Carb Coma

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Poland was lovely, but I am literally sick of carbs. By the third day, the heart burn was epic and fueled by the hot Polish donuts stuffed with rose jelly, pear jam, and nutella (separately, not together). They call them Paczki (pronounced paunchkies ... as in, if you eat too many you will grow a significant paunch).

The wine, beer, pierogis (potato dumplings stuffed with meat, cheese, or many other options even sweet), Krakow bagels, and potato-everything did not help either. Oh, and there was the delightful Krakow-special cheesecake smothered in caramel, and their honey cake which actually wasn’t that sweet.
Yummy Krakow Bagel with salmon tartare!

Krakow Cheesecake smothered in caramel and Polish Honey Cake (not too sweet)

The Devil, hot from the fryer, stuffed with Nutella (or pear, or rose jam, or many other options)


Our last day in Krakow was raining and unpleasant. We enjoyed a relaxing day, and even got to see the new Avengers movie in an ultramodern mall and movie complex only a few blocks from the ancient Jewish ghetto we were staying in. As you can imagine, this place is steeped in history of 900 years, including WW2 and the nearby concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. The Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, was formed when King Casimir the Great welcomed the wandering jews who were ostracized everywhere else, in the 14th century.

So, it was such a shock to spend two days in a very old town, between the castle and the river .. and then go two blocks to modern life. There was even a kitchy american bar, with blues singers, burgers, and onion rings, covered in American memorabilia. Here, Americana is cool, and aspirational. Weird.
A rainy spring day in the Jewish Quarter, with tons of bars and restaurants

Fancy wine bar in the Jewish Quarter with lovely Smoked Goose Carpaccio

Old and New on the Vistula river. Krakow is filled with contrast, including the statue of pig in the river as a symbol of cleansing and renewal. Weird.
For now, we just got back to Budapest and are focusing on getting back to our good food habits, and getting rid of this carb coma. After less than 12 hours, I already feel much better and tonights home cooked meal of chicken paprikash, clean-style, hit the spot.

Coming up : the secret ingredients of a very simple and clean paprikash.



Comments

  1. lythaMay 7, 2019 at 3:33 PM

    You're so close, yet so far away! Are there really bagels in Hungary? I know all about a cake/dessert/pastry that looks yummy but ....."Waiter, please bring me both butter and sugar, and rebake this thing." Oh, I'm so Ami.

    Are you on a lo-carb diet? I hate nutella like the Germans hate peanut butter, which I ate a spoonful of tonight as a special treat.

    I'm glad you noticed how Europeans both love and hate America. It's a complex they live with daily.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nat DMay 8, 2019 at 2:29 AM

      Lytha, I have not seen any bagels in Hungary … but in Poland they were literally on every street corner. And good ones too. Coming from Montreal, that's a BIG compliment. We are very snobby about our bagels.

      And the Polish Sour Soup was literally called that. Its a combo of sausage, sauerkraut, mushrooms. The BOMB! I will be making this at home, for sure.

      Delete
    2. lythaMay 9, 2019 at 12:41 PM

      I just finished making our Hungarian Gulash and it's awesome but I'm craving it on a bed of sauerkraut cooked in bacon fat. Tomorrow I'll get me some at the Aldi. My husband ate his on boiled potatoes, which I suspect is common.

      Delete
  2. DomMay 10, 2019 at 8:49 AM

    I was born in Poland and am dying to go back to visit. This post was great, and I nodded along to the "too many carbs". It's like reading a menu for my parents' house growing up, and I have no idea how us kids managed to be skinny throughout it all...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nat DMay 10, 2019 at 12:16 PM

      Thanks Dom. Dont get me wrong, those hot fried donuts are amazing. In fact, I love polish food ... the cabbage rolls, bigos, red cabbage ... and lots of vodka!

      Delete

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