dirk singing and other ayats
february 9, 2011
Salaam Dear Ones,
Juergen has hooked us up! It seems that a German television crew came to Gottessegen and gave an acting workshop last year. They spent a couple of weeks working with the residents, teaching them how to sing, act, make costumes....how to put on a show, really. Dirk, my liebling, is dressed as a policeman and showcased in this report that made it on the local news. It's so cute and so funny. Check out the two guys playing politicians meeting on the street. Enjoy!
http://www.wdr.de/mediathek/html/regional/2010/09/13/lokalzeit-dortmund-kunst-projekt.xml
Today I took my brownie recipe to work and Andreas said, "Just give me the recipe, and don't tell me how to put it together, and let's see if it's like how you make it." And then he proceeded to make it entirely differently. First he put the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in a huge pot on a mixer that had a low flame underneath it, and he gently warmed it while he whipped it. I'd never seen anyone do anything like that. I didn't even know you could do that, and he explained that this is how you make bisquit (pronounced bee-skwee - smile) which is the basis for many Germany cakes. Then he added the flour mixture. Then he added the chocolate-butter mixture. Then he folded in the nuts. Folding in the nuts is the only thing we do alike on the execution of the recipe. I whip the crap out of the egg/butter mixture trying to get the sugar to release, but it never does. Heating it gently does the trick and the sugar releases completely, becoming this white glistening fluff. He even showed me how to tell when it's just right. You drag your finger through it and the trough remains. Then it's done. Who knew? This was revelatory.
It's just so fascinating to be learning these things. I've had this passion for baking all these years, but never had anyone show me anything. Everything I've learned was from a book or from trial and error or sheer persistence. And now I have this person willing to show me everything! It's just so fun and exciting and interesting and wonderful, all at the same time. It's kind of the classic student/teacher relationship when it clicks. It make me think about how Murshid must feel when he meets someone who really wants to learn from him. What a wonderful feeling!
Needless to say, the brownies turned out beautifully. They were a cake brownie, not a fudge brownie, which personally, I'm a fudge brownie girl...but they were the bomb. Andreas proceeded to trim all the edges off the brownie, explaining that no baker in Germany would serve a product with an edge. Every piece has to look exactly alike. I told him in the States people actually ask for the edge, or some, the corner. But he said here no self-respecting baker would offer that.
Then he took the brownies to the cafeteria to test market them and see what people thought. Twenty minutes later the phone started ringing...someone wanted the recipe! In a good-natured way he told them it's a secret, and if they want a brownie they can come to the bakery and buy one for one euro twenty! We got a little laugh out of that.
Juergen is actually talking about coming to visit Carbondale in July/August when they close the bakery for vacation. I'm not sure if he's serious, but he says he wants to come tweak our operation and see how we're doing executing the breads. We were looking at Google Earth because he wanted to see the Longbranch. Then he wanted to see where we live, so I showed him the farm. He says, " I grew up on a farm too" and goes to show me his family farm, and he puts the address in: 150 am Hulsenberg, Dortmund. And I go, "I live on am Hulsenberg too!" He thinks I'm joking. And I say, "No, I really do. I live at 170 am Hulsenberg." As he's looking at his house, I point three houses up the hill and say, "This is where I live!" It was crazy! What are the chances of that? It turns out that he grew up on this street and his childhood friend lived in the house that is now our tekke! Isn't that wild?
So these are the ayats, the signs that tell me I really am at Gottessegen. I continue to feel incredibly blessed to be learning in the beauty and comfort and security of our wonderful Community.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention! Sheikh Suleyman Ates is coming with the Takim family to satsang tomorrow night! Isn't that awesome! I'm looking so forward to seeing him!
Okay, I gotta wind down now. 4am comes early.
Sending all my love,
fattie
Juergen has hooked us up! It seems that a German television crew came to Gottessegen and gave an acting workshop last year. They spent a couple of weeks working with the residents, teaching them how to sing, act, make costumes....how to put on a show, really. Dirk, my liebling, is dressed as a policeman and showcased in this report that made it on the local news. It's so cute and so funny. Check out the two guys playing politicians meeting on the street. Enjoy!
http://www.wdr.de/mediathek/html/regional/2010/09/13/lokalzeit-dortmund-kunst-projekt.xml
Today I took my brownie recipe to work and Andreas said, "Just give me the recipe, and don't tell me how to put it together, and let's see if it's like how you make it." And then he proceeded to make it entirely differently. First he put the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in a huge pot on a mixer that had a low flame underneath it, and he gently warmed it while he whipped it. I'd never seen anyone do anything like that. I didn't even know you could do that, and he explained that this is how you make bisquit (pronounced bee-skwee - smile) which is the basis for many Germany cakes. Then he added the flour mixture. Then he added the chocolate-butter mixture. Then he folded in the nuts. Folding in the nuts is the only thing we do alike on the execution of the recipe. I whip the crap out of the egg/butter mixture trying to get the sugar to release, but it never does. Heating it gently does the trick and the sugar releases completely, becoming this white glistening fluff. He even showed me how to tell when it's just right. You drag your finger through it and the trough remains. Then it's done. Who knew? This was revelatory.
It's just so fascinating to be learning these things. I've had this passion for baking all these years, but never had anyone show me anything. Everything I've learned was from a book or from trial and error or sheer persistence. And now I have this person willing to show me everything! It's just so fun and exciting and interesting and wonderful, all at the same time. It's kind of the classic student/teacher relationship when it clicks. It make me think about how Murshid must feel when he meets someone who really wants to learn from him. What a wonderful feeling!
Needless to say, the brownies turned out beautifully. They were a cake brownie, not a fudge brownie, which personally, I'm a fudge brownie girl...but they were the bomb. Andreas proceeded to trim all the edges off the brownie, explaining that no baker in Germany would serve a product with an edge. Every piece has to look exactly alike. I told him in the States people actually ask for the edge, or some, the corner. But he said here no self-respecting baker would offer that.
Then he took the brownies to the cafeteria to test market them and see what people thought. Twenty minutes later the phone started ringing...someone wanted the recipe! In a good-natured way he told them it's a secret, and if they want a brownie they can come to the bakery and buy one for one euro twenty! We got a little laugh out of that.
Juergen is actually talking about coming to visit Carbondale in July/August when they close the bakery for vacation. I'm not sure if he's serious, but he says he wants to come tweak our operation and see how we're doing executing the breads. We were looking at Google Earth because he wanted to see the Longbranch. Then he wanted to see where we live, so I showed him the farm. He says, " I grew up on a farm too" and goes to show me his family farm, and he puts the address in: 150 am Hulsenberg, Dortmund. And I go, "I live on am Hulsenberg too!" He thinks I'm joking. And I say, "No, I really do. I live at 170 am Hulsenberg." As he's looking at his house, I point three houses up the hill and say, "This is where I live!" It was crazy! What are the chances of that? It turns out that he grew up on this street and his childhood friend lived in the house that is now our tekke! Isn't that wild?
So these are the ayats, the signs that tell me I really am at Gottessegen. I continue to feel incredibly blessed to be learning in the beauty and comfort and security of our wonderful Community.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention! Sheikh Suleyman Ates is coming with the Takim family to satsang tomorrow night! Isn't that awesome! I'm looking so forward to seeing him!
Okay, I gotta wind down now. 4am comes early.
Sending all my love,
fattie