Having taken German courses since high school, I was always told that most of the stereotypes about Germany were quite false: beer for every meal, talking replaced with really intimidating yelling, lots of sausage, etc. Upon my arrival, I still was shocked by the similarity of German culture to that of the United States.
After my first couple of hours in the country, I wondered what was really so different about Europe. I mean, what made traveling through Europe worthwhile at all if it were merely like visiting different states in the U.S.? Well it’s been said that the best way to get to know a person is to eat with him/her, and I saw that this doubles for culture as well.
When I first made my way down Pontstraße in Aachen--the premier street for student eating--I was enamored with the medieval cobblestone path lined with most every type of typical food possible. One could eat pizza (with a fork and knife), gaze into the sky pierced by a parapet from the ancient and breathtaking cathedral, while hearing students converse in German about the latest soccer match.
Among the food I already had eaten, I absolutely fell in love with Dönner (Kebab). I always thought that the U.S was the only place with a truly mixed culture, but just tasting the Turkish-inspired Dönner quickly made me realize I had been quite wrong.
Another surprise for me was the ice cream. I am not sure if it has a different sugar or milk content, but the ice cream was simply amazing. I’d like to think cows in Europe are generally happier for some reason, so produce better milk.
Other food, however (in particular the Chinese eateries), tasted exactly the same as it would have in the U.S.
Quite surprisingly, getting what Americans would consider traditional German food is really not that easy. I have had schnitzel (pork cutlet) once so far, but even that is really Austrian.
But to return to my original question, it seems that what really differentiates Germany from the United States is the complete mixture of time and place. The food is a testament to the mixture of cultures (place), but the mixture of time is a bit more subtle. It is easy to miss the fork lift in the same plane of view as the cathedral, but when one thinks about the fact that the land where I sit (while chowing on lamb) has been trodden by people continuously for thousands of years, the idea is truly breath taking.