January 2016 – Greta Goes

How to eat a Croissant like a Parisienne

Published on 28. January 201625. January 2016 by Greta BrombeereLeave a comment

When living in Europe you meet so many people from so many different backgrounds. Some of my closest confidants here in Germany happen to be from France.

I studied French for 6 years in school and was even a French tutor in college, but this is one part of the culture one cannot learn without having experiencing it herself.

The morning after a sleepover at a friend’s house, I observed my French friend eating her breakfast and was overwhelmed with amusement. She actually took her buttery, fresh-baked croissant and drowned it in her coffee! I immediately asked her, “uhhh, what are you doing?” Equally confused, she stared back and replied, “eating…”

After an exchange of blank stares and subsequent giggling, the mystery was clarified. This was not pastry abuse but actually the way all French eat their croissants!

Now I’m not one to mix anything into my coffee except for the occasional drop or two of whole milk. However, if a French woman says try it, she will not let you go until you do what she says.

I skeptically dipped my perfectly okay croissant into the coffee and proceeded to taste the soggy pastry. Only once it reached my tongue did I realize this was the most delicious combination I had never tried. I’ve been missing out on so much!

And so are you- so here’s how you eat a croissant like a proper Parisienne:

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Croatian Hangover Cure

Published on 27. January 201625. January 2016 by Greta BrombeereLeave a comment

Malinska Croatia sunset — Insane Croatian sunset from our AirBnB in Malinska.

D and I went to Croatia twice last year and had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful human beings through Airbnb. Our host Slavica (pronounced Slavitsa), welcomed us with open arms and an open kitchen. She made wonderful treats for us but one stood out in particular.

After a night of one too many schnapps, we headed over to see our host. She could see that we were a bit hungover so she rushed over to the kitchen and started blending this magical elixir.

Not only does this shake taste amazing, but it seriously settled our stomachs and soothed our pain. Apparently she makes this for her sons after their eventful nights. It seriously worked for me! And if it doesn’t for you, I don’t know what will.

The recipe goes as followed:

2 bananas
2 pears (skinned and quartered)
2 eggs
Milk
sugar (to taste)

Mix it all in a blender and voila! You’ve got yourself two servings of hope for a better morning. Let me know if it works for you!

Greta tries.. the flea market

Published on 25. January 201625. January 2016 by Greta Brombeere1 Comment

fleamarket

So, over winter break I read Sophia Amoruso’s #GirlBoss book and became obsessed with all things eBay. Her journey from online eBay store with 50 bucks in her pocket to multi-million dollar online and brick-and-mortar empire inspired me get out there and sell things. I set up an eBay account, went out to secondhand stores and started scouting for free marketing platforms.

Unfortunately I never carried any selling or even putting the clothes online. Womp womp..

And I told my boyfriend about all of my reselling dreams and he was hyped about it! He was equally as disappointed to find out that I got stuck in the procrastination and fear of putting things out there. Which, by the way, is not a good excuse.

girlbossbook

So now, in a pledge to redeem myself, I have committed to a flea market coming up at the end of January. In Germany… Meaning of course, that all of this will have to be sold in the German language. Must. find. inner. GIRLBOSS.

I have lived in Germany for a little over a year now and mein deutsch ist mittlemaessig. This will effectively double the challenge.

Things being sold at the flea market include:

shirts, sweaters, pants, and essentially half of my wardrobe
a Calvin Klein spring coat which is way too large for my size (and always has been)
books in english, not an easy sell

The goal, aside from completing the task, is to at least make the money back that it costs to rent a stand at the flea market. D and I have split the total cost of 30 Euros for a personal cost of 15Euros.

In my experience as a flea market goer and haggler, this won’t be as easy as it sounds. Most clothes can go for anywhere from 50 cents to 5 Euros. And that’s if I sell anything at all.

So far the piles of clothing are high enough to fill another’s empty closet. Good sign for making some money, right? Well, Germans are stereotypically frugal and have the great advantage of being fluent German speakers. Not to worry, I have some strategies.

I have luckily taught negotiation strategy English classes to major companies and department stores. I will need to sell my jeans and shirts for a minimum of 1 Euro each. The coat will need to be a minimum of 5. Books can go for 50 cents if I’m lucky. Every negotiation conversation will need to start at double the price for the goal prices to be achieved.

Either way, this should be an interesting test of my german skills, selling skills, and overcoming the devil we all call procrastination. An update will be posted in the beginning of February.

Do you guys have any tips and tricks for selling your old clothing, haggling or setting up a tent at a flea market? If so, ANY information is appreciated!

Wish me luck 🙂

(photo source 1)

(photo source 2)