A Table to Match My Shoes

So far, I haven't accomplished much during unemployment....a couple great weeks with my visiting parents, a lot of paperwork (German bureaucracy....), a couple interviews, and keeping the house clean. OK, that last one is a big one....it included totally cleaning out the kitchen and putting in some additional shelves. There's now empty storage space for new kitchen gadgets (pizza oven, here you come!)

But this week....I discovered the German versions of Home Depot and Lowe's AND gathered up the courage/vocabulary to ask them to cut some wood.  Today, I put it all together with my trusty drill and by some miracle it all worked!

Now there's a nice table in the hall to match my cute ballet flats  hall rug and red Billy bookshelves. More importantly, the Aboriginal paintings now have a home, since the walls are pretty much stone and hanging them just wasn't a good option.

A good week's work...now time to enjoy the long weekend!

  

Let's Dance Some More

One of the videos popular on German MTV now...It's creative, catchy, and easy to understand.

While you do not need to know any German to understand, a short overview:

At 5am at a club, 3 people come up to a guy and ask him to leave. First, a female friend wanting to go for coffee, then a hot girl (with clear other intentions), and then Security.

The chorus basically says:

No, man, I don't want to go yet.

I'm want to dance some more.

Come on, dude (old man), it's not that late.

Let's dance some more

Enjoy.

Love, German Style???

We express love in many ways...and it's often the small things more than the words that really show it. 

The Texan side of me says that when a man invents a tasty way to cook tofu and then eats it with you...it must be love.

The side of me that's been in Germany a while was touched when my boyfriend returned from a work trip and brought me sausages from other regions of Germany. (Including ones stuffed with cheese) 

It must be love...in a German sort of way.

German Beer Wars - Weissbier

Our next first round tasting was with four typical Munich Weissbiers.  König Ludwig and Erdinger both are well known for their Weissbiers (Erdinger makes only Weissbiers, though has a wide variety of types), and Augustiner is one of the best local beers.  Löwenbräu...well, while I love their biergarten, I never remember the beer as being good. But I may be biased by the Löwenbräu they sell in the US...

This time we reversed the pairing question and asked "What German beer works with Indian food?" While I often have Kingfisher at Indian restaurants, I decided to be daring and see if the sweetness of the Weissbier worked well with the spiciness.  It did. We paired it with tandoori chicken and chana masala.

The first surprise was our discovery that Weissbier, not Miller High Life, is the true champagne of beers. With its effervescence, it's a party in your mouth!

The biggest shocker, however, was from the underdog, Löwenweise. 

Against Erdinger Weissbier, it was not much of a contest. The Löwenweise was crisp and had a slightly sweet finish. The Erdinger was similar in appearance, but had a touch of bitterness (more hops) and was flatter. It did go very well with Indian food, though.

Both the König Ludwig and the Augustiner were good, though quite different in their appearance. The Augustiner had noticeably more head and was a stronger flavored  beer. The König Ludwig was lighter and sweeter, but overall was a more complex beer.  So we gave it the win based on complexity and good balance.

For the Sweet Sixteen berth, however, it was an OT game. König Ludwig and Löwenbräu were both great beers, but the win went to Löwenbräu. It had the perfect blend of flavors and effervescence, and the weissbier sweetness came only at the end of the sip.

Lots of surprises in the first Weissbier round and looking forward to some more beer exploration. Not a bad beer in the bunch yet!

Football Gummis

I miss the World Cup already. It was a fun summer of celebration, biergartens, and public viewings. Plus, it was the one of the rare times that Americans could wear flags abroad and Germans could display national pride. 

Luckily we still have the Football Mix of gummis.  Though with only 3 flavors and 4 shapes, it's nowhere near the diversity of the Sea Creature mix or the German national team. But still tasty, and better yet, the black is a berry flavor, not licorice.

Qualifying has already begun for the Euro Cup 2012, which in Europe can feel almost as big. It generally involves public viewings, dismissing work early to see Germany's games, and the office betting pool.  A lot like March Madness, actually.

We don't yet have the big screens set up in squares, but the pubs are all showing the games and Germany is off to a good start!

Return of the Sitzpinkel – The Toilet Ghost

I've been away a few days...enjoying parents' visit, wrapping up the last week at work, and of course celebrating Oktoberfest (weisswurst and weissbier brunch today was visit #8 this year - a new record!)

And of course this evening's conversation again turned to the familiar topic:

Upon further investigation, we discovered this phenomenon has a name, and a deeper explanation: It’s called The Sitzpinkel, and according to my Theory of Germany # 273 “If There’s a Word For It In German, It Must Happen Regularly,” this must be more than an isolated practice.

My friend H, who has male German roommates confirms that it’s pretty common in shared or student housing to have this rule. I remember the average level of cleanliness of guys’ houses in college….this makes pretty good sense in those circumstances!

But we may have to attribute the uniquely German practice to the also unique and much dreaded German shelf toilet. Dreaded by tourists and those not previously instructed in its use, that is….

…I’ll just send you over to the guy who best explains it, but this design seems to have higher splash potential and maybe makes it more of a conflict source that it is elsewhere with different toilets.

Similar to the “no feet on the toilet seat” signs in Asia, you can find here “Here men must sit” signs. There are even little gadgets available to aid in training your man or son. “The Little Toilet Ghost” plays a loud warning (hear it here) when the seat is lifted, including German, English, and Dutch warnings of “Don’t you go wetting this floor, Cowboy! You never know who’s behind you, so sit down, get your water pistol in the bowl, where it belongs!”

This device claims to be the friend of the Hausfrau and the “enemy of the standing-to-pee-man” (WC Geist – Der Stehpinklerfiend)

And just so that you future visitors are not scared off – my apartment has “normal” American style toilets and men may stand...

Oktoberfest Gummis

In honor of Oktoberfest, The Bavaria Mix: