My time in Germany was very well spent. I got to go to the zoo to see animals, I saw state-of-the-art microbiology labs, and best of all, I got to try a lot of good food. My favorite traveling activity of all time is trying local and national food. During my free time of parading around the city of Berlin, I made sure to try things I couldn’t try at home (this included country-specific fast food items, I had to try it all). I only had 10 days to explore the city and the food, so I made sure to get a little taste of everything.
- This picture shows the first German meal I had in Berlin. On the first day of the trip, we had a class dinner that included an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Unfortunately, I was only able to capture a picture of the entree, but it doesn’t make this dining experience any less great in my memory. The entire theme of the restaurant was traditionally German (possibly from a tourist’s point of view). The waiters wore traditional wear, and there were beer barrels decorating the restaurant. My entree was something called Käsespätzle. For simplicity, I call it German mac and cheese. It included bacon bits and chopped-up scallions. and fried onions sprinkled on the top. It tasted exactly how it was described, great! This was a strong introductory dish. 10/10!
2. Very American of me. McDonald’s, but not any regular one, a German one. I tend to be very fascinated with fast food chains and the differences they have from country to country. I found this McDonald’s to be very different. They had many different options, but I chose to go the basic route for a basic comparison. I got chicken nuggets, lime shaker fries, cherry kiss fizzler, curry sauce, sweet & sour sauce, and something called senf sauce. All of these combined made for a great quick meal. The lime shaker fries were a great spicy & sour addition to the meal. The curry and senf sauce were both new to me. The curry sauce was a little sweet, and the senf sauce tasted similar to fry sauce. The Cherry Kiss Fizzler was Sprite with a sour cherry flavoring and cold foam, which was great to wash it down with. 10/10!
3. Although I had a lot of food in Berlin, I had to end with one of the most popular dishes in Berlin, the currywurst. On one of my last days in Berlin, I went on a food tour, and one of the stops was at a famous restaurant that sold currywurst. At first I was a little scared. I’m not that big a fan of sausages, but I was pleasantly surprised. The sausages were chopped into bite-sized pieces and covered with the red sauce pictured (not sure what it was, but it was very similar to ketchup but somehow better) and sprinkled with curry powder. For the most part, most of the curry flavor came from the powder on top, but it was still prominent. Definitely a must-try when visiting. 10/10!
Besides being a foodie, I am also greatly interested in exploring different cultures. As someone who grew up in an ethnically diverse area, trying food from different cultures is my favorite way to explore. Food is one of the cultural factors where you can find the most similarities and differences between cultures. It shows how connected or disconnected your culture is from another. In any case, food can bring people together. In my case, it brought me closer to German culture, especially Berliner culture, and fully immersed me in my experience.