Who?
Ulu
Where?
Berlin, Germany
What?
"Your antipasti are incredible! So, so, so (so!) good! Thanks for creating such delicious food."
How did he react?
"That flows down like warm linseed oil!" (*)
How did I feel?
Ulu flew me to heaven before I met him. This morning I was lucky to try several of his pastes at a friend's place. I tried one after the other, going from "Mhh.." to "Oouh..." all the way to "Aeewwhhh!". It was a journey. They were rich, well-flavored and tasted one hundred percent individual.
My favorite ones were the red beet salad with olives (center) and the lentil burger (top left):
Ulu
Where?
Berlin, Germany
What?
"Your antipasti are incredible! So, so, so (so!) good! Thanks for creating such delicious food."
How did he react?
"That flows down like warm linseed oil!" (*)
How did I feel?
Ulu flew me to heaven before I met him. This morning I was lucky to try several of his pastes at a friend's place. I tried one after the other, going from "Mhh.." to "Oouh..." all the way to "Aeewwhhh!". It was a journey. They were rich, well-flavored and tasted one hundred percent individual.
My favorite ones were the red beet salad with olives (center) and the lentil burger (top left):
The red beet went perfectly well together with the olives. The result was sweet, flavorful and somehow... rounded. The lentil ball reminded me of Çiğ köfte only better- because spicier and more "lentilish". Coming from me that is a great thing for lentil soup used to be my absolute favorite kind of food.
My friend, who has Ulu's marvels regularly, had been raving, too, about his personality during breakfast. I knew I wanted to meet the person behind those delicacies- and encounter the great guy she had described. So I stopped by his shop at noon and gave thanks and my compliment. She had been right about him: Once I started talking the sweetest smile appeared on his face! He said, "this flows down like warm linseed oil" (*), then he kept repeating how he was enjoying to hear such words. "Because, you know", he added, "when you put all that effort into creating these things, it's so good to get positive feedback..:"
While we chatted another customer entered. She joined our conversation, saying, "Yeah, Ulu is the best! In fact my whole family agrees. Every time my son visits from Munich I have to buy some Ulu Antipasti in advance, because my boy doesn't get such good mediterranean delicacies down there, can you believe it?"
Ulu nodded, grinned, beamed with joy.
When I asked him to smile for the camera he cried, "for such a compliment- always!". He left the counter and happily posed. It was personified sweetness.
Before I left he shook my hand and gave me a bag of sweet chestnuts, for free, adding, "it comes from the heart."
Ulu: Thank you so much! Those chestnuts were delicious- Of course they were.
My friend, who has Ulu's marvels regularly, had been raving, too, about his personality during breakfast. I knew I wanted to meet the person behind those delicacies- and encounter the great guy she had described. So I stopped by his shop at noon and gave thanks and my compliment. She had been right about him: Once I started talking the sweetest smile appeared on his face! He said, "this flows down like warm linseed oil" (*), then he kept repeating how he was enjoying to hear such words. "Because, you know", he added, "when you put all that effort into creating these things, it's so good to get positive feedback..:"
While we chatted another customer entered. She joined our conversation, saying, "Yeah, Ulu is the best! In fact my whole family agrees. Every time my son visits from Munich I have to buy some Ulu Antipasti in advance, because my boy doesn't get such good mediterranean delicacies down there, can you believe it?"
Ulu nodded, grinned, beamed with joy.
When I asked him to smile for the camera he cried, "for such a compliment- always!". He left the counter and happily posed. It was personified sweetness.
Before I left he shook my hand and gave me a bag of sweet chestnuts, for free, adding, "it comes from the heart."
Ulu: Thank you so much! Those chestnuts were delicious- Of course they were.
(*) Note: This is a typical German expression. The English equivalent is "That's music to my ears."
I have been brainstorming. Why in the world do the Germans have that idiom? What does it mean? "This flows down like butter"- As a kid, -- actually, until two minutes ago -- I used to imagine a bucketful of oil running down someone's entire skin, starting at the head. Picture this: A person, fully covered in butter! And that is supposed to be a good thing; You only use the idiom when you are absolutely delighted about someone's compliment. Really!? Who wants to be showered in oil?!
Thinking about it now I guess it means swallowing some butter instead of it running down one's skin- Or maybe something else?
Ideas welcome! This really keeps me occupied...
I have been brainstorming. Why in the world do the Germans have that idiom? What does it mean? "This flows down like butter"- As a kid, -- actually, until two minutes ago -- I used to imagine a bucketful of oil running down someone's entire skin, starting at the head. Picture this: A person, fully covered in butter! And that is supposed to be a good thing; You only use the idiom when you are absolutely delighted about someone's compliment. Really!? Who wants to be showered in oil?!
Thinking about it now I guess it means swallowing some butter instead of it running down one's skin- Or maybe something else?
Ideas welcome! This really keeps me occupied...
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