Jammen

For those of you trying to keep up, here's something else to add to your list of things to learn in order to be like Alisha: how to make jam. In all fairness, I think it's significantly easier in Austria because they have this lovely sugar that contains pectin, so that takes a lot of the scariness out of canning.

Let's start at the beginning. Last week, one of Amanda's neighbors invited her over to show her how to make jam. Now, this woman called it marmalade, but when I looked up the difference between "marmalade" and "jam", I realized what they made was actually jam. After a little more research, I discovered that the English word "marmalade" is translated to "Orangenmarmelade" in German. And the German word "Marmelade" is translated to "jam" in English. I also learned that "jammen" is the German verb "to jam". That's not really related to the food jam, but I found it amusing.

So, Amanda learned to make jam from her neighbor last week and she taught me how to make jam this week. Now I must teach someone how to make the jam within the next week. It's the David Watson method of jam-making. (I know that only a handful of people are going to get that joke, so don't worry if the last sentence didn't make any sense.)

Here goes... How to make strawberry jam.

Start with fresh strawberries. I bought some of these from the Naschmarkt and the rest from the grocery store. The ones from the Naschmarkt were definitely better (looking and tasting), so next time I'll make sure to get enough from there. And while I was at the Naschmarkt, I took a few photos for Almost Daily Vienna. They'll show up over the next few days.

Let's get started. (Have I said that already?) Wash the berries.


Next, hull and slice the strawberries.


Then, add a little water to a large pot (enough to cover the bottom) and toss in the strawberries. Bring to a boil over a medium high heat while occasionally stirring and mashing the fruit. The juices will be released as it heats up. When it becomes juicy, add gelling sugar.

I had never heard of gelling sugar before and I don't know if it's available in the U.S. It's sugar that contains pectin (to gel) and citric acid (to preserve). When I googled it, the first site returned was a store in the U.S. (German Deli) selling the imported German brand, so it may be hard to come by in the U.S.


After it cooks a bit more, pour the hot jam into sterilized jars. I washed my jars in the dishwasher and then popped them in the oven for a few minutes to sterilize them. Put the lid on, then let them set overnight. Amanda's neighbor's grandmother used to always wrap her warm jars in a blanket so they would take longer to cool down. Neither Amanda nor I knew the reason for this, but we did it anyways.


My 7 cups of sliced strawberries made 5 jars of jam. I think I may try to make jam with other fruits

ich bin ein Wiener *

I've been wanting to use that title for a while now... Ever since I read a Wiki article about JFK's speech in West Berlin where he made his famous "ich bin ein Berliner" statement. Have you ever heard that Kennedy made a grammatical mistake and accidentally called himself a jelly doughnut instead of a citizen of Berlin? Well, I had never heard it either. But apparently that rumor is going around. And it's wrong. Wiki can explain it better than I can:

According to an urban legend that is both completely untrue and practically unknown in Germany,Kennedy made a slightly embarrassing grammatical error by saying "Ich bin ein Berliner," referring to himself not as a citizen of Berlin, but as a common pastry:

Kennedy should have said "Ich bin Berliner" to mean "I am a person from Berlin." By adding the indefinite article "ein", his statement implied he was a non-human Berliner, thus "I am a jelly doughnut".

The legend stems from a play on words with Berliner, the name of a doughnut variant filled with jam or plum sauce that is thought to have originated in Berlin.

In fact, Kennedy's statement is both grammatically correct and perfectly idiomatic, and cannot be misunderstood in context. The urban legend is prevalent only in English-speaking countries but largely unknown in Germany, where Kennedy's speech is considered a landmark in the country's postwar history. The indefinite article "ein" can be and often is omitted when speaking of an individual's profession or residence but is necessary when speaking in a figurative sense as Kennedy did. Since the president was not literally from Berlin but only declaring his solidarity with its citizens, "Ich bin Berliner" would not have been correct.

So there you go. The next time you're at a soiree and someone starts in on what a fool JFK made of himself in Berlin, you can set that person straight and turn them into the fool.

Now all of that was just introduction. Let's get to the point. Why would I say, "ich bin ein Wiener? Drumroll, please.

I got my residency permit today! (Brian too.) We're now official (and legal) residents of Vienna. And it only took about a year.

* For all you German-speaking folks out there, yes, I know that "ein Wiener" is masculine. But I figured that if I named this post "ich bin eine Wienerin," no one would start an urban legend that I called myself a hot dog.

A new apron

It arrived! The apron from the Summer Fun Apron Swap hosted by A Feathered Nest.


I love it. It arrived with an adorable cupcake pincushion (which I haven't photographed). I couldn't be happier. You can see some better pictures of the apron along with a photo of the cupcake pincushion and the tag at Yonnie at Home. And don't just look at that entry, spend a little time on the blog. She makes the cutest crochet baby booties and she has some really cute tutorials.

Thanks Yoonie!

My Vienna :: My school

This is where I've spent the better part of the last 9 or 10 months:


This is the language center for the University of Vienna. Before it was part of the university, this building and the others around it were the general hospital.

More precisely, this is where I've been spending so much time:


This is the classroom for the German course Brian and I have been taking since October. (We were an almost identical classroom a little further down the hall for our September class.) And yesterday, we visited this classroom for the last time. We have both officially passed the 7th level (M3) and are finished (for the time being, at least) with formal language study.

It's amazing when I think about the progress we've made. We're not yet fluent in German, but we can actually talk to people and understand what's going on around us. And when we're familiar with the subject matter, we can get along quite well. In preparation for our final exam, we had to read three newspaper articles and write a summary and our opinion for each one. During our oral exam, the professor selected one of the articles and asked us to discuss it. Brian talked about a legal document that has to do with the care of the children in the event both parents die. And I talked about the global food crisis caused by soaring food prices. Not simple subjects.

We've made some friends along the way, as well. Two of the girls in our class started the first level with us in September. And several others have been in class together for two semesters. On the last day of class, I brought chocolate chip cookies (using my Aunt Sue's famous cookie recipe). They were a big hit and a couple of classmates even asked where we lived and whether we would be staying in Vienna this summer. I think we'll be keeping in touch. :)

Yesterday we met for a few minutes in our classroom to wrap up some final issues then headed to a cafe in the courtyard for a little socializing before we parted ways. I think everyone was ready for summer break.

Sitting pretty

I've heard that I have a new reader. HI NANA! I hope you enjoy seeing a bit of my life here in Vienna.

Don't let the picture of Sharkdog fool you. We haven't all been laying around the whole day. Brian and I have been busy finishing up the semester of German class. Tomorrow is our last day. And then... well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Father's Day

Today, in honor of Father's Day, I would like to expound on the history of this fine holiday in German-speaking Europe. No wait, don't leave! I promise this will be interesting. Well, I hope so anyways. I made a commitment to myself long ago that I wouldn't delete something just because it wasn't interesting. This blog is all about quantity, folks, not quality. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed by now.

Back to the point at hand -- Father's Day, or Vatertag. Father's Day in Austria is pretty much the same as Father's Day in the U.S. That is, it's much less significant than Mother's Day. (I didn't say that I think it's less significant. It's society, man. Society. Of course, I think it's equally significant.) Children of all ages take advantage of this day to gift their father with cards and small treasures in appreciation for all that things that dads do. The Austrians, however, throw in one little twist. They celebrate Father's Day the second Sunday in June -- one week before the U.S. holiday. Sneaky.

Switzerland does not have a national Father's Day. But they do have good cheese, so that counts for something.

And then there's Germany. This is where things get interesting. Father's Day began in the Middle Ages as a day to honor God the Father. It was celebrated on Ascension Day, which is generally in May (40 days after Easter). It later became a day to honor fathers in general. But somewhere along the line it disappeared for a while. And when it returned in the 19th century (still on Ascension Day), it was no longer a day to honor God or even a day to honor fathers. It was pretty much an excuse for guys to get drunk. In fact, in some parts of Germany it's called Herrentag (Men's Day) instead of Vatertag -- I guess so that all guys, and not just fathers, can participate in the day's revelry. Basically, guys spend the day going from bar to bar and making a big scene while women spend the day rolling their eyes and pretending not to know the men. I don't think the holiday is celebrated much these days, but I'm pretty sure I got to witness it about 10 years ago in Chemnitz, Germany. I remember seeing these guys walking up and down the street pulling a wagon full of beer and ringing bells. When I asked about it, the ladies just rolled their eyes and said that it was Men's Day.

So there you have it.

And Dad, if you're reading this: Happy Father's Day, Pops!

Enjoying the fruit of my labor

Behold, my first strawberry. It was quite tasty. But it might be my last. The strawberry plants have been looking peaked since they had to spend almost two days indoor while the balcony was being repainted. I'm just not sure they'll make it much longer.

But while conducting a bit of internet research, I read that you're supposed to pinch off the blossoms until July. So I think I will do some pruning and see what happens later this summer. Who knows, maybe I'll end up with two strawberries.