Bergen: The Never-Ending Bowl of Soup

Olive Garden has nothing on these people. I was wandering around looking for a place for lunch and saw a Mexican restaurant. Whaaat? But I saw camarones al mojo de ajo and that sounded so good. So did a margarita, but what was I thinking, of course I can’t have a margarita.

The decor would interest my friend Linda.

Teaching them to make iced tea. One. restaurant. at. a. time. Someday they will write songs about me.

The mojo de ajo was an appetizer, Look at that. Alfalfa sprouts! It was OK, the shrimp here are awesome, but it was not al mojo de ajo.

So, I gave in to my surroundings and ordered the famous local fish soup (fiskesuppe). In a Mexican restaurant. It was HUGE. I gestured to the server that she had to help me eat it and she laughed. The broth was thinner than clam chowder, seasoned with dill. It was crammed full of both bay shrimp and jumbo shrimp, plus a little salmon and probably cod. I started eating it.

I kept eating and eating but there was never less soup. I asked if it was supposed to be split between four people, again making her laugh. It became like a curse. Would this bowl ever end?

Could I ever stop eating it??? Would I be eating this fish soup for the rest of my life???

After a half an hour I gave up and the bowl was at the same exact level of fullness. I asked her if they had cats and to make sure it didn’t go to waste.

Somewhere in a parallel universe I am still eating that soup.

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Norway: Bergen’s Magic Hotel is Craaazy

OK, so I had to move hotels due to the complicated juggling we had to do in the wake of my hospitalization. I came to the Magic Hotel (K..K something…Magic Hotel Kierkegaard? Kunterhurst?) to drop my bags and they said they had my room ready. Already. At 1230 they had my room ready! So I went up the elevator and walked into a maze. The hallways are zig zags and some doors are actual MIRRORS so it looks like a hall…but it’s noooot!

One elevator is busted, so you have to search for the other one. When I came out of the elevator once, a man ran into it with a mad, crazed look in his eyes like he had been lost for hours.

The secret is that the guest floors are each a circle made of zig zags. So, if you just keep walking eventually you will end up where you want to be. That last sentence sounded very Alice in Wonderland. I’m picking up the vibes.

My room’s vibes are Cafe Flesh and the Red Room from Twin Peaks. Maybe a little New Wave. The carpet’s optical illusion works really well in this first shot. I’m glad I didn’t bring Space Bars.

My windows open into the courtyard, so not a lot of privacy, and I never know if I’m raining (although the answer here is usually YES. They don’t even mention it, like if it rained like this in LA it’s all we would talk about). BUT I can watch the kitchen!!!

I could wash a baby in this sink. Yeah, sink, not tub.

So far it is quiet, good wifi signal and the bed is comfy. That is all.

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Norway: Welcome to Bergen Hotel Oleana

OK so I arrived in Bergen and checked in at Hotel Oleana. Like many buildings that have added bathrooms, this one was weird.

I had an amazing, tender steak from room service, but they had really heavy clay plates so when I tried to lift the salad, it flipped and broke on the floor.

They made me clean it up myself and charged me for the broken plate, so I’m kind of salty, but otherwise it’s an excellent hotel and the breakfast buffet was astounding. Seriously, Europe.

And they had amaaazing chandeliers

I had a boat scheduled to take me to Rosendal where I would have dinner at the weird and exotic IRIS is the middle of a fjord then spend the night. I arrived at the ramp on time, but the boat had left maybe 7 minutes early. Bye, boat!

So my hotel room was in Rosendal and Bergen hotels were booked up. So I had nowhere to sleep. I called Bob and they were able to find me a place. So I spent the day wandering, checking out the cool buildings.

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Oslo: Munch Museum: Munch is One Emo F*cker

So many paintings! It was so overwhelming we had to take a break. A guard told me the museum inherited 1300 paintings and over 27,000 other artworks. There were the classics, and Vampire, which I was so excited to finally see in person.

His paintings are so intense and moody. I never noticed the intense use of green. So emo.

Then in all of the emotional chaos, there is this portrait of calm and comfort

His version of Starry Night

He has such range, like this portrait of his sister, almost photo realistic with lips like ripe berries

Right next to this intense study in linework

So many self-portraits.

This one has a scary portrait bomber

Nietzsche

I think I have a new favorite. This huge horse gallops right off the canvas straight at you. It is so powerful.

And the people in the background aren’t really worth the effort.

Another one that was just not worth it

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Oslo: Munch Museum 3rd Floor

I have loved Edvard Munch since I randomly bought a book of his art in my early 20s because I liked the cover. I’m not a big fan of The Scream. Like Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” it seems like the greats are often known by their worst works. I was really excited about seeing Vampire. Here is the woodcut, showing it in reverse.

The Vampire print

On the top floor, the first room concentrated on his woodcuts. They even had a table where you could color on drawings carved into the table, making your own. This print, after which the exhibit is named, does not have a single print made by Munch.

But I was in a hurry to see the paintings. The next room was an artistic rendering of Munch’s home. It was really cool and I stayed a while in spite of the paintings calling my name. I even posed in the bathtub. I’m in Munch’s bath!!!!

Although the set-up was a re-creation, they did have some of Munch’s original possessions behind glass. His palette!

 

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Norway: Den Glade Gris

We are fans of nose to tail dining. Den Glade Gris was just a block from our hotel, and specialized in slow-cooked Grilled pork knuckle (at least 5 hours on the grill), with house mashed potatoes, rustic vegetables and mustard sauce. We really liked the trotters at Au Pied du Cochon in Paris, so this is the one place in Oslo where I made a reservation.

It was pretty casual, so I thought we might not have had to make a reservation, but as we left, there was a line down the block. My only hesitation with the place was that their 3-course Prix Fixe menu started with

Smoked whale from the Norwegian Sea, served with red onion, ruccola and lingonberry sour cream.

I do my research, and I had studied up on Norwegian food before the trip. Norway is one of three countries, along with Iceland and Japan, that continues whaling. Whale hunting has been a part of Norwegian culture for centuries, and the minke whale is so populous that it is the one they fish (harpoon? ). It’s a small whale and not endangered, so it was kind of a dilemma, don’t judge people’s traditions, a little bit of curiosity as a foodie, and my years as an animal rights activist hanging out with members of Sea Shephard. My morality won out and I made the decision not to try it.

I ordered the pork knuckle, and Bob’s mom ordered the pork steak. They asked, “The chefs?” and we all looked at each other confused, and said, “sure.”

They brought a single plate to the table and put it in front of Bob’s mom. Since Bob and I didn’t get plates, I realized in horror, “Oh no! We ordered the whale!”

Bob’s mom nonchalantly popped a piece in her mouth, and my jaw hit the floor. But she had lived in a refugee camp for several years as a child and was probably grateful for whatever food she gets. Then Bob reached over and ate a piece. Who is this man? What is happening? I asked, “What does it taste like?”

And they said, “Smoked leather.”

Having grown up with brothers, it is hard for me to resist even the subtlest peer pressure, or dares that involve me proving that I am tough. So when Bob’s mom put a bit on a cracker for me, I did take a little nibble. Smoked leather with a liver-y aftertaste. I immediately ordered a beer because it was needed by both my palate and my conscience.

The pork knuckle was tender and flavorful, well worth coming back for. I tried some of the neck steak and it was nice, like pork loin. I don’t remember if Bob ordered the neck, or anything at all, because I was kind of freaking out about whale the whole time.

Bob’s mom’s third course was ice cream with candied bacon. I don’t think I even tried it. I had had enough adventure.

Our very friendly and exuberant hosts

Suicide food

When I got back, I told this story to my neighbors. The husband asked what kind of whale it was.

“Minke”

Wife: Ohhhh aren’t those the cute little ones that look like dolphins?

Me: Crawled into a hole and died.

I later told my brother “They made me eat whale.”

He asked, “Did you blubber?”

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Oslo: The Nobel Peace Prize Museum

The museum was pretty boring, like a fifth-grade history book — lots of official seals and timelines. I had been excited to see Yoko’s exhibit. I do like her wish trees

I get that Yoko Ono’s thing is this kind of pure simplicity, like

But taken all together in one small white room it felt very kindergarten-ish. There were pieces of broken pottery you could fix, But instead of the gold used to mend broken pots that she was referencing, there was just clear packing tape and brown twine. The low table provided added to the kindergarten feel. I didn’t even take a picture of the people involved in that activity because I felt embarrassed for them.

There was a room with screens depicting Nobel Peace Prize winners. You were supposed to be able to touch the screen and the name and a short bio would pop up, but it just wouldn’t work for me.

It just flashed lights on the screen, along with the other LED lights that were giving me a headache. There was one particular guy who looked sooo familiar and I was so frustrated trying to identify him. seriously, who is this guy on the left???

Who am I????

The frustration plus the headache finally got to me and I flounced out, declaring, “Fuck all these people!”

A guy with a Norwegian accent said in English, “Oooh, I think somebody is tired.”

Later, Bob would randomly inquire, “Fuck Nelson Mandela? Really??? Fuck Mother Teresa?”

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Oslo: National Museum

Then the National Museum was right there in the harbor! We got little sandwiches in their cafe. The shrimp was so full of dill I couldn’t t eat it and my other sandwich was just cream cheese and apricot jam. Bob’s mom got a delicious looking fried filet and Bob’s hamburger was also unpleasantly dilly. The one thing I ordered for fun, for adventure, was the only really good thing- brown cheese ice cream! It was very mild. the National Gallery was huge, and so much Munch!

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Oslo: Fjord

Today I was trying to get a cruise on this sailing ship

But I ended up on one of these. I think the fancy sailing ships are only for sunset wine cruises. Well, make the best of it. There were nice shaded areas to sit. We passed by my mecca – The Munch Museum!

And the opera building

…and a UFO apparently.

The Oslo Fjord was pretty much just a big harbor, but it’s always nice to be out on the water on a sunny day.She Lies is a public sculpture by Monica Bonvicini made of stainless steel and glass panels, measuring approximately 12 metres (39 ft) by 17 metres (56 ft) by 16 metres (52 ft), next to the Oslo Opera House in Norway.” wiki

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Oslo: Here we Are!

What a crazy few days of jetlag. We arrived around 5pm yesterday and I was knocked out. I had taken a back pain pill to sleep on the plane. Bob’s mom arrived around midnight and they went and hung out. Our single beds have these plush fake down beds on top of the bed, and they slid around. Think nylon sleeping bags on stairs. So I slid off the bed twice. Otherwise it’s a very nice place. I also went from 98 degree weather to 58 degree weather, which is refreshing but weird.

I have two q2uestions I ask myself when I am in a new place:

Do people look at you or smile or greet you when you pass?

Norwegians not only look at you, they openly stare at you. But it is kind of a frank, open look with no judgement, just a vague bit of curiosity. Mostly men stare at me, but their eyes never leave your face. (After 2 weeks I had only seen one other redhead, and I dye mine a bright color, so I realized that was probably the cause for all the staring).

The buffet breakfast was even more elaborate than others we have seen. And they say Americans eat too much! I love beans and eggs, plus they had my weakness…Swedish pancakes! I was not into the liverwurst or pickled fish, but Bridin was.

I LOVE beans and eggs! Maybe it’s my British heritage or maybe it’s Anne Margaret.

We need to talk about the brown cheese, or brunost, as it is more appetizingly called. It is the pride of Norway, produced on mountain farms. One would expect it to be strong and dark, but it is very mild and creamy. It is lightly caramelized, almost like dulce de leche, and it is eaten in small amounts. It was originally a way to be frugal and use up natural by-products. The cheese is made with whey, milk and cream from goats and cows. It varies by brand and farm.

Then we just slept the Jet Lag on and off. We woke up in time to have tapas at La Sangria. It was very authentically Spanish and very dusty. I realllyyyyy liked the Spanish tortilla. It’s more like a frittata full of potatoes. My old roommate taught me how to make it. The meatballs and bacala were really good. Bob liked the wings. There was also charcuterie, a decent beef stew and so. many. olives.

I got back into bed and woke up on the floor between the beds. Then I had a dream that my brother Greg’s ghost was teasing me and I ran at him, like, “I’ll get YOOUUU!!!” and I reached out the snatch himm but he dissipated into Scooby Doo smoke. And then I hurt so bad. I had violently thrown myself off the bed. It felt like someone socked me in the jaw and I hurt my shoulder and hip. We pushed the beds together to try to fix it, but I just slid down between the beds. Considering some of the horror stories you read about what is under hotel beds, I was grateful I didn’t land on a dead body. I took the slippery featherbed off and slept just fine right on the bed thing. Finally we were moved into a normal room with an awesome view.

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Mosswood Meltdown: Brenda’s Oakland

Brenda, chef/proprietress of Brenda’s. Brenda’s Meat and Three and Brenda’s Oakland, comes from a long line of French and Filipino inhabitants of New Orleans, which explains the ube beignet. Besides ube, they also serve crawfish, Ghirardelli chocolate, and apple beignets. The purple yam was too heavy for a beignet dough, and although it was good, it was too heavy, like a cake donut, and should maybe just be used as a filling. I’m not saying we didn’t eat it, and I’m not saying it wasn’t good, I’m just saying it pushed the boundaries of the word “beignet.”

The flagship of the restaurants, Brenda’s French Soul Food, was opened in 2007 by Brenda and partner, Libby, followed by Meat and Three. More than 10 years later, Brenda’s Oakland was born. next they plan on setting up in Temecula.

I was very excited to see catfish Benedict on the menu. It was amaaazing! Why isn’t everyone doing it? The tomato gravy on the shrimp and grits was so flavorful it was as if I had just grown new tastebuds, and the cream biscuits! Oh my God, the biscuits! Light as a feather. It was as if every other breakfast I had ever eaten was just phoning it in.

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Mosswood Meltdown: Redd Kross and the B-52s

So they have these things called Space Bars. They are legal in SF, especially if you join a church. Well, someone I know joined the Church of Joe. But of course, I would never, because someday someone looking to hire me might read this blog. And it would only have been because everyone was staring at me grinning, and I felt a dare, which I can’t resist.

So, my brother took off, and we went and sat under a shady tree until Redd Kross came on. We were at the front of the stage, next to Martin and the Linda Lindas who were slamming there. Eloisa is a force in the slam pit. She would grab some guy and literally throw them at me. Other than a Neurotica song, a 90s hit and Pretty Please Me, Redd Kross did songs from their new album. They wore matching paint-splattered outfits which somehow managed to look cool and not 80s at all. But Steve was still rocking his cult leader vibe whereas Jeff was reminding me of Dave Vanian and Roy Orbison.

and what was this???

Steve did a good Robin Zander, “This…next…song…is …the..first..song…on…our NEW album!” Then I noticed Jeff and Steve kept looking at me, and I was like, “Why does Steve keep looking at me?” I mean, I do know them, so it wouldn’t be CRAZY, and most musicians tend to look into cameras and I had my phone out. But I started wondering if maybe the Space Bar that I definitely did not eat was making me paranoid, so I retreated to the shade again. But later I looked at my pictures and I AM NOT CRAZY.

I went back to the shade, and a woman offered me a big orange camping chair she had brought. They always looked uncomfortable, but if you sit kind of sideways, you can cozy up like a baby with your head on the edge. Everything was OK as long as I was in the Orange Chair. Then the B-52s started playing, and the people behind me were like, “Oh my God! They sound sooo good! I love this song!!!” ironically making it impossible for me to hear and enjoy the awesome voices and songs.

So, were I the type to do this, I would have taken another half square of chocolate and beelined for the sound booth, where the sound is always the best. Then I waded into the crowd until it resisted. There was a man with a giant fan annoying everybody, but I asked him to go THWAP! like they do at the drag clubs. He went THWAP! and it made us both so happy we were instant friends. In fact, EVERYBODY was my friend. We were one big undulating mass of music and good vibes while the back of my neck was fanned with cool air. The harmonies of the B-52s were angelic and the projections on the screen behind them were super psychedelic.

I was afraid of taking too many videos because I didn’t want to burn up my battery and have no way of getting an Uber back to the hotel, because I had no idea where Bob was in this undulating mass of 10,000 or more. So this next video is a short clip. I headed for the exit and heard my name. There was Bob, back under the shade tree. And there was the Orange Chair. Bob asked me if I wanted to stay for the encore, and the lady said I could sit in the Orange Chair again, so I curled up in the big orange womb and listened to Rock Lobster.

The B-52s were incomparable. I’m so happy I got to see them again before they retire. I saw them in 1982 at the US Festival.

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Mosswood Meltdown: Pansy Division

The park for Mosswood was much bigger than I expected. There was a row of food booths, but we had been stuffing ourselves before hitting the event. there were shops, lots of records and band T-shirts. We met the guy from Hollywood Book and Poster, who will be opening down the street from us. One booth was cutting bangs for donations to the World Central Kitchen, one of my main charities, so I just got side-swept bangs.

My hairdresser with cool tattoos

We also ran into Martin and a few of the Linda Lindas. martin had saved a shirt for Bob commemorating the Linda Lindas opening for the Rolling Stones. Yes, you heard that right – the Rolling Stones!!!

I met a lot of cool-looking people.

I have always loved Pansy Division, a band at the forefront of Queercore, though their press says they were the first punks to be so unabashedly gay….hello, Glen Meadmore anyone? Anyways, in 1991 guitarist/singer Jon Ginoli and bassist/vocalist Chris Freeman started the band in San Francisco, (although Chris now lives in Silver Lake, because when I drive past him I scream, “Woooooo Pansy Division!!!” at him. They put out an album a year for six years then opened for Green Day on tour, which must have been so weird.

John Waters went so super pornographic in his intro, so I am just providing the link here.

WATCH JOHN WATERS INTRODUCE PANSY DIVISION

They played one of my favorite songs, which is both funny and tragic, about a friend who had AIDS. I guess life is often both funny and tragic. I like the line, “Denny’s dramatic, he’s kind of dark. He ain’t nothin’ like the restaurant.” But then the sad part:

He’s got “HIV Positive” tattooed in black
In 6 inch letters on his back

Says “I want them to see
What they’ve done to me”
Denny

 

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Mosswood Meltdown: Exciting Breakfast and Lunch Saturday

There are so many amazing international restaurants in Oakland now. We got takeout for breakfast from the Koffee Pot. It was a little hole in the wall that could be easily overlooked. It is owned by a nice Vietnamese family who kept most of the original recipes. I ordered one of my favorites, the Loco Moco and splurged on a Vietnamese coffee. Loco Moco is all about the gravy and theirs was perfection. The dish is rounded out by a beef patty and rice. They even included a bonus slice of Spam. Bob ordered a basic breakfast sandwich and said it was out standing.

We met my brother and nephew for lunch at Teni East Kitchen. I was so excited about the Burmese food from  Bib Gourmand Chef/owner Tiyo Shibabaw, I forgot to take pictures – me! Can you imagine?  But the employees said I could use photos off of their website. So, although I am pretty strict about using my own photos, they are really nice ones. Thank you, Teni East Kitchen! For four of us I ordered:

ROTI WITH DIP (v) fresh fluffy bread with curry dip

I became obsessed with roti in Toronto, where they roll it around fillings like a burrito. Malaysian places in LA serve it with delicious curry dips. Teni’s kicked ass.

PEA SHOOT SALAD Teni Signature salad (available vegetarian) (gf) This is my photo…LOVE pea shoots!!!

COCONUT BAY LEAF SHRIMP (gf) coconut with bay leaf, garlic & spices

Coconut shrimp curry is photographed at Teni East Kitchen in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. The restaurant serves Burmese cuisine with a California twist. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

CRISPY SPICY CATFISH (gf) fresh catfish fillet with tamarind balachung chili oil. You know how I feel about catfish. This was served in strips, like fish and chips. It came with a spicy chili oil. If I lived in Oakland I would go there every week.

GINGER TURMERIC CHICKEN OR SHRIMP (gf) ginger turmeric chicken or shrimp w/mushrooms & marble potatoes. All in all, it was amazing, and if you are headed that way, I can’t recommend these two places enough.

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Mosswood Meltdown San Francisco: Horn’s BBQ

Photo by Russell Thompson

If you ask around for the best BBQ in Oakland, the answer is inevitably Horn’s. Recipient of a well-deserved Michelin Bib Gourmand award, what started as a pop-up has found a new home. The interior is very simple but very hipster, with a full bar (But no Bloody Marys…what’s up with that?).

Matt Horn grew up helping with his grandmother’s BBQ, and when this Inglewood local caught BBQ fever in his early 20s, he discovered you couldn’t have an open fire there. So, he headed up to Fresno where he perfected his technique. He calls his ‘que West Coast style, but it’s heavily influenced by Texas. He started out selling at Farmers Markets, then pop-ups before going brick and mortar.

Our flight into Oakland was delayed, so by the time we arrived to meet my brother and nephew at Horns they had already ordered the plate in the photo above as a sampler. The brisket, which is cooked up to 18 hours, was heavenly, but the sausage was way too hot for me. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else, so I guess I’m just a wimp.

I went up to the bar to order (then they holler your name from the kitchen when it’s ready). I had to order the burnt ends and greens, Bob’s favorites, beans, and mac and cheese for my sister-in-law. I also ordered corn bread and the banana pudding Matt’s wife Nina makes, of course.  Usually with cornbread it is either Marie Callendars-style cake, or dry, crumbly cast iron skillet style. Horn’s cornbread was big and fluffy, like the cake style, but had the flavor of skillet corn bread. It was a nice break between the intensely flavored meats and sides. They were so big we split them in half, so we had lots of leftovers.  The banana pudding could have used more bananas, and more time for the Nilla wafers to soften, but the pudding was delicious. Where I jumped the shark was ordering more brisket, which we could not even eat.

Service was friendly and they checked in on us. 10/10 I would go back tomorrow if I weren’t still full 7 hours after lunch. We checked into our hotel and immediately had a nap.

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