the market was at steel stacks - an arts and culture centre on the grounds of the former bethlehem steel plant. i spent most of my life in a steel plant ghost town, so the sight of them is nothing new to me, however, bethelem steel was a BEHEMOTH. i read that at one time it actually stretched across ten miles of land and was one of the most powerful symbols of american industrial manufacturing - now nothing more than a monument. sadness.
because it was so dark i couldn't really get pictures of how opposing this place was, thank goodness it was illuminated with christmas lights and music or i would have run away crying. plus, everyone knows that abandoned steel works are TEEMING with ghosts.
rest in peace our lady of blast furnaces.
anywho... back to christkindlmarkt. and yes, everything is german here. (notice the "eingang" sign at the entrance) who needs berlin when you can have eastern pennsylvania? i mean really.
as usual, i was mostly interested in the food situation, and while bear got down to some sweet live oom pah christmas music, i was already in line at fat daddy's barbecue. my pulled pork lust haunts me like the ghosts of a hundred dead pigs. (sorry piggys, you really shouldn't have allowed yourselves to be so delicious.)as i was inhaling my sandwich, i noticed a sign for deep fried pickles, which are a rare treat here for some reason. you'd think since they deep fry literally EVERYTHING else, why not toss some pickles in there? but they don't. so it wasn't even a question that those were being eaten immediately following our porkwiches.
worth the price of admission.
once we finally stopped eating for long enough to be aware of our surroundings, we wandered around the market trying not to make eye contact with any of the vendors. i'm not really into hideous handmade jewellery, wooden cutting boards, or beeswax sculptures, but what i am into is weird/adorable german folk art ornaments!
once we finally stopped eating for long enough to be aware of our surroundings, we wandered around the market trying not to make eye contact with any of the vendors. i'm not really into hideous handmade jewellery, wooden cutting boards, or beeswax sculptures, but what i am into is weird/adorable german folk art ornaments!
get on my christmas tree.
i selected one extra special german friend to come home with us and live on margot junior - you'll meet him later on - but for now, do you sometimes feel like you're wasting your life by not being able to finely craft winter scenes out of wood that feature tiny wooden people finely crafting tiny toys out of wood? because i do.
son of a bitch.
to ease the pain of my wasted life - pumpkin rice pudding to the rescue! seriously, PUMPKIN. RICE. PUDDING. then i felt like i was wasting my life not having a pudding booth at local events...
you bastard.so then i had to get german warm candied almonds to ease THAT pain. thankfully there was a bear wearing lederhosen on the cone to distract me from wanting to build my own german nut cart.
so do you think they have like, nut supply suppliers or what?
when we got home i kept bear awake half the night discussing my need to own some type of mobile food wagon, how being around people makes me hate people, and how we need to learn how to make tiny wooden things making other tiny wooden things. i bet he sure is glad he took me to christkindlmarkt. seriously, how does he live with me?
i don't know either, but i'm glad he does.
speaking of with pride & joy hand made in germany...
my new little christmas tree friend! i think he's a mushroom elf, but i'm not really sure. all i know is that i love him. look at him!!! how was i NOT supposed to buy him??? i'm not made of stone.
i think he's pretty excited to be living in margot junior with the knowledge that he will not be packed away with the rest of the christmas things. ever. because i love him.
i can't even.
today is my last day off until christmas and yes, i'll most likely be dead by wednesday. how are people STILL christmas shopping and being shocked that things are picked over??? (both things are directly my fault by the way.) you know it's coming on december 25th EVERY YEAR EVER. get it together assholes.
love and german christmas wishes,
so pauvre
9 comments:
This looks like a blast, the first photo of the empty factory looks like an excellent opening scene to a horror movie:) Wooden people carving other wooden people? *die* amazing. Love the wee wooden guy you bought, far too cute to only be used at Christmas:)
WOW i want to go there and eat all the foods! there is a shop here at work that makes the best pulled pork sandwich, when you come here i will take you there, so so yummy! sorry piggies you are tooooooo good! i love your mushroom elf and i cry myself to sleep often because i am said i do not know how to carve tiny people carving tiny wooden toys. my life is useless!!! if it makes you feel any better i worked yesterday and today and don't have a day off till friday :(
xo,
cb
Fun times! Also, rice pudding is awesome. That is all.
Those pictures are amazing. And when you factor in that there's now an adorable Christmas market located there, I cannot believe that you didn't run into and foxy gay steelworker ghosts. Shame.
tK :)
So much to love about this post. This is some of your best, wittiest writing in a while honey.
I encourage everyone to follow the link to the pudding website and study up. It's home to the original "Pudding cone" . . . we were too terrified to get one.
How do you keep finding such pumpkin-related splendor? This place looks amazing! Filip and I went to the Christmas market at the Distillery a couple times and had mulled wine and tiny tom doughnuts, but that is measly fare by comparison! That little German wood elf was MADE to go on Margot Junior! Good luck with the remaining days of Christmas retail mayhem. May your slaughter toll be kept at a minimum and may it be nothing but calm and bright thereafter! xox
i don't even... how can i... that mushroom gremlin is like... KILLING ME.
p.s. i have yet to christmas shop. i'm thinking this is your fault.
hoping a box gets delivered with a leashy inside some time this week. tell chris to poke air holes! don't wanna make that mistake again.
i LOVE the mushroom elf!!
take me to this food wonderland! Oh my word I want to eat a dozen fried pickles and then a dozen more. Only after 24 fried pickles can I attempt to carve wood into tiny people whom I will call Woodies and they will also carve wood in their wooden villages. And their children will carve wood in tiny villages and their children's children will carve wood in villages and every inch of this Earth is consumed by Woodies.
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