Weinerschnitzel

Good news!  Weinerschnitzel isn't hard to make at all.  On this first try the meat was a little tough.  You're supposed to get some veal and pound it very thin with a mallet.  I couldn't find a mallet and I thought the veal looked thin enough as it was.  Not quite, but still a respectable first effort.  You take the veal cover it with flour, dip it in egg, then cover it with bread crumbs.  The internet is divided between whether to fry it in oil or in butter.  I went with the butter route on the grounds that Omi would fry anything in butter if given any chance at all.  I think the overall result was probably pretty authentic--schnitzel, boiled potatoes, saurkraut made with bacon and onions and the very smallest pot for the vegetables.  Lots of good food simply cooked--with meat, carbs and fats.  Can't beat it.

Sorry Mozart

To get a proper sense of Austria, about half of anything you see has something to do with Mozart.  We biffed it here in our virtual travels.  Of course there's the internet and I could have looked up all kinds of things.  Instead I think I'll blame the public library.  We live near a cute little branch--brand new and I think, reasonably well stocked, but when I went to the biography section there was no Mozart! Not in children's or adults.  I grabbed a librarian thinking I must be looking in the wrong place.  But no.  We stood there looking at the M's in amazed bafflement.  I suppose to atone, I should listen to the Magic Flute or something here at work today, but I'm not really in the mood.  I guess I'll leave that to my fellow virtual travelers.

Busy

I think one of the most charming things about travel is the illusion that neither I nor anyone else in the country could possibly be as busy as I am right now.  The idea of being able to stroll along a pier, visit a museum and have a leisurley lunch is completely intoxicating.  Especially today! 
PS--stores do indeed sell veal.  It wasn't even that outrageous.  I'll need to find the meat mallet though---do I even have one?

Veal

Okay, the goal is to make--what else? Weinerschnitzel.  This means I have to find veal cutlets.  I've never bought veal in my life.  I assume they sell them at the store and I've just never paid attention?

Jet Lag

Rather a disorienting month.  At work we're hiring for a new math professor.  I'm the beleagered secretary who has to fly these people in from everywhere, plus the special speaker from Minnesota.  Then Catherine had a special prom dinner with a Hawaiian theme, and it was St. Patrick's Day, and I teach English twice a week to people from Mexico, Columbia and El Salvador plus, I just got to spend some time with a dear friend that I knew when we lived in Japan and another good friend is coming on Thursday from Iowa.  It's been a bit like real traveling--loads of fun, but confusing and tiring as well--oh, and Dave is going to Boston tomorrow.  I'm going to go to bed.  I think I have a case of virtual jet lag.

Nutella and Schnecken

NUTELLA----food of the gods.  A chocolate and hazelnut spread.  Last night we had banana splits and using nutella as the topper is divine.  Using nutella on ANYTHING is divine.  Later, we watched a children's dvd about Austria and then played a game called, Tempo, kleine Schnecke.  Which means roughly 'go fast little snail.'  It's the world's simplest game---everyone gets a snail, you roll some colored dice--if your color turns up you move one space.  First one to the cabbage wins.  The game is meant for extremely small children, but this is where the good German craftsmanship comes in.  The wooden snails feel so good in your hand and the board is so charmingly decorated that we actually play this game from time to time

Beethoven

There is a nice children's non-fiction series called Enchantment of the World.  Each book in the series covers a different country with lots of pictures, some history, some culture and some interesting stories such as this one. 

According to the book, Beethoven was quite a slob.  One night in Austria he was picked up by the police for generally being a disreputable looking vagrant.  When they asked his name he said, Van Beethoven.  That REALLY upset the police.  How dare this scoundrel say that he was the great Beethoven?  They threw him in jail and he was there for three days before his friends came to the rescue and established his identity.