Essen- To eat

I must tell you, you really haven’t had a proper dining experience until you’ve been to a restaurant in Europe. It truly is an experience.

Germans take their eating very seriously. Service, no matter where you are, whether it’s a small, home town restaurant or an upscale restaurant, is awesome. Just be prepared to spend some time there. Two to three hours is not unheard of. If you try to rush, you might be in and out in an hour, but don’t count on it. It’s meant to be a relaxing and savory experience. You never feel rushed, if anything, you might start feeling antsy or think they’re ignoring you when you want to ask for the check. They’re just doing what they normally do, letting you take your time. This does take getting used to and now that I’m used to it, I’d rather take my time then be rushed when it comes to eating out.

Presentation is everything. You can buy a croissant and a coffee at just about any gas station and you will be given a cup AND a saucer, a cookie or biscuit and maybe even a doily. I swear it’s true. Restaurants at the Autohof’s (rest stops) are even impressive. Most of them have buffet-type services and you can purchase a variety of food: roast pork, vegetables, wurst (sausages), pasta, fish, sandwiches, etc. And it’s all good. Not fried or greasy and cooked right. Any beverage you can think of is available for purchase as well, including alcoholic beverages. Dear God, I’ve seen beer in vending machines in Germany. And let me set the record straight…they DO NOT serve warm beer here. Some will drink it warm if the situation is desperate, but it’s neither necessary nor preferred. As a beer lover, I was horrified by the stories I heard prior to coming here. You can sleep well now.

German food itself is pretty simple. Pork is king. Breaded and fried, roasted, ham, ham-hocks, baked…you name it. It’s the “THE white meat”, not the “Other white meat” here. Chicken is less popular than turkey. Turkey cutlets are favored. Potatoes are big too. No matter where you go, there will always be potato salad and rost kartoffelen (roasted potatoes), or brat kartoffelen (fried potatoes); very good. And then there’s the wurst, which are sausages that come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. I like most of them and they’re a staple in the German diet; normally served on a roll- A hard roll, nothing flimsy about it. Speaking of bread, ah, the bread and bakeries here…that’s a whole other topic in itself.

Let’s just say that the average newcomer to Germany gains at least 15 lbs in their first year here, and for good reason. You want to try everything…eat and drink everything at least once. Unfortunately, some of the beers here are like drinking a loaf of bread!

Bon appetite!