Archives for June 2018

This topic deserves its own post…

First, the ice cream is amazing here. Creamy, flavorful, and best of all: each scoop is only an euro at most places. One euro!!! That’s crazy cheap. There’s an ice cream cafe down the street from our apartments and it’s called Oak & Ice. Not only are the aesthetics of the shop on point (with hanging plants, wooden furnishings, and a cozy feeling entrance) but the ice cream is absolutely the best I’ve ever tried. Arguably, it’s better than the Bent Spoon in Princeton and that’s hard to beat. I tried both the pistachio and dark chocolate flavors, and they’re each so creamy and decadent.

In general, groceries and food in Germany are really cheap. From fresh groceries to frozen food, barely anything will be over 4 euros,  unless you’re eating fancy feasts. Cauliflower is 88 cents in euros, a box of champignons mushrooms will cost about 1, 19 euros. Frozen pizza medium size is 1, 99 euros for a pack of three! And they’re really good quality as well.

Back to the pork sandwich.. It’s a local specialty here. Eating raw pork is normal, either as a spread by itself or in a sandwich with onions and crispy bread. People might think it’s gross, but the pork tastes great. It’s a little bit salty, and the onions sweeten it up. Most bakeries have the sandwich, and luckily my local one, Kamps (two minutes away from the hotel) has it so I can get one every morning before class starts. The raw pork reminds me of tuna tartare, only less salty or fishy. I also happen to love pork, so this is perfect for me.

 

 

 

People are not joking when they say that beer is cheaper than water-it really is! I’ve been to many places where the beer would be 1, 50 euros and the water would be a whole one or two euros more. Also, ice cold water isn’t really a thing here and combined with no air conditioning anywhere, it’s definitely taking some effort and time to get used to. Every time I walk into a store expecting a blast of cold air, I’m greeted with heat instead.

Besides that, I’ve had some great street food here: kebabs (doners) and currywurst with pommes (fries). Their kebabs are like Germany’s version of the fat sandwich: great anytime of the day, amazing after midnight hits. There’s just something so tasty about the meat glistening after being shaved off the poles, the heaps of toppings (cabbage, red cabbage, onions, tomatoes), and the crispy, freshly toasted bread with sesame seeds. Not to mention, the garlic and mild sauces are divine combined with everything else.

Currywurst is interesting, there’s an almost ketchup like sauce that drenches the bratwurst. Curry powder is then sprinkled on top and fries are usually served with ketchup and mayo on the side. A rather creative way to dress up the bratwurst..

There are also a surprising amount of Vietnamese restaurants in Berlin. They serve pho and the usual spring and summer roll options, but also use a different type of noodle than back in the US. It’s a thicker, wider strip of noodle but still delicious nevertheless. The picture shown is of a noodle dish without the soup, served with house fish sauce on the side.

Since sparkling water is the norm here, they also serve a variety of sparkling drinks. Apel Schorle is super popular, and it’s basically a sparkling apple cider. Any juices without the carbonation would be “saft”: ex. would be apelsaft.

 

 

I miss the food back at home of course, but with so many choices in Berlin alone, I’m sure the next few weeks will go by quickly (as well my euros).