„Russian crumble cake“ and how my birthday ended after all

Since yesterday, I am considered an adult in all countries around the world, and my colleagues from the lab wanted to surprise me with a "German" cake. I chose a Russian crumble cake because it is also one of my favorite cakes and it is unknown here. (Unlike "Berliner" or "Apfelstrudel".) However, there were unforeseen difficulties during the preparation process.

I baked the cake for the first time and I am not a master baker. (But I should be able to bake a simple recipe from Chefkoch.) The second problem was that there is nothing here that even remotely compares to German "quark" and baking powder is only available in large packages. To replace the quark, I decided to use a mixture of Greek yogurt (by the way, it is the only one that tastes like yogurt) and a type of ready-made cream cheese for American cheesecakes. Mixing them together didn't cause any further difficulties, but the whole kitchen was momentarily devastated. I must have misjudged the amount of baking powder... see the result. So the dough was mixed together, the filling even tasted somewhat like it does in Germany. Just put it in the oven. However, in the apartment, we only have a gas oven. I thought this only applied to the stove plates, but no! The lower heating element of the oven must also be lit with sparks and gas emission. However, the upper heating coil worked without it... This lack of knowledge led me to completely burn the cake by setting the grill to its highest level, until the entire apartment was filled with smoke. My roommate then stood by me with advice and support, and we managed to get it to work... However, what was missing was a temperature display. So I baked the cake by feel at a temperature of "two flames". (It was a little singed on the bottom, but that's okay).

The next day, after a festive coffee brewing session and the Spanish version of Happy Birthday, the tasting took place. Here, blowing out candles and making a wish is also a tradition. The burnt parts were scraped off or cut away, and people were quite enthusiastic about the cake despite everything, eating at least 2 pieces. I practiced with the interested ones on how to pronounce the name of the cake correctly in German. This was a kind of small revenge, as I am always teased about my pronunciation here.

I spent the rest of the day in the lab. At 5 pm, my colleagues decided to call it a day. Right now, a traditional festival week is starting here in Chile, where every day there are different "Fondas" (traditional celebrations with lots of food and alcohol). Yesterday, there was a Fonda of the medical faculty right outside the lab. These parties are usually super crowded. We started with "Terremotos" (earthquakes). This is a typical cocktail made with white wine, grenadine, and lemon ice cream. (super super sweet!) After visiting the party, we met at "Otomano" for typical craft beer and a plate of fries with various toppings. This is something you always eat here and it's perfect for sharing. After eating, we moved on to a medical student birthday party. I was warmly welcomed there and somehow managed to communicate with hands and feet. It was surprising to me that the party was held in a gated residential area. At first, we had to give our names to the security guards... I think that evening I tried almost all typical drinks, and I was invited to "Piscola" several times (not really recommended if you're not into Cola-Korn). The party was similar to our house parties in Greifswald, except that there was a lot more smoking inside - cigarettes, pipes - everything! Finally, we called an "Uber", a type of taxi that can be called through a click on the smartphone app... and went to the city center. We went to "Bimba", the only gay- and lesbian-friendly club in Valdivia. It was a cool experience because it is true that South Americans have fire in their blood! Above all, they have very flexible hips, feel the music, and are not shy. (The dancing is very intimate). After the usual midnight kebab, which you can buy everywhere here (but it was more like 4 o'clock), we went home to a warm soft bed.

All in all, it was a very successful evening. Sometimes you just have to dare to say "YES" and get involved, even if you might not really know what's going on!

Frieda (September 14th, a bit disoriented today)

PS: I wanted to thank everyone for the very kind and creative birthday greetings. It meant a lot to me that you thought of me.