Potluck Dinner

Hello there!

A few weeks back, in part to celebrate the beginning of May break, we had a potluck dinner with a few friends that turned out to be quite the cultural experience. Our friend Maria made pelmeni, a Russian dumpling dish, while Carlota prepared some authentic Argentine empanadas and (being from Spain) some typical sangria as well. Expectedly, we brought a big, taste-packed salad and Olivier baked his usual chocolate tart, which was a perfectly delicious compliment. View the photo set here for a glimpse of our tasty experience!

Until next time,

Jessica

De Hemel Photos Up

Sorry for the longish gap without a new set of pictures, I had a large test on Friday for my Assembly Language class, and as Jessica just reminded me I need to get back to work on other things. But, because I try to be timely with my uploads, I've just finished the final touches on my latest set, which features the restaurant De Hemel and our exquisite meal there. This restaurant is one of several residing in an old castle that overlooks the river Waal. What makes this restaurant unique, besides its location, home made beers and breads, and delicious menu items in general, is its unlimited course dinner. For 28.50E you receive an appetizer of breads and dips, followed by an assortment of courses brought out every 15-30 minutes as the chef prepares them. Once you have had your fill, you tell them that you are done with dinner, and in 30 minutes (after your food has settled some) they bring out dessert. Take a look at the pictures and share in our experience, though, even I must admit the pictures do not do the food justice.

Find the set here. I recommend viewing the photos in as large a size as possible, that's how I create them to be viewed. This link will take you to the set main-page if you don't like the viewbox.

Farrell & Jessica

False Starts and Fresh Foods

Well into the second week of school classes are surprisingly still largely undetermined for many students. It is hard to describe, but the Dutch University system is extremely easy going, but not in the way you would think. For example, University started last Monday and most people (other international students included) assumed that classes started that day as well, but this simple, common sense conclusion was completely wrong. Monday was simply the start of the new school year, which was marked with opening ceremonies, not school, a fact that the international office neglected to tell us and one of the first sign that things were most certainly going to be different here.

As for the classes themselves, you are expected to always be prompt and prepared (perhaps even more so than back home), yet for many classes times and classrooms are not fixed. So, for some classes you meet the first day and the professor explains that this is actually not a good day for him and enquires when/if the students would be available to meet at other times, on different days. Or, in some instances a first meeting is not even scheduled and the professor contacts everyone by email to see when the students would be available for class. Then, when you add into this mix classes that actually do meet at a fixed time and date, as well as the very limiting factor of only being able to take courses in English, it is a daunting task to find a viable class schedule. Fortunately though, Farrell has been able to work out his classes completely, and I am only waiting on two of mine to see if they will be moved or cancelled. So, I am very happy to say the ordeal is almost over. Of course, that is not to say we have not enjoyed the past few weeks. Yes, it has been stressful, but it has honestly been more entertaining than anything else. Plus, we both really like the classes we are taking...of the ones that have started anyway. Oh, and most classes here only meet once a week for around two hours, rather than two or three times a week as is the norm back home. Needless to say, it will be interesting at the end of all this to see which system we end up preferring.

On to another point of interest, it is surprising how cheap it is to eat healthy. Or, perhaps better wording: it is surprising how healthy it is to eat cheap. The least expensive foods here are fruits and vegetables. On Saturdays and Mondays there is a market in the city center that sells fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, cheese, meat, bread, etc. and it is all so affordable. Last time we went we bought 4 limes, a bag of red peppers, a bag of onions, bananas, a kilo of mushrooms, and two large hunks of specialty cheese for 10 Euros (give or take a Euro), with the cheese being the most expensive at a grand total of 5 Euros. Interestingly, at the store just one hunk of cheese is anywhere from 5-7 Euros, depending on the type. At this point though, the only need to go to the store is for pasta, milk, bathroom essentials, and items of that nature. Regardless, while everything else may be more expensive here, eating healthy at home is extremely affordable.

Things to Come
As this post has already become longer than anticipated, be sure to check back in the next few days for a post largely dedicated to exploring Nijmegen, its outskirts, and our ever-improving cycling abilities.

Until Next Time,
Jessica

Hope (for Food)?

Greensboro Farmers Market
Originally uploaded by Farrell

As some of you know, we have become vegetarians of sorts. However, this lifestyle choice did not arise from any new-founded distaste, at least not in the traditional sense. Our hybrid vegetarianism is the result of all the information we have discovered, through various means, about the food industry and the truth about not just how our meat is raised, produced, and distributed, but also our fruits, vegetables, and the false cornucopia of foods that line our grocery shelves. The food industry is just as corrupt as all other industry, receiving little to no regulation: the line between industry and government is non-existent as regulators and companies continually switch employees and employers. Unfortunately, this earth-shattering news is slow to spread due to the tightly drawn "iron veil" that lies between the food industry and consumers, which hides all the misdeeds, culminating in the exploitation of animals, their employees, and, of course, "us" the consumers. And yet, today brought a great deal of hope. Not because we got my parents to buy some organic foods and local, grass fed beef from Earthfare, which was inspiring in and of itself, but because when we went to the local Farmer's Market (as per usual during the summer) we were confronted with something amazing. It seemed as though almost every stall was advertising "organic", "no pesticides", or something of that nature. What's more, there were even local farms selling their locally grown, pastured steaks, ground beef, chicken, and all other kinds of meat. It was fantastic! Morevoer, it was encouraging to see some sort of transparency (or, rather communication) returning between the farmer and the consumer. If you want to know how McDaniel's Farm raised, feed, slaughtered, and brought his meat to market, well, all you have to do is ask. Take a look at the pictures and see for yourself. Oh, and please, if you want to lift the veil between you and your food watch Food, inc. and/or The Future of Food (full version). Of course, if you have any trouble you can always try renting these documentaries from Netflix or some other video store.

Until Next Time,
Jessica (and Farrell)