Schlagwort: INF 136

Autorin: Lisa Zhang

Fermented pickles, or salt water brine pickles, must be the fastest slow food there is. It is incredibly quick to prepare, but after the preparation is done, one has to wait patiently for days, or sometimes weeks, for the pickles to ferment and mature – making it a slow process. It may be counterintuitive, but this actually makes fermented pickles into a perfect student food. Because the only thing you really need to do is to wait – a bit like something oven-baked – and then voila, your food is ready! You can pair kimchi, Korean-style fermented Chinese cabbage, with both noodles and rice, a good cucumber or onion pickle with cheese and bread, and sauerkraut, or fermented cabbage, goes well with tons of things and is a staple in the German diet. It is great to have some pickles in the back of the fridge when you want to give whatever you are making an extra kick of flavour.

I began to start ferment my own pickles last semester, and have not looked back. The only thing you need to get started are vegetables, a clean and sterilized jar (you can use old jars for this, prepare them by cleaning and boiling them), salt and water (to make the brine). You can ferment any vegetable and experiment with different spices and herbs. To begin, you add salt to the ferment, this could be done either by rubbing salt onto the vegetable (like you do with kimchi or sauerkraut), or you make a brine, as with radish and cucumber pickles, around 1-3 tablespoons in 1-quart water, and then submerge the vegetables in brine in the jar. Whichever method you use, it is important that the vegetables are completely covered in the liquid – otherwise it might mould. The salty water helps keep the bad bacteria out and the good bacteria in the jar, which is what you want. Then you are ready after you close off your ferment by closing the jar with the lid! The only thing you need to do now is to “burp” the jar every other day because of the carbon dioxide that will build up in the jar due to the fermentation. You might see small bubbles appear in the jar, which is perfectly normal. To burp your jar, you need to open the jar briefly every day in the beginning, and then every other day. Otherwise, the pressure might build up until the point where the jar explodes, and nobody wants that. You can taste your pickle after a couple of days, and when you think it is sour enough, it is ready! One of my favourite ferments is Indian spiced carrot kraut. You will need around 500g shredded carrot, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds, a teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon black onion seeds, and 1 pinch red chilli flakes. You begin with rubbing the salt into the carrots until they release liquid, this will take a few minutes. Add the spices and mix well, press all the ingredients into the jar, liquid should rise up, and if it does not cover the carrots, you can add some water. Close the lid and wait for seven to ten days, and then it is ready. This carrot pickle goes well in salads, with naan and yoghurt, cheese – really everything!

Autorin: Lisa Zhang

When I first saw my dormitory studio that I had been given in Im Neuenheimer Feld, I felt at a loss. Everything in the studio was white, the furniture was white and the walls in the rooms were white. Despite having brought some things with me when I moved (mainly cooking utensils and clothes), I found it difficult to imagine how I would fill up the white space to make it more homely. The space seemed to me sterile, a room that you would perhaps find in a hospital or in a nondescript government building. Knowing that I would stay here for a few years, I quickly realised that in order to make it more personal, and hence liveable, I would have to add a few objects to it that would give it character.

Being on a tight budget (as most students are), I could not really afford to buy a whole set of new things. It also seemed like a waste to buy new things every time I moved, which students often do. I looked around in the town centre for second hand shops, but could not find any. That was, until I stumbled upon the “Recyclingkaufhaus”. Recyclingkaufhaus is exactly what it sounds like, a recycling shop, and they have all sorts of things, from furniture to bric-a-brac. The place looks like a warehouse and is filled with interesting curiosa (and useful things). When I was there the first time, I bought a beautiful wooden floor lamp and desk lamp, a rug, and colourful plates. They also have a section with second-hand clothes and second-hand books, if you are looking for those things. The way they price things there is that you take the things that you want to buy to the counter, and the person at the counter will price it for you there. Usually they price things cheaply, since it is second-hand.

Therefore, if you are looking for things to use or decorate your student room with, and if you do not feel like going far away to IKEA, or do not want to buy things that are more expensive in town, I recommend that you have a look at the Recylingkaufhaus and see if you can find what you are looking for there. It can be a bit of a hit and miss if you are searching for something specific, but at least it is a fun trip if you enjoy looking at odd things. Furthermore, it is better for the environment to buy second-hand too.

You can read more about the Recyclingkaufhaus on their website: https://www.recyclingkaufhaus.de/

Autor: Marcel Kückelhaus

Die „Schlagzeugmafia“ kann trommeln, was das Zeug hält. Aber genügt das für eine abendfüllende Show?

Manches im Leben beginnt mit viel Hoffnung. Man verspürt die Aufregung und ist gespannt auf das, was einen erwartet. Je näher zum Beispiel das Event rückt, desto zappeliger wird man und die Vorstellung von dem, was sein könnte, wenn denn alles so passiert, wie man es sich ausmalt, wird zu einem unvergesslichen Spektakel. Dann ist es soweit! Der Abend, auf den man sich gefreut hat, ist endlich da und alles verläuft zunächst so, wie man es sich in seinen Tagträumen vorgestellt hat. Doch nach nicht allzu langer Zeit in den Abend hinein macht es P A N G und die Show plätschert nur noch so dahin. Manchmal noch ganz amüsant, aber im Ganzen eher etwas dürftig.

So ähnlich verlief der Abend im Capitol Mannheim mit der Show der „Schlagzeugmafia“. Fünf Männer und fünf Trommeln versprachen bei der Ticketbestellung viel (und für den fairen Preis für Studierende möchte ich mich an dieser Stelle ernsthaft bedanken!), doch leider wurden die Erwartungen nach der ersten Viertelstunde und dem Abfeuern einer Konfettikanone nicht ganz erfüllt. Zwar ließen die Trommelfähigkeiten, welche die Künstler mit ihrer eindrucksvollen Koordination unter Beweis stellten, nichts zu wünschen übrig. Dennoch schaffte es die Rahmenhandlung mit ihrem eher groben und teils flachen Humor nicht zu überzeugen.

Die Idee war es, die künstlerischen Einlagen in die Geschichte von fünf Mafiosi einzubetten, die sich zuerst einen Kampf um die Vormachtstellung mit ihrer Nachbarin leisten, dann von der Polizei gejagt werden und schließlich einen Totentanz aufführen, um ihren in einem Boxkampf verstorbenen Kumpel wiederzubeleben. Ja, richtig verstanden! – Fünf Mafiosi, die sich an Voodoo-Praktiken versuchen und danach unter unbestimmbaren Zuckungen in ihren Armen leiden, die sie dann doch auf raffinierte Art und Weise in eine Performance überführen, die einen nicht gerade vom Stuhl reißt, aber dennoch einen Applaus entlockt. Während der Show erkennt man, wo man lachen soll – denn die Witze sind meist zu erwarten, nicht gerade innovativ und häufig auf Klischees beruhend.

Und dennoch wäre es unfair zu sagen, dass niemand gelacht hätte. Denn das Gegenteil war der Fall. Von Kindern bis Großeltern waren alle Generationen vertreten und so war auch für fast jede*n etwas dabei, worüber er*sie sich amüsieren konnte – eine Leistung der „Schlagzeugmafia“, die durchaus bemerkenswert ist. Der Abend war eine Achterbahnfahrt, nicht der Gefühle, aber der Qualität: mal gut, mal okay, mal wirklich lustig. Vor allem das Ende (das auch in keiner Weise zur Rahmenhandlung passte) brachte noch einmal eine überraschend positive Wende mit sich, als die Lichter erloschen und sich plötzlich ein Lichtcomic (siehe YouTube Video) auf der Bühne ereignete.

Der Abend hat die Erwartungen nicht übertroffen und vielleicht noch nicht einmal erfüllt, aber vielleicht lag da der Fehler auch beim Tagträumer.

Wer sich eine eigene Meinung bilden möchte, muss zunächst auf Videos zurückgreifen, denn bisher sind keine weiteren Auftritte der „Schlagzeugmafia“ geplant. Weitere Infos findet ihr jedoch unter: http://www.schlagzeugmafia.de/home.

Einen Trailer zur Show findet ihr hier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6V1uFKskoI.

Autorin: Lisa Zhang

On my balcony, I have assembled a DIY bird feeder. It is a neat little thing consisting of two water bottles, one that functions as a feeder and the other as a water container. I have attached them with metal wire to a branch that I found close to our dormitory. They call it upcycling, to re-use old trash and prettify it. Something I recommend all students on a budget to try! Mainly because it reduces waste, saves you a little bit of money, and is quite fun to do if you are into that sort of thing.

In “Im Neuenheimer Feld”, many kinds of small birds come and visit my feeder. There are blue tits with their puffed up yellow breasts; they really are acrobats of the woods, jumping up and down, doing tricks from one branch to another. Then there are the slightly bigger green finches with their green tails; they are less common. Of course there is the common sparrow, who here in “Im Neuenheimer Feld“ is quite shy because the blue tits dominate. I have seen many a time blue tits chase away a sparrow. I suppose numbers do matter in the law of the jungle. But really, I never thought I would see shy sparrows in my life given that they are known to be aggressive birds when it comes to food – apparently you never know.

However, there is one bird which is the king of the bird feeder, and that is the rose-ringed green parakeet. It usually just sits on the feeder majestically, and grazes at the food until it is gone. These birds almost have a neon-green sheen to their feathers and as they mature, they develop a rose-coloured ring around their neck – hence the name. So obviously out of place in a town like Heidelberg, that, first when I arrived I thought they were from the zoo, until I realised that they had made themselves at home in these parts.

There is a big debate about rose-ringed green parakeets in Europe. Considered to be an invasive species, they, according to some, destroy the native habitat of other birds, build heavy nests which may fall onto people’s heads, and most of all, there seems to be a xenophobic fear that they are not native to the region. What might these strangers do to the natural habitat? Nobody knows. Nobody also knows how they really arrived to Europe. Myths flourish about how they initially were pets who fled from cages, but more likely I think, is that they have migrated because of the climate crisis. It has been a mild winter.

The parakeets are the noisiest of the birds that come and visit, and they often make a racket in the morning when they discover that the bird feeder is empty. I feed them sunflower seeds, which is supposed to be good for all birds. Never feed birds bread. When I started to learn about bird feed, this was the first thing that came up on Google. Apparently, bread is like fast food for birds. Quite yummy, but in the end, it only consists of empty calories. Sunflower seeds, and other seeds, fruits and nuts (and even mild cheese!), contain all the nutrition that the birds need. Oh, and never feed birds anything with salt, that is very bad for them.

I often wonder what the Heidelberg crowd think of the rose-ringed parakeets. Most people I have talked to seem to be of the mind that it is a nice exotic addition to our parts, although I think few realise that the parakeets might be on their way to becoming the next dove – that is how much they thrive. At least, when it comes to the debate, we are not at the brown versus grey squirrel situation yet. At least for now, they just function as my colourful alarm clock in the mornings.

Autorin: Lisa Zhang

I read somewhere that the year 2020 will be the year of the humble bean: environmentally friendly, rich in nutrients, vegetarian and cheap. Not only are beans all of the above, they are also delicious (when made in the right way) and the perfect comfort food for a stressed-out student. You can always have a back-up bag of dried beans or a can of already cooked beans lying around in the pantry. With a few spices or condiments, you can turn the blandest beans into something sumptuous.

When it comes to beans, I would recommend that you invest in a hand blender in order to turn beans, canned or soaked and boiled (if you have the time) into bean dips, whether it be hummus, or just a pea pesto. You can of course also do the same trick with a fork if you want to have a bit of an arm-workout. Hummus, is incredibly easy to make. Take some ready-cooked chickpeas (approximately two fists or a can), a teaspoon of tahini (or more, if you like your hummus with a lot of tahini), one clove of garlic, lemon, drizzle with olive oil and then blend. This goes incredibly well with both bread and vegetables you can cut into strips – whether it be carrots, cucumber, celery or peppers. My favourite bean dip is a white bean dip with herbs; any herbs will do although my favourite combination is dill and parsley. Whizz the beans, add some lemon, salt and pepper, and then combine with chopped herbs. That is truly delicious!

Cooked bean dishes are equally easy to make. My favourite is to chop some vegetables (imagine something sofrito-like, or what you would have as a soup-base), add tinned tomatoes and beans, let simmer for a while until beans are tender. To give it a middle-eastern touch, you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves or allspice into it. When done, serve with a slice of bread. Easy-peasy, yummy, and healthy! If you want to make it more European, you can sprinkle a herb of your choice on top when serving. Another favourite of mine that is perfect for brunch is to make cannellini beans with onions, spinach, chopped tomatoes and egg. Fry the onions in a pan, add the spinach, tomatoes and beans after the onions have turned golden yellow. Let it simmer for a while until the tomatoes have collapsed. Crack a few eggs on top, put on the lid, and wait until the eggs are ready to your liking – whether you like the egg yolk to be runny or to be a bit firmer.  

A good thing with beans is that if you eat it with rice, you get a full protein meal with all the amino acids your body needs. That is probably why almost all bean-eating cultures have developed bean dishes in tandem with rice – it is a match made in heaven. You can, for instance, try to make a chana masala which is chickpeas in Indian spices or a Mexican black bean stew and have it together with rice. You will not be left disappointed. For chana masala you will have to invest in some spices such as cumin, coriander and chilli. For the simplest version, first you will need to fry the spices until they are aromatic (but be careful not to burn them!), then you add chopped onions and garlic, and when they are cooked, add chopped tomatoes. Stir and let sit for a few minutes. Add cooked chickpeas and wait. When the chickpeas are tender and ready to be eaten, that is when the dish is done.  For something simpler, why not try out a Greek “Louvi me ta Lahana”, just cook black-eyed peas with chard/mangold, squeeze some lemon on top and drizzle olive oil. The Italian Baroque painter Annibale Carraci often drew everyday scenes and one of his paintings, Mangiafagioli, depicts a worker devouring a meal composed of bread and black-eyed peas with glistening eyes. It is a striking image of someone who truly enjoys beans and serves as a reminder that beans, this humble food, have sustained us for centuries, and hopefully will for centuries to come.