Birthday Party

Today was the birthday party. Markus is 28 (again).
We spent the morning relaxing at the Activarium (see below) and then went home for the party.
About 20 of Markus' family came,

The party started with cake. Lots of cake. Raspberry gelatin cake, apricot cream cake, fruit bread cake. The raspberry cake was amazing. I had two pieces.

An hour later, we ate dinner. It was weird. Why the cake first? Different traditions...We ordered food from a Turkish cafe nearby. Many pizza pastry type things, with cheese or vegetables. They were beautiful and tasty, although I'm not a bread lover like some people are.

I made lentil soup, at Markus' request. I had to leave out the Chipotle peppers I usually use because I know the German taste. So, I supplemented with lots of garlic. Everyone remarked that the soup had no potatoes (must be an "American recipe"), but that it was delicious. The Germans and their beloved potatoes (smiling and shaking my head). Markus doesn't like potatoes in the soup, and I don't think they belong with lentils at all. At one point Mattias, Markus' cousin asked me to identify each vegetable in the soup, pointing to each with his spoon. I think to myself, it may be my recipe, but they are all German vegetables--I didn't travel with them. "Carrot, garlic, onion," I list all in German. He points to the white one. I almost laugh. It's celery root (I think!?). Marianne gave it to me when I asked for celery. It's an ugly, ugly vegetable. Not celery. Oh well.

I wish you all a Happy New Year. Guten Rutsch. It means "a good slide into the new year." Kick it off the right way.