My Friend Dirk

I don't know if I have mentioned the friendship I have developed with a fellow from Germany named Dirk. He has a daughter named Lucy - she has a twin name Leah. That's them in the photo below.

He found some of our Lucy videos on Youtube and started corresponding.
We have a more in common than daughters named Lucy.

Fortunately he speaks English very well. My German is non-existant. I know how to say good night and taste, Guten Abend and Schmeken respectivley. I am always asking Lucy to at least have a shmecken of her peas - she is not interested even when so provacatively asked.

I told Dirk about how I love to smoke pork shoulders in the summer. I get to sit around and drink some beer and play with fire all day long.

Here is a clip from his latest e-mail describing his summer gilling

"In summer we are standing with a few beers (I don't drink too much) and talking about our favourite themes. And we light our grills. He has a brick-built one - very nice and good for normal german bratwurst and some pig steaks. But that grill is not so big. Our grill is round ... and a little bit bigger - with 65 cm diameter and a smoke cover dome. He is good for bigger parties, but he is also very fast with a great heat. I gave him the name "Fast breeder reactor" and I think he comes from Tschernobyl.
I think in summer you can give me some special tipps for some great american flesh slices called steaks!"

I love the last line and will now refer to steaks only as Great American Flesh Slices.

Great name for a band or a butcher shop.

It is a very interesting relationship because there is so much to talk about. Our cultures are surprisingly similar but very different at the same time.

we both have young kids and jobs and houses that need repair and we have both been ill recently.

It's good to have friends from other places. It makes you see your place a little differently. And it is fun. Almost as much fun as grilling up some flesh slices.
I can't wait for summer.



Okay so she is not cooking steak! But what is a discussion about cooking without a little Rachel Ray?