Cultural Insider » European

Fat Tuesday on Wednesday Morning

Rachel Bowen Pittman — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:09:57 +0000

This morning a coworker brought Fasnacht to work for breakfast. I had never heard of it before so I was glad she provided a written description:

Fasnacht is a yeast-raised potato pastry that is deep-fried like a doughnut. The name fastnacht is German for “fast night,” and the tradition of making them began with the Pennsylvania Dutch as a way to use up the lard, sugar, fat and butter that are forbidden during Lent.

My coworker got them from her local grocery store. She lives in Pennsylvania where the Dutch culture is still very prevalent. However, I don’t think they are common in stores located in the Washington, DC area, which is why this is my first time eating it.

The box of Fasnacht came in glazed, powered and plain. I grabbed the glazed, as that is my favorite type of doughnut. While the Fasnacht looks like a doughnut, its consistency is a lot thicker. To me, it tasted like coffee cake or King cake to make a Fat Tuesday reference. In addition, I think it’s fascinating how a pastry can be made from potato starch instead of flour.

All in all Fasnacht is a tasty pastry. I just wonder if it is really a once a year treat. I’d love to try it again.

A Greek Brunch

Rachel Bowen Pittman — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:53:22 +0000

When you think of brunch, you think of omelets, quiche, French toast and smoked salmon. However, yesterday I met up with Ayanna for a Greek brunch at Levante’s in Washington, DC. The restaurant was filled with large and small groups of individuals who looked like they were there for a good meal and great conversation. No one seemed to be in a rush on this rainy day, and the waiters appeared to be attentive. I immediately knew this would be a great place to catch up with a good friend.

After we were served our drinks (I had a mimosa of course), we headed to the buffet, which included an assortment of familiar Greek foods. I grabbed a large plate to allow me to sample everything, knowing this will sabotage my Biggest Loser weigh in…which it did. Anyway, moving on, I filled my plate with a small Greek salad with olives and feta cheese, hummus, stuffed grape leaves (Dolma), fried eggplant, yogurt with dill and cucumbers (Tsatziki) and phyllo stuffed with feta. The buffet also included some American dishes such as baked salmon, waffles and grilled vegetables so I added a little bit more to my plate. The dessert section, which I eventually went back for, had a nice selection such as flan, baklava, chocolate mouse cake and fruit.

Even thought the food was good, not fantastic, I must say that I enjoyed it because it was different than the typical brunch. This is the second cultural brunch I’ve had with Ayanna, and I can’t wait to see where she chooses next.

A French Sunday Brunch

Rachel Bowen Pittman — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:53:09 +0000

On Sunday before we saw Thurgood, a play featuring Laurence Fishburne at The Kennedy Center, Richard, Ayanna, Jonathan and I had brunch at Circle Bistro, a French bistro located in downtown DC. I am not a connoisseur of French food so I was expecting to find a nerve-racking menu. However, it was brunch so most dishes were recognizable, like omelets and quiche. The French flavors came through ingredients such as various cheese and sauces.

We started with complimentary apple crumble cake and an order of beneighs. I had my first beneigh at Café Monde in New Orleans so I knew I would like it. I also ordered a mimosa, my favorite brunch drink. For the main entree, I was adventurous and ordered a Croque Madame, which is made of smoked ham, emmenthaler cheese, fried egg and mornay sauce. I had no idea what emmenthaler cheese or mornay sauce taste like so the waiter tried to explain them to me. In addition, I was a little nervous because I never had eggs over easy.

To my surprise, the dish was nothing like I expected. The ingredients were layered between slices of white bread, and the portion was rather large. Note: I always thought French food was served in small portions. On the other hand, as expected, the dish was very rich and flavorful.

Overall, I liked my meal and am glad I tried something new. However, I wish I skipped the cereal bar earlier that morning; I was full for the rest of the day.

Side Story: After brunch, while I pulled the car up to the restaurant, Jonathan, Ayanna and Richard saw Hillary and Bill Clinton drive by in a car. They waived at them, and the Clintons waived back. I was totally bummed that I missed them!

P.S. Thurgood was awesome! Go see it!

Traditional Irish Dance

Rachel Bowen Pittman — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:45:51 +0000

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! To celebrate this festive occasion, I saw members of a traditional Irish dance school perform at a local Irish pub. If you can’t remember this dance, think of Riverdance where dancers move their legs in rhythmic steps while keeping their arms straight. Also, the lively folk music for these performances includes instruments such as accordions and flutes.

Today’s troop ranged from about five years old to teenagers. The older girls and boys rotated in and out with solo dances, and the younger kids, in traditional attire, performed a group dance. The kids were great, and the patrons enjoyed the celebration with green outfits and glasses of Guinness.

The following is a short video of the performances.

Russian Landscapes

Rachel Bowen Pittman — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:08:11 +0000

Today I visited a local art center to see an exhibit by Timkov Nikolai Efimovich, a Russian Impressionist landscape painter of the 20th century. Timkov worked at a time when the Russian government established Soviet Socialist Realism as the only authorized style of art. However, he produced landscape art as a way to avoid these restrictions and used French Impressionist style in his works.

Ok…I recognize that I am not an art expert (I still draw stick people), and landscape paintings sound quite boring. However, I found myself appreciative and emotionally connected to Timkov’s paintings. At times, I felt I could walk straight into his Russian scenes. Timkov used vivid colors and lots of textures. His paintings reminded me of the countryside in anywhere USA; however, the images of monasteries immediately took me back to Russia. Throughout the exhibit, I learned about Russian artists, government influence and small town living. For example, Timkov’s landscapes told the story of city living Russians vacationing in dachas (small cottages in the county) to garden and relax. These scenes reminded me of my annual retreat to Woodbury, PA , where there are rolling hills and lots of cows. (Side note: every year Mrs. Over, my friend Becky’s mom, takes us to several greenhouses owned by Mennonites. I’ll write about this adventure in the spring.)

Through this exhibit, I learned about Russian history and its artists. I concluded that landscape paintings provide you with insights on a country’s terrain and a glimpse of its people’s lifestyle.

Delighted Taste Buds

Rachel Bowen Pittman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:13:29 +0000

Within the last week my taste buds enjoyed a world wind of flavors at various ethnic restaurants. It started this past Wednesday, when my husband and I went to Oyamel before the Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game. Oyamel is an authentic Mexican restaurant that serves antojitos (small plates or snacks) and tacos served in hand-made corn tortillas. My meal consisted of familiar antojitos and not so familiar tacos that were made with goat meat marinated in chilies and spices. The flavors were incredibly intense and reminded me of meals I had in Guadalajara and in Monterrey, Mexico.

For the weekend, I went to New York City to spend time with college girlfriends, Barbara and Stephanie, and Gerold, Barbara’s husband. On Friday, we went to an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn called Saraghina, which served pasta dishes and wood-burning oven pizza. We found the place to be very lively and enjoyed listening to the staff talk in Italian to one another. We decided on a few pizzas and red wine, which was the perfect choice after a three and half hour train ride from Washington, DC. We ended the evening at The Chocolate Room, a chocolate boutique and dessert café also in Brooklyn. The desserts are made with chocolates from all over the world and are perfectly paired with international wines. I ate their delectable signature chocolate cake, which was paired with a Framboise. Let’s just say that I slept very well that night.

On Saturday, during a shopping spree in Soho, we spontaneously went to Boqueria, a Spanish restaurant that serves tapas (small plates). Once again, I ordered familiar dishes but also decided to try lamb meatballs with sheep’s mild cheese for the first time. With a glass of sangria and great conversation with my girlfriends, this turned out to be the perfect afternoon meal.

In the evening, we went to Sazon, an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant in Tribeca. This place had a great bar and lounge, played pop, hip-hop and salsa music and celebrated several birthdays by having its staff sing Cumpleanos Feliz to patrons. The drinks were named after hot spots in Puerto Rico. I ordered the Loquillo margarita, which is named after my favorite beach outside of San Juan. For appetizers, we decided to share chicken empanadas and yuca crabcakes, and for dinner, I ordered ropa vieja (shredded beef stew with black been rice and sweet plantains). I also could not resist a sample of Gerold’s pargo entero con arroz de coco, which is whole red snapper stuffed with seafood in an enchilado sauce with a side of coconut rice. I left this place with happy taste buds, and once again, I had another good night’s sleep.

What I love about large cities like New York and DC is that they offer an endless variety of ethnic restaurants. However, if you do not have access to a big city, I encourage you to find your local, authentic restaurant to give your taste buds a flavorful, international experience. And don’t forget to be adventurous by trying something new!