Ja, es gibt ihn noch, den “Italiener”. Was viele sich unter diesem Begriff vorstellen, mag unterschiedlich sein – für Tanja und mich ist es etwas ganz Besonderes.
Konkret sprechen wir vom “Taormina” im Westend von München, geführt von einer Familie unglaublich herzlicher Menschen, die es verstehen, uns stets kulinarisch zu verwöhnen. Ganz besonders möchten wir Dani, Antonio, Luigi und Ivone hervorheben.
Für uns ist “Der Italiener” mehr als nur ein Restaurant:
• Es ist ein Ort, an dem wir uns sammeln können. Egal, wie der Tag verlaufen ist – ob gut oder schlecht – hier wird er immer wunderbar beendet.
• Es ist ein Ort, an dem wir uns jedes Mal willkommen fühlen.
• Vor allem aber ist es ein Ort, an dem wir stets ausgezeichnet essen.
Unsere Empfehlung: Probiert es einfach aus und lasst euch von Dani beraten. Ihr werdet es nicht bereuen!
Ich beobachte seit einiger Zeit, dass auch LinkedIn immer verrohter, polarisierter, flacher und nutzloser wird. Also die allgemeine Abwärtsspirale von Social Media – warum sollte es hier anders sein?
Wie dem auch sei, ich will nicht nur zuschauen, sondern aktiv beitragen mit einer hoffentlich emotional polarisierenden Extremposition zum Vorstoß der Türkei, den Döner in der EU, insbesondere in Deutschland, zu regulieren.
Bei diesem Foodie-Thema, das mir naturgemäß sehr am Herzen liegt und das mir kürzlich über die Leber gelaufen ist, bin ich bereit, von meinen üblichen Prinzipien abzuweichen, also z.B. – individuelle Geschmacksfragen nicht zu verallgemeinern, – mich nicht mit zwei Optionen abspeisen zu lassen, – kulturelle Fettnäpfchen so weit es möglich ist zu meiden, – Kontext und Perspektiven der Präsentation zu würdigen und – emotionale Reaktionen zu vermeiden.
Los geht’s: Ich stehe an der Seite von Huriye Özener in diesem heiligen kulinarischen Streit, in dem Christen und Muslime, Türken und Deutsche gemeinsam den guten Geschmack verteidigen und für einen echten Döner kämpfen!
In meinem heiligen Zorn habe ich folgende Details verstanden: – Dönerfleisch wie wir es kennen (laut Bild und anderer Qualitätsmedien), würde es im klassischen Döner nicht mehr geben, weil nur Rindfleisch von Tieren, die mindestens 16 Monate alt sind, oder Keulen-/Rückenfleisch von mindestens 6 Monate alten Schafen verwendet werden darf. Hallo?! Hallooo… was sonst. Gerne erhöhen auf 24/12 Monate! – Dönerfleisch wie wir es kennen darf dann keine nicht-tierischen Eiweiße, Stärke, stärkehaltigen Stoffe, kein Soja und keine Sojaerzeugnisse enthalten. Hallooo… Das ist übelste Panscherei – natürlich nicht!. – Dönerfleisch wie wir es kennen darf dann nicht mehr ein Hackfleischanteil von bis zu 60% haben? Hallooo… Ich will Döner, kein Ersatz-Surrogat-Extrakt. – Dönerfleisch wie wir es kennen darf dann nicht mehr mit dem seelenlosen Fleischrasierer abgehobelt werden, sondern muss fachmännisch mit einem 55cm Dönermesser von oben nach unten geschnitten werden. Hier verweise ich auf die Spanischen Cortadores de Jamon, ja es ist Kunsthandwerk!
Es ist an der Zeit, die Klingen zu schärfen und die Flammen der Leidenschaft für ordentliche und vernünftige Döner neu entfachen!
PS: the image is a real Döner – I tried to generate one with the current AI tools and they miserably fail at this task wich makes the fight for the true Döner even more important!
When you think of Rioja, you inevitably think of its world-famous wines. But Rioja, a vibrant region in northern Spain, is much more than a wine-producing area. It’s a place where culture, history and winemaking come together to create a truly unique experience. Here’s a first slice from our exploration of the wonders of Rioja, where we have been guided by our marvelous guia y professor Manuel and his wife Merce, from its breathtaking landscapes to so much more (…I will cover later). Let us start with the deep-rooted traditions of its historic wineries and its exceptional wines.
A Journey through Time and Vineyards
A center of Spanish viticulture: For over 8,000 years, wine has been cultivated. In Rioja, it must have arrived – at the latest – with the Roman empire, shaping not only the landscape but also the soul of its people. The ancient craft of winemaking has been passed down from generation to generation, making wine an inseparable part of Rioja’s identity.
The Bodegas: Where culture meets the vine
Architectural wonders and historic estates: Rioja’s bodegas are more than just wineries; they are landmarks and repositories of history. Iconic estates like Marqués de Riscal blend contemporary design with tradition, with avant-garde structures that stand in stark contrast to the rolling vineyards. Ysios and Marqués de Murrieta echo this heritage, each telling a story of the region’s evolution through their wines and architecture, and there are so many more to explore and enjoy, as Bodega FyA.
Vivanco and Muga are synonymous with the Rioja wine tradition. Vivanco not only brought Rioja everywhere, but he spent a good amount on preserving the heritage and building an impressive wine museum that celebrates the rich history of viticulture. Muga, on the other hand, remains a testament to procedural excellence and traditional winemaking techniques, using oak barrels made in its own cooperage.
The wine itself: A symphony of flavors
Exclusive collections and everyday pleasures: Rioja wines range from high-end “vinos de pago” stored in vaults to accessible varieties that grace everyday meals. Rioja wines have something for every palate, whether it’s a robust Tempranillo or a light and crisp Viura.
Wine & Pintxos
Wine at noon – in-between
Wine & Pizza – always a good match
Wine + Lamb
Wine + Seafood
Wine with our friends and the best meal ever 😋🍷
Wine Tastings
More Wine Impressions
Living Wine Culture
Wine Superstars and Patrons: Rioja is home to celebrity winemakers and patrons who have elevated the local wine scene to global fame. Their dedication is evident in every bottle and in the thriving wine tourism industry.
Terroir and Tradition: The concept of terroir is deeply rooted in Riojan winemaking, emphasizing the geographical and climatic conditions that give Rioja wines their distinctive character.
Beyond the Vineyard
Cultural richness: Rioja’s culture goes beyond wine. The region’s festivals, such as the vibrant San Mateo, and the daily lives of its people reflect a deep appreciation for both tradition and modernity.
Historic Landmarks: From the dinosaur footprints preserved in Enciso to the medieval streets of Laguardia, history is alive in every corner of La Rioja.
A Promise to Return
Lasting impressions: At the end of any visit to Rioja, one is left with memories not only of incredible wines but also of a warm, welcoming culture. It’s a region that promises – and delivers – a reason to return.
Embark on a vivid journey through the heart of Rioja, where every turn along its winding roads brings a new vignette of vibrant life, timeless tradition, and breathtaking landscapes. This blog post is my ode to Rioja— a region that captivates the soul with its rich red wines, sprawling vineyards, and the warmth of its people. Through a curated collection of intimate photographs, I invite you to experience the essence of this enchanting region. From the sun-drenched vineyards at dawn to the historic bodegas that whisper tales of the past, each image is a stanza in this visual love letter. Join me as we sip, savor, and stroll through Rioja, discovering the beauty that inspired me and hoping it moves you too. Stay tuned for more stories and snapshots, where every photo is a promise of the next delightful pour.
Feel the passion, embrace the scenery, and let the spirit of Rioja touch your heart as it has touched mine. Welcome to my journey, welcome to Rioja.
¡Hola Manuel y Merce! Os invito a un recorrido emocionante por el corazón de Rioja, donde cada esquina es un descubrimiento y cada vista una postal viva. Esta entrada es mi pequeña carta de amor a una región que me ha cautivado con sus vinos vibrantes y sus viñedos bañados por el sol. Con fotos que capturan momentos únicos, os llevo a sentir la verdadera esencia de Rioja. Espero que estas imágenes os inspiren tanto como a mí. ¡Acompañadme en este viaje y redescubramos juntos Rioja!
As Dubai continues to push forward with its innovative and ambitious steps towards a promising future, it is becoming more evident each day just how powerful technology can be in transforming societies. Based on a tradition as a trade hub in the last millennials, Dubai continues to establish itself as a center of blockchain-based solutions and technological innovation for businesses worldwide.
Moreover, their progressive policies have enabled multinational companies and skilled individuals from around the globe to thrive in this dynamic environment, making them unique stakeholders in reaping the benefits that these new technologies bring.
With every passing moment, Dubai ushers us closer toward a future full of prosperity and abundance – read on to discover why!
Sommer was fading in Munich, it was getting cold, and we were not members of the “let’s freeze to shock Putin party.” We looked forward to guaranteed warm sunny weather within an acceptable flight distance, so why not Dubai, which was still on our Travel-to-List?
We landed in an unexpected futuristic tomorrow holiday, spending the whole week in an arcology. We lived between the 65 and 75 levels and only left the skyscraper just once to see it from below.
You wake up in an ultra-modern stylish suite and enjoy your fresh coffee on the balcony overseeing the skyline of Dubai. You see a busy city with highways with ten lanes. You are happy that you can return to your air-conditioned room anytime – it is hot outside!
You are up to a busy lazy day. You start with a little workout at the gym, then you continue with a fantastic breakfast where you can choose from any international food style, and then it gets serious. It is hard work to spend the day at the infinity pool with a view of the Burj Khalifa, serviced whenever you wish to, listen to music, read a book, or hear an audiobook while lying in the sun until it is time for dinner.
The infinity pool is the highest on this planet!
We dress up, cool down, and increase our appetite in the EllaMia café.
Then you have to choose between the Italian Fi’lia with a fantastic concept: every dish, besides the excellent pizza, is available in three versions:
nonna | (among Italian speakers) a person’s grandmother
traditional Italian flavors your grandmother would make
mamma | one’s mother (especially as a child’s term)
contemporary twists on namesake classic
figlia | daughter (Italian)
the daughter’s modern approach to a generational masterpiece
It is paired with a view of the glittering night skyline of Dubai and the light show on Burj Khalifa. At least here, there is energy in abundance and not dark as in medieval times as it is now in Germany.
Or you go to Carna by Dario Cecchini, the contemporary steakhouse of the SLS arcology, where we had the best meat in our life.
Regardless of your steak, you must also take the tartar that Mike will love to serve you – it is heavenly good!
That does not end the day, and you still have to solve the riddle and find the secret pathway to the hidden Smoke and Mirrors. A Latin American lounge where you can enjoy the great varieties of Mezcal with even more cigars to choose from, enjoying the night skyline of Dubai with live Cool Jazz.
Fusion energy is the holy grail of sustainable power generation. The research fusion reactor in Garching by Munich is one of the field’s most exciting and promising projects. The Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) has been working on the project for several years, and the results so far are nothing short of amazing.
Since I read for the first time about fusion energy which must have been about the end of the 80ies, so 45 years now, I have been deeply fascinated by this technology. It is a no-brainer that it is part of the great list of human achievements: fire, wheels, books, steam energy, transistors, rockets, and fission energy. It is definitely a stepstone towards an FTL drive 😉
Since then, fusion energy seems to have been 50 years away from general commercial availability. Christoph, the researcher and our tour guide for that visit, told me: yes, Kurt, that is the Fusion Constant. We are working on it 😉
So right now, I can not imagine a more noble and valuable task than building a spaceship or a fusion reactor (with Q > 1, of course). Assembling a spaceship WITH a fusion reactor is unfathomable beyond greatness 🙂
Fusion energy is created by combining atomic nuclei to form heavier elements, releasing vast amounts of energy in the process, the same process that powers the sun. If harnessed on Earth, fusion energy could provide us with an almost limitless source of clean and sustainable energy, with no greenhouse gas emissions, no risk of meltdown, and no long-lived radioactive waste.
Plasma discharge in ASDEX – it is just 1,5mg of deuterium doing all the work
Considering the green aspect, fusion energy is many orders of magnitude superior, as it provides a significant energy density. Solar and wind energy require an insane amount of space. It is a dead-end road if there is no easy way to make it in the Sahara desert and distribute it worldwide, especially considering the incredible amount of dirty mining for the required material.
The research fusion reactor in Garching by Munich, the ASDEX-Upgrade, is a Tokamak fusion reactor. Tokamaks are, by design, pulsing and not continuous. The Munich reactor also uses old-school coils (non-supra conducting), requiring insane amounts of energy. To solve this, energy for the experiments is stored upfront in massive flywheels (4 flywheels with up to 223 t in the energy centre). 400 MW are needed for 10 s plasma pulse = ½ power consumption of the Munich area. At peak capacity, the outer surface of those metal flywheels rotates at nearly the speed of sound (1650 грm). Isn’t this crazy, extraordinary engineering?
The other German reactor, the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), is a type of fusion device called a stellarator. Besides tokamaks, the W7-X is designed to produce and contain a hot and dense plasma to sustain fusion reactions. The plasma is confined using powerful magnetic fields that keep it away from the reactor’s walls, preventing it from cooling down and losing energy.
Christoph showed us the shape of the stellarator during the presentation, and my question was: “is this shape now A shape or the optimal shape.” I am proud to be able to ask meaningful non-trivial questions to a plasma physicist. I mean, I am just an Enterprise Transformation Implementer, which is far inferior in my ranking of relevance! 😉
The answer is: It is the optimal shape for neo-classic losses. However, it does not consider the complex plasma turbulences that occur, and precisely this is his Ph.D. research topic – awesome! Read here more on the plasma turbulences that are being researched right now – more in this clip by Hartmut Zohm here.
Another fascinating fact is that the Stellarator idea is even older than the Tokamak (learned from Christoph). It just required supercomputers from the 90ies to be able to calculate the shape. It exerts on me an almost religious shudder of worship of such physical problems. Well, technology is my religion. It is what I believe in.
The W7-X is the world’s largest and most advanced stellarator, with a complex three-dimensional magnetic field that can be adjusted in real-time to optimize plasma performance. The machine is cooled to almost absolute zero using liquid helium, and the plasma is heated to temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius using powerful microwaves.
The W7-X project is a collaborative effort involving researchers from Germany, the US, Japan, and other countries. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy as a power source and to develop the technologies needed to build a commercial fusion power plant.
While the W7-X is still in the research phase, the results have been auspicious. In 2016, the team successfully created and sustained a plasma for more than one minute, a significant milestone in the field. Since then, the team has been refining the machine and conducting more experiments to further understand the properties of the plasma and how it can be optimized for fusion energy production.
The research fusion reactor in Garching by Munich is a shining example of the power of science and technology to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. Fusion energy has the potential to revolutionize the way we generate power, and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics is leading the way in making that vision a reality.
It was by far the best Meetup I have ever had so far. Thanx to Marc for organizing this.
Munich has something for everyone when it comes to food. Of course, it is less international and innovative than Frankfurt am Main, which is still the Benchmark in Germany.
You can go beyond plain vanilla traditional Bavarian fares like Weisswurst and Semmelknödel to a Munich starter of veal lung, tripe, and sweet and sour veal sweetbread or calf sausage baked with potato salad.
You will also find good restaurants offering international flavors from Italy, India, Peru, and whatever. There should be something for every palate in this large bustling village.
We always seek something more daring, such as wild Yeti, chapulines, or a local wolpertinger. For this, we still have to check out many locations.
To explore Munich’s food scene together with like-minded other foodies as a team, we founded the “Discovery Bande” last year. Since then, we have met regularly to explore new restaurants together — sharing our foodie experiences is much more fun.
When you want to join Angelika, Yasemin, Tanja, and Kurt, grab your friends, drop us a line, and let’s hit up one of the city’s many eateries — you won’t be disappointed!
The Decadentes is one of the new young wild Portugees restaurants where traditional receipts based on local, high-quality products are spectacularly reborn.
It is this perfect experience when you stroll around, research planless with high expectations, and are surprised to get even more finally.
The restaurant is ideally located on the backside of the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, where you can have the best view of Lisboa at sundown. Unfortunately, we were even (un)lucky to have a street food event that we had to skip on our last stop. We knew we had still a lot on the menu card to explore.
Miguel described the food as: confusing, intriguing, but it makes sense
A perfect description, and I have to add: you have to experience it yourself!
The foodporn at Decadentes
Algarve Prawn, Chicken Skin, NoriChargrilled Beef Heart Cabbage, Almonds Sauce, and CitrusIberian Black Pork, Smoked Celeriac, and Pecan NutsSquid from the Azores and Caldo VerdeSmoked Lamb, Chargrilled Swiss Chard, Preserved LemonCompressed Cucumber, Black Pepper Merengue, Lime and Vanilla Granita
On our second visit we had…
Sourdough Bread, Azores Smoked ButterAzeitão CheeseDecadent’s Fried Chicken, Coriander, Piri Piri SaucePeixinhos da Horta, Bulhão Pato BrothChargrilled Smoked Seabass, Cozido Broth, and Iberian Pork ChorizoCaramelized Lemony Bread, Vanilla Smoked Cream, Orange Curd and Lemon Infused Olive OilPortuguese Pão-de-Ló, Olive Oil, Sea Salt flakes
The Team
Chef & Service (left to right) Melisa, Miguel, David (the chef)
It is a great pleasure with those guys – let them guide you through the menu and let them recommend.
Kitchen Team
Confusing, intriguing, but it makes sense – Miguel
Es ist mal wieder Zeit für einen deutschsprachigen Beitrag für das Kydroon’s Foodie Bewertungssystem 🤓 und was wäre besser dazu geeignet, als eine neuentdeckte Dönerbude, quasi direkt vor der eigenen Haustür? Ja, es gibt dieses Jahr auch gute Nachrichten! 😉
Fast noch besser ist, dass man nicht ausschweifend erklären muss, um die immer hinter jeder Ecke lauernde Tücke des Missverständnis fernzuhalten. Sprache ist geläufig, aber sehr unpräzise und jeder stellt sich irgendwas anderes unter schwurbligen Begrifflichkeiten wie “Agilität” oder “Digitalisierung” vor.
Hier ist es einfach, es geht um Döner mit Knoblauch und allem und Scharf in seinen schmackhaftesten Varianten und jeder und jede versteht exakt zu 100% was ich meine! Was für ein Gefühl. Wenn ich mich täglich durch mein Berateralltag rede, bin ich froh, wenn ich gefühlt mal auf ⅓ komme.
Um es vorwegzunehmen, die Gesamtwertung ist Exzeptionell! 🤩
Also, die beiden Mädels haben die Bude im Sommer aufgemacht und bereiten mit Spaß und Liebe fantastische Dürüms, Döner und Falafel zu. Alles super frisch und alle Beilagen selbst am gleichen Morgen zubereitet.
Das ist alles, der Rest ist die Magie, die sich aus der intrinsischen Spannung zwischen dem Döner-Fleisch, dem Yufka-Fladenbrot, das liebevoll vorher am Döner-Spieß gerieben wird und dem “mit allem, Knoblauch und scharf” ergibt.
Wo ist es zu finden? Am Parkplatz unter der Donnersberger Brücke (Nordende), wo sich die ganzen Internet-Giganten wie Google, Salesforce und Check24 tummeln.
Kydroon 