World Food Thursdays

Country No. 24: Germany

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Venue: Bavarian BeerHaus

Date: 4.8.16

Attendees: Ben, Kim, Lee (venue chosen by Kim)

£30 a head

 

And so to Germany. Questionable priorities meant that only three out of eight participants descended into the madness that is the Bavarian BeerHaus to recreate the Ocktoberfest atmosphere and sample some imported delicacies. At least those who did show up adhered to the stereotype and all turned up on the dot of 7.30. When all is lost Germany will surely still have their punctuality. Hopefully their food will be a distant memory.

 

Ben kicked off proceedings ordering a dish of pickled sausage served with a pretzel to accompany his dark lager. The pretzel arrived cold, a bit stale, and with none of the trademark pretzel taste. The sausage that accompanied it was thinly sliced and more than little bit odd. Oh well, the full complement of gastronaughts were now assembled and that meant the fun could really begin. Lee pushed the boat out and ordered a lager, Kim abstained from drinking. It was then revealed that Ben was going on his stag do the very next day which meant that the delights of the main courses were accompanied by tasty shots.

 

Having sampled the sausage it was swiftly agreed that ordering should be kept to a minimum. With literally one non-pork, non-red meat option on the menu and no vegetarian options at all Kim was delighted to order a half roast chicken served with chips. Ben and Lee opted for the sausage sampler and a beef stew. The food arrived quicker than the cherry and apple shots. Worrying indeed. The chicken was exactly as described, a half chicken served with chips. The sausage sampler contained two small sausages, one large cheese and pork sausage and one more – possibly containing paprika. The sausages were heaped upon a bed of sauerkraut scooped directly from the jar. The stew was at least cooked for the appropriate amount of time, unfortunately the spaetzli that were served alongside were completely tasteless. In an attempt to cope with the disappointment two more shots were ordered, tasty vodka served with a packed of popping candy. The waitress informed us to put the popping candy in our mouths and then ingest the vodka, making sure to coat the entirety of our palate with the vodka/ candy mix. Disgusting.

 

In an attempt to lessen the disappointment a plate of apple strudel was ordered. It was ok. Suffice to say this wasn’t only one of the wurst meals in the World Food Experience to date, but possibly also one of the wurst in London.

 

Germany Facts:

• Any student, foreign or otherwise, may avail of free higher education in Germany

• Germany, in its current state, has had 7 different capital cities

• The penalty missed in Germany’s Euro 2016 win over Italy was the first penalty Germany have missed in tournament football since 1982