Eat Gay Love: Part 2 – Kerry and Carsten

We reached out to three married couples to ask about their relationships. How did they meet? What keeps them together? And just for fun, we asked them to provide recipes to create a three-course meal for you to enjoy on Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re with your lover, your friends or your family, food and love are universal. In part one, Dennis and Tony shared their starter recipe, Figs and Mozzarella with us. This is part two in a three-course series: Eat Gay Love: Part 2 – Kerry and Carsten.

Related: What is love?

Main Course – Fish Tacos

Our second couple, Kerry and Carsten, are also married and live together in Amsterdam. Kerry is originally from California and has made Holland his home. We’ll let the happy couple fill you in on the love details, but just to mention, they’ve got a fish taco main course for you at the end, to continue your ROMEO romance with food.

What is love?

“Love is never having to say you’re sorry. For me, that means that I don’t do things intentionally to hurt Carsten.” – Kerry

<section> <h2>Online or in person?</h2> How do you like to make first contact? </section> <section> <h2>I like to meet online first.</h2> </section> <section> <h3>I like to meet someone in person first.</h3> </section>

Love Online

Where did you meet, how did you start dating?

Carsten and I met online. I still remember that Saturday I heard his voice for the first time. There was something about the way he spoke that intrigued me. At that time, he was in Germany visiting his parents, so we made plans to meet precisely one week later because by then he would be back in Amsterdam.

When we finally got together, we couldn’t stop smiling at each other. I swear, that was the most extended lunch I ever had. It lasted more than 24 hours. Carsten made me a delicious meal. Then, he asked if I wanted to see pictures of his family. Of course, he kept the photo books in his bedroom. While looking at the pictures, Carsten spontaneously gave me a peck on the cheek. That kiss opened the door, and I walked right on in.

Make-ups and Break-ups

Who was the first person to say; I Love you? When and where was this?

Carsten broke up with me on my birthday. I got flowers and a goodbye card. Our romance was turbulent in the beginning and filled with passion, arguments, break-ups, and make-ups. It didn’t take long for us to proclaim our love for each other, but I’m not sure who said it first. I do know that I asked him to marry me first. Then, he asked me. Then, I asked him, and so on for almost ten years. Finally, we were sure enough to tie the knot, put the ball and chain on, jump the broom; you name it, we did it.

Recipe for Love

What is the key ingredient that keeps you two together? How do you work on keeping the love going?

We choose to not stay angry or upset with one another for more than 30 minutes. Sometimes it’s not easy, but it’s a great rule. We accept each other as we are. Of course, we dream of how life would be if only ‘he’ were different, but then we wouldn’t be who we’ve grown to love. I know that Carsten will be there for me and he knows the same about me. I’m not going anywhere, and I only want to get married once. So, we’re working on staying married. Our turbulently ill feelings of ‘being in love’ evolved into real love. “Love is never having to say you’re sorry.” For me, that means that I don’t do things intentionally to hurt Carsten. We do a lot of self-reflection to make sure that, what we say and what we do, stems from the Love-zone and was not born out of the screaming Ego-zone. Now, we say I love you very often, we’re confident about it, and we mean it.

<section> <h2>Love is never having to say you are sorry.</h2> </section>

Let’s Eat!

So, what have you chosen to be our Valentine’s Day main course?

Carsten and I love delicious food; we also like variety. Every so often we find something that tastes great and is easy to make. Recently, we discovered fish tacos with a delicious crema topping. When you go down on these tacos, you don’t mind when they explode in your mouth.

Fish taco recipe:

Ingredients

Crema topping:

Thinly sliced green onions

Chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise

3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, minced

Tacos:

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

250 grams of sturdy white fish (cod)

Cooking spray

8 large corn tortillas

Shredded cabbage

How to Make It

Preheat oven to 220 ℃

Prepare crema by combining the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

Prepare tacos, by combining cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish.

Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 220 ℃ for 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas.

Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.

Tip:

You can also substitute romaine in place of cabbage or add coleslaw to pair with the spice and heat of the taco filling. For a full meal, serve tacos alongside a healthy salad and create a taco bar to let everyone assemble their own meal.