Street Food in Berlin

When I booked a trip to Berlin, Germany last year with one of my colleagues, all she could talk about leading up to the trip was currywurst! Currywurst is a popular fast-food dish found throughout Germany and is particularly common from street vendors in Berlin. It is basically a grilled pork sausage, cut up into pieces and covered in a curry flavored ketchup and dusted with curry powder. Since we were in Berlin for a just few days and will be working most of the time, our first mission was to find currywurst and it didn't take long. On our way into the city on our only free day, we came upon a currywurst cart. It was cold and raw in Berlin that day, but fortunately the cart also had an enclosed picnic area with propane heaters for us to enjoy our street treat. We ordered some pommes frites as well, European style with ketchup and mayonnaise. This was just the fuel was needed for a jam-packed day of Berlin fun.

With mission number one checked off our list early, we spent the rest of the day at the Jewish Museum, Potsdamer Platz, and the KaDeWe. Stay tuned for more on our time in Berlin.

French Street Food

France is known for a lot of things including great wine, cheese, bakeries and culture. And Paris is known for a lot of those things including the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa, the Notre Dame, and amazing pâtisseries. When I told my friend Alex that I was headed to Paris for work I didn't even get a chance to ask her what I should do before she said "you absolutely have to get a banana and nutella crêpe from one of the street vendors." It was a common theme among friends when they learned of my trip so I made that my mission once I arrived. I took a few detours on my way to crêpe heaven, first to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo

and then to the top of the Eiffel Tower,

but it wasn't until I made my way down the river to the Notre Dame

that I finally saw what I could only dream of previously, the famous street vendors that create the Parisian street food known as the crêpe. I saw lots of amazing and inspiring artwork, sculptures, and architectural wonders, but at that moment it was all about the banana nutella crêpe so I stepped right up and ordered one.

I think the young woman making my crêpe was a but uncomfortable with me taking pictures, should I have asked first? I was giddy like a little kid in a candy store; I was hungry and could not wait to try this crêpe I had heard so much about. Smeared with nutella and stuffed with ripe, sliced bananas, it was a challenge to eat with a broken arm in a cast, but I managed, a couple times. The crêpe pancake was hot, sweet and perfect and the nutella and banana filling almost brought me to my knees. Wow, so good. Seriously amazing. I want to go back to Paris for a lot of things and one of them is another banana nutella crêpe. Bon appétit!

My Favorite Indian Snack - Pani Puri

My first time going to India was last September and I didn't know what to expect. I traveled by myself and went into sensory overload when I first stepped foot out of the airport. It was 4am local time, it was hot and humid, the air was heavy and polluted, and OMG it was crowded! I made it to my hotel in one piece, took a long nap, and met my colleagues at the office later that morning.

Just prior to dinner on my first night, I was introduced to a tasty little snack called Pani puri. Literally this means water in fried bread but it is so, so much more. Pani puri is a very popular street snack in India where you will often see small carts loaded high with puri, the fried dough bread, and crowds of people surrounding the carts slurping these tasty treats one after the other. My last trip to India was this past February and I made sure to have at least a few pani puri every night, in my hotel. I did not get to try the pani puri from a street cart - maybe next time.

To make this snack, a small hole is pressed into the top of the hollow fried bread and filled with a mixture of mashed chickpea (or potato), coriander leaves (cilantro), fresh green chilies or red chili powder, cumin, minced onion and black pepper. The 'water' is a mixture of tamarind, chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper and is spooned into the dough with the chickpea/potato mixture. Pop this snack into your mouth and crunch, a combination of sweet, spicy, savory and delicious will hit you all at once. This is definitely one of my favorite Indian snacks and I can't wait to go back for more.