My first dinner here in Germany, I was served Maultaschen. Maultaschen is kind of like ravioli. It has bits of minced meat, spinach and onion covered in noodles. You can eat it by its self, fried or in a soup. Long ago, as the legend goes, people wanted to hid meat from God on Fridays so they thought by eating it this way, it would not be discovered. lol
Fresh bread is everywhere and is the norm! There are a variety of breads at the supermarkets and grocery stores that people constantly pick up to refill the bread box at home. I have had a variety of types of breads and most of them contain nuts on top or within. Bread is usually eaten with a spread of butter, Kiri(which is like a cream cheese type of butter), jam or my favorite Nutella! Also, when served as breakfast bread is accompanied with a few different meats (ham, salami, turkey) and cheese (they have the most wonderful chesses). My favorite bread however, is the German Bretzel. It’s kind of like a soft pretzels minus the soft part…lol Well, I would say ¾ of the bretzel is hard and 1/3 is soft. One usually cuts open the soft part to spread butter in it and then eats it! It’s so delicious! Other things that are usually consumed for breakfast include eggs, yogurt with granola and fruit.
It’s very common for kids to come home for lunch because the schools don’t have a cafeteria (lunch room). You know when school is out for lunch because many kids are at the bakery or grocery store to grab a piece of bread or a sandwich on a baguette.
I have also been to a few restaurants during my stay here and they all have been really good. I live next to a good Chinese place we have been to a few times. We also went out to a pizza café’ and although the pizza was good, it just tasted a lot different from American pizza! At restaurants, kids usually eat schnitzel and then always get a mini-pack of Haribo gummy bears. My conversation partner, Katarina told me that I should try the McDonalds here before I left. It’s funny that she talked so highly of McDonalds and said that she liked the burgers but that they are not made with love because the workers just slop them together. lol So, Alex and I ventured to McDonalds but instead of trying a burger- I thought I embrace in the culture (picture below). lol
For dinner, many different dishes can be severed. It’s common to have bratwurst with sauerkraut (white or red) and potatoes. Other things that I have had include soups with hotdog, kidney beans and peas. I have also had a yummy rice soup, lots of fish, pork chops type of meat and mozzarella salad. Dishes are usually severed with rice or potatoes and cauliflower, broccoli or spinach. My favorite thing that I ate here was a type meat-beef with pickles and bacon wrapped in it. I also loved these special noodles they have that are fried topped with cheese and then sauerkraut!
Dessert has been by far my favorite! There are many types of Kuchen (cake). There are also these German ginger Christmas cookies that my Aunt has got me addicted to. They also have the most delicious chocolates. I love Milka which is a chocolate brand that makes all sorts of chocolates from vanilla to strawberry to milk chocolate to chocolate with caramel and milk inside! I also am a big fan of Duplo which is kind of like an American kit-kat but so much better! I had also tried Berliners which are a jelly type filled doughnut! Yum!
Fun Facts about essen/trinken:
*The first supermarket ever was opened in New York in 1930. It was called the King Kullen Grocery Company.
*The first hamburger was made in the United States by Germans who came from Hamburg.
*People throughout the world drink about 30 billion gallons of beer annually. Germans average 6.3 bottles per person per week. Americans average in at 4.4.
Moving on to fashion:
I’m no fashionista but I do dig great style and these Germans really know how to dress. When I was really little my dad told me I had a sense of fashion because I always knew what I wanted in a store and would take him to it and tell him that mom said he had to buy for me. lol Anyway, when it comes to German fashion, they like to keep things simple.
You would find a typical German wearing:
Skinny jeans
or
a dress/jean skirt with multicolored leggings
with
Boots
Or
Converse shoes (My conversation partner has a pair in
every color)
Plus
A scarf, sweater
And A pea coat jacket
Shopping here is insane and very different. All the stores are built up! One of my favorite stores is called Muller and it’s kind of like a Target well, minus the clothes. It has 4 different levels. On the first level you would find shampoo, conditioner, body products, etc. The basement is filled with goodies as well as cards, backpacks, office supplies. 3rd floor contains toys for kids and the top is the electronics. My favorite place to go for clothes shopping is called Breunnger. It’s kind of like a mall but everything is opened and labels which I guess would be like the stores are above the clothes. There are tons of floors to this mall and I could spend hours getting lost in it looking at everything! Also, I have only once seen someone out in sweatpants.
I'm so glad I was able to EXPERIENCE Germany! I am going to miss the beauty of this country as well as my family BUT it will be nice to get back to the land of the free!
THANKS for following my adventures! I hope you has as much fun reading as I had living and writing about them! Until my next travels!
All my love.
-L
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