It seems to have become a tradition of the Wooden Spoon Wanderer blog that every so often, I’m apologizing again for a long break between assignments. The blog is a wonderful, time consuming, labour-intensive journey, and sometimes a break is called for. During this last pause…
Assignment 112: Luxembourg
On a warm June day (not so many days ago at the time of writing this), Eric and I ducked our heads as we entered an ancient limestone sea cave. A painted sign on the rock proclaimed it to be called Hohllay. We were in Berdorf, a region…
Assignment 111: Germany
In an unprecedented turn of events, Eric and I swapped assignments. I had drawn Luxembourg and he had gotten Germany, but he was insistent that I would make better pretzels than he would (I’ve made them a couple of times before and since we ate about ten…
Assignment 110: Cyprus
Eric’s foray into Cypriot cuisine was exhaustive. The more he learned about it, the more his menu grew. He relied heavily on the excellent Cyprus Cuisine by Christina Loucas, which he was happy and surprised to find at the Tara (population: 1037) Public Library. Another win for…
Assignment 109: Iraq
This fall, Eric and I moved into a new home. The kitchen was one of our favourite features when we first saw the house — with lots of natural light, a large oven, and plenty of counter space, we could both envisage the dinners that would be made there.
Assignment 108: Libya
Compared with its North African neighbours Tunisia, Egypt, and nearby Morocco, Libyan cuisine was more of a mystery for Eric when he headed into this assignment. One of the first things he learned was the prevalence of mutton in the region. He was thrilled, since…
Assignment 107: Comoros
If you have ever experienced seafood-induced anxiety, then you will know how I felt as I compiled my Comorian menu. Comoros, sandwiched between the east coast of Africa and western side of Madagascar, is a country with a lot of seafood on the menu. Eric and I live…
Assignment 106: Wales
Eric’s Wales assignment marked our first foray into British cuisine. He went in having heard only of Welsh rarebit — cheese on toast — which he learned was a put-down suggesting that to Welsh people, cheese was as fancy as rabbit. “We will not be having Welsh rarebit,” he…
Assignment 105: Andorra
I had no idea what to expect from Andorran cuisine, and went into this assignment ready to be surprised. In the end, I learned that Andorrans enjoy a sort of French-Spanish fusion (which makes sense, given the tiny country’s location).
Assignment 104: Cuba
Eric’s father was Cuban, and Eric lived in Havana until he was eight years old, so he is familiar with traditional Cuban fare, like ropa vieja (shredded beef), bistec de palomilla (a thin grilled steak), and masas fritas (deep fried pork chunks). Unlike many of their…
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