corina.gruber

I've never been a big fan of fruit. I eat them when I remember and I am very particular in my tastes, and I never eat a lot. Mostly, I consume fruit because I know it's good for me. But I could easily live without it. However, on a tropical island like Bali, the fruit is a must, whether you want it or not. From the breakfasts which always start with fruit platters and juices, to the fruit markets and the vendors outside the temples, from the street vendors in every single village to the enormous palm trees laden with coconut, everything invites you to eat fruit. It's also very hot, so I felt the need for something more watery in my meals. Breakfasts always started with a platter of fruit. We usually had watermelon, honeydew, papaya, pineapple and an assortment of freshly squeezed juices, using the fruit above or avocado. There was a certain difference from what I knew about these fruit from back home (where they were some kind of fresh, but not just-pluc...

Frankfurt am Main is by definition a very cosmopolite city. You only need to walk among the skyscrapers or into the commercial district to understand how worldly it is, with thousands of people around, speaking all the possible languages. In terms of food, things are the same, as ethnic restaurants fill the city's streets and malls. The food markets in Frankfurt are pop-up markets. There is no permanent market, but rather local producers who showcase their merchandise in certain days of the week, in public designated grounds, during a fixed schedule. I spent a  week in the city and I managed to visit two of these markets. The offer is pretty generous, with the seasonal products (all kinds of fruit and vegetables) wonderfully presented. There are also products from different meat farms or fish farms in the area, and, most notably, products from the apple farms native to the Hessen land. What I loved most about the markets in Frankfurt was that all these producers who sell out...

  A few years ago, before Netflix, HBO Go and all the other streaming services, before I started writing about food, I used to watch Andrew Zimmern's show about strange types of food. And while there are still many things I would never eat, I can honestly say that I dreamt of seeing an exotic market for many years. I arrived in Bali eager to smell and taste all the exotic fruit the rainy season of the island had to offer. Naturally, I was fascinated by jackfruit and especially durian, for these were the types of fruit I had never experienced before. I had watched all kinds of YouTube videos about durian, but I still had no idea what to expect. I experienced the smell on the very first evening after arriving, when I was still getting used to the humidity and the heat. I entered a supermarket to buy water and there it was, a spiked, green, medium-sized fruit, which oozed a rotten smell, which was so strong it was hard for me to stand near it. The next day, I saw the h...

I started this blog long before becoming a parent because I wanted an outlet for my traveling experiences and because I wanted a place to write. After I had my daughter, I promised myself that I would not turn it into a parenting blog. I wrote according to my previous interests, such as traveling, literature, music, and food. I care for my daughter dearly and I have her best interest at heart, but I consider my experiences with her to be private, so I never wanted to write about them. This post will be an exception. When I became pregnant, I was repeatedly told that my "traveling habits" will have to change, aka that I won't be able to do it anymore. It hurt me deeply, mostly because it came from other parents who had not taken their kids outside the borders of the country. It hurt me because I believed them and I thought that my traveling days were over. When my daughter was 9 months old, we decided to take her to the seaside, without leaving the country. There is a...

I've been practicing Vipassana meditation for five years. I started it to escape my horrific anxiety and panic attacks. In 3 guided sessions, it worked like a charm. I got rid of my panic attacks and learned to control my anxiety. And more. I learned to know myself. I also tried yoga. But this post is not about my experience with meditation and yoga. It is about peace. I have no community for my practice and I do not feel the need for one, as I am a loner. Few people are aware that I have these preoccupations. I live in a European country, one that is deeply committed to its own beliefs and rituals. And these meditative rituals are alien, no matter how much they have helped me. So when I decided to travel to Bali, I kind of knew what I was in for. I read about the culture, the unique mix of Hindu and Buddhist spirituality. I read about the daily offerings and how one was supposed to be careful with them. I looked at pictures of the Hindu statues of gods, beings so complex ...