Here in Germany, food is something exciting to experience. Here are a few observations of mine:
Eating as a family is somewhat important, and it seems to be more common than in America.
Bread is a part of everyday life. It is consumed with every meal, and sometimes, it IS the meal! Frühstück/breakfast, for instance. Families either keep a stock of different breads (usually sliced), or send someone out every morning to the closest Bäckerei (trust me- no matter where you are, a bakery will never be too far) to fetch some fresh Brötchen. Brötchen are plain white dinner rolls that can be eaten with marmalade, butter, nutella, meats and cheeses, etc. Watch out, though- some Germans find it strange, or "American" to combine meat and cheese on bread. They like one or the other.
Another thing that raised some eyebrows in my family was the presence of chips on the same plate where my sandwich rested. What a strange combination, they said. The presence of any fruit (berries, pears, grapefruit) in a salad is also unthinkable, but after tasting it, they usually come around.
The milk here is always pasteurized- so much, in fact, that it doesn't need to be refrigerated! It is usually kept in the basement, in waxed paper cartons, until needed in the kitchen.
Many adults drink "kakao," known to Americans as chocolate milk. There are many variation on Nesquik here, and German men like to keep a carton handy to get their chocolate fix at breakfast. All I can think of when I see this is "inner child inner child inner child!"
Germans also take their coffee very seriously. Nearly every home I've been in so far has had a fancy coffee machine, plus a standard coffee maker and an electric kettle for boiling water. I guess you need some backup in case of emergency.
It is much easier here than in America to find organic, or "bio" foods. It's also somewhat cheaper, so many people can afford to eat produce that is pesticide-free. At the large supermarkets, there is usually a great bio selection. My host family also shops at a bio farm once every week. It's a neat little family run business.
Potatoes are very popular here, but potato skins are not. It's just a custom, but I read somewhere once that it started more or less because of the Chernobyl incident, because the radiation was so widespread, and produce in Europe comes from all around the continent. Who knows. I was always told that all of the vitamins and minerals reside in the peel.
I am astounded at the price of alcohol here. Of course, alcohol imported from America is expensive, but everything made in Europe is really quite cheap. Premium wine from Spain or Italy? No problem - seven bucks for a nice bottle. Three bucks for table wine, which beats the pants off of American box wine. The beer situation is neat, too. Germans, especially Bavarians, have stringent Reinheitsgebot (purity regulations) for their beer, so one can be sure that he's drinking a quality product made with the best ingredients. Prost!
As a huge fun of marzipan, I am happy to report that it is ubiquitous, cheap and fresh here. I was lucky enough to visit Lübeck with my host family, where the best marzipan in Europe comes from. There I saw more marzipan figurines and flavors than I'd ever imagined could be possible.
One small disappointment here is that bacon doesn't really exist. One can buy a small container of bacon cubes for cooking, but I have yet to hear of or see any strips of bacon.
13.11.11 Correction: After extensive searching, I found American style bacon at a large grocery store. Life is good.
