What's Cookin' Doc?

The long awaited FOOD blog! I hope it's what your looking for. I will continue to gather data and may report on this topic again later on.

I've been in Leipzig for a few weeks now, and I've experienced a variety of foods. I've been to two countries and to many places throughout Germany, and I must say, I am impressed with the food here. Even cafeteria food is better then a mediocre meal in the states. I've eaten in cafeterias, street vendors, cafes, pubs, in my apartment, and in bakeries.
The language barrier is rather difficult to overcome when ordering food. Usually you can pick out what type of meat is in the dish, which is usually Pork. What you get with the meat is usually a different story. There are so many varieties on the potato or dumplings and vegtables that it's difficult to determine what you will get. This can be fun at times and at others, when your extremely hungry, it can be frustrating.

Here's whats on the Menu!

Menu:

Breakfast usually consists of Cold Cuts on fresh rolls. And by fresh i mean they came out of the oven no more then 3 hours prior. These rolls can also be eaten with Nuttella, a sweet hazelnut chocolate spread, or fresh jams. Cereal is also common here, however it is a secondary item. It is usually unsweetened and you can almost taste the fiber in it. The milk can be very good at times and very strange at other times. They have milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated until it's been opened. This milk reminds me of a slightly expired watered down skim milk. They have this milk because their fresh milk spoils in a few days.

Typical Breakfast:



Lunch is usually the hot meal of the day here in Germany. Donor Kebabs are a delicious fast and cost effective lunch solution. I've been told it's very similar to the Gyro, though I've never had one. It consists of shaved meat, usually beef, put inside a panini type of bread, filled with onions, lettuce, cabbage, and tomatoes, then smothered in a herb ranch dressing and a brown sauce that i would call a spicy curry sauce.

At restaurants, you can order most Italian dishes such as spaghetti, lasagna, or pizza. In my recent trip to Bavaria, Southern Germany, I ordered a traditional Oktoberfest meal, the Half leg of Pork. Obviously, it's a half leg of pork in a beer sauce reduction with two potato dumplings. These dumplings were very unusual however. They had the texture of wet cornmeal and they tasted like something I've never had before. Thank god there was enough meat on the bone to fill me up.

I've also ordered traditional foods for lunch. Bratwurst and potatoes are a very common dish. The potatoes seem to be fried with bacon pieces and grease. They are very delicious.


Here in Leipzig, dinner usually consists of more cold cuts, a few chips, and a joghurt. I make my sandwich on fresh rolls from the bakery down the street with salami and swiss cheese, and of course spicy brown mustard. The chips here can be very unusual at times. Paprika flavored chips are very common. They taste like a combination between barbecue and ketchup flavors. I have also had Balsamic vinegar flavored. (delicious). As well as Chili flavored tortilla chips, which are like a fresh bag of doritos.

Dessert is usually some form of homemade ice cream with an extravagant number of flavors. Below is a picture of a typical ice cream shop.


The Germans pride themselves on freshness. Everything must be fresh for the day in the morning. They don't put preservatives in anything! When you order lunch meats, you maybe order enough for dinner and breakfast. They also seem to grocery shop everyday, at least in the city. Grocery bags are .42 per bag, therefore you are encouraged to bring your own bags, and you must carry home everything that you buy. I feel your pain chelle.

Drinks are very expensive, and there are no free refills of ANYTHING! Tap water is not served, and ice is not put in any drinks. And yes, it is true, Beer IS cheaper than water.

If you have any questions about any of this, comment at the bottom, and I will do my best to answer.

Guten Appetite!