excursion | Food, Travel, and Stories from a Swiss Chef Who Cooked Around the World

Intriguing Guyana – a trip to remember

Ulrich Koepf — Mon, 27 May 2019 14:24:21 +0000

Back in 1998, we decided to go on a trip to Guyana, a country on the South American continent, situated between Venezuela and Brazil, to visit relatives living there.

Here are pointers about that country:

The first people to reach Guyana made their way from Asia, perhaps as far back as 35,000 years ago. These first inhabitants were [nomads] who migrated south into Central and South America. Although great civilizations later arose in the Americas, the structure of Amerindian society in the Guianas remained simple. At the time of Christopher Columbus’s voyages, Guyana’s inhabitants were divided into two groups, the Arawak along the coast and the Carib in the interior. One of the legacies of the indigenous peoples was the word Guiana, often used to describe the region encompassing modern Guyana as well as (VIDEO) Suriname (former Dutch Guiana) and French Guyana. The word, which means “land of waters”, is proper considering the area’s multitude of rivers and streams.

The Dutch

were the first Europeans to settle in modern-day Guyana. In 1621 the government of the Netherlands gave the newly formed Dutch West India Company complete control over the trading post on Essequibo. This Dutch commercial concern administered the colony, known as Essequibo, for more than 170 years. The company established a second colony, on the (VIDEO)Berbice River southeast of Essequibo, in 1627. Although under the general jurisdiction of this private group, the settlement, named Berbice, was governed separately. Demerara, situated between Essequibo and Berbice, was settled in 1741 and emerged in 1773 as a separate colony under the direct control of the Dutch West India Company.

Transition to British rule

Eager to attract more settlers, in 1746 the Dutch authorities opened the area near the Demerara River to British immigrants. British plantation owners in the Lesser Antilles had been plagued by poor soil and erosion and were lured to the Dutch colonies by richer soils and the promise of land ownership. The influx of British citizens was so great that by 1760 the English constituted a majority of the European population of Demerara.[citation needed] By 1786 the internal affairs of this Dutch colony were effectively under British control although two-thirds of the plantation owners were still Dutch.

Both Berbice and the United Colony of Demerara and Essequibo were under British control from 1796 to 1802. By the Treaty of Amiens, both were returned to Dutch control. Peace was short-lived, but the War between Britain and France resumed in less than a year, and in 1803 the United Colony and Berbice were seized once more by British troops. At the London Convention of 1814, both colonies were formally ceded to Britain. In 1831, Berbice and the United Colony of Demerara and Essequibo were unified as British Guiana. The colony would stay under British control until independence in 1966.

Cheddi Jagan – President 1992 -1997. Forbes Burnham – President 1980 -1985. The two dominant political personalities during the 40s

My wife’s parents were both born in Guyana, emigrated to England in 1953, and lived there until 1970 before moving to the Bahamas. In 1976 they settled in Miami, Florida with their four daughters.

In September 1998

we decided to go and visit Guyana. We left from Miami International to fly to Trinidad, at the Airport in Miami there were lines of people standing in a queue, and everyone seemed to carry like five suitcases, boxes with appliances. We told the desk clerk in Miami we wanted the luggage to go straight to Guyana, however after arriving for a stopover and change of planes in Trinidad we were told that the luggage was also sitting in Trinidad, instead of going straight to Guyana, and that we had to claim it to be put on the plane to Guyana with us, In the meantime, it was time to board the plane, a Flight attendant asked my brother-in-law to go with her to find the luggage, told the rest of us to get on the plane in the meantime. My brother-in-law’s wife had his passport here. As we made our way to the tarmac to board the plane we realized that my brother-in-law was still nowhere to be seen, his wife frantically looking for him running up and down the terminal. knowing that he couldn’t leave the terminal without his passport. In the meantime we are holding the plane from leaving, telling the flight crew that they can’t leave, they assured us that they would wait for a few more minutes. As we entered the plane cabin we saw my brother-in-law sitting in his seat enjoying a cold beer!! How he was able to get on the plane without his passport remains a mystery!

Our adventure.

at this point, it had become tiring and exhausting and we hadn’t even reached our destination. However, a strong cocktail on the plane always does the job!

After arriving in Guyana at the (VIDEO)Cheddi Jagan Airport we had to claim our luggage, and to find out that my wife’s suitcase was missing! It never made the plane in Trinidad! We were told that it would be brought to our address later in the afternoon, but of course, it never arrived.

Instead of going straight to Essequibo, we drove to Vreed en Hoop, to get the ferry that takes us to (VIDEO)Georgetown on the Demerara River, about 30 minutes, where we stayed overnight because of the missing suitcase.

After arriving in Georgetown,

we were picked up by a family member who brought us to a home of relatives; we were planning on continuing our journey to Essequibo the same day, but since the suitcase never showed up, we had to stay overnight in Georgetown and wait until the following morning. Morning arrived and still no suitcase, finally, a family member decided to go to the airport to get it.

The following day we had to board another ferry to get across the (VIDEO) Essequibo River to reach Essequibo. That ferry trip was 4 hours long up the river. The ferry looked like a large flat barge, with 2 rows of benches facing each other in the middle of the barge.

As I was sitting on the ferry watching passengers boarding, the crew of the ferry was trying to load a truck onto the ferry by placing two wooden boards between the edge of the loading dock and the ferry, there was no proper, solid loading dock installation, passengers had to walk over a rolling ramp, that was pushed back onto the barge.

To load the truck they had to use boards under each side of the wheels of the truck when the truck started to back onto the boards I was ready to watch this truck crashing into the river as the boards didn’t seem to be able to withstand the weight of the truck, but after an hour of re-aligning and re-enforcing the boards, the truck finally made it onto the barge.

In the meantime

the ferry started to get crowded, they just kept coming on board! Hundreds of them must have been around evening time, rush hour, and this was the only way to get to Georgetown, on the mainland, coming from the other side where the airport was located. We started to get very concerned about our safety on this ferry, when are they going to stop people from boarding???

Amongst them came a row of men dressed in dark blue overalls, walking close to each other over the ramp boarding the ferry, I first thought they were soldiers, but after closer inspection, I realized they were buckled together on their feet and handcuffed to each other! They boarded 10 criminals onto a public ferry, with 3 armed guards! They sat across from us on the benches, staring at us, especially at the women, during the entire 4 1/2-hour trip!

I decided to check out the ferry from one end to the other, as everyone started to get hungry, the only choice was some fried foods, prepared by a guy sitting in a small room frying something in a cast-iron casserole over a propane gas flame, I have no idea what he was frying, but we decided not to indulge in whatever it was.

After a long drive along the Essequibo River, we arrived in Essequibo, our final destination.

Here are some of my favorite memories

One day we decided to visit a lake, there was a hotel by the lake where the locals spend their weekends. My father-in-law organized the ride to get to the lake, which happened to be an open flatbed truck! The five of us had to hold on tight during the 45-minute ride to the lake across this dirt road that was full of potholes and bumpy as hell, our buttocks were aching for a few days after that!

On another day he organized a trip to the Pomeroon River on a motorboat with a friend of his, he was our guide and operator of the boat. The tour was along the edges of the river, the first stopover on the way was to visit a native Amerindian family, living on the edge of the river, making a living selling fresh coconut water and some fried snacks. The second stop was about a mile upstream, on the edge of the jungle, we approached a dilapidated wooden dock. After walking a few hundred yards into the bush, we saw this old, wooden house, it looked like something out of a fiction movie or a scene from Harry Potter!, this is where his mom was living, all by herself. He asked us to come in and say hi to her. We entered into this dark, somber room, the bed in the middle covered with mosquito net all around, and there was this old lady laying in bed.

As we made our way back to board the boat my son Alex asked the boat owner “ how come we don’t have to wear any life jackets!” because the river was really wide, dark, deep, and choppy, his answer, with a grin on his face, was “you don’t need life jackets (VIDEO) if you fall in the Puranas get you!”

Pictures above: visiting an Amerindian family on the edges of the Pomeroon River

On another occasion we decided to take a plane ride to Kaieteur Falls, four times higher than Niagara Falls, this single drop waterfall is a dramatic facet of the Potaro River – a wine, coffee, or coca-cola-colored flow that runs for 140 miles.

Over the years

I flew quite a bit, having lived and worked in Europe, Bermuda, Bahamas, Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico, but this one flight I will never forget! The plane was an older Cessna that seated about 8 people. As I sat in the plane before takeoff, looking out of the window, which was over the right-hand wing of the plane, I saw what looked like Grey masking tape covering holes in two or three spots! What other purposes besides holding or covering something could tape possibly serve on the wings of a plane, I was asking myself!?

We are about to fly over Dschungle, flying over the tallest waterfall in the world, with absolutely no possibility of emergency land anywhere, with a plane that has scotch tape on its wings.

Needless to say. I didn’t enjoy that flight at all, the way the pilot was flying this “thing”, straight towards the falls, turning abruptly in front of it for us to see the falls from close up.

After that treacherous flight, we landed on top of the plateau, on the edge of the Fall, an area that was cleared of Dschungle, to make space for a landing strip with a shop, restaurant, and restrooms.

Pictures above. Standing on the edge of the Kaieteur Falls in Guyana

Would I go back to Guyana, absolutely, knowing some of the challenges in advance to overcome when you get there, would make it easier on a follow-up trip. If you are adventurous, like nature, and don’t need too much luxury in your daily lifestyle, or for at least the time you are in Guyana, then Guyana is definitely worth a visit.

Bon Voyage – Schöne Reise – Happy Travels – Buen Viaje! Ulrich Koepf

ENGLISH: WIKIPEDIA

GERMAN: WIKIPEDIA

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Traveling with Food Allergies

Ulrich Koepf — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 11:13:12 +0000

Do you have an Allergy issue? Please join the conversation at the end of this page↓

Managing an allergic reaction is hard during your travels.

However, these preventive steps will assist you in exploring preparation culture and keep you healthy.

If you are allergic to gluten and even have a light farm allergic reaction, and although I’m a frequent individual traveler, it’s not invariably obvious what dishes have either (or both!) once I’m in an exceedingly new place and consume unknown foods.

Dr. Alyson Pidich, the medical director of the Ash Center, in the Big Apple, NY, and a food allergy specialist, is allergic to shellfish and, like me, knows firsthand that even so-called “safe” foods will have trace allergens that may cause you to get sick.

So what’s an allergic reaction sufferer and voyager to do? Here are some of Dr. Pidich’s tips, all of which she keeps in mind for her own travels.

Carry a food allergy card in multiple languages

Have a card handy that lists your food allergies within the language or languages spoken at your destination. You can create your own cards with simple notecards or sturdy paper,

Make sure that your cards clearly list what foods you can’t eat, instead of simply stating what you’re allergic to. For example, my allergic reaction cards don’t simply say that I’m allergic to protein and farm, they say that wheat and wheat-based products, such as soy and anything containing milk, including yogurt, are off-limits.

Similarly, Dr. Pidich’s cards say that she can’t eat clams, shrimp, or lobster. She learned the difficult way that it was necessary to be super specific on her cards: her allergic reaction card, once she traveled to Tulum, Mexico, many years ago, simply stated in Spanish that she was allergic to shellfish; however, she was served a dish with shrimp, causing her hives everywhere on her body.

Order with an abundance of caution

This may sound obvious, however, it is a perfect situation; you mostly travel with allergic reaction cards, and therefore the folks serving you perceive what you’re not allowed to eat.

But say you forget your cards or think “Oh, this looks fine” because your trigger foods aren’t on the ingredients list. Dr. Pidich says you simply still shouldn’t assume that what you’re consuming is safe. Certain foods and drinks, as well as sauces, dressings, soups, and cocktails, hide common allergens such as wheat, nuts, dairy, and shellfish.

Restaurant cooks, most often, use flour to thicken sauces, for example, while soups can have shellfish broth, and dressings are blended with soy sauce or nut oils. Ask any vegetarian, it’s a surprise and shock once their dressing has cheese in it, or the petite marmite has been made with chicken stock, then you’ll understand what it’s like. In short, notwithstanding how you think that you are, be extra cautious.

Travel with a food supply

There’s nothing worse than going hungry on your trip as a result of not being able to find enough safe food to eat. Dr. Pidich suggests packing many snacks and many meal replacement choices on your trip if you can.

Consider nonperishable snacks that are carry-on safe, like fine-grained macromolecule shakes (go for pea macromolecule powder as a result of its simple digestion and therefore the least matter, compared with other, typically whey-based, powdered proteins), low-sodium jerky, low-sodium powdered soups that can be rehydrated with hot water, roasted chickpeas, nuts (as long as you’re not allergic to nuts!), and dried fruits or crisp vegetables.

Consider a bedroom or an Airbnb with a room

Having access to a room suggests that you’ll have the possibility to prepare some meals for yourself. This additionally cuts down on the strain of not having the ability to search out allergy-safe food to eat.

Take your allergic reaction card with you after you go food searching in order that the folks acting at the grocery store or farmers’ market are able to steer you far from something you’re allergic to, and make sure to follow our general tips to stay healthy while traveling.

Don’t forget your allergic reaction drugs (but carry them legally

Even if your allergic reaction isn’t severe, you shouldn’t leave home without your allergy medication. Sure, you’ll be happy to have it just in case you have an uncomfortable reaction like hives or haptic sensation, but you shouldn’t assume you can buy what you need locally, depending on where you go.

In most common destinations, you can, but Dr. Pidich states that it is prudent to pack some in your carry-on. If you have a travel companion, have them carry an additional dose or 2 of the drugs just in case you lose yours. The same goes for an Epi-Pen if you employ one. Finally, make certain you acquaint yourself with your destination’s rules and rules regarding prescription (and nonprescription) medication, so you’ll be able to pass customs with your drugs.

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Exploring Milan, Italy

Ulrich Koepf — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 08:33:52 +0000

It was my first trip to Milan

and it was amazing! I loved the vibrant, exciting lifestyle of this city. The shops are absolutely amazing with all the top names in fashion, my favorite place was sitting by the plaza next to the Cathedrale; what an amazing structure! I could have sat there all day people watching, they come from all over the world to visit this place.

We sat near the Cathedrale on the terrace of this restaurant and had the best pizza I ever ate, and I have eaten quite a few, and also made quite a few! this one was perfect¨, the crust was light on the inside and crusty on the outside, the toppings were fresh Pomodoro, a great quality mozzarella, and fresh basil.

I was a bit worried about driving into the city after hearing some of the comments from friends that visited before, but to my surprise, it was easier than driving around Zürich in Switzerland where you really have to watch out for pedestrians (they are the kings when it comes to the right of way¨) plus the trams and buses coming from all directions, god forbid you are sitting on a tram track when one of them decides to come your way!

The best Pizza we eat at this restaurant in front of the Cathedrale

Milan, however, was great the main streets are wide and drivers were not as crazy as it was described to me! Parking was great we followed the sign that brought us to a parking garage right in the center of town, not far from the main plaza.

I already put a date on my calendar to return to Milan soon to explore the parts I haven’t seen yet.

Planning a Trip to Europe?!

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Ulrich’s Bermuda Experience & First Flight – 1972

Ulrich Koepf — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 07:35:32 +0000

My First Flight✈️

As we get older we tend to reflect on certain places and moments back in time;

one of those places and moments was my time traveling to the Island of Bermuda.

After completing my chef apprenticeship in Switzerland and the mandatory Swiss army duties, I applied for a chef saucier position at the Holiday Inn in St.Georges, Bermuda.

Meeting with Interpol👮‍♂️

June 12th, 1972, was to be my first flight abroad. During the checking at the Zurich airport, I did cause a bit of turmoil because security freaked out after opening my luggage which contained my chef’s knife case that my parents had bought me after the successful completion of my apprenticeship as a chef. The case contained a complete set of chef tools that consisted of several knives and utensils.

They confiscated the case and gave it to the pilot before takeoff until we reached Bermuda where I was told, I would be able to retrieve them. On arrival at London Heathrow Airport, right after leaving customs, Interpol was waiting for me to escort me into a back office to question me about the knives. I was sitting in an interrogation room for several hours, while they called Switzerland to check on my background and to verify my story about having a job in Bermuda. Due to that incident, I missed my connecting flight to Bermuda that day and had to stay overnight in a hotel, compliments of Interpol, to continue to Bermuda the following morning.

Bad timing!🔪

Upon arrival in Bermuda I was greeted at the airport by the Executive Chef of the Hotel, Rene Schiegg, he told me that the day before my arrival, the governor, his aid, and his dogs were assassinated at the governor’s mansion! Now I know why they were panicking at the airport finding my knives! ( Sir Richard Christopher Sharples, Governor of Bermuda 1972-1973)

After arriving in St. Georges about 20 minutes later I was amazed by the sight of the hotel, sitting on top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic it looked like a structure out of the far east! Bermuda is located 300 miles off the coast of New York, at the time of my arrival, there were approximately 50,000 inhabitants on the island which is about 20 miles in length and 1 mile wide at the widest point. It is a sub-tropical climate with wonderful fauna, perfectly white sandy beaches, and kind, friendly folks.

After settling into my staff quarters and getting used to my job environment I met one of my co-workers by the name of Thomas, a native of Antigua, a few days after my arrival it was Thanksgiving, the American Holiday, and Thomas asked me to go with him and visit some of his friends on the island, I think I never ate so much food in one day! everyone we visited was feeding us turkey and its trimmings! That was all new to me since we don’t celebrate that holiday in Europe.

I shall never forget the hospitality and kindness of the Bermudian people, taking me in as if they knew me for a long time, I didn’t even speak a word of English yet.

2 1/2 year vacation🏖

Working in Bermuda was almost like being on vacation daily, I spent most of my free time on the sandy beaches or cruising around the island on my Yamaha crossroad bike, sometimes stopping over in Hamilton, the capital city, to stroll around or do some shopping. My work schedule was from 2 pm to 11 pm, 6 days a week at the Gourmet Supper Club of the hotel.

However, after getting into an accident with my bike, hitting a beverage truck head-on! I landed in the US Army hospital on the island with a bruised back for about three weeks. Shortly after that, I joined two co-workers to take on a job at the El Casino in Freeport, Bahamas. it was the stepping stone to the USA. Which is worth another blog altogether; to be continued!

The Island of Bermuda

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