Speckwürfel

I need to tell y'all about something.

See that?

That is the secret to culinary gold.

Speckwürfel, glorified German bacon bits, is used in countless dishes here in Berlin. Pastas, salads, soups. I wouldn't put it past these people to find a way to smack some chocolate on these babies and incorporate them into dessert.

Do these exist in the U.S.? My grocery store knowledge thus far has been pretty limited to buying a pound bag of kale, some overpriced cheese and a six-pack and figuring out how to pass kale chips off as dinner three times a week. Someone get back to me on that. I'll be here with the bacon.

Mitte

From what I've heard, Mitte is the neighborhood where ex-pats flock, hipsters congregate, and where every trend-piece goes to die. I hated the word hipster before I even heard it, but I can't seem to kick the habit of following the trendy herd. True to form, I have fallen HARD for Mitte. 

Last weekend I spent a few hours walking around and taking advantage of the impressive Bode Museum. If being able to hang out in this neighborhood means resigning myself to the hipster label, then so be it.

Friedenau

I’ve gotten my sea legs and this little neighborhood is staring to feel like home. Here, a few shots from my first few days in our little corner of Schöneberg:

Restaurant TIM RAUE

As if moving to Berlin wasn’t enough excitement to satiate me for at least a few weeks, I was fortunate enough to enjoy the best meal of my life right out of the gate on my first Saturday in Berlin. The family I’m working for are good friends with renowned Michelin star chef Tm Raue, a Berlin legend. Tim and his talented team served us a leisurely six-course lunch, complete with wine pairings and celebratory champagne.

From the whimsical but beautiful interior to the talented staff to the indescribably amazing food, the Tim Raue experience is as near perfect as I have ever seen.

Lucky does not even begin to describe how I feel.

perceiving these things

Copenhagen sky

"She refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn't boring. She was conscious that the things she did were the things she had always wanted to do."

-Zelda Fitzgerald