Damn it! One by one my kitchen appliances were starting to bite the dust. I’ve come to ask myself if this is me or some universal force trying to tell me that I should step away from gadgets all together. Two broken blenders were more than enough to push me over the edge. I was convinced that I wouldn’t get myself another blender, ever. Of course, this and other New Year’s resolutions ultimately failed. The homemade pesto, bulletproof coffee and warm soup fanatic in me wouldn’t overcome this loss. Or to put it differently, without a blender I’d need to retire from blogging all together.
I still doubt the necessity of most other gadgets though. Let’s consider the exemplary ice-cream machine. The idea to make our own sugar-free ice cream whenever we want sounds fantastic at first. But then winter kicks in early and the tool disappears somewhere in storage for some 9 months or more. Not the kind of tool I like to spend my money on to be honest.
But what if the object of desire is no ordinary gadget after all? What if it has the potential to be a companion for life? A tool made from elegant wood, with an indestructible stainless-steel roller. A gadget propelled by your own body power rather than nuclear power from the socket. A helper for your everyday needs and beautiful to look at!
“And then she jumps to her feet to dance her little happy dance!” – This is me, everytime I look at this little fellow. It was love at first sight! This buddy here is definitely still an insider’s tip, on it’s way to becoming a mandatory household item everywhere. …
Among German food bloggers there are common word jugglers and downright stars such as today’s guest and main attraction of the “Croation-Swabian State Circus”. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage: 
It’s already May 7th and Amazon claims my book’s currently 
While a pot of rice is happily steaming away on my cooker in light of my next kitchen experiment, let me offer you another peak into my pantry. You’ve probably noticed my love for unusual ingredients: 
Welcome in 2015! This year will be great! The mere thought of it makes my whole body tingle and I can’t stop grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat. According to Google, „to grin like a Cheshire Cat“ is the equivalent of the German idiom „grinning like a honey pie horse”. Now you know. 😀 Anyway, like I said, 2015 will be great!
Spring arrived in Istanbul a few weeks ago and we are already heading full speed towards Summer. While in Southern Turkey the skin-warming sun lures people into the sea for the first time this year, in Istanbul we are celebrating the sun’s return by letting sweet and plump, bright red strawberries melt in our mouths. All the while the Spring showers, turning the Black Sea region into a bright green wonderland, are responsible for the abundance of delicate and rich greens on display at our weekly farmers market. Trying to refrain oneself from those treats would almost be an insult to this country’s fertility. Thus, happily volunteering to pay tribute, mint, parsley, dill, thyme, basil and other greens pile up in our kitchen every week. We’ve become quite creative in terms of putting the various herbs to use, though sometimes we just can’t keep up and the delicate little plants wither away. To use up all of the leftover herbs in due time I came up with this little rainbow salad. Instead of the usual lettuce I put in bol bol (Turkish for plenty of) fresh herbs resulting in a feast for the eyes and fireworks for your taste buds. I wouldn’t even mind having this salad two days in a row. …
Sundays for me are preferably spent relaxing and in most cases also cooking ahead. Even though I do not meticulously plan out my meals for the upcoming week, I still like to be prepared. Prepared in terms of knowing that sometimes it can be difficult for people like us to quickly whip up a healthy and filling meal. That is why on Sundays I usually cook up a batch of buckwheat, potatoes or millet, or all of the above, to store in the fridge. That way I have a fructose friendly and gluten free base on hand to ready a nice meal. This is particularly convenient when I’m running late and still need to pack lunch rather than returning home on an empty stomach.
From time to time I know it can be a bit tiring to be friends with, related to or in a relationship with me, the adamant no-fructose-advocate that I am. Even four years after being diagnosed with fructose malabsorption, I’m not showing any signs of fatigue in bringing up the fructose topic. Be it by making critical observations on why certain foods are unhealthy (which I usually make just as a friend is about to dive into their said plate of food). or in response to somebody once again asking me, why (after turning down the piece of cake) I won’t have any of the fruit either. Enter the sugar-police! I always try not to lecture, rather to explain. I understand that my little sister for example is not keen on hearing my opinions on sugar, as she is just about to have a bite of her delicious looking cupcake. (I am still the older sister, though, so bear with me) In the end, all I am really trying to say is that I am concerned about the health of my loved ones.
Last week I was eating myself through several spelt products to test my personal level of tolerance. What can I say? I’ve fallen in love with it. I didn’t experience any side effects no matter what sort of spelt product I was eating. What’s more, spelt or “Dinkel” in German is a very popular grain here in Germany. That is why you can find a gazillion spelt products in almost any supermarket and, even better, freshly baked spelt bread at any bakery that sells quality bread. Wohoo!
It’s been seven months since we left our home in Berlin in an attempt to grow roots in Istanbul. A few days ago we arrived back in Berlin. It’s our first time home since February. I was looking forward to these upcoming three weeks. Looking forward to all the breakfasts, lunches and dinners with friends and loved ones, to happy bike rides in the city and enjoying morning runs in the park close by. Other than that, I must confess, there is not much I missed about Berlin. Who would, considering the numerous hours of sunshine Istanbul provided us with, all the Turkish food and fresh seasonal goods grown on the fertile lands of the rough Black Sea, the thousand plus different views of the Bosphorus or the seemingly endless supply of new and one of a kind impressions. Istanbul has not failed to keep us entertained. Needless to say the Gezi Park protests and the surprisingly violent response by the police caused quite a stir in our daily lives.
Before I knew about my fructose malabsorption, breakfast was something I only thought about after a long night out to sooth my stomach. I usually skipped breakfast and couldn’t wait for lunch time to indulge into hearty portions of pasta, pizza or whatever was on the lunch menu. If I bothered having breakfast I usually grabbed a sandwich at a bakery that was near my office or university. I’m not talking about the kind of mayonnaise dripping sandwiches topped with a half kilo of turkey like most of my American friends are used to. Nope. I’m talking about a simple “belegtes Brötchen”, that’s what we call our sandwiches in Germany. Nothing too unhealthy or heavy, just a bunch of useless carbohydrates. However, by lunch time I often felt hungrier than the times I hadn’t had any breakfast at all. Of course weekends were a different story, but that makes for only 2 out of 7 days a week, right? Either way, I just couldn’t get hold of a healthy breakfast routine. But since I had to throw everything I’ve learned about nutrition (including my personal preferences and eating habits) over board after getting my test results, breakfast was one thing I had to tackle as well….
Willkomen in Fructopia! In dieser kleinen Welt dreht sich alles um ein gesünderes Leben ohne Fructose, ohne Zucker, ohne Weizen. Schön, dass ihr da seid! 
