Fresh, Innovative, Creative Opportunities & The Pursuit of a Meaningful Life

“There is power and freedom in being the fool.  When we declare something completely outrageous we are no longer dominated by the looming shadow of failure and the fear of mockery.  Boldness has power, magic and genius in it.”

–Sacred Commerce, A Business Path of Awakening

Its funny how ones life can change in a moment or a day, regardless of your desire for that change to occur.  Certainly this is understood in the recent tragic happenings in Boston.  But it is also true in more mundane instances and some being just time.  I turned 40 this month, yes I had always desired a 40^th birthday with a lordy lordy look who is 40 sign but the day was actually quite simple and quite satisfactory.  But the day, the year, the age, the timing was ultimately life changing.  Its true I find myself repeating these words month after month, my life changing drastically that is, but this time I feel it changed profoundly.  I’m not so sure what exactly we are supposed to do when we turn forty, but I did feel both the societal pressure as well as an internal pressure to look at it ( my life)  with contemplation and introspection as well as a certain amount of pride, that is if you have lived well.  ( Well being subjective of course.)  I have lived well, I knew this before I turned 40 but there was something about 40 that has given me a new perspective on my life a desire to achieve more of something different   In the past as I made changes I didn’t always know where I was headed, or what I needed to bring along for the journey.  This time, I feel like my “spring awakening” is more calculated, a product of the last forty years.  I’m calmer about it all, less tense and less fearful, a new one for me since most don’t realize that despite my ability to seem fearless, fear typically fills me, I just never let it affect my progress or opportunities for growth. This year at forty my attention turns towards the pursuit of a meaningful life.   At this point I am aware of the bullshit and aware of the path that fulfills me, so that being said it is time to move with my prior 39 years being my guide and being powerful in my choices and ability to achieve a simpler more gratifying life.

Everywhere I look are opportunities exist  and I have decided that at 40, I need to make my boldest moves yet in life, and take advantage of the fresh, innovative and creative opportunities that abound my life.

I was sitting recently at my computer doing my organic fruit work as usual and suddenly I realized that this is not where I should be every day.  I realized that I was wasting my talents and creativity, not to mention my skills acquired by traveling the world, by sitting and working on a computer all day, spending my time with all the small details in a great big picture.  Can I make the largest impact in my life and the life of others where I sit today?  No.   Almost three years ago I opened Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center, in order to bring cooking and food front in center in my life.  I had the same sort of epiphany but it was only a portion of what I am realizing today.  My happiness is derived from my ability to do good and make impact with my work on a level that is engulfed with creativity.  This is who I am, whether it be in cooking or in produce.  I learned I couldn’t escape the lure of the fruit and vegetable world, the entrepreneur in me as well, as the lady who wants to serve small growers was just too forceful for me and so I re-entered into the produce world but this time with more focus, fair-trade, mission driven work..  I didn’t abandon the food world, instead I learned to incorporate the two, I grew wiser and stronger and way more efficient with my time.  Moving out of the city into the Hudson River Valley was another bold and wise move, I learned that with a clear head satisfaction and even happiness are possible, while constantly learning and growing as an individual.  I also learned that focus was more important than ever before and that distraction was too easy in Brooklyn, I was destined for more than Brooklyn and I began to understand that when I left.  All too often in large cities we put too much emphasis on possessions, approval of others and in general life becomes more about the society in which you live than who you are and what you need to fulfill your destiny.   We don’t support each other’s individuality nearly enough in our country and in the industries wherein I work, the culinary world and produce, neither are immune to this “disease”.   We also are less able to connect with the people and cultures that live differently.

At forty I embrace fully my individuality, I embrace fully that I am not easy to describe in one or two sentences, What I do and what I have done is more than most people do in a life time, that is simply who I am.  I have a great deal of energy, a pretty detailed and sharp mind, and I am culturally educated beyond the norm.  I therefore can make larger impact in my work than most if I hone my efforts in a more disciplined fashioned,  I can also create more happiness by placing myself in an environment that allows my values to shine.  Yes at 40 I discovered I had real values!   I need to forget about what others think and say and use my instincts that have always been powerful guide me to the places and people that will help me achieve my goals. Create as much impact and growth for myself and others as I can, while learning and experiencing new cultures, foods, sounds and sights along the way.

I have decided to move to South America this fall, Ecuador to be exact.  I have decided this for a few reasons.  I am hungry for a larger perspective and want to be deliberate and specific about the immediate impact I can make in my work, both culinary and in produce.  Working with small growers I have come to realize that very few people want to truly take the time to empower them with real information and market education.  Perhaps because we are still ultimately colonizers at heart.  We always seem to have or want the upper hand, the control and the power in trade and commerce with the developing world and thus the developing world continues to suffer and we , the developed world, are the ones directly suppressing them with what is essentially just good old fashion greed.  The culinary world is not much different actually either.  Our lack of food knowledge and the proprietary theme in which people in the food world thrive lacks the sense of community that food naturally provides.  American consumers are hungry for the truth about the world and especially their foods.  As the world grows smaller and information moves at record speeds, our ability to be a part of fair, ethical and environmentally sound world trade and enterprise in creative ways is profound and I want to be a part of the revolution that is happening.

I cannot change the world, it took my 40 years to really understand that, when we are young we feel we can and I think that naivety helps push and motivate us.  As we get older we either decide to make concessions or learn to focus.  I obviously would never be the type to make concessions, although I have experienced in the last years a new feeling where I have questioned more often whether I should, mainly this question was based on fear.  What would I do if I lost my income, etc etc.

The truth is I don’t have it in me any more to screw around with life like I used to, I want to progress at the speed in which I naturally progress, which is faster than most.  I want to surround myself by people willing to work hard, learn and grow.  I can make more impact if I simply place myself in a better location for growth.  At this stage of my life and my career I know that living in South America for a year can only bring success to those I work with and to my own personal growth and happiness.  I not only need to learn more myself but I need to pass on my knowledge to those who not only need it but are hungry for it.  I need to build bridges and participate in creating healthy sustainable commerce.

In our modern world we tend to think of success in terms of possessions, power, wealth, position, fame, honors and  too many things that are more connected to the ego.  I don’t place real value on those marks for success, I never really have; I see how they are important in order to create prosperity in the developing world but they are just tiny obstacles in what for me is the actual definition of success which is more along the lines of prosperity.  Prosperity can be defined differently in all cultures and I feel that that is fitting, but in all cultures it is essentially defined as a state of flourishing, encompassing more than wealth and includes happiness and health for not only oneself but ones community.  This is the success I want to seek for myself in my forties, this is the very definition of the success I believe I shall attain and contribute to by not only living in South America but by focusing on what is actually important and not the bullshit!  If we can be helpful in this world we should be, I will continue my entrepreneurial spirit and creative endeavors of course and they will only become more powerfully and “successful” with the “wealth” of knowledge and perspective I will gain from living and working aboard.

]]> http://nissa.ger-nis.com/2013/04/12/a-spring-awakening/feed/ 0 http://nissa.ger-nis.com/2013/03/08/today-in-nyc-bread-roses/ http://nissa.ger-nis.com/2013/03/08/today-in-nyc-bread-roses/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:10:38 +0000 nissa http://nissa.ger-nis.com/?p=2020

International Women’s Day is an initiative for the advancement of women and is of prime importance to the economy, business and society. In the 21st century women are striding through a gender inequality and gaining momentum to better our progressive modern world. But while today can be a call for celebration due to Barack Obama’s Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA. Not every March 8, has been a victory for International Women’s Day.

Like Us on Facebook

Beginning in in the early 1900′s, at a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw a booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies, women began to recognize their vital right to equality.

In 1909, with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on February 28. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913. Following discussions, International Women’s Day was transferred to March 8 and this day has remained the global date for International Women’s Day ever since.

International Women’s Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. So what can you do to celebrate and participate?

Salon sYmphoNY 2013

New York-based female performers from across the globe will pay homage to inspirational women from their homelands. International Women Artists’ Salon in collaboration with Art Boundaries Unlimited (ABU) is presenting monologues, poems and songs from Scotland to Sierra Leone will display the beauty of the cultural riches created by women around the world and sustained today by the women and the city of New York. The free event will be held at The Lounge at Dixon Place from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Those interested can find more information here.

Meet And Greet with Human Rights Activist Madeleine Rees

Meet Madeleine Rees, WILPF Secretary General, former high UN official for human rights. Enjoy a private cocktail hour, plus general reception featuring global WILPF speakers. This event will cost you $150 per ticket and is held at Vermillion Restaurant beginning at 5 p.m.  You can find more information on Madeline Rees and other activist speakers by clicking here.

Post a Photo of Your High Heels

We all understand how confident and beautiful a woman feels as she slips into a breath-taking pair of heels. Although, every woman who wears high heels whether you admit it or not has been in pain while walking in stilettos at some point in life. To celebrate International Women’s Day, the organization Confidence Is Beautiful is calling all women to post photos of their high heels on Facebook or Twitter and make our stiletto shoes a symbol of a women’s life. For more information on this fun and different activity, visit the Confidence is Beautiful blog.

International Women’s Day Reception: Congo Trauma Survivors

Hear the stories of women who survived a life living in the “the world’s most dangerous place to be a woman.” Celebrate their strength, hear their stories, and discover your part in restoring hope. Come for a social hour at 6:15 p.m., and stay to hear our speakers, the Honorable Ann Marie Burkle, former Congresswoman, House Foreign Affairs Committee and Congressional Representative to the United Nations, and Rebecca Deng, South Sudanese refugee with a passion for rebuilding communities shattered by war. This event is sponsored by She’s My Sister and held at the American Bible Society. Get more information here.

Freedom to Love Celebration

While this event is held on Sunday, it is still a fun and interesting way to celebrate International Women’s Day. The organization Be Wild Woman is asking women to join them in an honoring, blessing and celebrating the empowerment of women. Bring your voice, your heart and your dance. We gather to free women from shame, guilt and pain. Join us for a sacred circle of, love your body, healing, blessing and dance facilitated by Be Wild Woman Healer, Kiana Love and Dj’d by Kenzie. This event will be held in Brooklyn at 2 p.m., for more information click here.

today I honor my friend Danielle, who is always a beacon in this quest, and I know she is this to many so Danielle, much gratitude!

Danielle Mkali

But I remember it daily as a religion, I am as I said not prefect but I work hard in trying to take responsibility not only for my actions but whatever I sign up for and who ever that is with. There is a greater purpose to our lives when we live responsibly.

So What the heck do I do with responsibility? Take ownership of it, create change! Give back all that you can to the young, old and angry!

This brave young girl, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize nominee ever, embodies the power education has to transform lives.  she fights for girls and children alike to have the right to education.  Her story started long before the Taliban shot her in the head in an attempt to murder her and her power over them.  Her story more powerful today of course because of the bullets that grazed her brain, with the intention of dissolving education for girls in Pakistan.  But her story is a reminder that like today being International Women’s Day, her story is about more than these headlines, her story is about a young girl who spoke out for girls, in one of the most dangerous locations in the world.

This one girl made great impact with her courage and conviction to stand up to people who want to stop girls from receiving education, with guns. Her bravery is an example to us all and for me truly inspiring.

Recipe: 16 Decisions

As a recipe creator and writer I have had my fair share of encounters with recipes.  I say repeatedly how recipes are not needed in the food world and it’s ideas that are more important.  However I want to say here and now, I was wrong.  Maya Angelou taught me, Once you know better you do better.  So I must with that share with you the one recipe I have found that seems to work and that is full proof.

The Grameen Bank is a Nobel Peace Prize winning microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladash.  The organizations makes small loans, requiring no collateral.  The goal of the bank is to help impoverished women by providing them with one of the most powerful tools of change, money or as we call it in on modern day world, credit.  The loans are provided and all the women must do in return is follow the “16 Decisions”, that inevitably are the best decisions one can make in life, or as I call it my favorite recipe and finally one that works no matter what!

Ingredients & Directions

1. We shall follow and advance the four principles of Grameen Bank — Discipline, Unity, Courage and Hard work – in all walks of out lives.
2. Prosperity we shall bring to our families.
3. We shall not live in dilapidated houses. We shall repair our houses and work towards constructing new houses at the earliest.
4. We shall grow vegetables all the year round. We shall eat plenty of them and sell the surplus.
5. During the plantation seasons, we shall plant as many seedlings as possible
6. We shall plan to keep our families small. We shall minimize our expenditures. We shall look after our health.
7. We shall educate our children and ensure that they can earn to pay for their education
8. We shall always keep our children and the environment clean.
9. We shall build and use pit-latrines.
10. We shall drink water from tubewells. If it is not available, we shall boil water or use alum.
11. We shall not take any dowry at our sons’ weddings, neither shall we give any dowry at our daughters wedding. We shall keep our centre free from the curse of dowry. We shall not practice child marriage.
12. We shall not inflict any injustice on anyone, neither shall we allow anyone to do so.
13. We shall collectively undertake bigger investments for higher incomes.
14. We shall always be ready to help each other. If anyone is in difficulty, we shall all help him or her.
15. If we come to know of any breach of discipline in any centre, we shall all go there and help restore discipline.
16. We shall take part in all social activities collectively.

And for those of you who live in the “modern industrialized” world and think these 16 decisions don’t apply to you, take a deeper and closer look at what each decisions actually represents.

Around the world International Women’s day is celebrated very differently and I find that not only appealing and fitting, realizing that women and cultures are so drastically different.  The one common theme is and has always been empowering other women and joining eachother (including the men who support the endeavor) on this glorious journey.

Here are some of the events and observations taking place throughout the world today.

China- Women granted half day off work

Fuji- Talks are happening with young women about the need for strong women characters in literature and the arts.

Turkey- Women spotted with artificial blood protesting domestic violence.

Sudan- hundreds of women and children were released from prison with 4,000 others celebrating freedom.

Egypt- women marching to be a part of the drafting of the new constitution.

Australia- Groups of women gather to talk about who young women can become leaders.

Botswana- Fest Eve brings together women of all walks of life, entrepreneurs, community, business leaders, teachers, farmers and media to commemorate and learn how bonds between women create change.

Mexico-Women’s Fest- A big festival in the center of Mexico City.

Palestine- General Union of Palestinian Women- meet to discuss the future of Palestinian women

Jordan- A Celebration of women through the arts.

Turkey- An assembly of academics, Reflections on Being a women Academia in Turkey.

World Wide- Women on the Bridge, women all over the world joining together on bridges to demonstrate the power of building bridges of peace and development- USA, England, Congo, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Iraq and on and on and on

this is where I sit this International Women's Day

Recognition & Celebration of the Vital Role of Women in Society

I chuckle to myself almost every day as I venture onto my facebook page and am informed by my peers that “today” is international hamburger day or “today” is international margarita day or “today is international flying saucer day.  You get the idea, it goes on and on and on it is  a tad ridiculous and we all know that.  Everyone market’s off these days with recipes and photos and indulges a little bit more, especially on margarita day and I can only assume on “international shot of vodka day”.  But wait, I just read about September 19^th being “International talk like a pirate day”, what the living f**k is that about.  Well the one day I find to be most important in the midst of all these days, which often gets lost in all this bullshit, is International Women’s Day.  What started long before the actual day was created (1857 NYC garment workers protested for shorter hours and greater pay) by a socialist movement in the USA was always about women’s economic and political equality and that is the most important element of today. (It’s funny how men have turned it into celebrate their wives and mother’s day but make little recognition as to their inequality in the work place or in politics). The term or slogan “Bread and Roses” emerged as mostly folklore for  the ongoing slogan for this movement that continued all over the world.  The slogan was based on a poem by James Oppenhiem titled of course, Bread and Roses.  The bread signified their fight for economic security and the roses signified their profound acknowledgment of their innate right to have better living standards.  I think the slogan is today underutilized and underappreciated, in today’s marketing world this would be considered quite genius and has legs that will last forever!  It’s a great title for a movie, a book a documentary a girls club etc!!  Come on peeps get going on that!

Of course there is so much to say on this topic of women and inequality  and I can’t say everything so as I contemplate what is the message I want to send here, ultimately helping to shed light on  how important it is for women to empower each other as well as having men participate in this empowerment.  Obviously I live in a unique professional world where sustainable food meets international business, where the third world worker meets the hipster Brooklynite,  a place I find quite fascinating and comfortable.  When I evaluate these worlds and think about the lack of women’s empowerment in both, I’m a bit disappointed and find it difficult over the years to balance making impact and being happy and peaceful in life.    I’m in the sustainable food business, technically I would call myself a sustainable food educator and a fair-trade organic marketing and agricultural expert and also I am an herbal guru!  I have spent a large part of my life since I was a little girl in other countries, submersed in other cultures.  Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Holland, Germany, Belgium, England, France, Spain Israel, Jordan. Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and the Island of Mauritius oh yeah and Canada!  I have had the unique pleasure of not really being a tourist in all of my travelers but an invited guest inside of farmer’s homes. My perspective is indeed unique.    The home of a farmer is an interesting place.  Typically the farmers are men, although I have had the unique pleasure of meeting more and more women who are “heads” of the farm.  Each of the farmers of course have wives ( In Jordan some had a few J) each of these wives ran the household and in many cases the actual business of the farms.  The paperwork, the logistics, the payroll, the organization. The saying, behind every great man there is a great woman, is one of those sayings that more often than not rings true.  It’s been interesting to me to witness what I see in my own country, as well as everywhere I travel aborad, that women are doing the majority of the work and achieving the least amount of power.  In fact the very word power has been turned into a word that many women try to avoid, I think women don’t understand the “power of power’ and that the word power is not a word that cant or shouldn’t be associated with women but more so a word that can empower women further.  It’s funny that as I wrote that sentence I realized that for women the word empowerment is more comfortable than the word power, that must change.  Men have dominated and defined the word power for centuries, millenniums…history.  It’s time women begin to understand power.

I have always been grateful for my upbringing in terms of learning about power .  I have been through several stages in terms of  power, how to use power, how others use power and what I want others to know about power and above all I want women to understand that they have endless resources from which to draw power from.  From a young age I was given power by my father, by his simple acknowledgment to me that I was equal. My father by nature was and still is a powerful man, back then he was powerful in a mainly masculine definition of the world and today he is more what I call feminine powerful or perhaps we can call it empowered.   He traveled the world and like me traveled to places that were remote and off the beaten path.  He worked for Xerox back when Xerox was like today’s apple or google.  They sent him all over, Tanzania, Rhodesia, Japan, Australia, France, England, Madagascar,, you name it.  I think this experience, like the one that I have had,  gave him an internal bucket of wisdom from which to grow deepr into a “real”  powerful being.  I was the only girl of 4 boys, which automatically kind of lumped me into learning more masculine ways of life, ways of thinking and ways of being.  When my parents got divorced and I essentially divorced my mother ( still divorced from her quite peacefully, I may add) my only other access to women as a girl was mostly gone.  My dad raised me just as one of the boys and I am grateful for that in a strange way.  It was not until way later in life I realized that the opportunities women have, the pay women get, the respect women get, the opportunities that are available to women are not equal to those of men.  Let alone the personal confidence and compassion for ones self that must be born in order to even consider moving into this journey of equality.   My ability to “move” up the ladder professionally was I think a partial combination of not seeing the boundaries or inequality as an option for me and men being comfortable with my unique style that was less feminine, or less emotional.  In addition  I also was always very good at doing whatever job I was supposed to do, that made it much easier, results were never in question.  My education was worldly and my father’s influence and dedication to his children’s education helped move me through professional life with a bit greater ease.  The problem with me professionally is always that I eventually embody too much power and men don’t know how to handle it. They always find out in the end that I am indeed emotional and have learned to have no issue with having feelings in the work place, why should I not have feelings for my life and the lives of others, this is power. ( We’ll skip the stories for now of my in business dealings with Israeli, Dutch, Latin American and American men over the last 12 years with the exception of one story where I cried in a board room with 6 Israeli men and myself, I have no regrets) As I have gotten older and (just recently) started moving into a softer wiser sort of power wisdom of sorts, there were phases in the last few years that I thought that I lost my “fight”, that “fight” in me was always part of my own personal definition of what was essentially my power-Nissa Power.  I have come to figure out that my “fight” was just a reaction and I, Nissa could learn to control and choose my method of reaction.  For many of us, our childhoods thrust coping mechanisms upon us that sometimes last us way past the event or stage that they were needed.  My “fight” phase was just such a thing.  Today I can still react with “fight” sometimes it’s called for and sometimes it’s not, I’m not perfect and never will be. The most important resource when it comes to power, that I believe I have and that I can share by example, is my ability to always have embraced the power of power itself.  This is my message to women, embrace power; it has been men’s most powerful tool since the dawn of time, a tool they have never wanted to move to the hands of women, for a reason. I also think it is important to recognize that in any case of inequality it takes those that have the power (men) and  recognize that power is unequal and choose to participate in the sharing of this knowledge is a powerful tool for empowering women, after all this is not Wonderwoman’s Paradise Island or Themyscira.   So embrace power and embrace the amazing examples of women that exercise power for the advancement of women daily  and  the men who took a stand to share power equally.

There are really two definitions of power that are relevant, the social and business definition and the physics definition.   Contrary to the masculine definition that has defined our world and cultures, the real definition of power is essentially, like water, a very feminine characteristic by nature.  In physics power is defined as the rate in which energy is transferred, used or transformed.  In the human physical side the rate in which work is preformed.  This is an important definition for women to understand as they embody this definition in all forms, they outperform men on this definition in today’s world, by this definition women have extreme power and change will come more rapid when they begin to embrace this as a whole.

The second relevant definition of power is the social and business definition that tends, more often than not,  to be misinterpreted and especially by men.  It is the ability to influence behavior with or without resistance.  This is an important definition especially the latter half of the definition –without resistance.  Now I know men and women are physically built differently in more ways than just a vagina and a penis, testosterone and estrogen and slew of other hormones and biology stuff, for the most part make men physically stronger, therefore automatically it is easier for them to define their version of power by the –with force definition.  Women on the other hand because they are often less physically capable of men in terms of force and are also more attached to the social sense of most situations, AKA feelings, they typically tend to excel in the –without force category of power.  This is widely seen throughout the third world in highly organized grass roots assemblies of women who found a way to exercise power by influencing without force in groups, the same way International Women’s Day started, power was executed using their strengths and without force and mainly by recognizing that they had power in the first place, by the first definition in physics or energy-work.

So as we move through this day, this week, this year this decade, let’s forget about International Women’s Day as just one day and remember it as the day when, we not only put a woman symbol on our google’s search page but  the day, we make real changes, real progress and the day when we remind ourselves to remember to do this everyday.

I had an epiphany today doing this ‘exercise” ,that will change my life and hopefully the lives of others in the years to come.  That is why there are days for moments like this where one women like me realizes she can make great impact for the lives of many and decides to move her physical and social bucket of power ( I have a big bucket full)  in that direction.

And remember today is not is not about celebrating mothers and daughters and sisters, it’s  about remembering the hard work that is needed to be done so that our mothers, daughters, and sisters can have equal opportunities in this incredible world.

What are you going to do to contribute today and tomorrow and so on?

“Be the change you want to see in this world” , Mahatma Gandhi, fearless  example of real power.

I draw strength from the little ladies in my life

Kianna my niece with me in Peru at a produce convention

foraging for Thanksgiving with my niece Svea

Lexa my neice, first international bites, please note the lovely gentleman Ivin helping empower her

Actively Seek Inspiration

The Hop
Craft Beer & Artisanal Fare
458 Main St. Beacon, NY 12508
845.440.8676

We never know what we may encounter in life, but typically as the eastern philosophies go, we are always receiving what we are looking for.  I recently had  a meeting in Beacon, NY and the party I was meeting with suggested The Hop, I didn’t think much of it, I’m not a beer person per say, but have a building infatuation with beer folks, the makers and the lovers as I have found the more I learn about the craft of beer making the more I understand the almost inexplicable creativity that is involved. Now on this particular afternoon, a few days before my Pretzels Mustard and Beer class I was teaching, I need to buy a few beers to make the mustard starts so as I entered I though, wonderful, I was wandering where I was going to find some “out of the ordinary” beers here in my new woodsy life without knowing anything about where to find beer.  At that moment I simply thought, how convenient and that life had given me this gift of ease.  I proceeded to have an amazing meeting and connection with another likeminded food education folk and ate a lovely meal, grilled cheese with a bacon and black eyed pea soup, the experience over all was lovely.  After the meal I met the owner, who helped me pick out beers for my mustards.  What I learned in that tiny moment began to open my mind a bit to the craft of beer making, but still at that time I just simply chalked it all up to what a nice afternoon.  I walked out and got in my car and got an email that the place that was supposed to proved all the beers for the tasting for the Pretzels class was out of all of them and that I should find an alternative source.  Now for me this was hell, I was in no position to swiftly pick beers for pairing with my lack of knowledge and time was running out.  I looked to my left and remembers I was a beer store a really good one, so I walked back in and let the owner know I would now be needing his service to actually choose the beers for my class and they needed to be local!  He said, “that is easy”, which I loved.  He proceeded to choose beers for me and gave me the run down on all of them and I basically got a quick lesson on some of the most amazing craft beers.  We spoke a little bit more at length about his place and I have to admit at that point I know there was more to my experience there than simply just convenience, but I still didn’t really put it all together, remember I am a slow learner.

I went on my way and that night I had to prepare for the class and one of the things I had to do was re-do all the information on the beers to be used for the pairings and this time I had to do it on my own with no help form beer experts.  So I did what I always do and got my google on and what I learned in that process was more than just beer stats, what I learned is that beer makers are some of the most culinary creative people I have seen yet.  Now I am still not a “beer” drinker, per se, but the art of the process, the thinking and the evolution of ideas is enough to really provoke me to learn more about craft beer making and the people behind this craft.  So I guess in the end the point is that although I originally though it was “convenient” I know believe it is part of my journey in actively seeking inspiration and this lovely place, called The Hop, is the catalyst for my new adventure into learning about the craft!  Ideally I would love to continue my journey with learning about beers and writing a cook book on using craft beers in cooking!

Here are the beers and the pretzel pairings which went down REALLY well with the crowd…Thanks John!

For the mustards we used the following beers to make the following mustards

Cherry Spicy Brown Mustard *Oude Kriek Vieille, used in this mustard recipe to bring elements of tart and cherry with a hint of funkiness, yet still having sweet elements to help compliment the spiciness of the mustard.

Sweet Maple Mustard *Smutty  Nose Robust Porter, was used in this mustard not only to add sweetness to the mustard, but the saltiness of this beer pairs well with the maple and mustard, lending itself to a smoother and more robust but still sweet mustard.

Lavender-Honey Mustard*Chatoe Rogue Mead 19 Original Colonies , was paired with the Lavender honey mustard in order to give the mustard a very distinct raw honey taste.  The beer is made with honey from 19 colonies of bees and brewed with only 5 ingredients ,farmed honey, wild honey, tea leaves, champagne yeast and free range coastal water, this purity of beer add to the mustard pure and herbaceousness.  The lavender is robust and the honey helps tone it down while still keeping a very yeasty feel..

For the pairing we paired the following beers with the following pretzels

Horseradish Herb Pretzels paired with  *Brooklyn Sorachi Ace , pairs well because of the herbal notes of this beer, this is a saison style beer, featuring a a rare Japanese hop called Sorachi, its noted for its lemon and herbal aroma. This beer will complement the herbs and refresh the horseradish flavors with the hops and lemon.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 7.6%
Serving: Bottle, 1 pint
Style:  Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Appearance: Yellowish gold, almost clear, fine foamy head, tiny bubbles
Smell: Citrus and herb aroma, lemon zest
Taste: Hoppy and slightly citrusy, light sweetness and some herbal notes,  dry and champagne Mouthfeel: Very light mouth feel, dry, lots of bubbles
Drinkability: Light and refreshing

New York Street Pretzels with Sweet Maple Mustard paired with *The Black C , pairs well with the sweet maple mustard and regular pretzel  because of the rich maltiness of the beer while still retaining strong fruity notes.  The burnt malty flavors bring out the maple in the mustard and the richness of the beer allows for the mustard to taste sweeter.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sloop Brewing, Poughkeepsie
Alcohol: 7.5%
Serving: Bottle, 1 pint
Style:  Indian Pale Ale

Appearance: Dark Brown with creamy tan head
Smell: Raisinish and with a slight tart cherry tone, burnt
Taste: Very strong tasting and predominant strong or even burnt malt tones, hoppy finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, dry finish
Drinkability: Very tasty beer

Spicy Cherry Pretzel Knots paired with *Three Philosophers Quadruple Ale , amazing with the spicy cherry pretzel knots, the sweetness of the beer lets the spice in the pretzel pop while intersecting in the cherry notes of both.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommengang, Copperstown, NY
Alcohol: 9.8%
Serving: 750 ML
Style:  Quadruple Ale

Appearance: Amber caramel color with a very frothy beige head
Smell: Candied Fruits, raisins and dates
Taste: sweet and warm, bready and malty with burnt sugar and cherry tastes
Mouthfeel: Fuller body, decent carbonation, sticky and heavy, finishes hot (boozy) and sweet
Drinkability: An extremely interesting and complex beer that most people enjoy

Chocolate Nutty Pretzels paired with  *Miles Davis Bitches Brew , amazing beer and truly a perfect pairing with a dessert or sweet and savory type of dessert.  The beer was made in honor of the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, Miles Davis’ 1970 paradigm-shifting landmark fusion breakthrough album,  the beer is a bold, dark beer that’s a fusion of three threads of imperial stout and one thread of honey beer with gesho root. Sweet and earthy and chocolate tones while pairing exceptionally with salt. (

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dog Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 9%
Serving: 750 ML
Style:  Imperial Stout

Appearance: Jet black, dark tan head
Smell: Coffee, dried fruits, slight sweet burnt smell, a little licorice root
Taste: Slightly metallic yet sweet, bittersweet chocolate and coffee, vanilla and again licorish root a little milk chocolately, boozy.

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, chewy, medium carbonation

Drinkability : Complex and fun

-

]]> http://nissa.ger-nis.com/2013/01/27/evolution-in-the-art-of-seeking/feed/ 0