Weekend fillums

Films seen this weekend:
Get smart
Things we lost in the fire

I've actually resolved to watch more European films this autumn, I even have a film buddy.

Quand est-ce qu'on mange?

Well, not being otherwise engaged, I have of course got food on the brain. I found this list via Chocolate & Zucchini who got it from somewhere else.


1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/ linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea (along with fennel tea, rosehip tea, hibiscus tea and the like - strong hippy tendencies here)
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (I get cravings for this, but I have yet to try the Swedish version - the packaging is not very appetizing and it never really looks fresh)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht (the one I ate was of polish extraction)
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho (sounds quite nice though)
13. PB&J sandwich (Being British, I hopped over the jam part, so I shall not claim this one)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (yum)
17. Black truffle (a long time ago, before I was old enough to appreciate it)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (raspberry I believe it was)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries (are there any poor souls that haven't?)
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (I probably have eaten this, but can't remember)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (erm, why would you do that?)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (that particular one wasn't very nice I seem to recall)
33. Salted lassi (regular lassi is excellent - might like to try this one)
34. Sauerkraut (I love a good sauerkraut me, I made one once and it involved goose fat and a whole bottle of Riesling - gorgeous)
35. Root beer float (Root beer tastes like how I image paint stripper to taste)
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Cognac certainly, but no cigar)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal (given my inability to handle super spicy stuff, I'll probably give this one a miss)
44. Goat’s milk (a phase in my early teens)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (why run the risk?)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (probably have, but can't remember)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (there was only Dunkin' Donuts in Glasgow)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear (I prefer the French name 'figue de Barbarie', much more evocative)
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle (my year in Germany was rich in these)
57. Dirty gin martini (was quite gross actually)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (looks particularly unappetizing)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst (Gotta love the German stuff in this list)
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs (last night actually)
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis (I don't see what people get so revulsed about)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost (bizarro)
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky (called Mikado where I come from)
84. Tasting menu at a three Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

unwelcome revelations

I was in the audience for this program yesterday, and though the subjects debated were all very interesting in their own right (communication monitoring to ward off terrorist threats, male/female equality and the effects of the tourist industry on third world countries), the most important thing I learned last night had nothing to do with any of it. It's much, much more mundane than that. As I sat listening, straining my every nerve and sinew to understand the gist of what was going on, it dawned on me: my Swedish, functions perfectly well in day to day situations and I can deal with most stuff, both listening and speaking, but here, I was totally out of my league. My Swedish just doesn't cut the mustard, pal. However, that doesn't mean I'm currently wallowing in a pit of self-despair, far from it (ok, well just a little bit then). No, I now feel that I have the motivation to improve my Swedish so that I can become a fully functioning member of its society, one that understands!

I know what this means though: I'll actually have to do some language work, and I am quite literally the worst student in the world (I know what they are like, I am after all a teacher), no self-discipline whatsoever. So I guess I'm setting myself up for another fall! Go me.





Sigh

No direction home?

There is very little I miss from Blighty, and overbrewed orange builder's tea is certainly not one of them. Nor do I miss overpriced coffee from identikit coffee shops. However, there are a handful of things I do yearn for:

Buttered crumpet is one, though I haven't eaten one in three years, so I may be romanticising somewhat.
The Saturday edition of the Guardian. A full week's worth of entertainment, the highlight being the Guide (featured on the right hand side in the middle) for its ironic wit in describing films, TV and radio programs. Man, I could weep. Again, not read for the best part of 3 years so it may not be worth the paper its printed on anymore. But oh! to feel the weight of its 1.5kg goodness in my hands on Saturday morning as I purchase my croissants...



Other than that? Well, I miss speaking English, the bookshops (full of books in English, good books even!), British TV (but not all that much), London (only a tiny bit). Overall, what I have here more than compensates for what I can't have.

Au travail

Going back to work was far from the big trauma I had imagined it to be. It was even *whispers* quite fun being back with my co-workers and having a giggle.



So many projects and so pepped up to do them. My god! Is this what being an adult is all about?





Gasp

Sensommar

One day I'll get around to explaining the title of this blog, but not today.

Göteborg, you tease, first you rain on my parade and my new haircut, and then you make sunshine pour through the windows while I'm baking, causing me to overheat. There is a touch of late summer in the air for sure.

I've been lazy today, but that's ok because tomorrow I start work again *mixed feelings*

le blog de la mode de chez Stef

Super trendy shoes are a must in this day and age, I can barely understand how I dared to tread the fashionable streets of Göteborg in my old clarks. NOW I have put things to rights and shall no longer scurry away to hide my poorly shod hoofs under a bush. NOW is the time to stride with pride!