Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Hometown Love

Before I wax too poetic about Berlin (because we've had some pretty unbelievably good weekends of late), it's important to look at our recent trip to the States and our favorite corner - Seattle.

Seattle sights
Space Needle

American Food & Drink

Oh, food. It's not that we don't eat well in Germany. It's that we eat different. Mexican food, beef steaks, Mexican food, hamburgers, spiciness, BBQ, and Mexican food - we missed you.


Fiesta Foods is a Mexican grocery store in Eastern Washington. It is amazing. Tortillas are made in house, Mexican food is served fresh, jalapenos, pinatas, & avocados are stacked to the ceiling and things like Catholic prayer candles are on sale.
Missing Mexican food
Tortillas
americans love mexican food
Authentic taqueria
Mexican grocery store
Jalapenos at Fiesta Foods



(We are slowly developing how to make our favorite Mexican meals in Berlin)

meal visiting family
Parents put on some impressive meals
Candy Cane bread


My mum & I have Christmas tradition of making candy cane bread. While it wasn't Christmas, we decided we'd make up for lost time and do Christmas in February. Christmas only counts when you're together right?

Seattle dive bar PBR
Pabst Blue Ribbon - the hipsteriest of American beers

fast food seattle
Dicks' burgers
Dicks Burgers Seattle
Magic bag of Dicks
Dick's Burgers is well respected in Seattle, and just got surprise nation wide recognition with an Esquire survey. The company serves an extremely basic Americana menu of burgers, fries, and shakes. That's it. What's more impressive, the company offers college scholarships for it's employees and is invested in the community. Who wants some Dicks? (yes, part of the pleasure is saying the name)

Costco Dog


Costco is a place where you can buy mass amounts of goods like some of the less savory retailers (W something), but Costco holds a place in our hearts for being local (Kirkland, WA native baby!). In addition, they offer hot dogs and a soda (with refill) for $1.50. This has been the price since 1985. God bless Costco.


expat visit home
Smokin Pete's BBQ

We love Smokin Pete's BBQ so much we would marry it. Ok, so we didn't marry it, but they did cater our wedding. While the Northwest isn't known for it's BBQ and we're no experts, there is no doubt in our mind that their pulled pork, po' boys, and hot links have a place in heaven.

Friends 

What to say - except that we missed them...a lot.



skillz
St. Paddy's party!




Family

Porters
My mum quilts!
Porter-Ball-Mendenhalls

Ball Cousins dye eggs

Calahan cousin
Porters lace up for some bowling!

America
Land of the free, home of the brave...it felt good to be back in the Ole US of A. 

Yakima western wear
Cowboy Boots
Classroom full of Americans
Ian's dad is an elementary school teacher and we were the special exhibit of expat sideshow freaks.

SAM Seattle art museum
SAM's Hammering Man
Seattle Art Museum is one of my favorite spots in the city and "The hammering Man" out front is an identifiable part of downtown. I loved it when someone put a ball & chain on him. The artist did not.

Snohomish High School
SHS recycled gym floor
My old high school, Snohomish High School, is old. Like 1938 old. I know, pretty impressive for the Wild West of the United States. The school has been extensively remolded, but I was pleased to see they took pains to preserve the history, using the old gym floors to side the walls of a new building. That's my mum's office right there!

Ian Yakima memory tour!

Ian's Elementary
Ian's old House
American college campus
Ian's UW German Building - Denny Hall

Ebe's memory lane:
My room has changed, but my horse and trophies still abound

Houston & Champion Ribbon
Seattle

Space Needle skyline
Seattle - Kerry Park
Pike Place Market

Pike Place



If you want some more 'Merica: American Pictures!

2 comments:

fiona said...

Those steaks look AMAZING! That photo has burned itself into my mind now.

Also I'd love to hear about you being 'expat exhibits' at school. I bet the kids had some great questions for you!

Unknown said...

The parents really outdid themselves on the foodage. I think they believe if they made us tasty enough food we'd have to stay. Sorry p's!

The German speaking Mann had to answer the question "What is _______ in German?" about a 100 times.

It was amazing. We love being back in Berlin, but there is nowhere like home.

We're Back in Berlin Ja!

We're Back in Berlin Ja!
ebe & ian at Yak-toberfest 2008