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German 1 Online: Reading Guide for Pages 182 and 194-199: Kulturelle Informationen For this reading assignment, enter page “182” in the search bar for the eText and begin your reading. Page 182 Kulturjournal: Deutsche Küche (German Cuisine) The topic of German cuisine is very interesting for most people, and I hope you take your time and enjoy learning about what types of foods Germans eat, what their ethnic specialties are, and the particular customs that are different in German restaurants as compared to American ones. You should make sure to spend time reading the Kulturjournal on page 182 and learning the new vocabulary that is introduced there. Information from this reading will be included on the chapter quiz. Things to notice: • Germans do eat a lot of meat! And they have a lot of words for their different prepared meals. As you read, try to recognize some of the food that you might have heard of before. You won’t be tested directly on the names for dishes, but there are some important highlights here about where certain foods came from. • Pretzel is the English spelling of the German word “Brezel” or “Brezen” (the “Brezel” version is standard, “Brezen” is Bavarian dialect). • Your textbook claims in the first paragraph that “there isn’t actually German cuisine, just regional specialties.” I don’t entirely agree, since many regional dishes have become widespread over all of Germany, but do be aware that every dish and meal originated from a local specialty at some point in history. But today, even though Spätzle and Brezeln are Southern German specialties, you can find them pretty much everywhere in German-speaking countries. • It is true that German cuisine is quite diverse, with a lot of variety not only in types of food (meat and potatoes versus fish and vegetables) but also in flavorings and styles. • Although Germans do eat these German specialties, in fact as your book points out, the most popular food on average throughout Germany is: Spaghetti and Pizza! • The most popular fast food is a Döner Kebab: this is similar to a Gyros. It’s roasted lamb and beef in a pita bread, and the Döner originally came from Turkish immigrants in Germany. Today you can find Döner stands everywhere in Germany: they’re a lot like Southern California “taco stands” that seem to be everywhere! • Speaking of tacos: there is very little Mexican food in Germany. Twenty years ago, there was none — today, Chipotle has tried to open some branches in Germany, but they are not very successful. There is no Taco Bell or any other common Mexican food, and the few restaurants that do serve Mexican food are usually not very good! (I once found a taco shop after months of searching, but when I got my ‘taco’ it was merely ground beef in a taco shell, smothered in ketchup only — with no Mexican flavoring whatsoever!) • But nearly every other ethnic cuisine is well-represented in Germany: there are thousands of Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Greek, French, Indian, Thai, Spanish, South and North American food restaurants in Germany, just very few Mexican ones! I honestly don’t know why Mexican is not common. • Bavaria, in the South of Germany, has many regional dishes and specialities. Your textbook rightly points out that Bavarian cuisine is heavily influenced by Austria, due to their cultural and geographical nearness. The same is true of the far Western border of Germany, called the Saarland, which borders on France and shares many of the French influences on food and cooking. • What kinds of food are traditional in which areas? • In the North, around Hamburg and Bremen, you will find many fish specialties: Hering or ‘Matjes’ and eel (Aal) are beloved in Hamburg restaurants. • In Berlin and much of the Eastern areas, food is fairly rustic: Sauerkraut, Schweinebraten and Wurst are the regional dishes, which tend to be heavy and high in protein and fat. • In the West, around the Rheinland, you’ll find Knödel: potato dumplings similar to the dumplings in Matzo ball soup, and also the popular Sauerbraten, a marinated beef roast. Also in the West: the dark Pumpernickel bread originated from Westfalen. • In the South, especially Bavaria, Spätzle is famous: if you have never had Spätzle, you should try it! It is potato pasta: clumps of potato dough boiled lightly and served with butter and herbs or gravy. Bavarians also popularized Leberkäs: it tastes like baloney but is served more like a meatloaf, and it’s definitely an acquired taste. • Austria is famous for several desserts and foods: the Wiener Schnitzel (which just means ‘Viennese veal chop’) is probably the best known. Austria also popularized the Vienna sausages: Wiener Würstchen, the small finger-sized sausages that we can even buy in American stores. The Austrian dessert Kaiserschmarrn is also very popular throughout Europe: it’s a sweet crepe often served with chocolate sauce. • Switzerland has many varieties of cuisine due to their multi-ethnic population (there are German Swiss, French Swiss, Italian Swiss, and Romansch Swiss). You probably know the granola cereal Müsli, which came from Switzerland, as well as many famous chocolate brands. • There are many customs in restaurants that might differ from what you’re used to in the USA. Here are a few: • Water is not free at German restaurants: if you ask for “Wasser” you will probably be given a bottle of mineral water like Perrier, and you will be charged for it. It’s bad form to ask for ‘tap water’ and you might be met with puzzled looks, but many restaurants will have “Wasser ohne Gas” or “stilles Wasser” which is just plain bottled water, no fizz. The word Sprudel is often used to refer to the carbonated water. • Ice cubes in drinks used to be almost non-existent. That has changed somewhat, but you’re still more likely to get a drink without ice in most German restaurants, other than Americanized chains. • As previously mentioned, at many Gasthäuser or less formal restaurants, the seating can be cafeteria- style, at large tables. This means you may end up sharing a table with strangers! Don’t be surprised or scared: it’s perfectly normal in many restaurants to share tables with strangers, and there’s no reason you have to talk to them or socialize: they may say hello, but they probably won’t strike up a conversation unless they’re very outgoing. • Paying for your meal is just a little different in Germany: the waiter will tally your order at the table and probably verbally tell you the total. You may or may not get a receipt. You should pay the waiter directly in cash: credit cards in restaurants are still fairly rare. • What about tipping? Germans simply include a tip when handing the cash to the waiter. Don’t tip as much as Americans do: it’s more common to simply round up to the nearest even Euro amount. For example, if your meal cost € 9,30, you would simply give the waiter € 10 and say “stimmt so” (it’s correct) to indicate that you don’t want any change back. Most of the time, you shouldn’t be tipping more than 10%, and should be simply rounding up to the nearest easy Euro amount. • You cannot ask for a ‘doggie bag’ or a box to take your half-eaten food home in. It appears to be actually illegal: German restaurants have a license to either serve food on the premises, or to prepare ‘to-go’ meals, but food from the table cannot be taken home. They will not allow it and they may find the request quite astonishing. To be fair, portion sizes tend to be smaller, so you will usually eat your entire meal at a German restaurant and not want to take any home. • French fries are usually eaten with a small fork or toothpick, rather than the fingers, although at fast- food McDonalds restaurants that may not be the case. Also, Germans very commonly eat their french fries with mayonnaise instead of ketchup. • If you have experiences or questions about other restaurant-related customs in Germany, please share in the Discussion Board on Blackboard! To access the next section (page 194), you can simply enter “194” in the search box above the eBook. Page 194 Kulturjournal: Essen und Trinken (Food and Drink) Like the first cultural reading, this section — dealing with the topic of different types of German restaurants — is now in German. Please read it carefully and pick out the important information. There is important new vocabulary here — not all of this is listed in your vocabulary section for the chapter, so I’m including some additional words here from the reading box for your assistance. das Restaurant, -s ..............any kind of restaurant, general term die Gaststätte, -n ..............full-featured expensive restaurant with good food and drinks der Gasthof, -¨e ................traditional small restaurant, often with the word “Stube” (room) in the name das Gasthaus, -¨er .............traditional small restaurant, sometimes like an ‘inn’ with rooms to rent das Lokal, -e .....................establishment, eatery: serving food and alcoholic drinks das Wirtshaus, -¨er ............tavern, pub: primarily for alcoholic drinks but some small meals die Kneipe, -n ...................bar: mostly alcoholic drinks, possibly some snacks available der Imbiss, -e ....................food cart or food stand: often found near train stations or downtown das Stehcafé, -s .................‘standing café’: no seating, but tables to stand and drink coffee/snacks das Café, -s ......................café: mostly for coffee, but almost always cakes and desserts too das Eiscafé, -s ...................ice-cream parlor: serving large elaborate ice cream dishes die Mensa, -s .....................student cafeteria: serving cheap food for university students only der Biergarten, -¨ ..............just for beer: outdoor seating during good weather To access the next section (page 195), you can simply enter “195” in the search box above the eBook.

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