So, the David Hasselhoff concert Monday was shockingly fun, surpassing all expectations. And I think we've solved the mystery of his popularity in the German-speaking world! Alas, it will take days to go through all the video we took...so look forward to a post next week on this:
I've been spending my days navigating the German job market and bureaucracy, trying to get registered for German classes, and all of the usual challenges of living somewhere you don't fully understand the system (or the language). Plus trying to learn Photoshop and more about websites. Looks like I may have a job in May or June (keep your fingers crossed or your thumbs pressed* that this works out), so it's time to really get started on my unemployment to-do list!
It has been a challenge, but I've been watching German TV and movies.
We're also in the final round of the German Beer Tournament, just in time for March Madness to begin in the US. And look forward to a special Starkbier tasting, as well as some other taste-offs (chocolate, schnapps, etc) and adventures in cooking. I've been doing a lot of Thai cooking lately, including my two favorite dishes - Yam Som-O (Pomelo Salad) and Yam Tua Plu (Wing Bean Salad).
Getting Ready for Starkbierzeit!!
And most notably, Herr J finally made a decision and has a new camera system! I'm still learning to use it, but it was great for taking video at the concert and has these cool art effects on them. Mildly frustrating that his camera automatically does several of the effects I've been trying to learn in Photoshop, but it's worth still learning!
With Lent coming up, Krapfenzeit will end soon - which means Fasching celebrations, followed by Starkbierzeit and then Frühlingsfest. Lots of great things coming soon in Bavaria!
We're headed down to Vienna for the weekend, with plans to see a very special German musical and visit a bar that is a year-round après ski bar. And sample Viennese tortes...yum!
* While an American would "cross my fingers for you," a German will "press the thumb for you." ("Ich drücke dir die Daumen", with the thumb held inside your closed hand).
Back in July, we spent a wonderful(ly hot!) day watching Germany crush Argentina in the World Cup. We visited as many venues as possible, and that day chose Siemens Soccer City. Siemens had transformed Wittelsbacherplatz into a beer garden and viewing area for the World Cup1 matches.
For winter, they did it again....but this time even bigger!
To coincide with the Alpine Ski World Cup, Siemens built a 40 meter-long (120 feet), 12-meter high (36 feet) ski slope outside their world headquarters, located at Wittelsbacherplatz in Munich. It's right downtown near the larger Odeonsplatz, next to the Hofgarden and beyond that, the south entrance to the English Garden.
The "ski area" was complete with two "magic carpets" to carry people to the top. Of course there also was the obligatory après ski hut (complete with glühwein, beer, and hearty bavarian food to warm you), and big screen showing the World Cup events.
"Magic carpet" ski lift
For a little over two weeks, Siemens Snow City was open free to the public. Though you were welcome to bring your own skis and snowboards, sleds were provided for visitors.
According to Siemens' tally, over 50,000 people took a turn down the slope, and over 420 kids participated in free children's ski clinics run by the German Ski Federation. As it was a corporate-sponsored event, there was the usual fanfare....an opening ceremony with children carrying flags of various countries, demonstrations and exhibitions, and the Celebrity Cup race pitting celebrities against Siemens employees to raise money for childrens' charities.
Munich loves sports and the outdoors - cold does not stop Müncheners, it only changes their attire, activities, and beverage choice! This was a fun chance for kids to try out skiing (without the trouble or expense to go to the mountains) and for all the inhabitants to enjoy a taste of winter sports after work or while out shopping. We fit in a few sled runs and a glühwein Saturday before finishing up our shopping before the stores closed for the weekend.
I don't know if it was only tied to World Cups, but I'm hoping Siemens continues putting up these public venues. They do a really impressive job!
poor Elector Maximilian I and his horse are boxed up and hidden from the party!
As you'll see from my spill in the video, it was quite a bumpy ride down!
1Known as the "WM" (pronounced "vey-em"), in German lingo. As WM just means World Championship ("Weltmeisterschaft"), you'll hear it attached to multiple sports. For example, we attended the Alpine Ski WM a couple of weeks ago. People usually know which one is going on at the time, so you'll see most headlines or pubs' listing just as "WM" and then the event or teams.
For a couple weeks, we'd seen the tasty and unique krapfen in the window of the Woerner's on Marienplatz. Woerner's is one of my favorite places in Munich for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake, though I usually go to the smaller one by Sendlinger Tor.
The Bailey's Krapfen in particular called to us...
Bailey's KrapfenI picked up a Bailey's and a couple of the donut hole looking ones to take to dinner at Herr J's. Strangely, we both had the same thought that day and he had gotten one of each! We had a great little krapfen tasting
The Bailey's, as expected, were amazing! And instead of powdered sugar or glaze, they had chocolate flakes topping the krapfen.
Overally, Woerner's has the best krapfen - their dough is perfectly airy and not greasy, and the fillings unusually good. All of theirs are whole krapfen, filled with some filling. The Rischart were unique in that they were sliced in half with the filling sandwiched in between the layers.
Both the Bailey's and the Eierlikör ("egg liquor") had tasty liquid fillings. The Prosecco krapfen had a small but strongly flavored core that was like the center of a champagne truffle. Excellent, and just the right amount. The Kirchwasser (a cherry schnaps drink) Krapfen was filled with a sweet and dense filling, somewhere between a custard and a truffle filling. Good, but not as perfect as the Bailey's.
Nutella-filled WörniesBut the huge surprise of the night were the Wörnies, the little round things in the left of the top photo that appear as donut holes dipped in chocolate. Oh, they were soooooo much better. These are a unique creation of Woerner's. Basically they are like a little circle of (probably fried) cake, filled with Nutella. The Nutella seeps into the little caverns inside the dough. They really don't need to be dipped in chocolate, but otherwise they are little mini bites of heaven.
Since we're going to his concert tonight, this is a question we needed to answer. We really didn't know. I know he had a big song around the fall of the Berlin Wall and I know Dirk Nowitzki admitted in an interview that he often sang a Hasselhoff song in his mind at the freethrow line....but I hadn't actually ever heard The Hoff sing.
To start you off, there's a montage of his appearances and "hits" throughout the last 20 years. Amusing and it won't hurt too much (except when you remember some of your old fashions and hairstyles from that time):
When you're feeling braver, there's the video to "Hooked On A Feeling," which I love for it's absolute cheesiness factor. Off the charts! Perhaps it's aimed at a German audience - I'm not sure otherwise how to explain the random dachshunds and Alps. Though the flying angels and flying Hoff are a nice touch. We have aliens, African villagers, and the Hoff in both macho-motorcycle-man and suave tuxedo attire...what else could you want?
And the song that started it all in Germany, "I've Been Looking For Freedom." I can see why it caught on in the time that it did. Here's Hasselhoff singing it at the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin on New Years Eve 1989. This German TV video is amazing on so many levels - for one, you see the Wall still up by Brandberger Tor and the excitement of the crowd. And then you see the full late 80's Hoff...complete with piano key scarf and leather jacket light show. Also, as we saw in Munich this New Year's, Germans bring their own fireworks - and aren't afraid to shoot them at people or monuments. He dodges one around the 1:50 mark.
I'm guess this song was first played in Germany because it was a remake of another 1970's German song, "Auf der Strasse nach Süden" by Tony Marshall. Hasselhoff gave it completely new words, but it was a already familiar tune to many when its new words of freedom helped it rocket up the German charts to #1.
If you're real masochist, here are links to a few other Hasselhoff hits: "Crazy For You" Video (best described as The Hoff on a motorcyle, on a roller coaster, and with another dachshund) Top 10 Hasselhoff Hits (in under 2 minutes) "Secret Agent Man" Video (the 2nd comment on YouTube says it all "David, this is HOFFULL") "Jump In My Car" Video (only available in US)
This guy has a good sense of humor - he seems to know that his cheesiness sells, not his talent, and he uses it. And he knows that he was in the right place at the right time to become a star in Germany. He was very successful in Austria in the mid-1980's and having the #1 song (about freedom) at the time the Berlin Wall fell won him a place in many German's hearts for decades. He still tours here every year, with his daughters opening for him. This year, he's having The Hoff Is Back Tour
Tonight is going to be wonderful or wonderfully horrible. Either way, it will be a fun cultural experience!
Remember how we said we were trying to broaden our horizons and also experience everything Germany has to offer? That's right, we're going to see David Hasselhoff in concert tomorrow night!
And for dinner, we're having burgers!
Bears & Friends' buxom Playgirls and Playboys (plus some paint) are perfect for Baywatch!
The burgers above are Trolli MiniBurgers, complete with marshmallow bun and cheese, and gummi burger and lettuce, individually packaged in a burger box.
There are so many wonderful things about Singapore, most notably the food and the people.. I was blessed to spend quite a bit of time there while doing my MBA, and to have friends who really know what and where to eat (and who are willing to explain the significance of much of it)! In a society with heavy Cantonese influence, eating is one of the most important parts of life…a couple of my friends joke that you know you have some Cantonese blood when you’re in the middle of eating dinner and are planning what to eat for your meal. Then again, this can be said of some other cultures too….One of the first things I learned living in Thailand was that the question “gin khao lau ruu yang?” is literally translated as “have you eaten rice yet?” but really means “hi, how are you?”. Food – especially rice – is an integral part of the culture.
Though the general Chinese culture is the most dominant (including Malaysians, Indonesians, and others of Chinese heritage), you’ll also find traditions and food from Muslim, Hindu, Indian, Thai, Christian, and a variety of smaller, more specific groups. It’s a great place to have the chance to experience so many different festivals and celebrations – the decorations put up for Diwali and Christmas are absolutely gorgeous!
My favorite Singaporean tradition is also one of the ones that is uniquely Singaporean – tossing and eating Yu Sheng during Chinese New Year. Also called "Yu Sahng" (Cantonese), and the action of tossing it is “lo hei.”
(As a disclaimer, I’m no expert on this topic, just someone who really enjoyed it and wants to share with others….If you are an expert, feel free to comment and correct anything I missed!)
There’s some debate as to where the dish historically originated, but it definitely gained popularity in Singapore in the 1960’s thanks to the chefs at the Lai Wah restaurant. It’s usually served as the appetizer in one of those wonderful many-course Chinese feasts, as eating it is said to bring luck for the coming year. While you’ll find it throughout Singapore (take home packs are now conveniently available from many supermarkets) and parts of Malaysia, most in China have never heard of it. So, wherever it first began, it’s now a uniquely Singaporean tradition.
All of the ingredients have meanings behind them, some due to appearance, others related to the characters in the words. As the words for “abundance” and “fish” sound very similar (both “yu”), the dish called “raw fish” also is seen as symbolizing “abundance.” I’ll leave the more detailed linguistic analysis to someone who actually knows the language…
Every family and restaurant does it slightly differently in terms of ingredients and order. And though traditionally Yu Sheng is eaten on the 7th day of the New Year, these days many people will have it on any day during the 15 day holiday. It can get difficult to get reservations at a good restaurant on the most popular days!
I decided to give it try this year and make Yu Sheng for Herr J, and was pleasantly surprised that almost all ingredients were available (feel free to ask me where things are in Munich - I've spent a lot of time at the Asian stores).
Here we have all the ingredients laid out, ready to mix:
If you’re interested in the specific greeting to say for each ingredient, or some possible substitutions, Noob Cook has a great article on Yu Sheng, as does the National Library of Singapore. In fact, Noob Cook's article was indispensible in figuring out how to make this!
To begin, everyone exchanges wishes of good luck and other traditional New Years greetings. Then you assemble the ingredients (or in a restaurant this is done for you):
The ingredients (and their meanings) in our Yu Sheng were, in this order:
Raw Salmon (symbolizing abundance and excess) (usually squeeze lime over it for extra luck)
Pomelo (symbolizing an abundance of luck)
White Pepper (sprinkled over the salmon and pomelo to attract more money and valuables)
Olive Oil (poured in a circle around the ingredients to increase profits 10,000 times and bring in money from all directions)
Carrots (bringing blessings of good luck)
Green Radish1 (symbolizing eternal youth)
White (Daikon) Radish (bringing prosperity in business and promotion at work)
Crushed Roasted Peanuts (symbolizing your house being filled with gold and silver; also peanuts symbolize eternal youth)
Roasted Sesame Seeds (symbolizing a flourishing business)
Red Pickled Ginger (bringing blessings of good luck)
Cucumber (I think similar to green radish)
Cinnamon (bringing blessings of good luck)
Chinese 5-Spice Powder (bringing 5 kinds of blessings)
Crackers2 (they should resemble bags of gold, symbolizing your floor being covered with gold)
Plum Sauce Dressing (plum sauce, mixed with sesame oil and hot water to thin it) (symbolizes your halls flowing with gold).
Julienne Veggie Peeler1The Green Radish is made by dyeing the White Radish with food coloring (same process for the green or red Yam). 2 The correct kind of crackers are the Pok Chui crackers (fried flour crackers that sort of resemble bags of money), but forget about finding them here! You can substitute crackers made of fried wonton skins. I just thought the fish were cute and thought the shape symbolically fit well into the spirit of the dish. 3 The carrots, radish, and cucumber all should be shredded. The easiest way is to use a mandoline or a julienne peeler (see pic to the right). You should wrap each (separately) in paper towels until you’re ready to assemble, as this will soak up some moisture and keep your Yu Sheng crisp and fresh.
While it may vary slightly from family to family, there are certain greetings you say as you add each ingredient. But given my history of not getting the tones right in Thai, I was not going to risk pronouncing the Cantonese (or Mandarin) wrong and bringing bad luck upon us! Too often, saying something positive and something horribly offensive are just one wrong tone away from each other...
After greeting and assembling the ingredients, we get something like this:
Then pour on the Plum Sauce mixture. Check out how cute these fish crackers are!
And then comes the fun part...everyone picks up their chopsticks and tosses the ingredients to mix them, saying "Lo hei!" or other blessings of good luck. Traditionally, the higher you toss, the better the luck, but laws of physics do play a part, as you'd like to keep some of it on the plate so you can eat it...
After a good tossing and improvising with some English words of good luck for the coming year, we ended up with this:
Yu Sheng, after tossing
I was very happy it turned out so well...it was suprisingly tasty, too! I had expected it might not be so good, but that we'd eat a little to ensure good luck. We ate it all! I know they're an emergency substitution, but the fishie crackers really added something great. Not only are they cute, but they taste like buttery Ritz crackers! The fun of Goldfish, with the taste of Ritz. I won't lie: The jar did not last long in my house.
If you want see an actual tossing, one family put theirs on You Tube. They wisely covered the table in plastic....it can get messy, but that's half the fun! It's just a really nice tradition - it's usually very tasty, but it's a dish with meaning, and one that requires you to come together with family or friends around a table.
Thanks to my wonderful friends in Singapore for introducing me to such a great tradition, and to so many other things....
As we mentioned before, this beer tournament is not a truly scientific study...it's based on the beer selection in my two closest grocery stores. While we didn't have 16 weißbiers, there wasn't room to include the 4 Dunkles Weißbier in there either. So we made the executive decision to sprinkle in some Oktoberfest beers throughout the bracket and to put the Dunkles Weißbier in the Dunkel category.
Therefore, this first round is a bit odd. We start with our final two Weißbiers - Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen Naturtrüb and Erdinger Pikantus Dunkler Weizenbock. These two were separated from the others as we were not sure if the names denoted something different than a typical Weißbier. In German, "Weißbier" technically means "white beer," not "wheat beer," though it is a wheat bear. Legend has it that it was brewed back in the middle ages and was the lighter colored beer compared to the traditional darker beer. "Weizenbier" does explicitly mean "Wheat Beer" and "Hefe Weizen" means "Yeast Wheat beer". As suspected, they are all the same - top fermented beers made with 50%-65% wheat malt, vs the 100% barley malt in the others. (The remaining 35-50% in a weißbier will still be barley).
In fact, "Weißbier" is the name most commonly used in Bavaria, the region where it is most loved and brewed. (As a good Bavarian, the Pope has publicly stated weißbier as his preferred beer style, though we know he drinks other varieties as well).
Some beer books refer to "Southern German Weißbier" as a style, though effectively it's the same as a Hefeweizen, a Weizenbier, or a wheat beer in brewing style. A filtered Weizen would be a Kristalweizen, exactly the same as the Kristallklar Weißbier we tried. For some reason, the US and other non-German wheat beers often use the term Hefeweizen.
So, the Schöfferhofer is a normal Weißbier, though our one non-Bavarian weißbier in the mix. From the largest brewery in Hesse, it's brewed by the Binding Brewery, part of the Radeberger Group. In addition to the normal selection of Kristal, Naturtrüb, Dunkel, and Alcohol-free, Schöfferhofer also brews an Eis-Kristall (yes, an ice-brewed, filtered wheat beer) and a two varieties of super-tasty flavored wheat beers. Herr J had both the Grapefruit and Cactus-Fig in his Beer Advent Calendar.
The Erdinger Pikantus, on the other hand, was a Weizenbock, so we expected it to be darker and stronger than a typical weißbier. We weren't sure how it compared to the Dunkel Weißbier, however, as Erdinger also makes one of those.
As expected, the Erdinger was darker, stronger, and with spicier flavors. It also had a much larger head on the beer. The Schöfferhofer had an excellent clovey, traditional weißbier taste. But in terms of taste, the Erdinger just was more interesting and tasty. If we were looking for a beer we could drink all night, we'd order the Schöfferhofer. However, as this is a single elimination tournament, we awarded the win to Erdinger for just tasting better. It would be hard to drink it all night, as it does have a strong flavor. And at 7.3% alcohol content, I'd quickly fall off my bar stool.
The next two competitors in this round are the final two Oktoberfest beers in this tournament. We already tried three others - Hofbrau, Spaten, and Löwenbräu - bringing us to a total of 5 out of 6 of the "Sechs Richtige" Munich Oktoberfest beers. (Augustiner is the 6th, but it reserves its seasonal beers for sale in its restaurants). Both the Hacker-Pschorr and the Paulaner produced good Oktoberfest brews. For the first time in our tournment, Paulaner failed to advance. It was a close competition, but we liked the slightly darker Hacker-Pschorr märzen.
How, then, did the Weizenbock stack up against the Märzen? The Hacker-Pschorr was very pleasant and malty, but the caramel taste of the Erdinger Pikantus was a much better taste. It really is just a matter of preference here - and we've realized we prefer the more complex beers, or the perfectly smooth, drinkable Helles. It will be interesting to see what happens when those two go head to head!
Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 14:00 
Getting Ready for Starkbierzeit!!
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