So far I am loving German food and beer. The food has been amazing; I've had Schnitzel, Spätzle (noodles), schwäbisch Kartoffelsalat, and "Torte Flambee" which is like pizza but very thin crust and no yeast. For breakfast, the hotel has served sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs, as we might find in America, but then there was such a wide variety of breads. They had wheat and rye artisan breads with a bunch of jams to choose from, and the most amazing buttery croissants. Of course there were also fresh Danish pastries as well. Every dish has been absolutely delicious. My friend and I became good friends with the bartender in Mike's Urban Pub, the bar attached to our hotel (Ibis). The food there is great and well priced, but more importantly, the staff is hilarious and very amiable. It gave us a great opportunity to practice our German, too. We also tried out the Biergarten nearby, Neckarmüller. They had some delicious food ("Tomatenbrot" which turned out to be similar to bruschetta) and beer as well, and with an amazing view of the Neckar river. I've really been enjoying German beers. They are far less bitter than beers I've tried in America, and so far I have yet to meet one I don't like. And since at restaurants they tend to be cheaper than water, I've been taking the opportunity to order a small beer with my dinner to try out new types. The best food I have eaten here so far was at this adorable little Schwabian place called Wurstküche (meaning sausage kitchen). It's set in the Altstadt (Old Town) right in the center of tiny walking streets. I had an amazing dish with Spätzle (German noodles), pork, and Schwäbian potato salad. And now it's time to adult....I like to think my German is pretty good, at least conversationally. I can usually hold a conversation with someone in German and get my point across while also understanding theirs. But going to a supermarket and reading labels and looking for specific things is totally different. Couple that with really never having gone grocery shopping for myself, and it was a little stressful. So I started small. Currently, all the food to my name is granola bars, a loaf of bread, Nutella, pasta, and pesto. Well, scratch that, I made the pesto pasta already. Yes, I know it's all carbs, but hey that's what I've been eating in restaurants in the past week anyways! So as is implied by my pesto pasta, I successfully figured out the kitchen here and cooked dinner for me and my friends! It might not seem like a lot, but it was my first step towards cooking for myself and not relying on bakeries and restaurants. Although there is this cute little bakery called Keim's right near my dorm as well as near my class. They serve iced coffee, which I'm told is pretty rare in Germany, as well as delicious croissants and tea. I think my mini shopping trips will work out well; people do that here anyways. But it's important that I remember to stock up on Saturdays, because Sundays everything is closed. Really though German food and beer has all been absolutely delicious. I think Germany and I are going to get along just fine.
4 Comments
James
9/8/2016 08:15:54 pm
Food! THE most important thing about living somewhere else! Buying your own food will definitely be cheaper than going to restaurants, you can probably save a couple hundred dollars a month by doing that. I don't know what the prices are like over there, though.
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Dad
9/8/2016 08:48:08 pm
Awesome, glad your life long exposure to cooking pasta is coming in handy :).
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Emanuel
9/8/2016 11:07:07 pm
The food over there does sound delicious. I'm glad you're getting along with Germany and its food. As for what to buy when grocery shopping you can use this guide I found on reddit:
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Cathy
9/10/2016 11:15:18 am
We miss you here in OC, NJ, but it sounds like you are having a wonderful time so far. Love Germany and the food and beer. Torte flambé...yum. Don't miss the jaegerschnitzel mit spaetzle and schwartz bier!! Look forward to reading more of your "adulting" adventures.
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AuthorJust a girl trying to get by in Germany for a year and having adventures along the way! Archives
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