daughter of latvia

Holland: The Herring Experience

Two times a year, the herring run is on, and the Dutch love to make the most of it by eating raw herring from street stalls. I'd read about it in the guide books but didn't realize we'd be there during one of the annual runs, and when Frederic told us about this auspicious opportunity to try something so Dutch, well, we just HAD to.

So the deal is:

• You find a street stall with the appropriate sign saying they have new, fresh herring. We just so happened to have one about three blocks from the houseboat, located on the Kinkerstrasse, our main street to the Jordaan and Western Canal areas.
• You make your choice, which is basically with or without bread. Some Dutch eat the herring by dangling it above their heads and then nibbling on it, but our stall served it cut into pieces, accompanied by onion and pickle, and decorated with the Holland flag toothpicks that also serve as little spears.
• You watch the man (in our case at least) trim and fillet the herring right in front of you. I swear, the work he does is at least as artful and precise as any sushi chef.
• You then eat the herring with the onion and pickle.
• You may also opt for the breath cleansing gum that was also sold from the stall, in case you have a date or meeting after your herring experience. (Read the sign, you can probably figure it out.)

We'd had some marinated herring in both Latvia and in Sweden, but this was the best of them all, in my opinion. The raw fish had a somewhat milder flavor than the preserved version, and was much less salty than the plain marinated herring in Riga. It tasted a bit like cooked tuna, actually, especially with the onion and pickle. I thought of it as a sort of deconstructed tuna salad.

Highly Recommended.

Eating American in Riga

Since Latvia's independence from the Soviets in the early 1990s, the food scene has evolved. Even more than I imagined, there are all types of international cuisines represented: Irish, Chinese, Lebanese, lots of sushi, American.

We have had a lot of great Latvian food (although I have not yet found good pirags) but sometimes one just wants to eat in a more "back home" style. Last night, our final night in Riga, we had thought we might go to Vincents, a very high-end restaurant, for some gourmet cuisine, specifically their Latvian tasting menu. But as the day evolved we decided against that, and finally, around 9 pm we set out for pizza. We were curious as to how it would compare to the American pizza we know.

Earlier in the day, we'd also yearned for a lighter lunch; we ate a place called Felings (with a long "e" , as in "feelings" we think). We had some great potato dumplings with cheese sauce (which will be featured in a future entry) but to start our meal we each ordered a chicken caesar salad. As you can see, salads here tend to be very light on the lettuce (yes, it IS there)... the croutons, very white (although these had a basil drizzle) and dill is on, well, everything, even caesar salads.

The pizza was a challenge. We knew there was a pizza place near our hotel, but it was a neighborhood joint, not for tourists, so we were faced with the task of ordering pizza from a Latvian menu. I did see familiar terms such as "Neopolitan" and "Genovese" so we presumed the Genovese would have pesto,  and it did. The photo shows what we got, with its pesto and cherry tomatoes.

I'll be blogging more about Latvia foods, customs, and such, shortly. However, we need to check out of the hotel and begin our last day in Riga... we fly to Stockholm this evening.

Takin' It Easy

We're taking it easy today. We just had lunch and it's 3 pm. And that was after a morning of just sitting around in the room figuring out logistics for tomorrow--we're traveling to Saldus and Ventspils, all in one day, and needed to know if we could accomplish that by bus/train or not. Turns out not, so we're renting a car. That took a long time to figure out!

Yesterday, we really hoofed it. We walked to the Freedom Monument, all over the far end of Old Town, and went to the top of St. Peters (see photo). We also found the best jewelry so far, many great Latvian designs in silver and gold. I got two rings and a traditional Latvian "brooch" or pin that holds cloth together to make a cloak, or wrap.

Then we walked to the Central Market, then the bus station (for info), then the train station, where we got on board (after some rudeness from the surly blonde ticket agent) and went to Majori, one of the small towns that comprises Jurmala.

This was our first foray out of town. Seeing the smaller towns gives one a different picture than in Riga. Many of the towns seem to have mostly old, run down housing; one, Zolitude, had a huge complex of Soviet-era high rise housing that most reminded me of housing projects I have seen in cities like Chicago.

I shot some video from the train, as we headed into Boldure. Boldure is where I may have some cousins; however, I could not get their addresses before I left, and do not know how to contact them.

In Majori we had lunch at the first place we found, as we were starving from all the walking we'd done earlier. We had spare ribs and "fries with pickled vegetables." The pickled vegetables turned out to be carrots, red cabbage and beets, and were quite yummy. We also got "regular" size drinks of water, not the little mini bottles one usually gets and pays too much for here. {I have been wondering how the Europeans stay hydrated!)

After that we wound our way to the beach, which is sometimes described as the "Riviera of the Baltics." The Latts, having just emerged from a Baltic winter, were in swimsuits and acting as if it were 80 degrees outside. Swimming in the sea and playing volleyball, and just getting their feet into the soft sand.

I have often wondered if one reason that so many Latvians settled in the Great Lakes region was because they felt more at home there... I believe that more so now, having smelled the air, felt the sand and water, and seen the flora and fauna in the neighborhoods by the beach. Our cottage "up north" in Michigan could very well have been in Jurmala. Even details like the slope of the land toward the beach is much more like the Great Lakes than it is like the areas of the Pacific near where I have lived in Oregon and California.

Photo: My friend Susan wading the Baltic Sea

 

We're going to leave the room soon to go explore more architecture. That means I will have many photos to share; I'll  post yesterday's photos as well as some from today, a bit later... now, it's time for a walk and exploration!

Riga Surprise

It's late and we need to go to bed soon so I need to keep this short. We spent most of today walking around Old Town. We were continually awed by how many photo ops there were--amazing buildings from the last 8 centuries, in many forms, were the main subject of the pictures taken. Check out the album for all of them.

Riga Day 2

Susan and I kept saying that we really LIKED Riga. It's not just about Latvia being an ancestral land for me. Riga is a great city on many counts.

Stopped in many shops that sell amber, the stone that symbolizes much of Latvian culture. However, much of the amber here now looks like amber from any where. Still hoping to find a perfect shop where the more traditional designs are sold.

Had lunch... it was delicious if not a bit odd. Last night the hotel restaurant served me caesar salad with a bit of bacon on it, it was good, so I ordered it that way again today for lunch. Got few greens, but a lot of bacon, and it was not like American bacon. More like ham... less fatty, very meaty and not crisp.

The final stop of the day was the Latvian Museum of the Occupation. A very somber, and moving, exhibition.

More tomorrow.

Kauai, Day One. The Floods

So, before I head to Latvia, I am visiting Kauai for a week with my friend D. Today we flew from SFO to Lihue, an nice 5+ hour flight. I had only gotten one hour of sleep the night before so really, all I wanted to do on the plane was sleep.

We landed in Lihue and D hosted lunch at a place recommended to us by the woman in the Hertz car rental office. She said this is where the locals eat. The place was very plain and "dinerish" but the menu was full of good sounding stuff. I got a salmon tempura salad (salmon rolled in nori, then tempura battered and fried) served on organic greens with a dijon/honey/macadamia etc. dressing. D got mahi-mahi stuffed with crab and other, well, stuff. We indulged in home made chocolate cake for dessert, and I mean home made. The highlight of the cake was that instead of the usual frosting this one was topped with what can only be described as pudding. Not too sweet, but very moist and good overall.

We made our way to the place we're staying just for the first night, the Garden Island Inn. I picked this place because it was a) cheap and b) the rooms have air conditioning.

So we ended up meandering across the road to have a drink and check out the touristy shops. By this time there was some rain, mostly sprinkles, but as we walked around the rain increased. By the time we'd had our drinks and D tried on some groovy island wear, it was a downpour. I looked back across the street to our lodging, and could see that the road had flooded.

In Kauai they have this 'red dirt' everywhere. It's so insidious it will change the color of materials that it comes in contact with. The traffic and flooding were such that we could see the rushing red rain water covering the roadway, and especially deep at the curbs (such as they were). There was too much water and too much traffic to attempt to cross the road... we were saved by a jovial shuttle bus driver who took us in and dropped us off.

Tomorrow the plan is to get up early and go to Waimea Canyon. It's supposed to be the "Grand Canyon" of the Pacific. We think getting up early will be easy because of the time change... we'll see.