Lunch!

It's been humid here in Austria - making it VERY warm and a type of warm (ie hot) that I'm not used to - just like most other people from CA. The evenings are actually a really nice temperature, but the humidity is painful.

We've had several rain storms since I've been here, but they come and go without much notice or effect. Rain in the summer is a common occurrence here. Last night, however, there came a big storm with cooler temperatures. First of all, guess what happens when it's hot and a storm comes in? Thunder and lightening. Lots of it. The rain did stop in the morning but those temperatures are nice and cool. How enjoyable.

So i did my early morning run and afterwards went off to class. As soon as class was over, I planned to visit the nice, lovely, open air market, which is only on thursdays, in these faboulous cool temperatures. All was going according to plan until i left the classroom. The temperature had dropped more and the rain started coming down. Did that disuade me? Of course not - i brought an army green poncho with me.  And I wore it. And I was probably the only person wearing poncho (like seriously, there were only two other people, obviously tourists, wearing ponchos. What's wrong with a poncho? They are easy to carry around, take little space, cover me past my knees, and the shapeless piece of plastic is absolutely adorable on me. what's not to like?)

Here i am. Freezing and covered in plastic - walking around in what appears to be the biggest farmer's market I've ever been to. Fruit, veggies, cheese, butchers, bakers, fish sellers (what do you call a person that sells fish?), all sorts of things, and then chicken. Smoking hot (yes I could see smoke) fried chicken.What? Fresh hot chicken on a cold day like today? Can one get any better.

It was almost lunch time, but I ate a big breakfast. Could I really eat this chicken too? Perhaps next week would be a better time, except next week we will probably be back to hot and humid and I won't want chicken. I looked and looked, and said, I'm on vacation (and i ran to day). Let's go for it.

I spoke no german, the lady helping me spoke no english. I pointed and said Eine (one), she pointed and said, well,  I don't know.  But by her gestures I figured out she wanted to know if I was going to eat there and i said yes (or actually, I nodded). She cut the chicken (through the bone - I want that knife) wrapped it up in paper, passed to me with a fork and one of those wet towels to wash my hands afterwards. I stood there, in front of the chicken cart/truck/thing, with my food on the bar, German being spoken by everyone around me, and my hands burning from the chicken.  Yummmmm!

KFC be darned. This is good chicken. Too bad i forgot to get a beer. :-)