Der Chef is not a cook.
Monday, May 7th, 2012Der Chef is actually “the boss.” Der Koch is “the cook.” Thus ends the language lesson for today.
If you asked my new friends in Austria how well I speak German, they will probably say it’s getting much better. If you ask me, it’s still pretty awful. I constantly forget words mid-sentence, and my grammar degrades the longer I talk. I have to ask people to repeat things all the time. It can be frustrating, but the only way to get better is to practice every single day. Anyway, what could ever keep me from talking?
I’m taking a more structured class offered at Eric’s workplace, as well as using Rosetta Stone. I’ve also been taking a really interesting “Culinary German Class.” It’s basically a conversation class, but most adults aren’t particularly comfortable just sitting around trying to speak in a language they don’t quite understand. Instead, we learn to cook a local dish and the conversation just flows around the preparation and eating afterward. It’s a fun way to practice German and I’m picking up quite a few cooking tips too.
On of the unique foods in Carinthia (Kärnten in German, it’s the “state” that we live in) is Reindling. It’s a bread that is made with cinnamon, raisins, and a lot of butter. It’s served mostly at Easter as a cake, but also in the summer with Kirchtag soup. The combination of sweet bread with the salty, heavily seasoned soup is surprisingly good. It’s actually not that complicated to make, but I think most people here have their own little tricks, including adding rum to it! We made one in class and I decided to try my own at home. Just like with speaking, I need more practice. It tasted a little better than it looked, but here are the results.
halftime