I love to eat.  After every meal, I look forward to the next one.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner – to me, mealtime is important not only to refuel the body but also the soul.

Hubby and I have enjoyed meals together pretty much from the first few months we started dating.  I was very fortunate, in that he was traveling a lot to Europe on business and was introduced to some amazing meals (mainly Italian and French) that he liked to experiment making at home.  He loved to cook.  I loved to eat (and at the time, NOT cook). And together, we began our journey into discovering and appreciating wine. It was a perfect way to begin a relationship!  Good thing we work out at the gym.

Our approach to food and meal making changed when we moved to Germany, mainly because of our fridge size becoming half of what we were used to.  Back in Canada, I wince remembering how many duplicate jars of Mayo, Salsa and Fish oil we had, and how much produce and moldy bagels I tossed every week. 

Here, we are forced to only buy for a few days and for us, buying our food is an event we enjoy.  We try to buy everything fresh and in season.  In fact, we celebrate the food of the season – Spargel (Asparagus) in spring, Tomaten (Tomatoes) in summer, and Rosenkohl (Brussel Sprouts) in Fall.  In Winter, we tend to pick up whatever vegetable looks good.  Lots of root vegetables for sure.

Each Saturday we head to a Farmers market in one of the local villages to purchase our Saturday and Sunday meals (as stores are closed Sundays in Germany).  The market experience is an entry of its own.  I never tire of experiencing the rhythm and community feeling that a market can provide.  Something about buying fresh food often direct from a farmer just feels so right.  I’m always amazed watching people stock up on fruits and vegetables at our local supermarket on Saturdays, when just down the road is a farmer’s market!  It is the same pit-in-the-stomach feeling I get when seeing people reach for big jugs of cheap Italian wine that can only make you say mean things after drinking it.  I desperately want to take them gently by the hand, and in a soft soothing voice whisper “No, no, no, this just isn’t right.  Let me lead you to some other wine that is comparable in price and will prevent waking up to a tongue wearing a fur coat for a week”.

As I was home more during the week when we first moved here, I naturally just took over the menu planning.  In terms of the actual cooking, hubby still does the majority of it, but as it is something that he truly loves doing, I don’t feel guilty! Instead, I join him with the preparation.  We listen to music, have conversation, and sip wine.  For us, it is better than cable.

Saturdays and Sundays are my husband’s days to plan and purchase the meals (unless he is doing something from the Honey Doo list, then I take over).  Monday thru Friday it is my turn, and normally I try to use up whatever food is left in the fridge from the market or earlier meals.  During the week, we eat a lot of pasta, risotto, soups, salads, pizza and Tofu (when I can sneak it past Hubby and The Boy). Week-ends, we eat more meat and fish.  Our staples consist of garlic, tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs (mainly Parsley, Basil, Rosemary and Thyme), litres of olive oil, risotto, eggs, olives, arugula, and lemons.  Oh, and tons of bread and cheese.  We hardly get sick and don’t need vitamins as we get what we need from the olive oil, food and herbs.  Generally, we don’t eat dessert unless we are entertaining guests.  Instead, we have another glass of wine!

I can’t imagine a life without enjoying food.  At the Penny Markt the other week (where I go for cheap household supplies) I saw this rather annoyed looking woman randomly grabbing various packaged cold cuts from the shelf and whipping them into her cart. It was as if the whole shopping thing to her was just a nuisance. I felt sad for her, and longed to encourage her to instead try buying her cold cuts from our local meat shop, or even a more upscale grocery store where you actually connect to real people. If I bought all my food at Penny Markt, I might be angry too.

At least she didn’t have a jug of wine in the cart.