Coconut Curry

Ugh, being sick when you are far away from home is no fun. Starting yesterday, I got super tired, head and body aches, cough, the whole nine yards. Is it H1N1? (No it's not really "swine flu" and I am sick of the panic it induces) Hopefully not, but a possibility. But I have spent two days lying in bed, drinking lots of water and watching movies. I haven't really been coherent enough to get work done, so if this post is a bit strange, blame the fever.

But before I got sick, I did something I new. Usually when I cook, I have at least read a recipe, and usually just tweak it based on my tastes and what I have on hand. I am rarely confident enough to just "wing it." But I did. I knew I wanted to use coconut milk, and I went from there. The results: Coconut Curry Tofu. I didn't write anything down, or really measure, so the recipe is approximate.


Coconut Curry Tofu
Brown rice, cooked

Tofu, whatever you decide is one serving (I used silken firm)
Olive oil

1 carrot, sliced
1/2 a small onion, chopped (I had a red on hand)
1 tomato, chopped (remove the seeds first)
1 hot pepper, diced small (I left half the seeds in, but do so with caution!)
Ginger root, finely diced
Spices: curry powder, salt, black pepper,
Coconut milk (I used about 2/3 of a can)

1. Start the brown rice cooking first. Or use white. Whatever. I just like the extra protein
2. Slice your tofu, and press it while you prep the other ingredients, just to avoid excess moisture.
3. Get all your veggies chopped
4. Boil the carrots until just a little tender. You could skip this, if you like more of a crunch
5. Saute the onion and ginger in a bit of water or oil in a small sauce pot.
6. Add coconut milk and spices to the pot. Cook until for 10 minutes? It will thicken slightly
7. While this is going, chop tofu into bite sized pieces and saute in olive oil.
8. Add carrots and tomatoes to sauce pot.

Here is what my stove looked like at this point:


Tofu:


Sauce and Curry:
To finish, put your rice in a bowl, ladle on some of the veggies and coconut milk, then top with tofu!

Well, for a recipe-less and plan-less foray into the kitchen, I think I ended up with a tasty dinner!


Now back to sleep and recovery before I head off to London on Thursday! Then comes frantic paper-writing, then MEGAN IS VISITING! Slightly more frantic writing/studying, parties, then HOME!

Oh, and travel tour pictures are now posted on Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/MalleryO

Traveling!

I know you haven't heard from me for a while, but I have a decent excuse. For the first two weeks of November, my parents came to visit!!! Yay!!!! I really needed a break, and it was amazing to see them for a while; it was just the taste of home that I needed. A brief travel summary: a few days exploring Copenhagen, seeing museums I hadn't been to yet, and introducing my parents to where I have been living for three months! This was followed by an insane few days of driving then entirety of Denmark, from Copenhagen to Skagen (on the very very farthest tip in the north) and back again.

Next adventure: trains! Now I have never traveled any distance on trains, but we decided that it would be a fun chance to try it. So from Copenhagen we loaded into sleeper cars to Germany, then regular seats, and finally a bus! Where did this take us? Prague! This has been on my to-see list for a long time, and it did not disappoint: Prague is a gorgeous city during the day, but is truly spectacular at night, when the bridge and all the buildings are illuminated. (Pictures are coming soon, but they require a bit more editing. Soon, I promise!) The city is very different than any European city I've been in, it just feels more old! But even in November, the tourists were everywhere. I didn't really mind though. The Old Square was beautiful, surrounded by churches, towers, and, of course, restaurants. All the restaurants, despite the cold, had outdoor seating. Luckily, they supplied huge gas heaters and blankets. Add hot mulled wine or cider and even I was nice and toasty!

So how to follow Prague? With Budapest, naturally! Also on my to-see list, also accessible by trains. I still haven't made up my mind which of the two cities I liked better. They were similar in some ways: divided by a river, giant castle, fancy bridges, etc., but Budapest was much less touristy. I think that I could see myself going back to visit Prague but actually living in Budapest.

A word on restaurants: eating in foreign countries is difficult as a vegan. It just is. There's the language barrier, the completely foreign concept of veganism, and just not knowing where to go. But thankfully, there is happycow.net. HappyCow lists tons of veggie, vegan, and veggie-friendly restaurants and stores all over the world! Although I have found the listings to be very incomplete and often outdated, it is still a terrific source if you know that you will be traveling for a few nights and need the name of at least one source of a decent meal! So in Prague I found Lehka hlava, which means Clear Head. This is an entirely veggie restaurant, with a menu in English where all dishes are marked as vegan, or if they can be made vegan. This was quite possibly the best meal ever. Everything was so fresh, delicious and creative! I had tempeh bulgar risotto. I have never had a tempeh dish that I actually liked, but I figured if anywhere would have a good version, it would be there. Such a good decision! Even my dad enjoyed his food, though he did complain that there was too much cheese in it... it kind of sounds like he could be converted... but I won't hold my breath. I almost forgot to mention- vegan carrot cake for dessert! Eating dessert out is such a treat for me!! The next night we decided to go the Maitrea, the new restaurant associated with Lehka hlava. Same deal, but with slightly less atmosphere and options. But still, an excellent meal!
Budapest I followed another HappyCow suggestion, Napfenyes Etterem, which people said served traditional Hungarian fare, but entirely vegan! The best thing, hands down, vegan pizza! Ok, now my dad really might be converted. A pizza made with vegan cheese and fake sausage and seitan? He loved it! I stuck to the veggie pizza with cheeze, which I liked even better! But again, the best part of the meal, dessert! I got somloi galuska, which is a traditional Hungarian dessert (but veganized!) of several layers of dumplings, with rum and chocolate sauce and whipped cream and vanilla custard and and and... So. Amazingly. Good. I might go back to Budapest just to eat at that restaurant again.

But now I am safe and sound back in Copenhagen for the next four weeks, and then HOME!!!!!! (can you tell I'm excited?) Well, mostly Copenhagen. I did go to Malmo yesterday in search of Astrid och Aporna, a vegan cafe. After several hours of wandering through an industrial park (I am never ever going without a map... ever!) I found it, and was not disappointed! "Chicken" curry sandwich on homemade ciabatta bread, with yummy veggie sides and the best soy chai latte ever! It was so lovely I had to take a picture on my computer:
Totally worth the walking! (Well, today my legs don't agree with that, but oh well, sometimes I just need to tell them to be quiet and get on with life)

4 more weeks: three massive papers, two Danish presentations, one Danish quiz, one Human, Health and Disease exam, one Epidemic disease quiz, one trip to London, one visit from Megan (please?), and lots of time spent listening to Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys :D

How long until I get to be a med student again?

I found myself asking this question (once again) today in Human Health and Disease. What lead to this, you may ask? Well I will tell you: rows upon rows upon rows of various anatomical preparations, sitting in formaldehyde, just waiting for me to study them! So so so cool! Even better, they all had tons of colored pins in them, and each pin identified an anatomical structure, so you could test yourself!
Every time I see things like this (the Bodies exhibit, or medical museums, for example), I realize just how badly I want to be a doctor. Yup, the idea of baking and opening a little bakery is still somewhere in my head, but it gets pushed waaay back on days like today. I mean, how cool is being able to see exactly what is inside of you, how it is all connected, where something could go wrong, and why we evolved how we did? OK, maybe it is only that cool to me. But maybe that means that being a doctor is really what I am meant to do with my life? I am going to go with yes, at least for the moment. (and maybe specifically I should consider surgery? But that I really don't know about yet...)

In other, rather less strange, news... Rachel Spear is the best person in the world! I came home after part 2 of 3 of my Danish midterm today, and my roommate calls out, "You have some mail, its in the kitchen." I never get mail, unless it is something from the Danish government about my visa, CPR card, etc, so I was rather confused. And what is sitting there, but an envelope from my best friend! Pictures, music, and the reminder that I have amazing friends was exactly what I needed! So thank you thank you thank you yotch #1! And you all could be my favorite people too... hint, hint... I like packages, letters, anything!

Last thoughts:
1. I will be home in 55 days (holy crap!)
2. My vegan soda bread needs a little more work before I post the recipe.
3. Yankees in the World Series=happiness! also= more late nights in my future, since games usually start at 2am Copenhagen time. Oh well, totally worth it.
4. TOP CHEF! I totally forgot to post this before, but Natalie Portman, one of my favorite actresses, is going to be on Top Chef this week. And the best part, SHE IS A VEGAN!! Hahaha, I love watching chefs try to cook vegan food, they get so scared!

And of course, my parents are coming on Saturday! Two weeks of vacation, here I come. Just need to get through these pesky midterms...

Seitan Ropa Vieja (aka "Vampire-Repelling Vegan Tribute to Julia Child")

I saw this recipe on the Isthmus website a few weeks back, and I have been meaning to try it since then. I finally managed to have seitan and a bottle of red wine at the same time, so I ran out to get the other ingredients, and made this wonderful creation the other night. The original recipe is here. I cut it in half, made a few changes with the spices based on what I had on hand, and added a little extra heat in the form of hot peppers! My cooking times varied too. Here is what I ended up with:

Seitan Ropa Vieja

1 Head of Garlic (yes HEAD, not clove)

Olive oil
1 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1 Onion

1 Tb Oregano
1 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp. Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper
(feel free to use whatever spices you have on hand)

275 g Seitan, chopped into bite-sized pieces
400 g Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Cup Red Wine (I used an Argentina Malbec, since this is what I like to drink!)
2 Bay Leaves
1 Hot pepper, minced with the seeds (optional, but I think this was an excellent addition!)


1. Roast the garlic. To do this, cut both ends of the head, drizzle it with olive oil, wrap it in foil, and bake it at 375 F (190 C) for about 50 minutes, or until it is nice and soft.
Let it cool so you don't burn your fingers, then pop the individual cloves out, and mash them into a paste (a fork should work fine for this)

2. Start the olive oil heating in a large-ish pot (the whole stew will eventually be in it) over medium heat.

3. Slice your bell peppers and onion.

4. Once the oil is good and hot, add the peppers and onions. Cook until they are soft and starting to brown, around 15 minutes.

5. Add your mashed up garlic and spices. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

6. Add everything else to the pot: seitan (chopped into bite-sized pieces), wine, tomatoes, bay leaves, and hot pepper (unless you are a weeny and not using one). I would suggest adding all the liquid from the tomatoes, otherwise you will need to add some liquid later in the cooking process.

7. Bring everything to a boil, then turn down to medium-low. Simmer for 45-60 minutes (mine as more like 60), partially covered. Add liquid if you need to (but you probably won't). Taste and adjust seasoning as you go!

I ate mine over a mix of leftover quinoa and brown rice, but you could certainly eat it with the grain of your choice!

With any luck, your will look like mine, or better! And by the way, it was completely and utterly delicious! This may be a new favorite!

Update on life

I know, I know, I haven't written anything in awhile- I'm a bad blogger. But I shall attempt to remedy that with a view stories of recent happenings. And I promise promise promise I will be better!

So, did I mention I was trying out a new cake? Chocolate-Avocado Cake with Avocado Buttercream! Sounds weird and completely inedible, right? Wrong! It actually turned out really well. About a week ago (I know, I haven't written in ages), the "Americans Cooking in Copenhagen" had a cooking night, and we gathered for food, wine, cake, and movies at Brandon's apartment, and this was my contribution:


Pretty much the only decent size pan my roommate has is heart-shaped, hence I have been making many heart cakes and brownies.

The recipe is all over many vegan (and non-vegan) baking blogs. The cake recipe is originally from Vegetarian in the Middle East, and the frosting is from Alton Brown. (By the way, I absolutely love Alton Brown, Good Eats, and actually pretty much anything on Food Network. When I grow up, I want to be him... any suggestions on how to go about doing that?) Any way, I pretty much followed this, but I didn't have that much chocolate to melt, so I just put in a little and added some extra cocoa. It still turned out well! And surprisingly, everyone in the group (all non-vegans) seemed to really like it! I think its a keeper.

So beyond baking... studying, studying, writing, reading... it's almost like I'm in school or something! I guess DIS finally decided to start giving us some work, but it is still nothing compared to the normal workload at home, so I really can't complain. But some of the other programs and classes are getting hit really hard last week and this coming week, so people are panicking a bit. I think we were all lulled into a false sense of security, and now with travel break just a week away, all the professors are pushing to get mid-terms exams and projects done.

And speaking of travel break, my parents get here a week from today! I am really excited to see them and travel for 2 weeks. I think we finally have a basic plan: stay in Copenhagen Saturday to Wednesday morning, then rent a car and see the sights of Denmark, end up back in Copenhagen and take an overnight train to Prague, stay there a few days, take another train to Budapest for a night, then head back to Copenhagen. Yay yay yay!

This is going to be awesome- both the traveling and having a little bit of home here! I have now been in Copenhagen for more than 2 months, and I have less then 2 months before I head home. It might seem bad to say, but I am actually looking forward to going home. I don't know if I will still feel that way when the time actually comes to leave, but at the moment here are my feelings: I have loved my experiences here, but 2 months is enough. I know I am not going to be fully integrated into Danish life in 2 or 4 months, and I miss everyone and everything at home. This has been amazing and I am so glad I decided to study here, but I could happily be done now. I guess DIS has learned this from experience, and that is probably why they schedule a long break for us now. And when I get back from traveling, there will be just a week and a half, then more traveling, this time to London for Thanksgiving, and then just three weeks of finishing up classes, finals, and papers, and then I am home!!! So I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And I have been having lots and lots of fun here. Last night, Alexis came home for his birthday (that would be my roommate who is currently studying in England for the semester), and we had a surprise party last night. Which meant Mitte and I spent a good part of the day baking, decorating, and cleaning. We made some rather impressive cakes, using fondant and the whole nine-yards!
And this morning was the 350 Climate Change event in Copenhagen. Check out 350.org for more info about the event, but essentially it is an international day for climate action, raising awareness, etc. There are 4500 events in 181 countries, and it is really amazing. A lot of volunteers here have been working like crazy to make it a success, and there were hundreds of people in the rain in Radhuspladsen this morning! It was great!



And now I have work to do, but I promise more updates (and more often) to come!

Pictures pictures pictures!

I got back from my Long Study Tour to Berlin/Poznan this weekend, but I am still tired, so I will give a full update on the trip a little later. Just know that it was awesome and I am in love with Berlin!

But to placate you all for the moment, I started a Picasa account! Now you can see all my pictures, which are on Facebook too, but this might be easier. I will still put some of my favorites in the blog, but this way if you are especially interested, you can check them out!

Here is the link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MalleryO

Alright, dinner time (oh right, I need to post recipes too... remind me!) I think tonight I am going to make an Indian eggplant dish called Baigan Bharta... wish me luck!

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

Well, no rum was involved, but still, sailing is a lot of fun! This weekend I went on the DIS tall ship sailing trip. Sorry, no pictures at the moment, I didn't want to take my pretty camera on the ocean, but I will steal other people's as soon as possible.

The set up: 25 DIS students, 2 interns, 4 crew members, 1 ship, and lots of food and alcohol.

The results: new friends, great memories, and a renewed determination to live on or near the ocean.


We left Copenhagen Saturday morning, after putting up the sails and chasing all the Japanese tourists off our boat. (Seriously, there were about 100 of them, and they kept climbing on the ship, trying to take pictures and just generally be a nuisance. Our fantastic captain soon put a stop to that. But I hate to think how many photo albums and YouTube videos we will soon be featured in!) But we were soon underway, and for the first time of the season, the ship was able to leave Copenhagen under sail, as opposed to using the motor. The crew was very excited about that, so I guess it is a pretty big deal. With the wind at our back, we made quick time under the bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark, past Malmo, and continued up the Swedish coast. Essentially, we had very little work to do. We made lunch, played cards, organized our bunks (which were awesome!) and did our best to stay warm.

We made such good time, that we docked for the night in a port farther away than usual, Landskroner, Sweden. Naturally, the crew, leaders, and some students decided to venture into town, and managed to find the one bar in the very small town. A good time was had by all :)

In the morning, I was awake early, so made my way up to deck, got some reading for class done, and watched the sleepy town wake up on a lazy Sunday morning. I absolutely love the feeling of complete ease that I always associate with the ocean and port towns. It seems like a whole different world, with its own language, culture, and wonderful associations. This trip served to remind me how much I need to live near the water.

We did eventually get under sail again, and began to make our way back to Copenhagen. Of course, the wind was coming straight from Copenhagen, so we had more to do- lots and lots of tacking. Turning the ship is a bit like a well choreographed dance: everyone has a role to play, and each must do so at the right time. The captain serves the role of the music, coordinating everyone's actions to achieve the maximum results. I love that feeling of being part of something bigger than myself; I know that my small action fits in perfectly with a larger plan, and the results of said-plan are more than I can accomplish on my own.

We did make it back to Copenhagen, said goodbye to the crew, and made our way back to our host families, apartments, and kollegiums, all dreading the amount of work ahead of us (or at least I was). But it was totally worth it!

My new home away from home...

... is Food and Coffee, located just a few blocks from Norreport Station.

How I found it: I was walking back from another favorite Copenhagen haunt, Naturbageriet( a vegan bakery!) after class this morning. I have been in desperate need of bread, so I bought a loaf of bread with seeds and carrots baked in, yummy! And then I saw an almond cookie, with marzipan in the center and toasted almonds on top... and I decided to splurge. Such a good plan! I stole a little bite of cookie, and then resolved to save the rest until I got back to my apartment. I had work to do, so the cookie was going to be a reward to myself. At least that was the plan. And then I saw Food and Coffee on a side-street.

I have no idea what attracted me to it, but I walked in, just to see what it was. And then I smelled the coffee, saw all the organic and vegan products, the smoothie and coffee menus, and the sign that said "Student Discount"... and I just couldn't leave.
First, the design is great. There are bean-bag chairs, tall stools made of tree trunks, pillows on tool counters, and smaller couches and tables in a back room. The front is all windows, so everything is beautifully lit, and inviting, and just fun!
Second, the coffee. Although Copenhagen has a growing cafe culture, their coffee is, across the board, pretty terrible. And expensive. But with my discount here, the cost was just very expensive, not totally and completely unreasonable, like most places are. But more to the point, it is really good coffee! I just had a cafe au lait, but they had everything, even iced coffee, and something that looked kind of reminiscent of a frappacino.
Third, wireless! They have macs there everyone can use, but they also have wireless and will cheerfully give you the password if you ask!

So instead of going home and studying, I sat at a tall table at Food and Coffee, drank my coffee and ate my cookie, studied, and had an interesting debate with a guy from South Africa, who lives in Washington D.C., and comes to Copenhagen frequently for business. Random. But awesome!

The moral of the story... if you can't find me at DIS or my apartment, I am probably at Food and Coffee!



P.S.- I really love random, totally unexpectedly good days :)

A day of ups and downs

As of tomorrow, I will have been in Copenhagen for four weeks. And for the first time this morning, I got very homesick. I'm not sure what set me off, but I would have done anything to have woken up in Madison or Northampton this morning. Which is strange, considering yesterday I got to talk to a lot of my favorite people from home, which made me incredibly happy. But I guess talking to all of them made me realize how far away I was, and how long it is going to be before I see them again. I will be home in three months. Three months is a very long time. It is also a long time to go without being able to just pick up the phone and call or text anyone. I think I am missing that instant connection the most.

So feeling rather sad and sorry for myself, I made my way to my one and only class today. I honestly would have been happier with more today, then I would have had something else to focus on. But the first bright spot of the day appeared heading to class- I ran into Ania and Rachel, who I hadn't seen FOREVER; hugs from my favorite smithies= an excellent turning point in my day. Second bright spot, two muffins to munch on during class! Yay, late night baking paying off!

I normally really hate not having a plan for the day, but I had no plans after class. I ended up just walking... and walking... and walking. For about three hours. It was fantastic. I got lost. I found new stores, namely one with AMERICAN peanut butter, maple syrup, and BBQ sauce, and on that had much cheaper versions of my favorite vegan granola bars here, which, yesterday I ran out of. So the day was improving.

Well, to reward myself for all my walking (while carrying my heavy backpack), I decided I needed food. I was headed to The Living Room for a smoothie and wireless, but saw a cafe in a bookstore, where lots of people had their computers. I found a table in the back with an outlet and yes, wireless, and set myself up to finish some work. Of course, I still needed sustenance, so I ordered a hummus sandwich. It was the most delicious thing I have eaten in a long time. And HUGE! I need to remember that place. Oh, and another bright spot (these are becoming more numerous, aren't they?), I got to talk to Hal for a while on FB chat! Yay, catching up with other friends living in strange hemispheres! That conversation really really cheered me up. As did finishing up a bunch of work, and continuing work on the ever-growing spreadsheet of med schools I want to apply to.

I finally did make my way back to the apartment, in a much better mood then when I left. My roommates are around, making waffles at the moment for a few friends coming over (saying goodbye, yet again, to Alexis). Oh, and I convinced them to try my muffins, and according to Mitte "They are really really good!" And Alexis is now raving about them too. More non-vegan converts... :)

Overall, I am still homesick, but writing this, I realized I had a much better day than I expected. And it can only get better right? Especially because I am drinking a glass of chocolate soy milk, my new obsession! Seriously seriously yummy.

So there is my rant. I am still in need of hugs. Anyone? Thanks. <3

Vegan Morning Glory Muffins!

So one thing I have really really really been craving for the last few weeks is a really good, vegan muffin. I find myself daydreaming of Woodstar carrot muffins... saturday mornings... a text book, huge coffee, delicious delicious muffin... ooops, there I go again. So tonight, I felt the need to rectify the situation. Hence, vegan morning glory muffins. Carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts, and banana. What could possible be wrong with that?

A few problems arose, namely coming up with a recipe I actually had ingredients for, since all stores here close ridiculously early (I was starting my project at 9pm), and finding baking tins (that solution ended up being my roommate's heart-shaped, silicon baking... dishes? utensils? very very cute things?) But despite some mishaps, here are the final results! (Complete with pictures! I am so proud of myself for remembering! But a food photographer I am not...)



Vegan Morning Glory Muffins
- 1 1/3 C Flour
-1/2 T Baking Powder
- 1/2 T Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt

- 1 Banana, mashed (I broke it into pieces, then microwaved for 30 seconds, because it was not as ripe as I wanted)
- 1/4 C vegetable oil (or whatever you have on hand)
- 1/2 C Brown Sugar

- 1 Apple, diced finely
- 3 Carrots, grated
- 1/2 C Raisins
-1/2 C Walnuts, chopped


Mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the banana, oil, and sugar until relatively smooth, there will probably still be some chunks of banana. Add the wet mix to the dry mix, and combine with a rubber spatula. (It will probably seem like it is going to be too dry, but do not be fooled! It will be fine, I promise) Fold in all the rest of the ingredients.
Spoon into your vessels of choice, and bake at 350 F (that is 175 C for the rest of us). Bake about 30 minutes, but time will vary depending on the size of your muffin and vessel, so check earlier. (Mine took a little longer).

Enjoy everyone!


By the way, this is really making me miss Lawrence house, I wish I could be baking for all of you!! Make sure you tell the firsties that I am awesome and I promise to make delicious new things for you all in the spring!

Study Tour!

Yay traveling! I finally got out of Copenhagen last weekend for our first study tour. We spent Thursday-Saturday on a whirlwind tour of Odensa and Arhus. So here is the very abbreviated version of our trip:

Thursday:
We met around 7, and then headed out for a nice long drive to Jutland (the part of Denmark connected to the rest of Europe. First stop, Hans Christian Anderson Children's Hospital (by the way, they are absolutely obsessed with him here, even though during his life, he hated it here and did everything he could to leave. But that was partially based on Jantelov, which will need to be another post). Here, we were lectured at for a while, specifically on different methods of ventilation for neonatal care. Interesting, but very difficult to hear one person talking quietly while 35ish American students tried to all crowd around and ask question. But we did get to see their neonatal care unit and see some of the unique methods they are using to care for extreme premies (like 24 weeks, incredible!). Additionally, we saw their labs, which were set up very differently from the US. Instead of having a big lab that focuses on one project, they have a ton of tiny labs that all do just one things (ie- only do PCR). It seems like they do all the PCR for a set of projects, but don't have anything to do with the project as a whole. I'm not sure if this is way more or way less efficient than our system. It seems to work for them, but I think it would frustrate me. I like to have my hands in all aspects of a research project, not just one little part!



So after the hospital, we went to RoboDays! Essentially, we went and played with all the latest and greatest robots... and somehow they decided this was medically related? I mean really, the main highlight was riding around on Segways. But I suppose there were some really interesting new inventions, like a blind-cane with built in GPS that can guide people by vibrations. Or snuggly robots that could comfort children in a variety of situations. ... but mostly we rode on the Segways!



Follow this up with dinner at a hostel and hanging out with our group and the other DIS groups at the same hostel for a good portion of the night, and it was a good day.

Friday:
Another early morning, another drive, another hospital. This time the Arhus PET imaging center. I actually really enjoyed this visit; we saw and heard about new neural imaging techniques, especially for Alzheimers and Parkinsons research. We then had what I thought was one of the best lectures I have ever heard. It was on interdisciplinary methods of studying neuroscience. I love the idea of pulling philosophy, physics, computer science, music, everything, into the study of neuro. It brings a whole new level to research, and allows so many new ideas to develop. This is really the kind of work I would like to do once I get back to school. So this is my new goal for senior year, find a special studies or thesis that allows me to do interdisciplinary work, not just sitting in the basement, injecting mice, watching them, and killing them. Awesome! I have a plan!... now to convince Mary that this is a good idea...

A pretty view from the bus

The afternoon, we went to visit a GP. A little background of the Danish medical system:
1. Everyone gets universal health care.
2. Everyone is assigned a GP.
3. To see a specialist, you must have a referral from your GP.
4. There are a TON of rules involving how much doctors can work, the hours practices can be open, and what doctors you can see.
Therefore, GPs are very important and plentiful.
This particular clinic was home to 8 GPs, which is very large by Danish standards. I was really interested in this visit, based on all the family medicine I was involved in this summer. But it was a bit disappointing actually... mostly it was a discussion on why the Danish system is so much better than the American system. But we did get to see the practice, which remarkably resembled more of a house than a doctor's office. Each of the GPs practiced relatively autonomously, as each patient is assigned to just one of them. They budget 15 minute blocks of time (or less!) for each consultation, which often involved lab tests, just talking, and even acupuncture. Weird. But a good insight into Danish health care... which may not be as perfect as everyone seems to think. I will withhold any other comments until I know more.
Friday evening in the middle of nowhere, what do you do? Apparently, you go bowling! So yes, we spent several hours bowling, eating really awful food (or in my case, lettuce and bread), and actually having a really good time. And then our tour leaders decided we should all go out. And an entertaining night ensued. Let's just leave it at that.

Saturday:
A day of museums. We went first to ARoS, the modern art museum in Arhus. It was one of the most amazing museums I have ever been in, and this is from someone who is not usually a fan of modern art. First, the building itself is incredible. All white, very open, and full of windows. Second, the art itself. It was so varied: from parts of a horse in jars (long story), to a giant boy, to video installations, to 18th C. paintings. Crazy cool.






Museum #2: History of Science. Sweet. First blood transfusions, ancient ambulance, plague doctors, results of very early surgeries, microscopes, pretty much everything under the sun. Oh, and the same pendulum clock we have in McConnell! It made me very happy. (McConnell is one of the science buildings at Smith, for you non-Smithies, and the foyer contains a giant pendulum clock!)






And that was pretty much the short and sweet version of our study tour. Now I can't wait for the long tour in just a few weeks to Berlin and Poznan!!



... and now I should get back to studying!... and cooking! Cooking class #2 is tonight!

Food Post!... and this weekend's upcoming adventure

I know I promised recipes, but I keep forgetting to take pictures of the food I make! So to begin, I offer a link to the best vegan brownies I have yet to find. It is from "Cookie Madness," which always makes me smile! Even though its not a vegan-specific blog, there are a number of vegan recipes, and this one happens to be amazing, even if the method is a little strange. Just give it a chance, I promise you will not be disappointed. The only thing I changed was to cut down both sugars from 1 cup to 3/4 of a cup. I didn't add nuts or vegan chips (because I didn't have them) but they can't be bad! By the way, my very non-vegan friend, Emma, loved these, and claims that they just might be better than the amazing brownies her mom makes! Vegans for the win!

Other things I have been making lately: Veggie Curry, adapted from Monty's Blue Plate Cookbook. Monty's Diner is the original restaurant of the FoodFight group of Madison. Hubbard Diner, where I worked in the bakery a year ago, is kind of a spin of. But Monty's has waaaaay more veggie/vegan options, and it is fantastic! I have never had the curry there, but my version turned out well, as James and Emma can attest :) I pretty much followed their recipe, but had to substitute for some things I didn't have.

You want breakfast you say? In five minutes? Well, try the breakfast couscous from La Dolce Vegan. It is essentially just couscous, cooked in soy milk with banana, vanilla, and cinnamon. I threw in some raisins, just for good measure. It may be my new favorite food... except for my breakfast smoothie...

My achievement this morning: getting out the door by 8am, in order to meet my Danish class for a tour of Christiania. How did I do it? A breakfast smoothie in my Sig bottle! Super simple: last night, I took a banana out of its peel, cut in into hunks, and froze it. This morning, into the blender it goes, along with about a cup of soy milk, maybe 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and about a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Buzz! A yummy, totally decadent, protein-packed, breakfast on the go! Throw it into the bottle, add a straw (ok, I had to cut off the end to make it fit in the bottle), grab my bus pass, and I was on my way! Sweet... literally :D

And now I should finish packing, because our first study tour is tomorrow! We are going to Arhus and several other areas in NW Denmark for three days. We will be touring hospitals, namely the new and impressive Hans Christian Anderson Children's Hospital, seeing the newest in medical robots, and visiting general practitioners. I think it will be a great experience... minus the massive quantities of walking that will be involved. The legs will not be happy. Oh well. But it does mean I will be out of internet contact until Saturday night. So leave me messages here/facebook/email, etc, and they will make me happy in a few days!

One last cooking tidbit, my dinner tonight: it was delicious, and kind of professional looking... but you will have to take my word for it. I was so hungry, I gobbled it up before I could grab my camera. So here it is: My version of beans and rice for one hungry vegan.


Mallery's Beans and Rice Extravaganza!

Cooked Brown Rice (As much as you want to eat)

Half a yellow onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1/3 of a bell pepper (I used yellow)

1 garlic clove, minced
1 small-ish tomato, chopped
Salt, Pepper, Red pepper flakes, Sriracha sauce (amounts? how spicy do you want it?)

1/2 a can of kidney beans (~200 g)
1/2 cup water

2 T. fresh herbs, chopped (Cilantro and parsley would probably be your best bets)

1/8 of an avocado (or more if you want), chopped

I promise this is easy... really easy. First, heat up a bit of olive oil in a small pot. Dump in the first three veggies and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, tomato, and spices. Saute another 2 minutes. Add the water and beans, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Take it off the heat, adjust seasoning if you want, throw the herbs in, and put a lid on for a few minutes. Rice goes in a bowl, followed by the bean mix, and finally the avocado on top of it all!
Let me know what you think!


(OK Miss Megan, hope those recipes/ideas make you happy and will keep you occupied for now!)

A day of opposites and pictures... and cooking!

On Wednesdays, we don't have classes, theoretically in order to be able to go on field studies. But this week, I didn't have any scheduled. So it was time for a day of sight seeing. I met my friends Deborah and her friend Will at DIS, and we headed to Christiania and then Tivoli.

Christiania is a very interesting area of Copenhagen. It is right outside the center of the city, and it began in the 60s or 70s as a sort of social experiment. People were allowed to live there without paying taxes, and it functioned as a coop. Since then, it has essentially become a haven for hippies and druggies. Literally, they sell EVERYTHING related to drugs along the main street, which, consequently, is called Pusher Street. The pictures are from outside the main area, as they really don't like people taking pictures inside. The police essentially leave them alone, but apparently they have raids every month or so, and the residents are a little touchy about outsiders. The area surrounding it, as you can see, is lovely. And inside...well, lets just say it is something you have to experience for yourself.




So from the drug-laden Christiania to Tivoli, about as opposite as you can possibly get. Tivoli is the amusement park located right next to the Center Square. It also happens to be the world's first amusement park. Rumor has it that it also gave Walt Disney his inspiration to create Disney World. Whatever the case is, it is a beautiful place, with tons of rides, restaurants, even a mini aquarium! I took waaaay too many pictures, so here are just a few...






Sorry these took me awhile to put up. But in other news... I signed up for cooking classes! For the next four Tuesdays, I will be doing cooking classes, one focusing on breakfast/lunch, one on traditional Danish food, one on baking, and even on VEGETARIAN day!!! This is my first chance to take cooking classes, and I am really excited about them. And even though I am sure none of what we cook will be vegan, I think I will at least try everything! I CANNOT WAIT! This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time, so when I heard about it, I signed up immediately!

In other news, for Smithies, I will have an article in the Sophian about my experiences here in the next issue! AND it might turn into a more regular column! Sweet!

Lastly, I have been cooking up a storm the last few days. I made (vegan) oatmeal raisin cookies, and then Emma came over last night and we had yummy ginger-carrot soup, and salad and, of course, cookies! If anyone wants recipes, let me know and I can post them. And tonight, more folks are coming over, and I am planning on making Vegetable Curry with brown rice, and chapti flat breads... and possibly also brownies? If that all comes out well, I will try to take pictures and post them with recipes later!

BIG NEWS!

... well not really, BUT I did make two amazing discoveries in the grocery store today, and I needed to share.

1. Sriracha Sauce! I pretty much put this stuff on everything at home, and I finally found it here!



2. VEGAN NUTELLA!!!!! So nutella has milk in it, which makes me sad. But this stuff, no milk, no eggs, no nothing!



Yup, I am a happy, vegan camper. :D

Weekend Update!

... with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey (or insert your favorite SNL duo here!)

OK, so I am not Tina Fey, but I had an AMAZING weekend with so many stories and pictures too! So if this entry is really long, I am sorry. I guess I will go day by day, feel free to skim...

Friday (wow, that seems like a long time ago) I had an awesome class in the morning, "The Impact of Epidemic Disease on European History." Yes, it is public health, my dad is so proud that he is slowly converting me to the dark side! The professor is great, he is kind of like a giant teddy bear. But more importantly, he really knows his stuff, and just seems so excited to teach us! He spent a lot of time asking us questions that we didn't have answers to in front us from the reading, but he was trying to make us use the inherent knowledge we already have and apply common sense to explain things like fluctuating world population and average life expectancies throughout history. This is completely different than any classes I have taken at Smith, and I am really excited to learn about it! (Yup, I'm a nerd, but I challenge you to sit through this class and not be excited too!)
On to less academic adventures... in the afternoon I had a few hours to kill, so I decided to explore more of my neighborhood, which is North of central Copenhagen. I jumped on my trusty bike (I think it needs a name, suggestions?:
and set off down a road I had never been on. After a lot of rambling, I came across a large area enclosed by a red brick wall. Based on a sign in Danish, I discovered it was an old cemetery and crematorium, and visiting hours were over. But there was this open door... so I went in... And I am so glad that I did. I have never been a huge fan of American cemeteries: rows upon rows of tombstones, I tend to get really depressed. But this place was completely different and was so amazingly beautiful. I can't even express it. There was absolutely nothing depressing in the air, it was so open and organized. It was kind of a cross between a park and a memorial. There is no way to do it justice with words, so here are pictures:

And this may be my favorite statue I found:



OK, maybe I spoke too soon, this one is really pretty too:

I know I only saw a tiny part of the whole cemetery, and now I really want to go back when it is actually supposed to be open, and maybe I can learn more about the history.

Well after that adventure, we had a canal boat tour, which only made me realize how many things I have yet to see in Copenhagen. So now I have a checklist. But it was lovely to see the city from a whole different perspective.
So after the boat ride, part of the Smithie group decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. I LOVE MY SMITHIES! Rachel, Ania, Cara, and I had so much fun. As much as I wanted to come here and challenge myself in a whole new environment, it is so nice to have friends that I can call up anytime. I love you girls! Thank you for being amazing!

Saturday
I love having time to relax at home! I decided to make soup to freeze so that whenever I am feeling especially lazy I have ready made Ginger-Carrot soup! By the way, La Dolce Vegan is possibly the best cookbook ever!
Well later that day, Rachel and I decided that we needed to make chocolate chip cookies for her host family while they were gone. And we were both alone at our respective homes, and that is just silly. So usually I am rather proud of my baking abilities, but baking here is NOTHING like baking at home. We ran into a few problems: butter doesn't come in sticks, it comes in spreadable containers, which isn't quite the same. Vanilla comes in powder, not liquid, brown sugar was impossible to find (but apparently it does exist. Chocolate chips, on the other hand, do not exist here, nor do normal cookie sheets. But all that just made it more exciting! And we did end up with cookies that were (more or less) what we were aiming for!

And later... well without going into details (I need to protect the innocent... and guilty?) let me impart a bit of wisdom I learned:
1. Australian bartenders are nice and will let you taste beers until you find one you like.
2. If a group of Danes start talking to you, apparently they will eventually start buying round of beers (and they buy the BIG ones, not like the little one I bought for myself), and they will not stop, even if you have three full beers sitting in front of you that you are clearly not about to drink. And then they will laugh at you.
3. Bars in Copenhagen close at 4:30am.
4. You know its a good night when you need to figure out the night bus schedule (which runs starting at 1am). You know its a GREAT night when you need to know when the morning bus starts (6am, just in case you were wondering).

Yeah. Saturday night was an definitely my first real adventure in cross-cultural interactions, and I had a great time :)

Sunday
After sleeping in for a good long time, Rachel and I decided to be tourist-y and went to the National Museum for the afternoon. If you haven't been, it should be on your To-Do list. We saw the whole history of Denmark, prehistoric until the present, which included lots of preserved bodies, artifacts, everything. But the best room was a room full of dollhouses, which we thought were really cool on their own...
And then we walked around the back... each and every house was full decorated and we could see a bunch of them. It just brought back great memories of the house my mom and I built when I was little. Mine was (ok, is) full of Playmobile, and it was (ok OK, IS) one of my favorite things.

After a fun filled museum trip, we met Ania and Cara to go to the soccer game! FCK (the Copenhagen team) vs. their rivals. Again, words really cannot describe the party/riot/crazy atmosphere surrounding the game and the entire city. Let's just say, nothing like this could happen in the US. But again, hopefully some of the pictures can capture what it was like to be there. (Oh, they ended up tying 1-1).


Wow, that is pretty much all I have to say. Oh, and I few more tidbits of wisdom:
1. If a police horse starts running and kicking at you (or really the guy next to you, but whatever), RUN AWAY!
2. Just ignore anything drunk fans from either side shout at you, its not like you can understand it.
3. Be very happy you have amazing friends who offer to carry you to the train station when you cannot walk. THANK YOU!