Except for a short visit in 2010, I haven't been in Germany for almost 20 years. Much of it is still familiar - the stone streets, the very thorough recycling system, even the unusual external window shutters that you roll up each morning.
But there's also a lot that I didn't remember, and I'm enjoying discovering the country again.
* They really believe in fresh air here. It was 12C (54F) and people sat outside cafes with their coffee and kuchen. In fact, I saw an entire preschool class eating their lunch outside in the 50-degree weather, presumably so the kids would get extra "fresh air".
* It is not clear to me how the Germans drink enough water. I don't see people carrying water bottle, there are no drinking fountains, and water is not routinely served at restaurants. (You can order water, of course, but then it's your beverage, like a soda, not something that everyone automatically needs, like a napkin.)
*I have never eaten a bad piece of bread in Germany. Wait, I take that back- occasionally, there is this "Toastbrot", modeled on Wonder bread, that shows up. But left to their own devices, and not borrowing bad ideas from the Americans, German bread is excellent. It is a shame that it is not as well-appreciated as French loaves, because then maybe I could find it more often in the U.S.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Rediscovering Germany
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4 comments:
In general it seems to me that the rest of the world didn't get the same memorandum we did in the US about drinking a crap load of water.
Hopefully, the eaters were wearing coats.
OMG, I totally agree with you on the German bread!! Whenever we go I always take a big loaf home. I love it.
It's funny because your other two comments also apply to the Netherlands and I bet a number of other neighboring northern European countries:
- water. if I ask nicely I sometimes get it along with something else you drink.
- fresh air. I would propose a slight correction. 12F is definitely warm, outside weather for Northern Europe. Also because it is typically colder for longer here, as soon as it is vaguely nice enough to get the bleep out of your house, you go. Hence why you see people on terraces in winter coats in Feb and March, when we have all been stuck inside for months.
Alexis, I agree that 12 is warm. But I bet that Minnesotans don't let their children eat lunch outside in such weather. I think such dedication to fresh air, as demonstrated by the Northern Europeans, is crazy but commendable.
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