'm just that way,... Continue Reading →
There are breakfasts with family, and then there are breakfasts with family on the day you fly out of the country. (Yes, I'm leaving the country, again!) A family member brought along a new gluten-free brand— All But Gluten— which makes both blueberry muffins and coconut macaroons. These muffins were great (I’d say they’re even... Continue Reading →
Normally, I don’t like to get all negative on this blog— I like to highlight good-quality vegetarian and gluten-free products. But O’Dough’s Bagel Thins were such a disappointment that I'm ranking them right up there with my personal "inedibles:" the unpalatable, dryer than dust rice bread by Ener-G, gritty De Boles pasta, and Food For Life’s... Continue Reading →
Detroiter in Poland 