What is Weiner Schnitzel? And Other Questions From a Non Meat-Eater

-->Those of you who know me well should have seen this post coming.
Today, I'll talk about one of my great loves in life.
Food.

A bratwurst and potato salad with a red (rot) Berliner Weiser.

I identify as a pescetarian, meaning I only eat fish and no meat, not even chicken or turkey.
Except for when I travel.
I've been eating a pescetarian diet since my senior year of high school, broken only by my trip last year to Argentina, where missing out on their beef is more sinful that breaking your self-imposed dietary restrictions.

So that's one of my flexibilities and something I encourage other people to do when they travel- sample the local cuisine! Something you are sure to find in Berlin are the typical "German" items like bratwurst. If you don't have a sensitive stomach or an aversion to street food, I recommend you at least try sampling a street vendors brat. They carry their grills on their front, the propane on their backs, and usually have an umbrella conveniently located over their heads so they are free to serve you hands free.

Aaaannnndddd Weiner Schnitzel.

 
You'll also find a variety of sausage usually served with potato salad on the side. Curry wurst is another anomaly. As our biking tour guide Sophie said, when the British got curry powder, they made tikka masala. When it reached the Germans, they mixed it with ketchup and put it on sausage.
And it's pretty good. For a sausage in ketchup that is.
And Weiner Schnitzel? It’s actually DELICIOUS. The other night as a group we visited a very traditional restaurant in Friedrichshagen where I sampled a pork schnitzel. It’s just a thin, breaded slice of meat, usually veal. But it is so good. 
 
What I didn't expect was how much Eastern food I would find. Aside from a variety of Thai food, which is slowly becoming my favorite, there is also a ton of Doner Kebab(p)s. To be honest, I don't always know what's in them. But if you're here, get one. They usually have a lot of veggies packed into this great bread, reminiscent of nan bread for your Indian food fans. They include some sauces and meat, which is usually lamb, which is mounted in a round-ish shape, heated from one side, and slowly spun, cooking the meat. Someone comes and slices pieces away. The overall impression is actually magical. You’ll also find your felafel, humus, halloumi, and other typical assortments.

Berliner Pilsner. (A little too watery for my taste.)

Beverages:

I’ve recently become interested in beer production and how certain brewing techniques affect the taste and quality of beer. I’ve sampled a few here, and I make a point of trying something different when I can.

I’ve tried Warstiener, Berliner Weisse (rot/red), Berliner Pilsner and, my favorite, Hefeweizen which is a wheat beer. 
All in all, some of the best parts of these long, busy days are the meals and drinks shared with these lovely people; my friends.

Enjoying drinks and scenery at a beer garden in Wannsee.

Warsteiner beer in Wannsee beer garden.

Berlin is for Lovers and I Feel Creepy

I never thought I would be "creeping" on people as much as I have these past few days.
Peering at the world from behind a camera lens alters your perspective of the things around you. 

I find myself examining moments that I would look past as a tourist.

A couple shares a moment together in the Berliner Dom.

I look at people when they think they aren't being watched, and I try to capture that moment. Instead of focusing much on the buildings and monuments, which are definitely worth capturing, I'm instead looking at the people around me. Other tourists, Germans, my classmates, etc.
It can get awkward, I'll be honest. Sometimes you have to fake another photo at something in the distance behind your subject and hope for the best.

A couple stops for a selfie at Alexanderplatz.

But doing that allows you to examine people in a different way. You become aware of acute differences between people. But more importantly, you become aware of the similarities.

My favorite moments are moments shared with strangers. A smile, a chuckle over their cute kid, or even discontent and an audible "Scheiße" as the tram stops because of technical difficulties and makes you walk. 

 I'm enjoying having the excuse, or rather, the opportunity to do this, to be "creepy", in a foreign city. And I am very excited to really begin work with my subject Pascal today. I'll be traveling to his art studio to take pictures of him working and also interview him about his experience in Berlin.

Berlin is for writers, artists, tourists, history buffs, mechanics, students, teachers, lovers and everything in between.
And I love being creepy.

Another pair pauses to embrace in the cool afternoon in Berlin's Tiergarten.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of public transportation,
this couple hugged before saying goodbye at a platform in Alexanderplatz.

A man looks at a woman on a boat trip across the lake in Wannsee.

A father and son watch ducks swim by at a pond in the Tiergarten.

Berlin: Poor but Sexy

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Willkommen to Berlin!
This blog post is long overdue.
I'm supposed to be blogging while I'm here in Germany, as part of a Photojournalism study abroad trip I am doing with my college.
But each time I tried to sit down and write about this city and my ongoing experience in it, I got stuck.
I have found Berlin really challenging to describe. It truly is unlike any other major city I've been to, and it hasn't at all aligned with my expectations.

Shayla, me and Amanda stop for a selfie at the Wall.
You can follow Shayla's adventures here.

Not only do you have a Berlin that was once separated, now converged, but you have a Berlin that is constantly changing.

Professor Freeman, the photojournalism teacher leading our trip, says each year he comes, he seems buildings and stores come and go.

I'm liking the city so far though, I have to say.
I compared Berlin to someone who you "meet" for the first time on Facebook. You think you've got them figured out. Then you meet them in "real life" and the impression totally changes. You know at least one of those people, right? Yeah. That's Berlin.

We've done walking tours, biking tours, spent decent chunks of time on public transportation, and still this city was throwing me for a loop.
It wasn't until I separated from my group, and met up with my subject, Pascal, that I felt like I was getting to know Berlin on a more personal basis, from a different point of view.

While we're in the city, our project is to meet someone who lives in Berlin and do a profile on them. I ran into Pascal, an artist who bartends at Dr. Pongs and teaches English in his free time. I'll introduce you to him later.

For now, you can check out my photos here, and my album on Facebook.
Auf Wiedersehen!

A woman meditating near a memorial by the Berlin Wall.

A stop for ais or ice cream under a pretty
Berlin sky.

An example of "Old" Berlin and how some parts of the city
haven't changed in some time.

Prater Biergarten. You can order a beverage and complete
your meal with a bratwurst and potato salad.

Shahd's Story : Life in Cairo

photo courtesy of El Lamei

Shahd El Lamei was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1994. Her parents, along with her three younger sisters, still live in the capital city in a place that has captured the attention, imagination, and more recently, headlines, the world over.

The Arab Spring made its way to Egypt in January of 2011 and, for a brief time, completely changed the world Shahd lived in. She experienced the Egyptian revolution first hand as a girl, a teenager, a student, an Egyptian.

“Before the Revolution, my life was normal. You know I would get up, get on the bus, go to school, all that,” Shahd said. “For my family everything was ok.”

Rather suddenly, however, things began to change in Cairo, and soon, the rest of the world was watching as frustrated Egyptians took to the streets to protest the government.
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Read the full version of this story I wrote about Shahd on Self Narrate!


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This is their story.
What's yours?
Email stories.about.them@gmail.com with your story (or that of someone you know).
Stories About Them are stories about You.
Pass it on.

Self Narrate : A preview

Shahd El Lameri
photo by leanna scachetti

I've certainly been out and about this semester, and wouldn't have it any other way!
I have, regrettably, neglected Stories About Them for a bit, but I have been busy!

Right now I'm collaborating with some very talented and driven people who are interested in the same thing I am-storytelling.

Next week I'll share with you a story I wrote for Self Narrate on a young Egyptian woman who witnessed and took part in the revolutions in Egypt, spurred on by the Arab Spring.

Now she's going to school in the states and learning to adjust to life as a full time student.

For now, though, check out the stories that have already made their way to Self Narrate!


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This is their story.
What's yours?
Email stories.about.them@gmail.com with your story (or that of someone you know).
Stories About Them are stories about You.
Pass it on.

Love from Mr. Labes: Valentine's Day

And on this Valentines Day, I'd like to share this delightful little tune from my multi-talented friend Philip Labes.

Labes is an emerging actor and musician who is currently a junior studying at USC.

In this Valentines day debut, Labes is joined by Natalie Angiuli and their smooth vocals combine for a sweet surprise.

Want to hear more from Philip? Check out his Website!

"I Like To Cut" and other ways to dance

photo by Spenser Dugal

Meet Jacqui.

I should include a brief disclaimer here; Jacqui is one of my best friends. In high school it was basically like this; if you knew me, you knew Jacqui.

But the fact that we've always been close hasn't blinded me to her talent, nor does it nullify my belief in her talent.

I'll give you an example.

Jacqui came to visit me several weeks ago, and proudly displayed her newly developed YouTube channel with a single video on it. It was of an assignment she had for dance class, a "text solo" in which she had to choreograph a dance while simultaneously speaking a monologue about a childhood memory.
Jacqui chose to do her solo based upon a time when she was five years old and cut all of her brother's hair off because "all her Barbies were bald."

Jacqui slipped on her first pair of ballet slippers at the wee age of three. I went to many of Jacqui's

Jacqui starting dancing when
she was 3 years old.

dance recitals over the years. I remember sleeping over her house during recital time; carving out a space to sleep among the costumes, makeup boxes and the seemingly never ending pairs of tights. 

I always knew she was a good dancer. But I didn't realize HOW good. After watching her text solo, I was beyond impressed with my best friend; with how she used voice, facial expressions, and movement to communicate a childhood memory.

I was really proud. And I know Jacqui was too, even if she's not the type to openly boast about how freakin' awesome it was.

Through middle and high school, Jacqui always danced. But as a student at a performing arts school, instead of pointe shoes, she carried around camera equipment. Storyboards in place of leotards. Excel spreadsheets stuffed into her backpack where you might have expected to find bobby pins. Jacqui majored in communications, specializing in film, graphic design, and was a vital member of our yearbook staff.

But moving onto college, despite her skill in all of these areas, she knew her passion lay in dance. Her decision to pursue it, however, wasn't without it's challenges. Jacqui feels there's a lot of misconception about dancers, especially that dancers aren't as smart as engineering or psychology majors. In reality, however, she claims that belief is far from the truth. She thinks many dancers have plenty of other interests and capabilities in other areas, but simply choose dance instead.

"I had many career path options to take out of high school. Business. Medical. I wanted to be in marketing for a while, then I wanted to be a forensic pathologist and go into criminology," she said. 
"I chose dance because I couldn't live without it. Dancers have so much awareness of their own body, mind, the world around them, cause and effect, professionalism, and understanding of the way people function on an anatomical level and a mental level. I feel like dance has taught me so many things about myself and this world that would have taken me decades to figure out by another medium."

She now attends the University of South Florida in Tampa where she majors in dance studies.

photo by leanna scachetti

 Right now, Jacqui is preparing to dance in two pieces in USF's spring dance concert; a contemporary pointe piece by faculty member Paula Nunez. She's also re-staging a professional piece called "Lucifer's Prance" by choreographer Robert Moses.
 "That piece was an amazing opportunity and crazy awesome experience to work with Robert Moses for a couple days," said Jacqui.

Jacqui will also be competing in the American College Dance Festival in March in Georgia. Judges there will then decide which dances will perform in the final gala, and which will continue to the national division. On top of all that, Jacqui is rehearsing for two student choreographed works to the Student Dance Production on campus. She also teaches dance at a local studio. On her own, she is working on projects for her choreography class, which, hearkening back to her high school days, is a way for Jacqui to incorporate two loves of hers; dance and film.

Jacqui displays an arabesque at the Empire
State Building in NYC.

"Dance on film is interesting too because you control what the audience sees and doesn't see based on the frame of the camera as well as the use of editing, which can enhance a work to a whole different dimension. I'm just starting to dive into that kind of work and I have a few ideas I want to play with on my spare time." 

After she dons the cap and gown, Jacqui wants to work her way up to join a contemporary ballet or modern company. She counts the Spellbound Contemporary Ballet in Italy, Celli Contemporary Ballet in Italy,  and Robert Moses Kin in California as among her dream companies.

But if it doesn't work like she's planned in the time she's planned it to, Jacqui has ideas of using her other skills to continue working in the dance field, just not on the stage.

"I have said that if auditioning for companies I like doesn't work out right away that I could intern with the company's business side, using those skills to get me in. Then I could take classes with the company, get to know them, and work my way in as a dancer."

Dancing isn't always a brisé. Jacqui points out that dance is about overcoming challenges and problem solving every day. For her, the biggest challenge is to keep pushing through, even in the times of frustration and exhaustion, both mentally and physically. But it's the pursuit of improvement that keeps her going.

"Having the sense that something is just working out beautifully, and feeling that step that I always struggle with work out perfectly for the first time is always an amazing feeling." 

Jacqui (far left) poses while rehearsing a student
choreographed dance by Vanessa Vargas.

Despite being a versatile dancer with experience in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip-hop, Jacqui doesn't think that's what sets her apart.

"I approach each class, rehearsal, and performance with a certain mindset that I've noticed lots of other dancers, and people, don't have. Positivity and an open mind are so important, especially when working with dance because negative thoughts bring you and the whole group down and an open mind leaves so much room for creativity," she said. "Leave the judgment at the door, enter with an open mind ready to learn, create and explore."

photo by leanna scachetti

She sums it up by saying it's not perfection she's seeking. Which would seem odd from someone whose career seems to be based upon the achievement of perfection (cue Black Swan.) But for Jacqui, being "perfect" isn't the end goal. 

"Perfect means I've reached the end. I always want to continue growing and learning, improving, and creating."


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This is their story.
What's yours?
Email stories.about.them@gmail.com with your story (or that of someone you know).
Stories About Them are stories about You.
Pass it on.