Corsican food porn.

Good lord. I am sorry. How could I have forgotten to include all the food porn from our recent trip to Corsica in my last post? Good reason: whipping out the DSLR in the middle of a meal in a fancy restaurant is so very...gauche. So I opted for the iPhone instead. Those photos didn't get uploaded to the same folder as all my other Corsica photos in iPhoto, and then I had to combine and try and edit some of them and then... 

Still there? Ah, technology. If this is the future trend of my travel food photography, maybe I need this. Okay, maybe just this instead. :-)

So, a word about food on Corsica: it's very Italian influenced. I stopped counting the number of pizzerias we saw on the island after the first ten minutes. It's certainly not all pizza, though I have to admit if you have a chance to travel anywhere in France and order a four cheese pizza, do it. You won't regret it. I may or may not have done this more than once on our trip.

Aside from pizza, the Italian influence extends to pasta, risotto, tapenade, olives, etc. The more traditionally Corsican food is a treat too. Inland, they serve a lot of wild boar, goat, and other meats. G's eyes rolled back in his head when he tried his first bite of chestnut-encrusted lamb shanks. We also had a lot of great seafood along the coast. You can find very good charcuterie, wine and liquor made from myrtle (we brought a bottle home), and Brocciu, a local goat cheese which they use in many dishes. One thing we really appreciated was the fresh, locally sourced food, something I was so happy to have access to for a couple of weeks!

I've posted quite a few photos so you can see the variety. I apologize for the poor quality of some of the images. What can I say: the iPhone 4 isn't a fan of low light. Anyway, enjoy!

First night in Ajaccio we ate traditional Corsican at U Pampasgiolu. What you see here is just my food, the sea platter (note to self, ignore any menu item in the future that includes the word 'platter') which came highly recommended. G had his own ginormous platter to deal with. The food was very unique: squid in black squid ink, eggplant, local cheeses, a couple of different fish pots, and a fish soup. I think it was a bit too adventurous for my first Corsican meal, especially at 10:30 at night. 

From the street market in Ajaccio, beignets stuffed with either Brocciu cheese or sweet apple filling. You can guess which one was mine (cheese, of course). 

Those aren't mushrooms, but rather stuffed eggplant. I saw it often on the menus in the Bonifacio area of Corsica. It added a nice element to this salad.

Brocciu-stuffed zucchini flowers on a bed of puréed goodness at Tamaricciu, an excellent beachside restaurant in Palombaggia.

Stuffed squid, also at Tamaricciu. G said this was the best dish of the trip.

Seared tuna with quinoa greens. Winner.

Tuna again, this time at Table de Mina, the restaurant at our hotel. Great food.

Lucky for me, G is not a big banana fan, so I had the chocolate-
banana layer cake all to myself! Also at Table de Mina.

As poor quality as this photo is, I had to show you the scampi risotto. I was not expecting this. I was expecting largish shrimp. But I guess on Corsica, when they say scampi, they really mean scampi.

G loved these cheese-filled beignets, which we saw a lot in central and southeast Corsica. They were light and airy. These we found at Le 24 in Corte.

Hopefully you are used to the poor photo quality by now.
This is millefeuille d'aubergine. Find a place that serves it near you.
Preferably a French restaurant. You will thank me later. It is heaven.

Go to Corsica. Enjoy some liquor de myrte (myrtle liquor). You will be happy.
We were later told that the liquor is a digestif instead of an aperitif as it was first served to us here with green olives. Food rules be damned! Enjoy it with olives. Trust me on this one.

I gave up caffeine four years ago...except French and Italian espresso when served in either France or Italy. Because I'm not a fool. 

G's lunch at A Volta in Cargese, a small town with a Greek Orthodox community and stunning views. Delicious.

My lunch at A Volta, vegetable risotto, the first of many risottos on our trip.
I could have licked the bowl.

My typical breakfast regardless of where we stayed: 20% bread, 80% really good fruit. Oh how I miss you vine/plant-ripened, tasty fruit. Someday we will be reunited.

Of course we picnicked. With Corsican rosé (divine). And cheese. And fig spread. And charcuterie. (Pay no attention to the Swedish crackers or Norwegian water.
Or the fact that we were in our hotel room.)

Now that's more like it: an appropriate picnic location, at the top of Cap Rosso.

Of course, sometimes you just need a nice strong drink by the pool. Corsica, you certainly do justice to the caipirinha. Merci beaucoup!

I liked Germany. And that's saying something.

I have never really wanted to visit Germany before. And then I moved to Norway, a stone's throw from the country. Couple our proximity with my German-heritage husband and my Munich-born mother's visit to Oslo, and I was destined to visit a country that never really fetched more than a 'meh' from me on my travel bucket list.

It has earned much more than a meh.

German people? Wonderful. We have a few German friends here in Norway so I should have known better. We had the best people experiences everywhere we went. Our first night in country, Gunter bonded with our server in Frankfurt. The second night? Walked through the menu by a kind man at a German-only restaurant in a small town on the Rhine, and then subsequently serenaded by him and his group of ten hiker friends. What followed was, of course, shots of Schnapps. And on and on. Not the Schnapps but the nice-ness of people throughout our travels.

German food? Surprisingly good. I wouldn't say it was varied, but then again we mostly went to German-cuisine style restaurants. Although I am okay if I don't eat spätzle again for a long time, the food I did have was good. They even had vegetarian food on the menu at the Hofbrauhaus.

Germany sites? Stunning. We drove up the Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Vineyards climbing up the near-vertical valley slopes, restored and crumbling castles and picturesque villages that looked like time had stood still. And that's just the man-made wonders. The views in the Bavarian Alps, outside of the tiny town of Oberstdorf near the Austrian border, were unreal. You know how tourist websites for towns or locals look too good to be true? Well, I thought this one did. And then we went there. And it was just as spectacular as the website portrayed. Cable car up to Nebelhorn. Hiking around in the mountains. Beer and picnic on the crags overlooking the valley. This was some seriously good stuff.

Shopping? Well, I'll just say we stopped at Käthe Wohlfahrt in Rothenburg. And that's all I have to say about that. Okay, I'll say one more thing: if you've never been there or never heard about it and you love Christmas, it should be on your bucket list.
A German connection? Yes, perhaps more than I can appreciate at this time in my life. You see, my mother was born in Germany because my grandfather was the commanding officer at Dachau Concentration Camp shortly after it was liberated. In his time there, the camp housed German prisoners of war and displaced persons, the beginnings of memorials to the thousands murdered, and nearly three years of Dachau Trials. My grandparents, mother, and aunt lived in the former kommandant's villa, a stone's throw from the camp entrance. It was quite a juxtaposition to visit a place with such a personal story for my family, yet such a horrible one for so many. We visited the memorial at the camp and met with one of the researches at the camp archives for several hours. You see, my grandfather was a prolific note-taker, photographer, and recorder of the every day. He was also a Jew. From his daily journals to his tomes of photos, we have gleaned a little of his life at that time and the lives of those around him. It was a powerful, eye-opening, difficult experience to walk where he walked and glimpse a little of what he saw. But I am glad that we did it. And I am hopeful that my grandfather's recorded history can help tell more of the story of that difficult time so long ago.

A few photos of our journey for you to enjoy. A journey I will never forget.

Kloster Eberbach, a former monastery in the Hesse region of Germany. The Name of the Rose was filmed here.

Kloster Eberbach also has a lovely outdoor restaurant up on the hill. The first of much meat on our travels.

A small section of the Rhine Valley from Castle Marksburg.

Mosel Vinothek in Bernkastel-Kues. For 15 euro, you can taste as many of the hundreds of wines as you wish.

Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart) and federweissen (new wine), a classic combination in the fall in the Mosel valley.

The Bernkastel part of Bernkastel-Kues, with vineyards on the hillside above.

Architecture in Rothenburg.

View from the Nebelhorn summit (2224 meters). Yes, we took the cable car.

G ridge hiking from the Nebelhorn.

We were in the mountains on National Day in Germany. All sorts of Bavarian hullabaloo going on.

The New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) in Munich.

Second grocery store in as many countries that I have seen an 'America' aisle. Hm. It's all junk food.

G, mom, and me enjoying a night at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. Prost!

The gatehouse at Dachau Concentration Camp, where prisoners entered the camp.

The gate, Dachau Concentration Camp.

'Work sets you free,' the gate at Dachau Concentration Camp.

International memorial, Dachau Concentration Camp.

Warning: Food Porn

First up, I am not a fashion food photographer. I am not an editor for Gourmet magazine. My culinary writing skills do not rival Mark Bittman. But, I am a lover of food. Good food. Food from far away lands, regardless of whether I find it in a restaurant in town or in a hole-in-the-wall taverna across the ocean in another country.


As I mentioned earlier, G and I have done a bit of traveling this spring/summer and we have eaten well. Some people travel to broaden their minds, immerse themselves in new cultures, see amazing sights, and have unique experiences. I like to do all of those things, but my travel to-do list also includes enjoying food. I think if you're going to travel the world and just eat at McDonald's or get your coffee from Starbucks you are missing out on one of the greatest joys of travel. Now, I will be the first to admit that I enjoy the novelty of going to a Starbucks in a foreign country to see what it's like. And to have a latte. But I much prefer to order a doppio at a cafe in Roma where no one speaks English. Or a Greek coffee in a hill town followed by a shot of raki. But I digress.


I thought I'd share with you some shots of food and food-related events from our recent travels. Sadly I did not take many food photos in Seattle in July, probably because it felt too much like home to photograph the food. However, if you've ever been to Harvest Vine or Anchovies and Olives or even Anthony's, you'll know I could have photographed some seriously good food. Next time, I guess. Enjoy. Is it lunch time yet?


The month of April found us in Paris with G's parents. Here's a fabulous little restaurant we ate at in the Marais:

Not a lot of English spoken at Bistrot du Dȏme Bastille, but the fish was very good and we had great service. Warning that if you ask for pomme de terre avec glace, even if you're joking, you will get exactly that: potatoes with ice cream. Good times.


For me, Paris is all about the crepes. Couldn't get enough Nutella and shredded coconut crepes. These were from a stand in the Bastille farmers market (which I highly recommend).

What I like to think of as my little Parisian secret: the garden cafe at the Rodin museum. For one Euro, you can get into the garden and enjoy the art, then slip over to the cafe and have lunch or a nice glass of wine. Or both.

May found us with our first house guests - my sister and her friend - so we packed up and headed to Bergen for the weekend. Discovered: fresh cooked crab legs on ice at the waterfront open-air seafood market. They'll crack them for you to eat right there. Two thumbs up from G.

Also a must in Norway: experiencing the Kvikk Lunsj, a Kit-Kat-like candy bar most everyone takes skiing. Or in our case, on the Sognefjord in a Nutshell tour, via hydrofoil. With kakao (hot chocolate). Breakfast of champions.

And then there's the vafler (waffles). There's no escaping Norway without one.

Norwegian Constitution Day (17th of May) found us engangsgrill-ing it up in Frognerparken. An engangsgrill is a disposable grill. They are super popular here. We have since purchased a baby Weber so I can grill with a cleaner conscience.

Early June. The beer and food festival in Oslo. I don't remember much about the food, but the beer was fun. Baby beers!

Mid June. One of my favorite food countries of all time: Greece. What's not to love? I am apologizing in advance for not taking some of these photos before starting to indulge. Simple breakfast. Greek yogurt with honey and almonds. Hmmm.

Simple (okay, huge) lunch at a small Athens taverna.

Grilled octopus. Good lord.

Gigantes and spinach pies. I could eat these. All. Day. Long.

Drying octopus. Purdy.

The perfect taverna lunch spot...

...with the most perfect Greek (horiatiki) salad. Seriously.

Early July took us to Stockholm. We went here and it was very, very good:

They had a seafood "bar" in the restaurant where you selected your cut of fish or meat from the chef.

Two days later we were back in Oslo and celebrated American Independence Day in Frognerparken with a little picnic. Apple crisp, sausages and lemonade. How very American of us.

The rest of July? Seattle. Besides some of our favorites I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we also went to Canlis. That is not just dinner. That is an experience. Something to drink with dessert? El Diablo, mixed by Mr. Canlis himself.

What would a trip to Seattle be without wine? And I mean, a lot of wine.

(Brandi and I picked up all the wine for her wedding. We made a lot of friends at Costco that day.)


Finally, Brandi's wedding. Now, some people take pictures of the wedding cake or the artfully arranged appetizers. Apparently we don't do that in our family.

Even at a wedding, sometimes a girl just wants a hot dog. Okay, so maybe this was after dinner. And cupcakes. A girl's gotta live, right?


Pardon me while I go live at the gym for the next six months. Hide the scale and break out the steamed broccoli.