I like to eat with a tablespoon. Not everything, of course, but things that are stew-y, casserol-y. Porridge-y. Most people prefer forks. Most people don’t think about this at all, probably. Same with plates. Why don’t we eat out of bowls more often?
“Self-employed”. That’s been me for the last 6 months! As a food blogger and a food photographer. Many people find this choice bizarre, and the most frequent question I’ve been asked when telling people what I do is “can you survive just being a blogger?” Austrian TV asked themselves the same question and ended up interviewing me for their “Thema” show.
Figs intrigue me. They’re not just delicious, they’re sensuous. Something about them fascinates me, but I can’t really put my finger on what it is.
Autumn is announcing itself and my kitchen is producing stews, beetroot dishes and soups. Today, I’m planning to go to Burgenland to visit my friend Meli of Das Mundwerk and to take part in the grape harvest. But before that I wanted to have one last barbecue – to mark the end of summer under a warm sun and balmy temperatures.
My never-ending summer… I’m sure you know what I mean when I say “never-ending summer”. I don’t think I’ve ever had such an amazing and long summer and such an absolutely wonderful holiday in my native country: weekends in Salzburg, Zell am See and Leogang, several culinary highlights in St. Anton, visiting family in Vorarlberg, swimming in the Attersee and hiking in the Salzkammergut – yes. My summer was „endless“ and spectacular.
At the moment I’m really into super- and powerfoods. I’m fascinated with food that gives my body energy and strength. Everything we eat influences our health and mood, so the powerfood list includes quite a few special ingredients.
My trip to Sri Lanka was almost 4 months ago and I’m still feeding off it! It’s the travel destination on everybody’s lips and I can warmly recommend it to everybody. While I was there, I took part in an amazing wellbeing week hosted by a group called Paper Tiger and held at Talalla Retreat.
Lukewarm evenings, funky music, nice people, great atmosphere, a sense of freedom: yes, it’s that time of the year again – the coolest time of the year. Festival season! Be it the Poolbar Festival, the Donauinselfest, the Urban Arts Form Festival, the See-Rock Festival, the FM4 Frequency Festival, the Lake Festival or the Two Days a Week Festival, all of them mean summer, friends and live music!
Was ich mit dem Arlberg verbinde? Endlose Tiefschneepisten, die wunderschönsten Winterurlaube und natürlich Heimat. Auch wenn St. Anton bereits zu Tirol gehört, verbinde ich mit diesem Ort Heimatsgefühl. Vergangenes Wochenende durfte ich den Arlberg einmal in seiner vollen Sommerpracht genießen. Das bedeutet grasgrüne Wiesen und stolze Berge!
It’s mostly the currently absolutely hellish temperatures that drive me from my beloved Vienna and into the countryside every weekend. I’ve already told you about my wonderful mini-break to Leogang – the multiple course menu, created by the Kirchenwirt chef and eaten in front of an absolutely stunning panorama of the Leoganger Steinberg mountains was an experience I won’t ever forget. No less impressive and relaxing: my stay at the Forsthofgut.
I used to have to make a daily trip to the health food store in order to stock up with foods I couldn’t get anywhere else – gluten-free products, more specifically. Now, supermarkets all over the place have started offering gluten-free and health foods (following several gluten- and other allergy hypes), but health food stores are still my very own food shopping paradise. Every time I’m there, I’m fascinated by the progress in the health food and organic sectors and specialty areas like veganism.
My new favourite activity is my own personal urban exodus, aka the “summer escape”. Particularly in these temperatures. This never used to be a big deal for me, as my home county of Vorarlberg offers myriad close connections to lakes, forests and mountains. Vienna, on the other hand, where the asphalt in the summer retains temperatures that are probably similar to the underworld itself, never gives your body an opportunity to breathe. Whenever this time of year comes around, I tend to sit myself down in an air-conditioned train carriage for 6 or so hours and go home, giddily excited about my trip to the Bregenzerwald forest and my mountain cabin.
