Eurocravings

Tea: Christmas.

Music: The Steve Miller Band, "Serenade"

Time: Night.

It didn't feel like the leading edge of winter today. It felt like my first few days in Germany for the 2006 World Cup ... and that was in June.

Made me wish I were back there ... and I'm craving some of the things I haven't tasted since I got back (although I have found a local source for sulze and leberkase.)

Funny thing is, several of the things I'm craving weren't native.

The Bismarckbrotchen (cold herring sandwiches) and maetjes (cold fried herring; do you sense a theme here?) are German, as are the meat dishes cited above. But I also miss Croatian food and drink from Balkan Sonne, and the doner sandwiches (somewhat like a gyro, but with different bread and toppings) from the late-night places run by Turkish immigrants.

And the strawberries, whose sweetness remains unmatched ...

It's a mixed blessing, having a vivid sense memory. I can taste all of those things in my mind ... which just makes it harder not to be able to have them in real life.

But as Mick and Keith would say ...

Tea: Mandarin Green

Music: Poe, "Haunted"

Time: Night.

Suddenly ... out of somewhere ... I want a Chicago dog.

I mean, really really really want one. With the celery salt and the nuclear green relish and everything.

That's all. I just thought you should know.

Long Distance Cravings

Tea: Blood Orange, iced.

Music: Chicago, "25 or 6 to 4"

Time: Evening.

Apologies for the lapse. The leg went bad again yesterday, although it's doing better today.

I got a "You need to hear this" call today. For the next few minutes, I listened to the recitation of the menu from a Jamaican food stand in New York. (This kind of thing happens to me on a fairly regular basis.)

And you know what? Now I want street food, too.

I want the carnitas you can get from the stands in Liberal, Kansas. I want Mexican ice cream (grape, please) from Puerto Anapra. I want fried fish from the truck that used to set up outside my old office.

And boy, do I ever want jerk chicken, escoveitched fish and beef feet from a stand in New York ...

Just Like Riding a (Recumbent) Bike

Tea: Christmas

Music: Queen, "Somebody To Love"

Time: Night.

The ankle being largely better, I went back to the gym today. I thought I'd just warm up a bit on the recumbent bike, then do some light upper body lifting.

Sixty-five minutes and twenty virtual miles later, I climbed off the bike. Just felt right to be on it, for some reason.

I suppose there's something in our bodies that tells us what we really need, be it in the way of food or exercise or rest, if we'll just tune in and listen. My problem is in tuning away from the Want Channel (usually set to barbecue, hamburgers and lots of caffeine).

Not that there's anything wrong with those, of course. I just have to rediscover the balance. It'll come.