Yearly Archives: 2006

Brno, Czech Republic

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others. November 11th-15th, 2005 We left Liszó, Hungary, spent one night in Budapest, and then headed to Brno, Czech Republic. There we visited a friend from college, Chris, […]

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J - hi gemma, the pierogi looks awesome! i can only imagine how heartily wonderful it must have tasted

Sera - Hi!!!
It’s been such a long time since we’ve talked!
your pierogies look awesome
Try a dough that is 1 part flour to 1 part sourcream. It is really delicate and fries up beautifully in the saute pan. just knead it until soft. it should be sticky, but use lots of flour when rolling out.
Glad to hear that you and John made it home safely.
I am going to Singapore and Korea at the end of April for that competition I’ve been practicing for. It’s going well, just last minute glitches that need to be worked on.
See you later
I will update my blog more after the competition

gemma - Thanks J, I anticipate trying them again soon!
Hi Sera, it is great to hear from you. Your suggestions sound intriguing, I will definitely try them. Congratulations on the competition! That sounds very exciting. I hope you will tell us all about it. Have a safe trip and best of luck!

Liszó, Hungary

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others. November 8th-10th, 2005 Our Croatian friends set us up with a friend in Varaždin, Croatia where we stayed for a night. Our new host subsequently set us […]

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shaz - I am so envious! Eeverything looks relaxed, peaceful. Its making me hungry. shaz, food blogger from singapore

gemma - Hi Shaz, it was indeed quite peaceful there. No heat or running water will do that to a village. People were did what they needed to to get by, and seemed to truly enjoy their other moments.

Home.

We have returned to Chicago in one piece and with most of our belongings. It is disorienting to be in familiar surroundings after so long in so many new places. These last 5 months have been some of the most fascinating of my life. We met amazing people, tasted delicious foods, and saw breathtaking sites. […]

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evan petrie - Hey Gemma, I am glad that you and John made it back safely. Good luck with your job search. Once you get settled in and things slow down a bit you should come down to Iowa for a visit.
much love,
evan

Joe - Glad to hear you arrived back safely! I have so enjoyed having a visual tour of your trip!

Bea at La Tartine Gourmande - I just discovered your blog and what a delight, food and travel, all the things I love!
Welcome home if Chicago is your home. This is where my husband’s family lives and where he, my husband, partially lived!

Alex - Hi Gemma! It’s so nice to see news from you and so good news from Chicago. You know that troubles finally make good, so that was realy wonderful time we spent together in moscow, i hope to see you and John soon again anywhere :)

Ivonne - Congratulations on your homecoming … all the best!

gemma - Hi Evan, I am coming out this weekend. Looking forward to seeing you!
Thank you Joe and Ivonne!
Thanks Bea. Yes, Chicago is home. We had such an amazing trip, but I have to admit it is nice to be back in a familiar place!
Hi Alex! I am glad that we met you, even though it started out with a missed train. I had a really great time in Moscow, thank you for everything. I too hope we meet again one day soon.

keiko - Gemma, I’m glad you’re back safely – I’ve enjoyed reading your wonderful adventure and look forward to hearing more about it. Take care.

IMBB #22: Rice Noodles in Beijing

We have arrived at our final destination before returning home –Beijing.  This city is full of friendly people, mind-boggling cultural sites, and of course– delicious food.  One restaurant that we have been to twice so far is Chuannriver Restaurant. I will post one day soon about the extent of our meals at this establishment.  Though, […]

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genevieve - i love reading about your food adventures. here’s a hint if you haven’t heard already – do not go to quanjude for peking duck! it’s for tourists and no good…ask around for a real place. good peking duck can be REALLY good. :)

Hayley - So… what’s a girl got to do to get a hint of your trans-Manchurian rail adventure? I’m a sucker for good food, but almost as big a sucker for train travel.

gemma - Hi genevieve,
Thanks for the advice. My boyfriend has been seeking out some peking duck and I had heard that place mentioned. We will look elsewhere.
Hi Hayley,
I am so behind with posting! I will eventually post about the Trans-Manchurian, but first I have to post about Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland. . .etc. . . I broke in about Beijing in order to participate in IMBB. If I have the chance I will try to put up some pictures and a brief description on my travel page in the next few days. Thanks for your interest, I will do my best!

boo_licious - Your adventures sound great – glad you are having such a fantastic time. I must admit I’ve not eaten Sichuan noodles but these sound really nice although not spicy enough as everyone associates Sichuan food with lots and lots of chillies.

J - hi gemma, great post and imbb entry!it sounds like you had a truly fabulous time…

gemma - Hi boo and J,
Thanks, we did have an amazing trip. So fleeting though! These noodles were so interesting, I just had to post about them. I am glad you enjoyed it.

Music/ audio / mp3 resources - Music Portal Website

Most MP3 portals have overcome this by using a combination of user registration, pre-authorisation and transaction batching or polling…

MP3 Download - Startseite – Musicload

Die Musikdownloadplattform von T-Online mit Songs aus allen Genres. Titel sind im geschtzten Windows…

Dee in Beijing - I love that dish ! Do also try noodles made from beans and also from sweet potato – both look white/clear like rice noodles.

Zagreb, Croatia

I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others. November 4th- 7th, 2005 John and I visited Zagreb, Croatia after spending some time in Rome, Italy.  While in Zagreb we visited a huge indoor/outdoor market in […]

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Pille - I love ajvar, too. I first got to try it in 1998 in Bosnia&Herzegovina. I even got a recipe from my host for making it myself – once I get hold of 10 kg of fresh and aromatic peppers they sell in the area:)
Luckily there are few shops in Edinburgh that stock ajvar and it’s not too bad actually.

gemma - Ooh, even though I have no access to the 10 kg of local peppers that you mention, I would love to take a gander at the recipe if you ever have a minute to send it my way.
I will definitely be on the ajvar hunt when I get back to Chicago.

Rjecnik - you have some awesome pics here. i hope the baked goods are as good as they look on your blog.
cheers
anja

t. - ajvar is great. next time you visit zagreb, leave me a message on my blog

engleski rjecnik - here is my cheer to ajvar. i saw that trader joe’s carries it nowdays. great.
best,
.e.r.

gemma - Hi e.r.,
I too have been pleased to find ajvar around Chicago. It seems like several establishments have picked it up in the last few years. I’m quite glad.
Gemma

Jen - Rich’s ftw!

gemma - Yes! (And Ann’s Bakery right up Leavitt, too)

A.P. - I am serbian myself and grew up eating the stuff, my favorite brand of ajvar that we buy in the chicago area is “Biljana Makedonski Ajver Hot”. Its perfect and you will probably find it in some world markets.

Gemma - Thanks for the suggestion A.P. I usually shop at Ann’s Bakery in West Town for Ajver (it’s near my work). I’ll keep an eye out for the brand you mention. Any favorite shops to suggest?