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MUDEC Méinden Spring 2021 #4
MUDEC Méinden Spring 2021 #4
Miami UniversityJohn E. Dolibois European Center logo
MUDEC Méinden-Weekly news from the MUDEC community for the MUDEC community-#lifelongMUDEC

Spring 2021 #4

February 15, 2021

Study
  • Sketching Workshop with Antoine Grimée
  • Chef Romanazzi's Creations Lead to Instagram Fame
Engage
  • Saturday Market Offers a Taste of Luxembourg
Travel
  • Luxembourg Carnival Brings Promise of Spring (and Beignets!)
Odds and Ends
  • Tell your Story: Where in the World is Miami Wednesday
Study
Sketching Workshop with Antoine Grimée  
Classes are underway, and students are already proving they are up to the challenge. On Feb. 5, Luxembourg graphic artist Antoine Grimée visited Professor Claudine Metz-Bechet's art class to see how quickly everyone could sketch Van Gogh's "Starry Night," with the objective of getting the general feel of the painting in a short amount of time with the materials at their disposition.
Looking toward the front of the classroom, with Antoine Grimee and professor walking among the students a masked student pauses and gazes at the open sketchbook on the desk Students in a classroom work in sketchbooks

Chef Romanazzi's Creations Lead to Instagram Fame

Stephane Romanazzi
by Megan Smith, MUDEC student
Students at MUDEC have their lunches prepared each day by Chef Stephane Romanazzi. At each lunch, students are greeted by a healthy portion and delectable sides to spare, which allows some students to pack leftovers to enjoy later for dinner. 
In fact, the meals have become so popular, there is even an Instagram account documenting the food every day: Luxembourg_chateau_eats. There is a description and picture of every meal from an aerial point of view.
Chef Stephane works to give students the best meals at the Château. This past week the chef served pasta alle polpette, which is a favorite amongst students. It consists of traditional spaghetti noodles, meatballs, and mushrooms, accompanied by a salad, bread, and an ice cream cone. 
This week Chef Stephane plans to prepare blanquette de veau, a veal casserole in a white sauce. This traditional French generational dish is simple to prepare, yet has a complex and rich flavor. “Blanquette” refers to the way the butter and meat is prepared, without browning!
Quinoa salad, fries, chicken, and donut Chili, soup, cornbread, and pear halibut rice and broccoli medley with a side of pizza and some yogurt
A selection of recent lunches, left to right: Feb. 11 Chicken, quinoa salad, fries, donut; Feb 10 Chili, soup, pear, and cornbread; Feb. 4 halibut rice and broccoli medley with a side of pizza and cup of yogurt (click photos to view on Instagram)
Engage

Saturday Market Offers a Taste of Luxembourg

German pastry with a bite out of it, photo by Andrew Bessler
by Megan Fogarty, MUDEC student
MUDEC faculty and students are finding ways to explore Luxembourg, regardless of COVID-19 restrictions. One such excursion took place on Saturday, February 6, when Student Activities Coordinator Daniel Riecker led four students into the city to explore the Saturday Market.
Students met at the Château and took the free public transport system into Luxembourg City. Riecker offered this activity since COVID restrictions have still mostly prevented weekend travel, but also to provide an introduction to a European style market.
“Weekly markets are a feature of European life, but they can be a little daunting, especially if you don’t speak the local language," said Riecker. "Together we strolled the market, learned about the different products, observed market etiquette, and enjoyed the ambiance of a quintessentially European experience.”
According to Riecker, the market sold a great variety of pastries and treats from all different cultures, with French, German, Luxembourgish and Portuguese vendors.
After sampling a German pastry that was similar to a flaky pretzel bread, student Andrew Bessler described the market as “a true cultural hub.” Bessler appreciated that Riecker pointed out the different signs around the market and translated them for the group. He also said that Riecker explained to the group different grazing types for different cheeses.
Riecker and Bessler both said they felt safe regarding COVID restrictions. “I was struck by the sense of normalcy,” said Riecker. “European culture is still going strong.” Bessler also said he felt safe. He said everyone was in masks, socially distanced.
Riecker posted the activity on Canvas, which is where he will be posting future weekend outings as well! Activities like this will take place frequently. Students can find details through the announcements on the MUDEC Spring 2021 Canvas page.
Students pose at Market Square An open box of macarons Masked MUDEC students pose on a bridge with Lux City in background
Travel Section Banner

Luxembourg Carnival Brings Promise of Spring (and Beignets!)

by Hannah Sroka, MUDEC student
This week, Luxembourg is celebrating Carnival. Carnival, or Fuesent in Luxembourgish, is a celebration that starts on Candlemas Day (February 2) and lasts until Ash Sunday (February 17). It ends with the burning of a straw man, or a straw woman during leap years, in Remich. The remains are then thrown into the Moselle. Festivities often continue to Pretzel Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent.
Carnival is a worldwide event that has existed for centuries; in Luxembourg, the first recorded celebration took place in Diekirch in 1870. The Carnival celebrations originally had several purposes. The burning of the straw man (or woman), for instance, is meant to expel winter spirits so spring can begin.
In the past, the feasting that took place during Carnival was many people’s last chance to eat well, as Lent was beginning and the winter months often brought food shortages. Some of the food that they did have was likely to expire soon—livestock were slaughtered in November, and the meat had to be eaten within a few months. Interestingly, the word “carnival” comes from the Latin “carne levare” and the Italian “carnelevare”, both of which mean “take away the meat”.
In the present, Carnival is celebrated with masked balls, parades, and doughnut-like pastries (beignets). The masked balls typically take place on Carnival Sunday, while the parades and cavalcades are saved for Carnival Monday. Most places in Luxembourg hold their own parades, with some of the most well-known taking place in Diekirch, Schifflange, Esch-sur-Alzette, Remich, and Pétange. The parades often include floats, which originally were created to poke fun at the wealthy.
While celebrations will be limited this year, and attending a parade will likely not be possible, you can still get a taste of Carnival (literally) by trying some of the beignets! They can be found in bakeries throughout Luxembourg. Some popular snacks and pastries include Verwurrelt Gedanken (“scrambled thoughts”) and Nonnefäscht (“nuns’ farts”), which are knotted pastries with powdered sugar. The nuns’ farts get their name from their resemblance to the knots on nuns’ robes. So even if you can’t don a colorful mask and parade down the streets, you can join 46% of Luxembourgers in eating some delicious beignets!
Odds and Ends

Tell Your Story: Where in the World is Miami Wednesday

Where in the World is Miami Wednesday is a news article series that features Miami international students and students studying abroad/away. Each week we travel around the world to feature the amazing opportunities that Miami students are taking and the experiences our alumni have had since graduating!

Would you or someone you know want to be featured in a future story? Fill out our form and we'll be in touch!
Tell Us Your Story!
Château & Administrative Hours
Winter view of the Château de Differdange, where Miami's Luxembourg campus, the John E. Dolibois European Center, often abbreviated to MUDEC, is located

Château Hours

Monday-Thursday: 8:00-22:00

Friday:                     8:00-17:00
Saturday, Sunday: Open variable hours;                                     students, please                                           check Canvas


Administrative Hours

Monday-Friday:  8:30-12:30
                           13:00-17:00

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