On Neighbors and the Kennedys

Stefan went over to our new apartment to finish work on filling in some holes , sanding, and painting. While he was there the doorbell rang. Who should it be, but Herr Tille? This guy and his wife just kill us! After we had the Kaffeetrinken episode with them on Thursday, (and remember the interaction when we signed the rental contract?), we showed up on Friday to paint some more. I looked out on the balcony to check on our resident baby birds. Their nest had fallen from it's perch and they all landed on the balcony where they were periodically fed by their mother. I noticed lots of bright green straw, looking suspiciously like Easter grass. As I was saying, "How'd that get out there?" Stefan was saying, "What is this stuff?" looking at green grass crumbs all over our living room floor. We were a tad weirded out that somebody, likely Herr Tille, had been in our apartment when we weren't there. However we're not paying rent yet, so...?

A few hours later I popped my head out of the skylight and saw him pacing the backyard. He really was pacing and looked up when he heard us. Seems he was pondering how to cut back some of the overgrown trees in a corner. I mentioned finding grass....and he began blushing and stuttering about how embarrassing it was that he had been in our apartment when we weren't there, how sorry he was, and how he'd had this Easter grass you see, down in the basement. He had been thinking of the poor baby birds and wondered if the grass might help them have a little nest. He had put it on the balcony, only to check hours later and see it refused, so he took it back down again, leaving a trail of bright green grass crumbs behind him. By now he was definitely dancing around the yard in his embarrassment! He felt so bad and we went overboard saying not to worry; it's only about the birds and we don't live here yet. Poor guy. I felt bad for bringing it up! Part of us really wanted to know for sure since they'd recently had to change locks on the house due to suspicious noises.

Today's visit was related to the initial Kaffeetrinken episode wherein Frau and Herr Tille waxed poetic about an American dessert they had so enjoyed when they visited the States some years back. They had written their friends requesting the recipe and it took some time to acquire, but they finally had it - only hadn't seen it for a while. They would have to find it and make a copy for us. "Chocolate Normandy heißt es" they kept repeating and explained it had been a favorite of the Kennedy's, and it was the Kennedy's private chef who had written a cookbook and stated as such. The cookbook has been out of print since 1994 and since she has written six cookbooks, I have no idea which one it was, otherwise I'd go a-hunting!



In addition to a newspaper article that had carefully been cut out for Stefan's review, I now have in my possession a photocopy of a photocopy of the famous Chocolate Normandy recipe from (laugh along now) German Chef Annemarie Huste. She spent years working with Jackie Kennedy and her children and this was their favorite dessert (Billy Rose's too). It involves a springform pan, chocolate cat tongues (so suspiciously German!), and whole uncooked eggs and whipped cream. I'm a little unsure about the uncooked eggs, but may take the leap and whip it up just once, just to say I did. Of course I'll have to share it with the Tilles. Via the photocopy I discovered his first name, Dieter, which I find so funny and appropriate! His wife refers to him simply as Tille and since we use the formal Sie pronouns with them, I doubt I would ever find out his first name save for a misplaced bill in our mailbox.


I would link to a recipe, but I find nothing online about Chocolate Normandys. So this is pretty unique. I'd say our neighbors are just as unique - German, and yet not!