Krapfen

The tale goes something like this, a young and lovely Jackie Kennedy mischievously told her husband to say “Ich bin ein Berliner,” during his famous speech in West Berlin.
The punch line is, of course, that to the fine people of Berlin, a Berliner is actually a jelly doughnut, and not a person from Berlin. Well, this is falsch, President Kennedy did not mince his words, but the story is cute regardless. You can read about it here.

I, of course, have a reason for mentioning this story. You see, Fasching was last month (I am a bit tardy on my updates). Fasching is the German celebration of Carnivale. The official food of Fasching seems to be Krapfen, and Krapfen, at least here in Bavaria, is the word for jelly doughnuts. It is probably more accurate to say “filled” doughnuts, but that is neither here nor there.

Anyway, if the word Krapfen alone is not enough to inspire appetite in even the staunchest of Atkins followers, then I imagine you are not alone. Still, the Krapfen explosion raged on, and in every bakery, café, and grocery store were a plethora of Krapfen to choose from. Another interesting point that deserves your attention is what I (incorrectly, mind you) lovingly refer to as “Krapfenschmuck.”

Amusingly, perhaps, the German word Schmuck, means jewelry. Very different indeed from the Yiddish insult most of us are familiar with. Schmuck can also mean decoration, for example, Weinachtsschmuck are Christmas decorations. So, the Fasching Krapfen are typically very colorful and often rich in adornments. I like to call the said adornments “Krapfenschmuck.” Please be aware that if you say “Krapfenschmuck” to a German, they will not know what the hell you are talking about, and will probably, in fact, think you are a schmuck.

So, to get on with it already, one morning I was buying a Milchkaffee and Breze (latte and a pretzel) when I came across the most interesting of “Krapfenschmuck.” Sitting innocently before me among the baked goods was a jelly donut with a syringe on top. “Hmmmm,” I think to myself, “this is kinda strange.” I went on with my day, but I couldn’t get that goddamn Krapfenschmuck off my mind. What is the meaning of it? Days passed. I started peeking in bakery windows. I noticed other bakeries too were using syringes as Krapfenschmuck.

I email my friend, “What the hell is up with you people decorating your Krapfen with hypodermic needles?”

Her response (I’m paraphrasing): “We use those to decorate all kinds of pastries and canapés, etc. Krapfen are nice!!!”

Turns out, when I said “hypodermic needle” she thought I meant “toothpick with a flag on it.” Such are the intricacies of international communication, I suppose. Anyway, I broke down and bought a Krapfen…. See for yourself….



And just so you can sleep tonight, inside the syringe was a little squirt of “Limes” a fruity vodka concoction, that you can inject into the Krapfen yourself. How fun is that?

As for Fasching, I missed the German celebrations, as Steve was in town, and we took a short trip to Sicily. Here are a few photos from our trip:


Steve demonstrating how he likes to eat Gelato....


Palermo, one of two major cities in Sicily and the first stop on our tour....


The temple at Segesta, built in the 5th century BC by the lazy and ancient Elymians--the temple was never completed....


The sun setting over Trapini on our way up to Erice....


Steve spotted this agency while we were in Trapini....


We attempted to go wine and olive oil tasting, yes, attempted. The countryside was pretty anyway....


Our last evening was spent in Taormina. We arrived just in time to catch the end of the Carnivale parade....


Here is Taormina during the day.....


And another view with Mt. Etna in the background....


We took a gondola down to the beach.....


This is a cute and dirty Italian beach cat. I call him Giuseppe....

I think Guiseppe makes a good stopping point for today. I hope you are all well. Happy spring!