Category: Food

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From Lasts to Firsts

We have only been back in America for 2 1/2 weeks. But somehow it is hard to believe that less than one month ago I was at home in Switzerland. It seems almost like another lifetime. Our last days and weeks there were filled with lasts that we tried to cherish. They were very special, and also challenging and emotional.

Being back in America for the first time in over a year has brought a different set of emotions. We have gone from lasts to firsts. Or at least firsts in a long time. And it turns out firsts are wonderful in a completely different way. On our first day we went to Gilles’s Frozen Custard, which is an old family tradition and some of the best frozen custard on the planet (in my opinion). It was SO GOOD! And it brought back feelings of happiness for being home.

But, I’ve noticed that it’s not just the good stuff that’s new again. It’s everything! And it’s funny because even things that I probably wouldn’t have missed if I didn’t do them for a whole year before, somehow have significance again just because I couldn’t do them for a whole year. It’s kind of like being a tourist in my own country. Like seeing everything with new eyes.

When we arrived back in Milwaukee, the kids were thrilled to unpack boxes of old toys that were suddenly new and exciting again. They spent hours playing with things that they never even looked at before we left for Switzerland. “Look mom!” they shouted every few minutes, “I remember this! It’s my old toy laptop!” …or doll, or stuffed animal. It truly was like Christmas in August. I watched them as they tried to play with everything all at once, which doesn’t work very well and only leads to an extremely messy basement.

I recognized that same feeling in myself during my first trip to the grocery store. First of all, I had a car (!!) so I could carry as much as I wanted. After a year of grocery shopping by bike, I hardly knew what to do with myself. Then, I started recognizing items I hadn’t eaten for a long time. MMmmmm, red pepper hummus! Ooooh, Wisconsin cheese curds. Oh my gosh! Look at that cereal aisle! Pretty soon, my cart was full, and I had only made it through half the store, and I still had no meal plans to speak of. But, I wanted to eat it all right now.

It turns out, trying everything all at once is not good for your diet. I learned pretty quickly that I needed to slow down with trying everything again, for the first time. After all, I live here now. I have plenty of time to enjoy all of these firsts. Probably more time than the new feelings will last. So, I’m just trying to enjoy each first and the feeling of newness that comes with it, before it all fades back into normal once again.

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Action Cooking

Our diet in Switzerland is extremely different than it was in America. There are several reasons for this. One is that, since lunch is the primary meal of the day, our typically-Swiss dinner usually consists of fresh bakery bread (really the only kind to be had here) and a table full of sliced meats, cheeses, and spreads. This was great for a while. Its easy, there’s no cooking in the evening, and, since each person gets to grab what they want, everyone is happy. We tried all of the multitude of bread varieties in the store and sampled the equally plentiful selection of Swiss cheeses. Though James mostly subsisted on peanut butter and jelly, still his favorite combination, and definitely NOT Swiss. (They do have peanut butter here, but only one generic option, and I think we are the only ones who buy it.)

Meanwhile, I have to cook lunch for all the kids, since Emily and James come home from school at noon each day. Cooking a hot lunch each day for myself and three kids has proven to be more of a challenge. For starters, they’re kids. They are fairly picky, though they have learned to try anything I put in front of them. After some trial and error, I learned that it is NOT worth spending an hour making something that I consider to be nice, only to sit down for 15 minutes and watch them pick at it and complain that it isn’t very good and be stuck with a ton of leftovers.

The other reason our food is so different is shopping. Technically, most of the food we get in America is also available here. It’s just so darn expensive! Meat is particularly expensive. Cheap meat includes a variety of sausages, leberkase (a bologna-like meatloaf), pork chops and some chicken, and usually costs about $9-10 per pound.* Better cuts of meat, especially beef and fish, usually cost around $20 per pound or more. Needless to say, we haven’t eaten much beef while living in Switzerland. In fact, what we eat is really determined by what is on sale, or “Action.”

Back home, before my weekly grocery trip, I would plan out meals and put the ingredients from the recipes on my grocery list. Here, when I go to the grocery store, I head straight to the Action meat case at the front of the store where all of the meat is discounted. Whatever is on sale usually becomes our meals for the next several days, and once we get it home I figure out what to do with it. However, it tends to be the same things, and there is only so much you can do with sausages, pork chops, and whole chickens. Recently, I’ve been walking past the Action meat without getting anything because I am craving something different.

A few days ago, I bought one of the larger cuts of meat in the Action section, which I usually avoid because of their size and because I don’t really know what to do with them. I picked out something called Schweinsbraten Hals, which was only $7.25 per pound, but it weighed 2.6 pounds. Today, I looked up what that is, and found out it is a pork neck roast. I looked up a recipe, and it takes 3.5 hours to roast! So, it’s in the oven now and it will be our dinner tonight. And that’s the last thing I have in the refrigerator, so tomorrow I’ll head to Migros and see what’s on Action.

* Note: Food here is sold by the 100grams (or sometimes by the kilogram), and is priced in Swiss Francs, but I did the math.

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It’s the Little Things – Mustard and Bat Caves

It’s been a while since I wrote a post in this series. The kids and I are home this week, playing and going on outings. So, I thought I would highlight a couple of things that continue to make our daily life here a little different than back home.

Mustard

I took all three kids to the grocery store this week, a feat that is even more challenging without a car and without those neat car-shaped grocery carts, which would never fit around the corners here. There are tons of little differences in the products here, starting with different brands and languages. But, there are a couple of categories I wanted to mention specifically. First, a lot of the food that we buy here is similar to what we have back home, but it is just packaged differently. Mustard and mayonnaise come in large, aluminum tooth-paste tubes. Apple sauce comes in tin cans. And juice and milk often come in rectangular cartons, like a giant juice box. There are a couple of things here that are taboo in the US like Aromat (a seasoning shaker of MSG) and saccharine tablets for sweetening coffee. The supposed health risks of these items have been debunked, but they never recovered in the US. And there are a couple of things that I just can’t find here, including baking soda and brown sugar (I’ve learned to substitute “raw cane sugar,” though it doesn’t pack the way I’m used to).

These are just a few of the many differences in food products that make grocery shopping or opening my refrigerator almost a cultural experience.

Bat Caves

Today I took the kids to a place called Papiliorama northwest of Bern. It has an outdoor petting farm and playground, and three large enclosures: butterflies, jungles, and nocturnal animals. The latter enclosure was very dark, lit only by dim blue lights. There were night sounds playing as you walk through a maze past owls, fish and other animals. We were squatted down looking at some fish when I noticed something swoop by. “Was that a bat?” I wondered to myself. And, sure enough, moments later another one swooped by just ahead of us. I didn’t say anything, as I didn’t want to scare the kids, so we just kept walking. More and more of them flew by, and James finally said something. I explained that they were just little fruit bats, and they wouldn’t hurt us. The kids seemed okay with this, and Henry repeated my explanation every time one flew by.

The trail led into another area through some of those thick plastic blinds intended to keep things from escaping. Suddenly there were even more bats flitting around – apparently the first few were just the ones that had gotten out of the enclosed area. Several bats flew so close to me, I felt the breeze as they passed. Then the path led into a cave. It was no more than 6 feet tall or across and about 15 feet long, and there were bats everywhere. They were hanging from the ceiling and swooping through at breakneck speed. I tried to keep my strong, confident mom face on, but all I could think was “You have got to be kidding me!”

The kids and I had a quick discussion about how bats can’t actually see, and the only way they don’t run into things is by sonar. Then I ducked my head down to Henry’s stroller and walked through with bats dangling above and whooshing all around. Every time I lifted my head to see where I was going, a bat would swoosh within inches of my face before turning at the last moment. I definitely felt a wing tip on my head, and I may have screamed a couple of times. Although it raised my adrenaline levels, I have to admit it was actually a pretty cool experience. And the kids loved it!

The reason I am writing about this here is that something like this would never happen in America. I’ve seen bats at the zoo in Milwaukee, but always behind glass. I’ve had access to animals up close, but not fast-moving animals in a claustrophobically confined space. It’s too scary! Or dangerous! What if someone got scratched?! They might sue! Well, the Swiss don’t seem to have these concerns. It’s not that things don’t happen. They do. I saw a kid from a field-trip group holding his arm and complaining that a bat scratched him. But they didn’t seem to mind. Scratches happen. That’s life. Besides, that kid was probably flailing his arms around, so that’s what he gets. The Swiss would never change something for everyone because of minor risks or the stupidity or carelessness of a few people. Besides, that kid, as well as all the kids who gathered around to see his scratch, learned a valuable lesson about personal responsibility…  Always keep your arms down when walking through a bat cave.

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Another Perspective

We are in the middle of a slow week back in Münsingen — school, work, laundry. We were thrilled to find an e-mail from Mark and Kelly, our friends who visited about a month ago. Here is what they had to say…

Alas, we have finally crafted our coveted Switzerland Blog. We apologize for the month long delay. Unfortunately, it coincides with exactly how long it has taken us (mostly Mark) to get back on a normal sleep schedule. And in all honesty we wanted the trip to soak in for a while prior to putting “pen to paper.”

Where to begin? How about the beginning. It was early September when I (Mark) booked the trip. Kelly and Joe work together, but I had only met Joe a handful of times, and Sarah even fewer. (Joe barely remembers any of them as he was lost in song – and booze – around a campfire.) Nevertheless, I broached Joe at his going away party with an idea of a winter visit. It would be surprise to Kelly for her college graduation gift….and Christmas gift…and birthday present.  Joe ate up the idea and it was revealed to Kelly in mid-December. A month a half later we arrived in Zurich.

Our first full day was full of rainy adventures.  We started with a short walk along the Aare River followed by a hike into the foothills. After a short rest at home and a Zvieri (afternoon snack — not to be confused with a Znüni or morning snack), Joe, Kelly and I commandeered Henry’s stroller and walked our ‘beer baby’ to the store for a refill. Kelly was at the wheel and received many an odd look. That evening we celebrated Kelly’s birthday with a dinner at the oldest restaurant in Switzerland (1371 A.D.!) and followed it with Quollfrisch and a fire. Joe may or may not remember.

Saturday was a fantastic day. The seven of us jumped on a train and headed to Kandersteg for a day of hiking and sledging (sledding) where each of us enjoyed a fantastic spill at a high rate of speed.  Smartly Emily and James kicked their sleds down the steep portions and walked them back up to enjoy a more reasonably sloped ride. As you can see, Kelly and I were not as smart.

Unfortunately winter weather was relentless and only shared the sun with us twice for a total of 2 hours the entire week. On Sunday, we skied Lenk in some sort of cloud/fog/haze for the entire day, sometimes only being able to see a few feet in front of us. On our last run of the day, we jumped on a chair lift and took it to the highest point on the mountain. Riding through more haze we got off the lift and skied into this! We were high above the clouds, incredible.

On Monday, we embarked on our first solo Swiss adventure. It started with a bus trip at 6:30 a.m., had us standing on the ‘Top of Europe’ by lunch and skiing down the slopes of Grindlewald in the afternoon! We managed multiple train jumps but survived the day only because a sweet English speaking teller helped us through the dizzying options presented to us in Grindewald.

That solo adventure was one of a number of firsts for us:

  • first plane ride(s) over 5 hours
  • Kelly’s first observation of a Swiss surgery
  • Mark’s first diaper change
  • paying $72.00 for two pizzas
  • Mark’s first train ride
  • losing a digital camera battery for two hours only to find it under some slush filled tire tracks – in working condition
  • and most importantly, our first trip to Switzerland. We hope it was not our last.

We cannot thank you enough, Joe and Sarah, for the opportunity provided. You were terrific hosts and made our first trip out of the country (sorry Canada) incredibly simple and easy. Your kids are wonderfully behaved and left quite an impression on us. Be proud.

Thank you, thank you, thank you and we’ll see you in a couple of months! Unless you decide to stay and then perhaps we’ll see you about this time next year?!?

We will leave you with….

The Top 10 things we learned in Switzerland:
10. We are envious that the Schwab’s get to spend an entire year there.
9. Don’t rent a car. Try the 8 day Swiss pass for endless train, bus and even a few cable car rides. Though not much of a money saver, it eliminates tricky foreign language and currency exchanges AND allowed us to enjoy the “views”, ahem.
8. The Swiss are wonderfully on time.
7. Cats are royalty.
6. Snacks are king. Hot dogs wrapped in freshly baked pretzels filled with ketchup, mustard or whatever you can imagine. Awesome. (Kelly’s mouth is watering as we type this.)
5. If you are lucky enough to visit this place, do take the train to the Top of Europe (highlighted by Matt Lauer on the Today Show).
4. Swiss chocolate gets the attention, but seriously, try the bread.
3. Raclette and/or Fondue = heaven. Yes! hot cheese is a main course in Switzerland.
2. Grüezi (hello) and Merci (thank you). Learn it, live it, and use it on everyone you encounter.
1. Henry…..he just wants.
The week went incredibly fast. Luckily we have 650+ photos to fill in the ’hazy’ gaps.

Love,
Kelly & Mark “Schwab”

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How Sweet it is

Switzerland is the land of chocolate. Did you know that the average Swiss person consumes over 26 pounds of chocolate every year?! We always have a few bars of wonderful chocolate in the kitchen. I’m on a mission to try every kind of chocolate in the amazing aisle at the grocery store. But this week, we had a chance to go a little deeper into Swiss chocolate culture.

On Wednesday afternoon, when the kids are not in school, I took them to the Kambly factory. Kambly is a Swiss company that is best known for their cookies. At their factory, they have a special program for kids to make a cookie creation. I had registered Emily and James, so when we arrived they received an apron and got to work. I was expecting them to churn out a batch of cookies, but no. They made a work of eatable art, complete with a cookie base, cake ball snowman, chocolate tree, and marzipan decorations. At the end, after over two hours of hard work, they didn’t want to eat it! (You can see their finished creations in our gallery). Fortunately, there were plenty of Kambly cookies laid out to sample, so we all spoiled our supper before returning home.

The next day was my birthday, and I had another treat for my sweet tooth. Recently, I discovered a great blog called “My Kugelhopf” written by an American living in Zurich who loves sweets, chocolate and traveling. It’s perfect for me! She gives a tour called “Sweet Zurich,” so I signed up. Joe’s gift to me was staying home with the kids for the day (he worked late a couple of nights to make up for it). So, I grabbed my book and my camera and hopped on the train.

This tour was deliciously sophisticated, like a chocolate appreciation class. We walked around the beautiful old town neighborhoods of Zurich visiting small, boutique chocolate and pastry shops. We learned about the different tropical regions the cocoa beans come from, the ingredients and process involved with making chocolate, and how different decisions affect the taste and quality of the final product. I tasted a dark chocolate with ginger and orange, a white chocolate with lime, an unconched chocolate with raisins (and learned what “conching” is!), among many other things. At a specialty cupcake shop, they even had a candle in a cupcake for my birthday.

Before I knew it, I was back on the train, but there was one more sweet treat on my list. After reading the blog and meeting the author, I wanted to try a Kugelhopf. I stopped at the store on the way home and picked one out. I opted for the less traditional chocolate kugelhopf (or gougelhof in this area.) At home we had a little celebration with the cake and a few cards and presents. I feel very blessed, and very full. I think I need to eat salads for the next week!

See all the sweet pictures here.

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The Infamous Onion Market

The Bern Onion Market or Zwiebelmarkt is infamous, at least in this area of Switzerland. Of course, we had never heard of it, but we had been told we had to check it out. I wasn’t exactly sure what could be so great about an onion market that takes place on a Monday from 6am – 6pm. But, I packed up the boys, picked Emily up at school and headed to the train station.

As the kids and I got off the train in Bern, we noticed confetti all over the floor of the platform, and throughout the train station. When we stepped off the escalator into the streets of Bern, they were covered with confetti as far as I could see. I was still taking it in and trying to figure out which way to go when a total stranger came up and threw confetti all over us. Once we were covered, we started to join in the fun, scooping confetti off the street and throwing it at each other, and anyone else who seemed willing. (Though we later learned that using street confetti is frowned upon, and we bought a bag of fresh confetti).

The market itself consists of thousands of stands throughout the streets of Bern’s old town. The majority of them sell — you guessed it — onions. But not just any old onions. Perfectly proportioned yellow and red onions that have been tied together with dried flowers into hanging decorations. They come in any size you could want, from tiny ones made with the smallest bulbs to huge ones hanging over 5 feet tall. Some were made into wreaths. The kids even got little onion pins.

Besides onions, you could also buy necklaces made out of breath mints wrapped in colorful plastic wrap, festival items like confetti and squeaky hammers, seasonal baked goods like magenbrot, and food stands selling onion cakes and glühwein (Swiss mulled wine), among many other things. Emily opted for a blue mint necklace, while James chose a confetti gun, and of course I had to buy a small bunch of onions.

The streets were crammed with people, and we walked around getting bonked with toy hammers and covered in confetti. It is said that this is the one day when Bern, a city that is thought of as reserved and a little uptight, lets off some steam and goes a little crazy. I realized it would be too difficult to try to eat downtown with all the crowds and three young kids, so we made our way back to the train station and headed home for dinner.

When it was time for bed, and I was getting Henry into his pajamas, I took off his diaper and it was filled with confetti! We did our best to shake off as much as we could, but it keeps turning up in pockets, purses, hoods. We can now say that we have experienced the phenomenon that is the Berner Zwiebelmarkt.

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The Simple Life

When we finally realized we were moving to Switzerland, one of the things I was looking forward to was the fresh food. We’ve talked about what the Swiss eat, but I’m not really talking about that. When you go to a Swiss grocery store, most of the items that you see in the dairy and produce section were probably produced within a few kilometers of where you are buying them. Preservatives are uncommon here. Yogurt and milk usually come from local dairies. Potatoes and apples are also usually local.

Well when it comes to getting it fresh, we got more than we bargained for. Starting in late Summer, we had started taking the kids on bike rides throughout the town to get to know it better, and to enjoy the scenery. Fairly quickly we stumbled across a farm a few blocks down from us. We knew one must be close, by the smell if nothing else, but when we finally found it, we noticed a sign out front that indicated it sold some simple farm items: milk, eggs, potatoes, apples, etc.

Farm shopWhen we finally looked into it seriously, we found a small stand behind the barn, off the road, that housed their “for-sale” goods. There were baskets of apples, potatoes, various fresh vegetables. There was also a refrigerator filled with eggs. There were also some jarred items like honey, and grape jelly. And in the corner is a scale to weigh your produce, and a small money box that you leave your payment in. There’s no person guarding the stand. No one checks your math. No one even knows if you really even paid.

Buying applesWe went and bought some items one day: potatoes and eggs. The potatoes were labeled by their type (a classification of which I was wholly unaware… they all looked the same to me). Eggs were mixed brown and white, and I believe we met some of the generous chickens while we were there. We wanted to buy milk, and it seemed they had it for sale, but we couldn’t find where it was.

Getting fresh milkAs we were leaving the farm one day, the farmer’s wife was around, so we asked her about milk. She asked us, in German, how many bottles we had. We looked at each other and thought, “bottles?” She smiled, went into the house and brought out a 1.5L bottle, freshly washed. She took us into the milk room which contained a huge stainless steel vat of milk, and explained that we can fill bottles ourselves anytime we want. Just leave payment in the stand for each liter.

Groceries from the farmSo now, about two or three times a week, we head back to the farm, wave to the cows, chat with the farmer, his wife, and mother, get our basics (milk, eggs, apples, potatoes), check on anything new they have that day, pay for our groceries and leave. The milk has never tasted so good. If we want cream for our coffee, we just pour it off the top of the milk in the morning. And better than that, I can check on the cows anytime I want, just to make sure they’re doing fine.

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Swiss Food – more than just cheese and chocolate?

When most people think of Switzerland, the first things that comes to mind are cheese and chocolate. Indeed, these things are a big part of Swiss culture and cuisine. Although “Swiss cheese” as we know it in America is not actually Swiss. Swiss cheeses, of which there are many varieties, are typically firm, pungent, and have a strong flavor like Emmentaler and Gruyere. No cheddar to be found here!

Fall is the perfect time of year for Swiss food. On our recent trips to the Alps, I was introduced to some new Swiss dishes, all of which involved melted cheese, that warmed me up on cool nights. Like German food, Swiss cuisine is not fancy and features a lot of meat and potatoes, only with a lot more cheese. Here are some of the highlights:

[singlepic id=602 w=320 h=240 float=right]Raclette: This dish is literally just melted cheese over boiled potatoes. It is usually served with pickles and small onions. At home, we have a Raclette grill, so each person gets to melt their own cheese and pour it over the potatoes and other items. We usually add extra items like salami, mushrooms, garlic, and more, which can also be cooked on the grill. Because Raclette cheese melts so well, it is also used in many other dishes. Broiled over a thick piece of toasted bread and a slice of ham, it is called käseschnitte (or croûte au fromage in French areas). This is also traditionally served with pickles and small onions. I had another dish called aTartiflette (French) which was another combination of these things – a shallow bowl of cubed potatoes and ham swimming in melted Raclette cheese.

Rösti: This is like a giant potato pancake made from shredded potatoes, chopped onions, and a little gruyere cheese, pressed and cooked in a pan. It is served as a main course by cooking an egg on top.

[singlepic id=596 w=320 h=240 float=right]Fondue: You are probably familiar with this concept – a pot of melted cheese served with bread cubes. It is a lot stronger than I had expected as it is made with real Swiss cheeses, white wine, some kirsch alcohol and other spices. But, once you know what to expect, I find it really grows on you, and there is nothing like it to warm you up on a cold night. There are fondue pots and sets all over the place, but I find it easier to buy the pre-made, microwaveable fondue-in-a-tub at the grocery store.  Of course, for dessert, there is also chocolate fondue served with fruit, butter cookies, marshmallows, etc… Yum!

Wähe: Speaking of dessert, one of the most common sweet treats is a fruit and custard tart called a wähe or kuche. It is made with just about any fruit you can think of – apples,plums, berries, rhubarb, apricot, and more. You put the fruit in a pie crust, pour custard over it and bake it. It is very simple to make, and I have even made several from[singlepic id=603 w=320 h=240 float=left]scratch with raspberries, rhubarb, apples and pears from our yard. (I’ll be making one tomorrow to bring to James’s kindergarten potluck party.) You can buy them by the slice at the grocery store, train station, or coffee shops. For those of you who can’t buy a slice and want to give it a try, here is the recipe. It’s really very easy, if I can make it, then anyone can.

Some other common foods here are Gipfli (croissant), Käsekuchen (cheese quiche),Vermicelli (stringy marzipan dessert), Birchermüsli (yogurt with oats and fruit in it), and so much more. I hope this gives you just a taste of what Swiss food is like.

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A Tribute to German Food

During our recent week in Germany, we were reminded of the delicious culinary treats that are traditional German food. Okay, so Germany isn’t known for fancy cuisine, it is very “meat and potatoes.” But nothing beats a good Schweinshaxe with a large Kartoffelknudelpaired with a giant mug of beer. (That’s what Joe had at Oktoberfest). Here’s a little run down of some of our favorites:

Wurst: There are many types of wurst (pronounced with a “v”), or German sausages. They are all surprisingly different, from the soft and mild Bavarian weisswurst that is typically eaten early in the day to the best known bratwurst, usually eaten in a bun. Wieners are just hot dogs, and are common on the children’s menu. Currywurst is actually aschweinwurst (pork sausage) covered in curry ketchup and curry powder. Nürnbergersare small brats from the Franconia region typically served six to a plate, or three in a roll (known as “drei im weckla“).

Schnitzel mit Pommes: This was our kids’ favorite dish. The infamous Wienerschnitzel is actually more Austrian. But Schweinschnitzel, [singlepic id=506 w=320 h=240 float=left]made from pork instead of veal, is very common in Bavaria. There are other schnitzels as well, pretty much any meat that is pounded out, breaded and fried. It is typically served with pommes, or french fries.  Our kids ate so many french fries in Germany, I actually bought vitamins to ensure they would get enough nutrients.

More meat: German meals are always centered around some sort of meat. We hadSchweinshaxe (leg of pork), Sauerbraten (German pot roast, usually beef), Hirschfilet (deer steaks), Ochsenbäckchen (Ox cheeks). It is interesting to note that in German, meats are known by the name of the animal it comes from, so once you know some German animal names, you have a headstart on figuring out the menu. For example, we also had duck (Ente), lamb (Lamm), horse (Pferd), calf (Kalb), and many more. Then there is Leberkäse, which is a sort of bologna meatloaf (another favorite of the kids), and there is no telling what kind of meat is actually in it. It’s virtually impossible to be a vegetarian in Germany.

Potatoes and pastas: All of this meat is served with a variety of starchy side items that come in very different forms.  There are the knudels, large round dumplings that can be made out of potatoes (kartoffel) or bread (semmel). Spätzle, short thick chewey German noodles, [singlepic id=508 w=320 h=240 float=right]are served with butter or sauce or as a main dish with cheese (Käsespätzle). Schupfnudeln are like gnocchi but shaped like long footballs, and are usually served with saurkraut. Potatoes are common in many forms — boiled, baked, and of course, potato salad (kartoffelsalat).

Miscelaneous: Other staples in the Bavarian diet include giant soft pretzels (Breze), Obazda (a cheese spread common in beer gardens), Strudel (well known German desert). Also, anything that says “teller,” which literally means “plate,” will be a large assortment. Emily once ordered the Schwabenteller because it had our name in it, and it had four large pieces of meat on it served with Schupfnudln. Talk about left overs!

There is so much more, but this gives you an idea of what we ate during our weeks in Germany. We don’t claim that German food is particularly healthy. But it feels like comfort food, and we love it! Here are a few pictures so you can really see what we’re talking about:

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Hospital priorities

Every morning when I walk into the hospital I see a marble bench that contains freshly baked loaves of bread. Each loaf is wrapped in a paper bag and has a tag on it indicating which area of the hospital it is intended for. Typically they go to staff or doctor’s lounges. As people come in for the morning, they stop by the bench, grab the loaf for their area, and head to work.

I don’t know if I’m more amazed by the delivery of fresh bread to the hospital, or the fact that no one seems to be tempted to steal one of these loaves. They look and smell so good. What a great way to go to work!

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