My life here seems to be mainly about learning German, working, and eating. Every weekday I go to German class from 8:30 AM until 12:45 PM, stop by the grocery store after class, make lunch, and get to work translating, proofreading, teaching, or whatever has landed on my desk for the day.
I love the habit of stopping by the store every day or two. I like picking my food based on what I feel like eating that day, rather than what I thought I might like to eat when I went shopping the previous weekend. It also means buying fewer fruits and vegetables at a time and having them fresher.
Because I have to fit in German class and work in the same day, I don’t like to spend too much time preparing lunch. On the other hand, I have mostly stayed away from prepackaged convenience food since moving here. I find myself looking for quick, tasty recipes like Jacques Pépin’s Risotto with Broccoli Stems from his show More Fast Food My Way. Nothing like finding shortcuts to great food!
My neighborhood grocery store didn’t have broccoli, so I grabbed asparagus instead. Yum! I had picked up arborio rice from the Kaufland a couple weeks before, which is the only ingredient in this recipe that I wasn’t sure I’d find just anywhere. It turned out great!
Expat Linguist 
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