“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint – it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly… time-y wimey… stuff.”
– the doctor
Author: ana
about me
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happy things
it’s hot today, 30 something degrees and stuffy, reminding us of portuguese summers spent by the sea. i’m staying indoors, listening to obama’s speech and recovering from too much birthday food…
happy things lately:
– finishing yet another whole 30!
– receiving lots of handwritten letters from both friends and strangers
– waking up early to study with friends in the café around the corner
– hosting neat strangers through couchsurfing
– making new travel plans :)
our birthday tradition: to put this song on repeat first thing in the morning, so that it gets stuck in my head the whole day! :D
31, yay! i love birthdays, and i love being spoiled rotten by friends and family… thank you for all the nice messages i’ve received today (both online & offline)! it was an awesome day, filled with sun, nice food and very neat presents! :)
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speculoos spread
ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the best thing this side of nutella’s invention:
i wish blogs could convey the scent that emanates from this precious jar. it’s… indescribably mouth-watering. our friend isa showed it to us when we were staying with her, and in our excitement we almost forgot our manners and inhaled all of her precious stock! good lord, i could swear they lace it with crack…
speculoos are crunchy spiced (pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg) cookies from the netherlands and belgium. they taste a bit like crispier gingerbread cookies… but better! it’s hard to explain, the flavour is so characteristic – and in my mind irrevocably connected to afternoons writing my master thesis in the netherlands, with a cup of tea by my side.
the spread tastes like the cookies, and has an interesting story too:
In the area of Europe centered on Eeklo, Belgium, where the speculoos cookie originated, local workers had long known that a sandwich made in the morning with butter and speculoos cookies would develop a spread-like consistency by lunchtime.
In 2008, two competitors entered a contest on the Belgian television show, The Inventors (de Bedenkers), with a spread made from speculoos cookies— Els Scheppers, who reached the semi finals, and the team of chef Danny De Mayer and Dirk De Smet, who weren’t selected as finalists. Spreads made from crushed Speculoos cookies would subsequently go into production by three separate companies, and by the time they arrived in Belgian supermarkets, Speculoos spread caused a sensation, taking the “Benelux market by storm.”
it’s still hard to find in germany, but we’ve spotted it at kaiser’s and have been sharing it with all our friends ever since. seriously, give it a go if you can get it! :D
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48 hours neukölln
our district celebrated art this weekend, with 48 hours of concerts, exhibitions, talks, tours, performances, open doors and lots of other cool stuff. the particular thing about this festival is that it happens all over the district, inside art galleries, courtyards, cafés or even ordinary people’s living rooms! you walk down the street, and when you see the sign – go in and check it out!
the result is a mix bag, but there’s always interesting things to be seen. this year, the highlight for me was the visit to the puppet museum. the lady there was super-enthusiastic about her job and the history of the musem, and even let us try handling the marionettes! i gave it a go…
…but it was hard work just trying to walk! :D