Relocution

When I got up on Tuesday morning I didn’t even know where
Marburg was. Now it looks like I’m going there
next week. For the exciting ERPANET seminar on Metadata.

In preparation, I’ve already harvested quite a crop of links, not only about metadata
but also a mess of stuff about Germany, as I’ve never been there before. But I
managed to get to Urbino last year (here is the evidence), so I’m sure I’ll cope.

Serendipitously also came across the quote above while flicking through Schweik. I haven’t found the full text in English yet on the web, but here it is in the
original Czech:

Když
odcházel, řekl důvěrně k Švejkovi: „Tak vojáčku, jak vám povídám,
jestli
budete v Rusku v zajetí, tak pozdravujte ode mne sládka
Zemana
v Zdolbunově. Máte to přece napsané, jak se jmenuji. Jen buďte
chytrý,
abyste dlouho nebyl na frontě.“

„Vo
to nemějte žádnej strach,“ řekl Švejk, „je to vždycky zajímavý, uvidět
nějaký
cizí krajiny zadarmo.“

Or, if you prefer, по-русски:

— Если попадете, солдатик, к русским в плен, кланяйтесь
от меня пивовару Земану в Здолбунове. Вот вам моя фамилия.
Будьте благоразумны и долго на фронте не задерживайтесь.

— Будьте покойны,— ответил Швейк,— всякому занятно
посмотреть чужие края, да еще задаром.

Jaroslav Hašek, The Good Soldier Schweik, Bk 2 Ch 1.

When I got up on Tuesday morning I didn’t even know where Marburg was. Now it looks like I’m going there next week. For the exciting ERPANET seminar on Metadata.

In preparation, I’ve already harvested quite a crop of links, not only about metadata but also a mess of stuff about Germany, as I’ve never been there before. But I managed to get to Urbino last year (here is the evidence), so I’m sure I’ll cope.

Serendipitously also came across the quote above while flicking through Schweik. I haven’t found the full text in English yet on the web, but here it is in the original Czech:

Když odcházel, řekl důvěrně k Švejkovi: „Tak vojáčku, jak vám povídám, jestli budete v Rusku v zajetí, tak pozdravujte ode mne sládka Zemana v Zdolbunově. Máte to přece napsané, jak se jmenuji. Jen buďte chytrý, abyste dlouho nebyl na frontě.“

„Vo to nemějte žádnej strach,“ řekl Švejk, „je to vždycky zajímavý, uvidět nějaký cizí krajiny zadarmo.“

Or, if you prefer, по-русски:

— Если попадете, солдатик, к русским в плен, кланяйтесь от меня пивовару Земану в Здолбунове. Вот вам моя фамилия. Будьте благоразумны и долго на фронте не задерживайтесь.

— Будьте покойны,— ответил Швейк,— всякому занятно посмотреть чужие края, да еще задаром.

Jaroslav Hašek, The Good Soldier Schweik, Bk 2 Ch 1.

Super-sweet chocolate dessert. Makes 2.

25g butter
125g plain chocolate
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons brandy
10 small ratafia biscuits

Put four biscuits into each of two small ramekin dishes. Sprinkle about half the brandy over them.

Put the butter, chocolate, coffee and two tablespoons of water into a small saucepan. Heat gently until smooth, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly. Stir in the rest of the brandy.

Whisk egg whites until stiff. Fold into chocolate using a figure-of-eight movement. Spoon the mixture over the biscuits. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Before serving, top with whipped cream and some crushed biscuit.

A super-sweet frozen cocktail.

1oz Amaretto
1oz Creme de banane
2oz Orange juice
1oz Sour mix

Blast in the blender with a handful of ice cubes until cold and slushy.

For sour mix, I use half fresh lemon juice, half Rose’s Lime Cordial. Best if the orange juice is fresh and slightly sharp, but don’t get too hung up about it.

Definitely one for the blender. To the standard margarita recipe add at least 3oz (8cl) of fresh or tinned strawberries. Alternatively try making a strawberry puree during the summer season, and freeze it in an ice cube tray: use one cube instead of each ounce of strawberries. If you find it too sweet, try substituting lemon juice for lime juice.

Serve in a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass.