It was about 10:00 on a Saturday morning, and the three of us stomped down the stairs. We were heading to Düsseldorf to get Chris' wardrobe interview-ready. On our way out the door, we ran into Herr Pieper, which was most likely not accidental, since he and his wife love bestowing Daisy with pocketfuls of gummi bears. "Going out for breakfast?" he asked. We answered that we'd already eaten and that we were going shopping. He concluded, "Oh, you've already picked up your brötchen!" Not having the spunk to go further with the conversation - it was in German, after all - we kind of shrugged and laughed and left. The truth was that I had made our standard bran muffins with smoothies for breakfast and we didn't make the traditional German Saturday morning trip to the bakery. This is not the only way in which we transgress German eating habits.
There's a word in German for Evening Bread: Abendbrot. At first, I thought it was just a poetic name for dinner, but I've discovered that it specifically refers to the bread everyone eats at dinner time, the core of the evening meal. In other words, kind of like breakfast? - I once asked (if you've ever had a hotel breakfast in Germany, you know what I mean!). The answer is yes.
Last night, I was invited to stay at my friend Trixi's house for Abendbrot. It is definitely not a thing to be excited about, but I could hardly wait. Here's how Trixi prepared it: First, she pulled out the basket they keep their bread in. Next, she withdrew two large containers from the fridge: one full of different cheeses (goat, French, swiss, herbed), the other full of different meats (including the kind of spreadable meat that I can't quite get into). Then, she cut up a cucumber and red pepper. Wine for the adults, apple juice for the kids, and voila: dinner is served. We literally passed the tupperwares and at the end of the night, there were just plates and knives to clean. I'm a believer.
There are a couple of German singularities that help this kind of dinner work. The first is lunch. Trixi's family's daily ritual is the big family meal at 2:00. It's understandable because kids are out of school by then and most shops and businesses have a decent lunch break. Chili con carne, meat and potatoes, stews, or casseroles are prepared then, sometimes by Trixi and sometimes by Dietmar, depending on their work schedules. The second difference is the custom of coffee & cakes at around 5:00, the equivalent of teatime. It makes a lot of sense, right? You eat your dessert when you're not too full! You don't pour on calories right before you sleep. In the end, you've still eaten the traditional American foods: sandwiches, big dinner, yummy dessert. You've just completely mixed up the order in a way that encourages more relaxation at nighttime.
When I shared that Chris and I eat sandwiches for lunch then cook bigger dinners, Trixi's first reaction was concern for my health. Her next reaction was amazement that I would have the energy to cook at 6 PM. It's great to have these sorts of interactions; it's one of the main reasons I ever thought it would be fun to live in a new country.
Even though I am aware that the big lunch thing won't really exist in our future, I've decided to try out Abendbrot during these next couple of weeks when Chris is gone. Today, Daisy and I made some pizza for lunch. I am excited to cut up an apple and pull out our bakery bread whenever we get hungry later tonight. It won't interrupt whatever painting or playing we're doing at the moment, and I'll probably be able to get her in the bath for once. Oh yeah, and I forgot about the coffee and cookies that I get to have in a few hours. Welcome to my life, Enjoyable Evenings!
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