Saturday I ran a couple of errands, rode my bike into Eltville for strange meat products because the local Metzgerei (butcher/meat forcer) closes at around noon, and I did not time things properly. However I was not disappointed by the selection in Eltville, and made several purchases. The best of which was a couple of slices of Schinkenmagen, which is a big sausage (bologna sized) that is basically cubes of ham suspended in a matrix of fat and coagulated blood.
I was particularly pleased to find two of the crafts of the Fleischmeister combined (ham curing and sausage making) in one package. I also found a bakery that was open there so I purchased this beautiful hulk of a loaf of bread.
When I got back I decided to ride down the Rhein for a bit. I was just riding along enjoying the sunny day and got as far as Geisenheim (not that far in reality, but a bit of a trip for a fat guy). I stopped at the Weinprobierstand in Geisenheim and got a glass of Riesling and a bottle of water and sat down at a bench. Weinprobierstands are basically kiosks (these particular ones are down by the river, I don’t know if they have them elsewhere) that sell wine by the glass (or bottle) and maybe some snacks. I stayed there for while and drank one small glass of wine (~3-4 oz) and a liter of water before heading home. I hit two more of the stands on my way home, but I didn’t have any water at these.
Saturday’s dinner consisted of a couple of sandwiches made with the hunk of bread and the Schinkenmagen.
Along with an Altenmunster pilsner it really hit the spot.
When I say that I did my Karate Kid impersonation on Sunday, I am referring to the “wax on, wax off” part. Today, for the first time since I’ve been here, I hand washed and waxed my truck. It is actually sort of a No-No to do work like that in Germany on a Sunday. But I did it in back of my apartment so nobody would have to watch me do something constructive on the Day of Rest. It was pretty hot here today. I was washing and waxing the truck in the heat of the sun. I got tired around mid wax on. I had been drinking diet coke and/or water up to this point, so I went inside and grabbed a couple of nice cold, hoppy, Flensburger Pilsners. They really scratched that itch and got me through the rest of the job Here is the result.
It might not be as shiny as a Steven’s car, but I’ll bet he has an electric buffer. I can’t tell you how much a door-to-door electric-car-buffer salesman could have gotten from me today.
I also took some pictures of the grapes. We’ve had quite a bit of rain lately, and too much can cause mold or fungus to set in. It’s also been pretty windy, so maybe that is drying everything out. This weekend was nice and sunny and in the high 80’s to low 90’s. I think it’s supposed to cool back down Monday or Tuesday of this week (and I’m sure it will rain too).
6 comments:
That meat looks rough! You have a stronger stomach than me ... congealed blood as a food source? I'm not thinking so...
Hey Tony:
The truck looks good! (But the meat looks funky) For the record, no power buffer here, just good old fashioned elbow grease. Maybe that's why I never have time to post to my blog :-)
Steven
I'll have to let the two of you in on a little secret... that meat (the schinkenmagen) is wonderful! The ham chunks give it a great texture, and the blood and fat give it an unctuous quality that is unbeatable.
You know that you have not had a sandwich that looked that good in well over a year.
And blood tastes good.
Why do you think that Kosher meats are often corned or brined? It's because Kosher meat is drained of all of the blood and they brine and corn it to give it flavor. The flavor that they just drained away.
Tony,
I know that I have probably been the biggest abuser of the Haven's G-rating but, sometimes I just can't help myself.
This may be my first comment to the Haven that you choose not to publish so as not to offend your more delicate readers.
Your reference to a "meat forcer" dredged up images from the deepest convolutions of my brain. I could probably expound on the various and sundry salacious connotations of a "meat forcer" but, I'll just leave it at one simple question.
To wit, would John Holmes have been considered a "meat forcer"?
W.
"Coagulated blood" huh!!???
Did you eat scabs when you were a kid???
Did I get my earlier question in too late for today's edition of the Haven or did you decide to use you authority as editor of the Haven to edit that comment out of existence?
W.
Wilhelm,
I somehow managed to "Hold the Presses" just enough to get your comment in under the wire.
"Meat Forcer" was meant to refer to your earlier comment about the chickens not being willing participants in your dinner plans.
I had previously referred to sausages as "Force Meat", which is a legitimate cooking term for such foodstuffs. It's a bastardization of a French term "Farce Meat" which is basically any highly spiced meat mixture. The French term "farce" has several meanings: one of which could probably be interpreted to include any number of Jerry Lewis movies, the other referring to a meat stuffing.
Ergo, the term "meat forcer" was innocently used by me to mean one who prepares "force meat". The lascivious connotations and lewd interpretation of my words were far from my mind.
However, now that I do think about it, I guess old Johnny may have been called a meat forcer, on certain occasions.
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