Heilig Schweinefleisch

UUUGHH. I just wrote this elaborate description of my last two days and accidentally deleted it? 

Anyhow.... The last two days I have been working for a famous chef here in Berlin who is a best friend of my hosts. He needed a sidekick to help peel kartoffel etc and I'm soooooo glad I'm got the gig. He is a freelance food artist (who studied cooking at an art school in Frankfurt), an art dealer and an all around incredibly knowledgeable, well traveled, well read person. Our latest mission was to cook a traditional German meal for a birthday party of 45 people. I got to watch him build the feast, ask a lot of questions and taste every dish at every stage of its progression :)

The bike ride to Chef's house is pretty long and uphill....so i stopped at this cafe for a drink before continuing. "Do the Pop" hahahaha...ahhhhh.....

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Ze kitchen. he built it himself...

He makes is own sundried tomatoes.....

forgot the name of the sauces and spreads we made...ill have to ask again and update the photos:)

old fashioned coffee grinder! this thing costs about 150 euros!!! dannggg

He brought me his homemade german version of fruitcake (again i forgot the name) with my coffee. The has been aging since September...

!!!!!!! so good

When he found out I was from Chicago he showed me his prized Mafia cookbook...complete with a bullet hole through every page

A cold salad made with raw herring, pickles, potatoes, dill, corriander, pepper etc etc etc. amazing

beginning to make the potato salad...

chef stepped out so i got to take silly pictures

he corrected my knife technique from the other room...he could hear my knife technique...wow

making REAL german potato salad. You think you have had potato salad, but you have not. you have no idea. just shhhhhh.

very rare, very special Apfelvien! I had a little taste of just about everything in his kitchen. I am told by my hosts that this means he likes me.

you think you have had Schweinefleisch, but you have not....... Until you have had Schweinefleisch with a German chef.

traditionally smoked Schweinefleisch. Hung in a chimney and smoked for three days in cool smoke.

Chef made us dinner after an 8 hour shift. Chicken broth from a 13 pound chicken (!), chicken heart and stomach, frankfurters and vegetables. Soooooo delicious.

Brandenburg gate.....one of the many sights I ride through on my way home :) :) :) Berlin is such a romantic city

cafe's put out blankets in the summer in case you get cold sitting on the patio.

my morning coffee halfway up the hill to Chef's house.

I visited Istanbul fest on my way home from work today :)

Istanbul fest at Potsdamer Platz

So! Chef is driving to his vineyard near Vienna on Donnerstag and offered to drop me off in Vienna and drive me back on Sonntag! YES!!!!!! Now I just have to find a hostel/couch for 4/5 nights :D :D :D Vienna here I come!!!!!!!