It was mid-afternoon, Sunday, June 11, 1995, when I got my first glimpse of the city of Berlin. That was the year I went to Europe for the first time. My first German exchange student, Sebastian Holzhausen, had invited me to visit. And, we planned a three week driving tour of Europe.

As we entered Berlin, we drove down Kurfurstendamm…..the entire length from west to east. I was nervous….because Sebastian was nervous….. This was his first solo trip in his parents’ car. He had never been to Berlin before.. And, certainly, I had never been there before! As we drove down the wide avenue, Sebastian was tense. He really didn’t know where he was going……and neither did I. He didn’t want to get lost…..and neither did I. So my attention focused on his driving. Sebastian was very quiet as we drove along. I knew he was nervous…..and I didn’t want to do anything to exacerbate his uncertainty.

He found the youth hostel where we would stay for the next three nights with a minimum of trouble….and then we relaxed. We could afford to relax. After checking into the hostel and locking our possessions in a locker…..we set out to explore the city. We walked to a subway station about three blocks from the hostel…..and took it downtown. It was my first ride in a subway.

As I stepped out of the subway station, I got my first conscious view of Berlin. It was magnificent! If there really is such a thing as “falling in love at first sight”….this would be a textbook example. Although we had driven the same route only minutes earlier, I was too occupied to pay much, if any, attention to our surroundings. But, as I stepped out of the door at the Whittenburg Station and saw the Unity Sculpture and Kurfurstendamm….the beautiful tree-lined avenue in front of me…..I knew this was a place I was going to like. And like a lot.

It wasn’t until successive visits that I really got to know Berlin, though. That first trip, when I was with Sebastian H., we traveled everywhere by subway. From that time on, I never traveled on the subway system again……unless it was absolutely necessary….which, sometimes it is. Riding on the subway is very disorienting….especially for a first-time visitor who has not yet gotten his “bearings”. Underground, you have absolutely no sense of direction. And, those who know me know that I am very dependent on directions….north, south, east and west.

There is nothing to use as orientation points. All a person can see is darkness. There is no way to know where I was heading. I would emerge from the darkness of the subway tunnel into the bright light of the outdoors…..and have absolutely no idea where I was. If it was cloudy…..which is usually was during that trip…..I couldn’t even look at the position of the sun for orientation.

I am not sure why we didn’t use the city’s extensive city bus network….or the S-Bahn (above ground trains) system. I am assuming that Sebastian thought they were too slow. But…come on…..I was in no hurry. It has been said…..although I can’t prove it…..that you can ride on public transportation to any location in Berlin and be within 400 meters of your destination. I don’t know if this is true…..but I am sure it comes pretty close. Berlin has a magnificent public transportation system

In my opinion, city buses…..or trams in the eastern part of Berlin…..are the only way to travel. I can look out the windows….see landmarks….and see them repeatedly over a period of time. This gives a sense of order….or stability…..or familiarity….to the city. This enabled me to know and keep my directions…..and eventually learn my way around the city.

It turned out that one of the most important city buses stops about a block from our youth hostel…..a bus that could have taken us anywhere we wanted to go….with only a change or two. But we were completely oblivious to that fact. I marvel about that fact every time I go to Berlin. Every time this bus stops to pick up people. I look down the street and say, “That’s where we stayed the first three nights I was in Berlin.” Oh well…..

The moral is: If you are a permanent resident of Berlin, and if you are in a hurry, and if you already know where you are going, and if you don’t care about the surroundings, and if

directions mean nothing to you….then, by all means….take the subway. But….if none of the above things are true: If you are a first-time visitor, or if you are not in a hurry, or if you do not know where you are going, or if you do want to see your surroundings….or if you are dependent on directions……then always take a bus or a tram or the S-Bahn.

And, just for the record…..most people in Berlin…..most people in Germany….have no concept of north, south, east and west. It is quite obvious they were not born in Kansas.  And, I have only recently learned the concept of “right” and “left”. It took me a while to become savvy in the ways of Berlin transportation. Having been raised as a Kansas farm boy and having lived most of my life in the Midwest, I consider myself a fairly polite, civil person. I open doors for women; I always let them go before me; I help them when and if they need help. And….I always do the same for old people, too. Oh wait…..that’s me! I am the old person.

During my earliest experiences with traveling on a bus or subway or tram in Berlin, I tended to stand back and let other people go first….especially women….and more especially, older women. But, after finding myself standing in the aisle holding on to an overhead strap or bar…..or finding myself still on the outside of the bus when it took off, I began to reevaluate my strategy. When boarding any public transportation, it is literally “every man for himself”. I learned that if I wanted a good seat…..or any seat, at all…..I had to become more aggressive….and maybe just a little cold-hearted. I began to rescind some of my chivalrous habits and tried to assume some of the aggressive nature of a native Berliner. For a while, I felt guilty about crowding in front of somebody else….but, the guilt feeling didn’t linger very long. Back in the “old days” my exchange student would get a seat….and then hold the one next to him for me. But, it wasn’t very long before I was “out German-ing” them….and I was the one who found a seat….and held the one next to me for them.

Berlin has made it possible to see most of the historical sights easily. By riding two different city buses, a person can see probably 80% of the most important historical sites in the city. The 100 bus and the 200 bus have been intentionally routed past these buildings and landmarks. Make no mistake about it…..there are hundreds of things to see and do in Berlin. But, if you take these two buses, you can come back home and (almost) pretend be an authentic authority on Berlin: The Brandenburg Gate. The Reichstag Building, the State Opera, Humboldt University, the German Museum….. Before the Berlin Wall came down, most of these buildings were located in East Berlin and were not accessible to most tourists. Probably the only old historical building which was located in West Berlin was the Reichstag Building. The newly built Berlin Philharmonic building was on the West side…..as was the Museum of Modern Art, Bellevue Palace and the Tiergarten park. But, now the city and nation are unified, so there is East or West Berlin. On my first trip to Berlin in 1995, I think Sebastian H. was very reluctant to venture very far into the former East Berlin. Old habits seem to linger. On subsequent visits, however, I discovered that there is truly no East or West…..it is all one unified city. No STASI agents were lurking in the shadows waiting to whisk me away to a secret prison for interrogation. Nobody was secretly plotting my every move. If there was….it was probably our NSA or CIA. (If I suddenly disappear….you now know what probably happened to me!

It took me a while to realize that these two buses are really city “tour buses”. One or two times, we paid $15 or $20 to ride on a commercial tour bus that took us to the exact same places. But for a $3 or $4 daily transportation pass, you can go anywhere in the city…..on any type of public transportation. Once the light in my brain turned on, I never paid for another tour bus. The transportation schedules are complicated….at least to me. They are generally posted at every transportation stop. I rely entirely on my German students to decipher them…..which they do with no problem. They have been doing it all their lives. But….on the other hand…..I can read a map….something I had to teach most of them. So….yeah. I really believe that some form of city transportation will take you to within 400 meters of your destination…..no matter where you choose to go in Berlin. I have never tested this theory…..but I can imagine that it is fairly close to being true. There are over 1000 miles of bus lines; more than than 200 miles of S-Bahm lines; more than 90 miles of subway lines; and about 120 miles of tram lines. Now…come on. That is a lot of miles. That many miles can get you from Kansas to the Oregon Coast……not quite, but almost. Of course, this is when knowing how to read the transportation tables comes in handy. All forms of transportation chris-cross the city….east to west; north to south. Knowing how to make sense of the transportation tables is a valuable skill to learn…..one that I have yet to master.

Sometime when I am in Berlin, I would like to take a day or two and just ride around on buses all day. I will get on the bus at its starting point…..probably the Zoo Station….and stay on it to its ending point. And….then ride back to the Zoo Station. If I see something that looks interesting, I will get off the bus….look around for a while….and get back on the bus and continue on the journey. To me that sounds like fun…..an interesting way to explore the different neighborhoods of Berlin. And, maybe I will even discover some offbeat intriguing site that didn’t make it into the guide books. Yes….I know, this probably doesn’t sound very exciting to most people….and I may have a few problems convincing my Germans that it is a good idea….but I think it may be a fun thing to do. Berlin is a conglomeration of neighborhoods….just like many big cities. And, each of the neighborhoods has its own distinct personality, and there is a different “feel” or “vibe” to each of them. There are several ethnic conclaves within the city…..

Kreuzberg being one of the most prominent. Kreuzberg is predominately made up of people of Turkish descent….although it is rapidly being gentrified and becoming one of hotspots of development. The Turkish population of Berlin amounts to somewhere around 200,000 people. Berlin has the largest Turkish population anywhere outside of Istanbul, Turkey.

Berlin has a population of around 3.4 million people living with its borders. But, the entire Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area has around 6 million people. So….yes….it is a large city (larger than anything in Kansas, at least)….but it comes nowhere near the masses that inhabit such cities as New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai….

It is a comfortably large, manageable city. There are people from 180 different countries living there. In fact, about 30% of the population is foreign born. Maybe one of the factors what makes Berlin not seem like such a crowded city is the fact that it covers over 340 square miles of land area. Now…Paris…..just for comparison…..occupies only 40.7 square miles. How about that, sports fans? But….the population of Paris is less than 3 million…..so I suppose that is a mitigating factor……but not much. With so many nationalities and ethnic groups represented in Berlin, it is not difficult to find a restaurant from a different nationality almost every night of the week for more than a month! And, that is exactly what we did during my trip to Berlin in 2013. We made it our mission to eat in at least one restaurant from a different country every day I spent in Berlin…..and I was there for three weeks. The next time I go to Berlin, I am pretty sure that I can take up where I left off and not have to repeat any of the nationalities for another three weeks. Eating different kinds of exotic food is interesting. If you are strictly a Big Mac kind of person….or if you have no sense of adventure……then eating at random foreign restaurants is probably not your thing. These are not Big Mac sort of place; they are not steak and potatoes type of places. You will soon learn that there are lots of foods….served  in a lot of different ways….containing a lot of unfamiliar ingredients…..out there just waiting for you to try them.

One Sunday afternoon, Sebastian B. and his wife, and myself ate in an Ethiopian restaurant. We sat down, ordered our food….sort of a random choice, since none of us had been the Ethiopia…..and waited. Usually one of the first things a waiter does is to bring the silverware or other eating utensils. The food was brought to our table…..and still no knives or forks. Ethiopians do not use eating utensils. They eat with their fingers. Now…..that is MY kind of restaurant.

Oliver and I went to an Arab restaurant one Sunday evening. One of the first things we usually do upon entering a restaurant is to order a beer to drink…..especially after 5:00…. Beer is actually cheaper than most soft drinks. We looked through the entire menu….twice. We looked at the signs on the walls. No beer. Then we asked the Arab waiter. No beer….. And, then it dawned on me. “Wake up, Beryl! This is an Arab restaurant. They are Muslims. They don’t drink alcohol!” So, we ordered a soft drink and waited until later for our first beer of the evening.

The evening we dined at a Korean restaurant, everything was so strange that we simply asked the waitress to bring us some “typical” Korean food….the kind she would eat at home. She brought out an impressive array of food…..none of which was very familiar. It had an egg on top….and that may have been all I recognized. But, it was delicious. We asked for the most popular Korean beer. She brought each of us a bottle of Sojou….(I am not sure that is how you spell it, though). Whatever….. She said it is the beer of preference for young people in Korea…..probably because it will get them drunk the quickest. Anyway….it tasted very much like rubbing alcohol. Maybe after a while, we could have developed a taste for it. If you drink enough of it, you probably won’t care what it tastes like!

This happened to us in more than one restaurant. Ask the waiter….or owner….in many cases the same person…..for some authentic local food…..and they are more than willing to accommodate you. When you are finished eating, he (or she) will invariably ask how you liked it. Always….and I mean Always…..say it was delicious. First of all, this is simply good manners. Second of all, it makes the owner feel good. And, third, it promotes a little bit of good will toward the United States. Let’s face it…..in many places, the USA needs all the good will it can generate. But, all of these eating places seemed to be authentic. None of them were in the usual tourist areas. We chose restaurants in the more out-of-the-way places…..places where I doubt if many Americans ever venture. And, almost without fail, we were welcomed warmly….and showered with attention.

Every time I go to Berlin, I like to discover something new…..whether it be a new restaurant, a new section of the city, a new and interesting site, a new art gallery….. But, one rule I have pretty much established for myself…..and I pretty much follow…..is to find one or two places…..bars and restaurants…..that I return to night after night. It is amazing to observe the contrast in the quality of service that takes place. It will change from polite indifference to a cordial welcome within a couple nights. Germans may be….or act like….rude people when you first meet them. But, once they become familiar with you…..this indifference quickly turns to welcoming acceptance…..and excellent service

. There are hundreds of bars in Berlin…..maybe even thousands. Actually, I supposed we could say that almost every restaurant in Berlin is also a bar…..(although the reverse cannot be said.) Most of the “popular” bars feature loud music….sometimes recorded and sometimes live…..and they are expensive. These bars are frequented mostly by young people who like loud music….and loud electronic music, at that. And, they are probably not aware that they will gradually grow deaf if they persist in going there for very many years. But….they go there to have “fun”…..to see and be seen. But, on the other hand, they are also going to develop very strong lungs and vocal cords learning to shout over the deafening music. Either that…..or they will go away with a severe case of laryngitis. Usually, however, one would not go to such a bar to “talk” anyway. Most of these clubs and bars don’t even get rocking until most normal people have already gone to bed. And….did I say that they are expensive?

I have gone of a couple of these bars…..but I quickly recognized they are not for me. Somehow I don’t get a lot of pleasure shouting at somebody for a few hours…..and having them shout at me in return. I prefer the quiet neighborhood bar….a place where people go to see their friends and talk and argue and watch a soccer game on TV. Most….or a lot….of the people know each other…..and they are generally friendly, safe places. We most commonly choose a bar within easy walking distance of our apartment…..and there is always a bar within walking distance!

If there is no soccer game on TV, most bars play recorded music in the background….mostly just to muffle voices and so people can talk privately and without being heard. Rarely does one find the blaring, high decibel music that is played in the “hip” bars and clubs…..or the so-called “discos”. And about seventy-five percent of the time, the music is going to be “oldies”….and American oldies, at that. Maybe they do it in honor of me! No, I doubt that. Germans simply like old American music.

Most…..or a majority….of “bars”….as contrasted to eating establishments…stay open very late. Many all night. It is not uncommon for us to be going back to our apartment about sunrise…..about the time that everybody else is waking up. Bars….at least the dozens of bars that I have been in….are safe, congenial places to sit and talk. I don’t know how many bars I have visited in Berlin….or Germany…..but, I know it is more than I can count on my fingers…..and my toes. . During all this time I have spent in a wide variety of bars…..in many areas of the city…..I have never witnessed a fight! Or any kind of violent behavior, for that matter. In fact, I am trying to recall if I have ever actually seen a drunk….inebriated….person making a fool of himself. I am not naïve enough to think that it doesn’t happen….somewhere. But, it has never happened in a bar where I

have been. One reason for this, I think, is the fact that alcohol does not have the “forbidden fruit” allure that it has here in the USA. People start drinking at a much younger age in Germany. For example, wine is a staple part of a meal in many German homes. Most German grow up not experiencing the “mystery” or “taboo” that is attached to alcohol that the young people in this country are accustomed to. It’s no big deal. It is available from a very young age…..and thrill is just not there. I think the only Germans who I have ever seen drunk….in public….are low-class soccer fans on the day of a soccer game. Somehow, they seem to take their rivalries rather seriously.

One aspect of Berlin…..and Germany….life is the abundance of open-air, sidewalk bars, cafes, coffee shops….. When the weather is warm enough, they are everywhere! Germans love to sit and talk, argue, read a book or a newspaper, talk on their cell phone….or just sit and do nothing….. As for me….I like to sit and talk…..and to do nothing. I am not the arguing type of person. And all of the newspapers are written in German. But, it is pleasant to sit and sip a cup of coffee…in the daytime….and a glass of beer at night…..and talk to whomever I am with at the time….and just watch the people and the traffic pass by.

If you sit long enough, you will see just about everything. You will receive an education in human behavior. There are poor people and rich people, young people and old people; couples; people walking their dog; people waving signs; people mumbling to themselves; people preaching or ranting about something; punks with their weirdly colored hair; kids wearing the latest American fashions. And……of course, the traffic. Sitting in a sidewalk bar is not without its risks…..and without its drama for people like me who really do not know exactly what is happening. One sunny afternoon, Frank and I were sitting in an outdoor bar in Alexanderplatz near the World Clock. Of course, Frank did all the ordering. Like always I just stood there like a puppet while he ordered a couple beers and paid for them. We sat there talking and watching the people. Alexanderplatz is a great place for people watching.

When we got ready to leave, I stood up and started to walk away. Frank stopped me and said, “Take your beer mug with you. “Really?” I asked. “Are you sure it’s OK?” “Yes,” Frank assured me. “I paid for them when I paid for the beer.” “Wow!” I thought. “This is a good deal. This is a good souvenir to take back home.” We walked about ten or twelve feet, and I heard angry shouts. Again…..I don’t speak German, so I had no idea what was happening. Actually, it never occurred to me that the yelling was being directed at us. I turned around to see the waitress running after us….shouting angrily. And until you have been shouted at by an angry German woman, you really don’t know what it is like to really be shouted at. We stopped. I stopped only because Frank did. After some words between them, Frank looked rather embarrassed and said, “We have to give the mugs back.” As often happens….there had been a misunderstanding. Frank thought he had paid for the mugs. But, it turned out that he only paid a deposit on them. And, I don’t remember if he ever got the deposit back or not. As for me…..I felt like an idiot with people staring at us like we were common criminals. Needless to say, we did not linger around Alexanderplatz much longer that afternoon. And….we certainly did not stop at that outdoor bar again!

On another occasion, a minor incident of another sort happened while Oliver and I were sitting in an outside bar near the Brandenburg Gate. Each of us had a glass of beer, and we were sitting, talking….and watching the people walk and drive past. The area where we were sitting…..between the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag Building…..is a busy tourist area…..a perfect place for people watching. The bar was filled with people, most of whom were drinking beer….although a few of them may have been drinking coffee.

I was comfortably slumped back in my chair, enjoying the sunshine and the beautiful weather. Suddenly a gust of wind hit us…..and before I could react, I found my glass of beer in my lap! This didn’t happen to Oliver….or anybody else….only me. Somehow I think most of the people sitting around us were probably tourists. Why do I think that? If they had been Germans, I am sure they would have found the situation to be hilarious and would have gotten a good….and long….laugh. For some reason, it seems that many Germans find other people’s embarrassing misfortunes to be comical and funny. While most people are uncomfortable and sympathetic to these sorts of incidents……and usually look down or pretend they do not see what is happening…..or they volunteer to help……Germans seem to find them funny and often laugh long and loud. To me, as a civilized, polite American….I find this to be rude, crude and inconsiderate. But, many Germans don’t seem to understand it that way. At any rate, a waitress brought a towel so we could clean up the mess……and so I could get dried off. She did not, however, volunteer to give me another glass of beer as a replacement.

By far the most serious….and frightening….culinary experience took place in an Indian restaurant. It was a cold day. Sebastian B. and I were sightseeing on Oranienburger Str., This an interesting street on the near north side. The New Jewish Synagog, the old Post Office Building, the Hackeche Hof…lots of bars, restaurants….and people. It is one of the “hip” sections of Berlin . It was getting to be late in the morning, so Sebastian and I decided to eat lunch in an Indian restaurant. It was a pleasant place. We were the only two customers in the restaurant at the time. We seated ourselves in a booth in the front of the restaurant near the door. Our young waiter….and he may have been the owner, too….we never did find out…..was chatting with his wife and his young son. They were getting ready to leave, and he was saying good-bye to his son. Actually, it was a rather touching scene. Obviously, they were a happy couple, and it was easy to see that their little boy occupied an important place in their life.

After the wife and child left, he came to us, still smiling. We asked him what he would recommend, since neither of us was familiar with Indian food. He pointed out a meal that he thought we would enjoy…..and left to place our order. He came back a few minutes later….still smiling….and said that they were going to prepare the meat in a different way than usual. They were going to put it on a charcoal grill instead of the gas stove like they usually did.

“This is the first time they have done it this way. It will taste much better,” he assured us, rather proudly, I think. We ate the meal. Before we left the restaurant, Sebastian said he was going to use the restroom. After he got back, I decided it was probably best if I went, too…..not knowing when I would have another chance. On my way back to our table, I passed by the kitchen. I heard some very loud, excited conversation taking place. I had no idea what they were talking about. When I got back to our table, I asked Sebastian what they were saying. It seems that there was a fire in the kitchen.

Seconds later, the waiter reappeared. This time he was not smiling. He told Sebastian that the kitchen was on fire…..apparently caused by the charcoal. We sat there for maybe fifteen seconds, and Sebastian looked at me and asked, “What shall we do?”

“Let’s get out of here!” I said. Around this time, heavy smoke began to come from the kitchen. The waiter was shooing us out with his hands…..as if we needed any encouragement. Sebastian said something like, “Shall we take our coats?”

“YES!” I replied, grabbing my own coat.   By this time smoke was billowing out of the kitchen. The waiter stopped us on the way out and asked Sebastian something….rather urgently. Sebastian was patiently explaining something to him…..as I stood there expecting to be barbecued alive at any minute. When we got outside on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, I asked Sebastian what he and the waiter were talking about. It turned out that the waiter had no idea how to call the fire department…..and Sebastian was giving him rather detailed (I thought) directions on how to do it. In fact, thinking back on the incident, I think maybe it was Sebastian who finally called the fire department on his cell phone.

In a short time, flames and black smoke were coming out a window to the side of the restaurant….presumably from the kitchen. By this time, a crowd of on lookers was gathering on the sidewalk and in the street outside the restaurant…..proving, I suppose, that it is not only people in small towns who are attracted to fire….but  fires have a sort of universal allure. We stayed around and watched for a while….. Of course, there was nothing we could do. I wanted so badly to take some pictures. But, at the time, that did not seem to be a very nice or appropriate thing to do.

Sebastian asked if we should pay for our meal! Actually, in all the excitement, I really hadn’t considered that possibility. We gave the waiter….who was standing by helplessly, just like us….a bill that was more than adequate to pay for our food. At first, he declined it…..but it didn’t take very much persuasion from us before he finally accepted it. We told him how sorry we were…..and left. For a while, I felt rather guilty about the fire. After all, they had used charcoal especially for us to prepare our meal….. It was obviously an experiment. The food was, in fact, very delicious. But….on the other hand, we hadn’t requested it…..and they had done it voluntarily. I rather doubt if they ever used this method again…..

There is a totally unrelated mistake that a  novice visitor to Berlin commonly makes. I know I did. Never assume that just because everybody is speaking German….and after all that is their native language….they do not also speak….and understand….English. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that just because you cannot understand what they are saying, they cannot understand that YOU are saying. On one of my early trips to Berlin, Sebastian and I ate most our meals in a restaurant quite near the hotel where we were staying. Each day we would go there….and each day the same woman took our order. Sebastian did all of the talking. I am sure I made comments not only on the food….but probably on other things, too. She seemed to ignore me….dealing only with Sebastian. This reinforced my belief that she did not understand English.

On the fourth day we went there, we sat down in our usual place. But this time, instead of talking to Sebastian, she looked at me, and asked me in almost perfect English what I wanted to order. Needless to say, I was startled….and a little speechless. I managed to tell her what I wanted…..and then I asked her where she learned to speak such good English. Had she lived in the USA….or England? “No,” she said, “I always wanted to speak English, so I went to language school.” Just to make sure she knew other things besides the menu, I talked to her a few minutes….just friendly chatter. Yes…..she really spoke English…..and very good English, too. As soon as she left our table to place our order, I asked Sebastian if we had made any comments about her….or about anything…..that could have been offensive. Neither of us could remember exactly what we had said…..but apparently all of it had been good. At least, she continued to be friendly to me…..and always spoke in English after that. I don’t know…..maybe she was just testing me. If she was….we apparently passed the test.

No matter what hour of the day or night…..there is always a place to eat or drink in Berlin. It may be a small outside cafe with only a couple tables….or it could be a large fancy restaurant….or maybe you prefer a crowded noisy bar. As for me….give me a familiar, friendly neighborhood bar with music playing in the background….just loud enough to disguise and obscure surrounding conversations….a safe place where we can talk late into the night…..a place where we are greeted with a friendly smile.

But, while you are in Berlin, don’t forget that one of the most convenient and quickest places to eat…..and some of the most exotic and tasty food….are the sidewalk curry wurst vendors and the doner Kabap stands. Both of these snack foods are ubiquitous throughout the city.

Kabap originated in Turkey…..and naturally followed the burgeoning Turkish immigrant population when they arrived in Germany. Curry wurst, on the other hand, is said to be indigenous to Berlin….and something that Berliners are rightfully proud of. There is even a curry wurst museum tracing its history….or development….or rise in popularity. For those of you who have not eaten curry wurst….and if you have not been to Germany, you probably haven’t. Maybe you have tasted what may be passed off as curry wurst….and imitation knock off. But only in Germany….in Berlin…..will you be treated to the real thing. Curry wurst is essentially German wurst….or sausage. The sausages are steamed first, then fried and cut into little sections……with curry sauce on top of it….and served with french fried potatoes. They are almost always eaten with tiny disposable plastic forks. This is not a meal. It is a snack food…..much like a hamburger is here in the USA. I have heard people say….and I have seen it written…..that Germans couldn’t care less about “diet” food. Maybe overall this is partially true. I have never seen a “diet” menu or a “low fat” or “low salt” menu in a German restaurant. But, it is certainly possible to buy low fat and low salt food in grocery stores. I don’t know if anybody besides me buys it, however. But, I have experienced little difficulty buying “no fat” or “low fat” milk. And, the same is true for sliced meat and cheese. On the other hand….it is quite easy to order vegetarian food in Germany. I never have…..but the sister of one of my former students is vegetarian, and she has never had a problem finding it.

Speaking of cheese. When buying sliced cheese in Germany, you won’t find the little conveniently individually wrapped slices of processed cheese….imitation cheese. The cheese you buy in Germany is the real thing….authentic cheese….and a huge variety of them. Most German are appalled at the thought of eating the chemically produced cheese. One final story comes to mind when I think about food in Germany. On my first trip to German….the one back in 1995 with Sebastian H….. On our first night in Berlin, we went to a restaurant to eat. I asked him to order me something that was “typically German”….something a native would be likely to eat. He did…..and when it arrived at our table, I took one look at it and exclaimed, “What IS this stuff?” It was

something called Eisbein….or something like that. It was almost pure fat! Certainly at least 90% fat. It was inedible! It was repellant! Pure fat? I get sick now even thinking about it. I picked out the lean meat….probably less than 10%…..and left the rest of it on the plate. Man….people complain about McDonald’s food being high in fat. Their food is health food compared to this! But… I was comforted in later years when subsequent students told me they would never think of eating it…..and their mothers would never even consider serving it at home.

Well….if I sound like one of those food critics on one of the cooking shows….in my own mind, I probably am….but only for myself. And….NO….I do not intend to write some sort of restaurant guide for Berlin. Everybody likes what he likes…..not what other people tell him to like. As a general rule, I try to avoid the “popular” places….the “in” places. The only thing different you are going to find there are vastly inflated prices, ear-piercing music and suffocating crowds of people trying to be hip.

I am content not to be “hip”. I will choose the friendly, neighborhood bar or restaurant any day of the year. Places where I can relax and mingle with “real” Germans