We awoke this morning to light snow. The kids were happy to be walking in it. It is a lovely dusty snow, but not heavy enough to be a problem on the sidewalks or roads. Of course, I can't stop looking out the window. I honestly think I may never tire of the cold weather and snow. I just can't get enough.
One of the things I have been doing lately is making Christmas goodies to give as gifts. I love to bake and make, so this is a time I look forward to every year. Some of my baking has, of course, been a challenge. I am used to being able to run to the local grocery store and get all the makings I need, and then if I wanted to do a little something extra, or perhaps get some Christmasy bags to put the items that I bake into, then I would run to the local Walmart. I know that many people complain about Walmart and the impact it has on the communities where they settle, but not having a Walmart or Target type store has been really aggravating at times for me. (Question of the Day alert!) And as the old saying goes, one never knows what they miss until they don't have it.
As you know, my mother and mother-in-law have both been sending us wonderful care packages, and the items they have sent have been completely invaluable for making Christmas goodies and gifts. Last night, I treated the students in my class to brownies. They loved them and said there was nothing like them here in this part of Germany. I know - I've looked! I can make brownies from scratch, but they never have that lovely shiny crust that boxed brownie mixes make. I used my one and only box to give as gifts, but I will admit, I saved some for us too. I think my hubby would have had the Christmas Goose if I hadn't. I also made my yearly Cinnamon Nuts to give to the kids' teachers and our bosses and very good friends. I can't find pecans here in Germany. I was so surprised about that. Had I known, I would have found a better way to bring some over sooner. Thus, my ability to make as much as I need to has been challenged significantly. I am very grateful for the amounts my mom sent, though, or this treat would not have been possible. Again, not being able to pop to the local grocery store or Walmart for these items has become very noticeable recently.
So we don't have a Walmart or a Target. What DO we have? Well, there is a sorta Walmart-like store called Real (ray all). But mostly it just has junky versions of the things you can already find here in Germany in cleaner, better stores. I really don't like going there. But we do have some sites that would be familiar to an American - Burger King and McDonalds. Our Burger King is within walking distance, and in a pinch, this works as a quicky supper, although we traditionally don't ever eat fast food. The food is the same and is even called the English names. They also have chain hotels and such that would be recognizable as well. We stayed in a Holiday Inn when we went to Munich. We also have a recognizable store from my past - Woolworths. It is right here in town and has very reasonable prices.
As you would expect, the larger cities have more chain stores commonly found in the US - Starbucks, for example. Or they have more worldly offerings, like Mexican or Japanese restaurants. Think about where you live, and what you may miss if you couldn't have that kind of place anymore. How about even within the US? Are there things that you think may be everywhere in the US but are actually only regionally available? I know that when we visited Oklahoma, there was a HUGE push for steak and steak products, but not so much seafood like we have in Charleston. How about grits? Are they available everywhere? Believe it or not, they are available here in Germany!! :-)
The words for today are store: der Laden (lah dehn - or for a larger department store: das Kaufhaus, pronounced as kouf house) and restaurant: das Restaurant (rest ou rahnt where the ou makes the same sound as in house).
The question of the day: "What are the Christmas traditions that originated in Germany?"
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
