Children's Chocolate?

We love the Kinder products The Happy Hippos probably are my favorite on the basis of taste - let's just call it an adorable hippo-shaped Ferrero Rocher (same company, same hazelnut chocolatey goodness). But on the basis of overall fun, you just can't beat the Kinder Überraschungs-Ei ("Surprise Eggs").  

For those of you not familiar with Kinder Suprise Eggs, they're pretty wonderful for all ages. Kinder chocolate is full of milk and vitamins, so it's supposed to be better for children than regular chocolate. The eggs actually are a layer of chocolate and an inside layer of a milky something. In my opinion, it's also good for kids because they come in small packages and actually don't contain that much chocolate and sugar, compared to most candy bars.  

But what's special about the Kinder Eggs is their plastic "yolk," a capsule containing a toy. I find their design team is quite brilliant in how they pack it into such a small space. And really there isn't much chocolate to it - it's the toy that's fun. You can see from my Advent Calendar what amazing things they can stuff inside the space of an egg.

For Easter and Christmas, they have giant Kinder Eggs, and often will have other promotions with themes of the toys. Then, of course, you have to buy a lot of eggs to collect all the toys in a series!! There have been Looney Tunes collections, and others.  

Last year Kinder had an rather odd marketing campaign for its new series of Kinder Eggs. Outside of Germany, they called it "Dog Stories;" in Germany "Großstadt Hunde" ("Big City Dogs"). We first saw this on a billboard at a train station.

When you see this picture, with the caption "Stop! There's nothing to see here!," what's your first thought? Yeah....that there's German Shepherd pimp and his underage chihuahua prostitute friend.

It turns out it's a bit more innocent than it seems at first glance to someone who's seen a lot of American TV, but still a bit odd and open to interpretation for a product aimed at kids.

Thanks to the Egg-Wiki (yes, Kinder Eggs are so beloved they have their own Wiki!!!), we know that Rex Bell is the coolest dog in town, with all the ladies at his feet and Chi-Chi is the sweet "Shopping Princess" who wants Rex to notice her. Of course, Don Dogge the policeman wants to protect sweet innocent Chi-Chi, and I suspect there're more to that story... With all these interwoven stories and potential for cross-over into TV media, it's really a shame there aren't Kinder Eggs in the US. They'd definitely have a cartoon series of their own!

The were even in stores in a ski resort in Finland...with a snapshot of all the Big City Dogs.

  

Google - Dear Sophie video

We saw some interesting print ads from Germany & Switzerland, but after seeing the video below you have to re-acknowledge that the U.S. still sets the standard for marketing.

In the video, a father creates a Google/Gmail account for his newborn daughter, and is sending her emails as she is growing up (that she presumably will read later).  It's funny, it's personal, and very touching.  I realize that this coming weekend is Mother's Day, but this is too good to wait for Father's Day.

FYI, the music is an instrumental version of Ingrid Michaelson's song "Sort Of".  Lovely.  Enjoy.

Birthday Tacos

While yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, we had our Mexican food a week early to celebrate Herr J's birthday.  (OK, I'll be honest, we eat Mexican food fairly often around here...brisket tacos, slow roasted pork, enchiladas verde...the Texan in me can't resist!)

Yes, I know Birthday Tacos and Warsteiner may seem a little strange, but there's a nice story behind this one.  

Herr J learned German in junior high & high school (lucky guy!!), then got the opportunity to study abroad during university.  So he spent a semester taking engineering classes at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule in Aachen.  What a name!  Translated, it is the "Technical University of Rheinland-Westphalia"

While he was in Aachen, two big milestones ocurred:

(1) He had his first German beer (Warsteiner), and
(2) He turned 21.

From that experience, he has a special place in his heart for Warsteiner as his introduction to German beers. And also for his host family, who wanted to give him a nice birthday celebration. The 21st is a relatively insignificant birthday to a German, as it's not a "round" birthday and the kids have been drinking for years already, but they knew it was a significant one to an American and wanted to make it special.

Herr J's host mom offered to cook whatever he wanted for dinner, and told him to invite his classmates (about 10 others in the program).  Having had been there for 2 months at that point, he was craving something he hadn't had for a while...

Herr J:  "I would like tacos for dinner."

Host Mom:  "I don't know how to make those!" (with a very worried expression)

Herr J:  "Just brown some ground beef and spices, heat up corn tortillas, and fill them with the meat, cheese, tomatos, and lettuce."

Host Mom:  "I can get the ingredients, except I have never ever seen crispy corn shells.  And when I get the ingredients, I would not know how to make the tacos!"

So Herr J offered to find the corn tortillas and make tacos for everyone - something completely new to the family. So, after searching every specialty and import shop in Aachen, he found some taco seasoning and shells, helped them all cook up the ground beef and chop up the toppings. And they LOVED it!! The boys finished off every last bit and were instant converts to American-style tacos.  Host Mom was a little unhappy that the guest was cooking, but baked TWO cakes so that everyone could have a huge piece.

So, I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate another birthday in Germany, and also an excuse to make the Old El Paso type tacos that we never eat anymore. I'd forgotten how great the crunchy tacos are!! It won't stop me from going to Milagros for some Cochinita Pibil tacos, but these are definitely going back into the rotation!

Though I don't know if I'm allowed to give the number of years (this was another BIG, ROUND birthday), there was something orange for each year, including this cute mini-cake in the photo below.  Due to some time pressures (you know, waiting till the last minute combined with having a job...) and not finding the right decorating tips, it didn't quite look as I'd envisioned, but it truly tasted wonderful.  White cake plus the great Magnolia Bakery buttercream frosting recipe that's all over the internet.

Last year I surprised him with his favorite childhood birthday cake, the Icebox Cake. I'd never heard of it (must be a Northern cake??) but now have been enlightened.  Even my parents now are making them, so Herr J has helped spread the Icebox Cake love.

One small problem, the store only had letter candles, and since it was a mini-cake, I couldn't fit them all. So, I had to do a little quick abbreviating and skip the "APPY" and "IRTHDAY" candles.  Luckily, "HB" around here also means Hofbräu, it's acceptable :)

On a related note...the cake mold was so cute I just had to try it. They also make a high-heeled shoe I'm dying to try, but somehow it didn't quite seem appropriate for Herr J's birthday.  Perhaps another time....

Funny Germany

In prior posts we found some humorous German advertisements, then poked a little fun at things in Austria, so it's back to Deutschland for more chuckles.

Now that warm weather is upon us, the street musicians come out in force.  Some go beyond do-re-mi and like to add extra pizzaz... with animals.  The first guy was in Nuremberg with his Santa outfit and best friend (also attired like Santa).  The second guy was playing on the streets in Stuttgart, and supposedly liked to give his pet bird the best seat in the house.

       

Next we have some not-so-subtle marketing images.  The first is for the German/Austrian version of Slim Jims, called landjaeger.  The couple on the package look so happy snacking on meat sticks!  The second item comes from the window of a bath and body store called Lush.  I guess if you're selling breast cream, why be subtle?  (At least they used the "black bar" effect.)

Now we have a poster on the wall around the Hofgarten.  I didn't bother to look up what it's for, but it says so much with so little.  It's the combination of German exactness (probably technically correct) with their love of getting the better of you.  You might be welcome!

Finally, I captured this photo on a Mayday hike (hiking is a tradition for many Germans on this holiday).  It was a blackboard outside a small village and there is clearly something going on...

Here's the translation:

Rudolf Z

Funeral Director in Starnberg

is

1)  A hypocritical catholic

2) Notorious "marriage breaker"

3) Does the dirty work for the CSU (largest political party in Bavaria)

4) Highly manipulative

5) A terrible father and will NOT get the divorce!

Posted by the family Zirngibl.

Wow.  Not much to say after that.

Photoblog - Munich figures

If you look at the results of a Google image search on "Munich" you'll see a lot of cityscapes, specifically the Rathaus (town hall), Frauenkirche (the most famous church here), and then a smattering looks of the BWM tower, sports stadium, etc.

I took a photo-walk of the city (in Summer) with the intention of looking at more detail -- the figures carved in / placed on buildings, rather than the whole structure.  I soon realized that an afternoon is much too short -- so many buildings have intricate designs, and some literally have dozens of statues on top or figures along the side.  In this post I'll share a few things I found along the way.

I espeically like the fountain in front of the Rathaus.  Dramatic scenes of battle, probably telling the story of a myth or stylization of a biblical event.  I should look this stuff up -- there's probably books dedicated to such details...

In this shot you can even see the Glockenspiel in the background.  (Note:  There is really deep focus because I was using a compact camera -- can't get much bokeh.)

My fifth grade English teacher would want to know all the symbolism here.  Until then, I'll just appreciate the visuals.

Update (19 April 2011):  I did finally find info about these figures.  As usual, Wikipedia to the rescue.  It says that at each corner of the base of the Mariancolumn (the column is in front of the Rathaus on Marienplatz) is a statue of a putto (cherub).  Each of the four putti are slaying a different beast, representing the city overcoming adversity of war (a lion), pestilence (a cockatrice), hunger/famine (a dragon), and heresy (a serpent).  None of my Munich friends knew this and were happy to learn with me.

 

As you walk more into the shopping district, the figures get less serious and more colorful, fun.  This guy represents a traditional cooper, or barrel maker.  You see the ring in his hand, which presumably would become part of a barrel.  (Probably beer barrel in Munich!)  At the bottom reads:  Schäffler Eck., or "Cooper Corner".  There are others figures about in this style that represent other trades or roles (I think there's a town jester somewhere out there too... got to find him).

 

I don't remember where I shot our friend here, but he stood out because he is so simple and rustic.  Has a very different feel than the usually ornate carvings and figures found in Munich.  He's also found along one of the main shopping streets... and who doesn't want to be blessed while searching for the perfect jacket?

He is the one figure in the post that I never could find the background on.  Will keep looking.

This last one always amuses me.  It is right on the main shopping street Kaufinger Strasse.  This guy is 2 stories up, and on the end of a long beam.  I have no clue as to who he might be or represent, but he's been watching over shoppers for as long as I've been in Munich.  It looks like he has a security camera on him!

Update (19 April 2011):  Again, I finally figured this one out too.  This is the "man with outspread arms" created by the artist Stephan Balkenhol.  The Kaufingertor group of shops opened in 1994, but this guy went up in 2007 as an invitation to 'relaxed shopping'.  It appears to have worked -- on Saturdays the Kaufingerstrasse is completely packed, and is the home of Late Night Shopping festival!

Sometimes one gets immune to the things you see every day.  In Germany/Europe, it is the old churches and buildings, but day in/day out one tends to gloss over the details.  It's nice to take a fresh look at the little things.

Google Doodles - The Quiz! (Part 1...Artists)

Almost everyone uses Google, and eventually notices that the Google logo at the top of the search page changes periodically.  These alternate versions of the Google logo are called Google "Doodles".

In 1998 the founders themselves, Larry and Sergey, were going to attend the Burning Man Festival in Nevada.  They playfuly added a stick figure behind the second letter "o" in the word Google to indicate that they were attending and would be out-of-the-office.  This was the first Doodle.  Here is the official logo and the first Doodle:

The official Google logo 

The first Google "Doodle"

Note:  the official Google logo itself has changed since the company was founded.

About a year later, in 2000, they asked their webmaster  Dennis Hwang (who was an intern at the time!) to produce a Doodle for Bastille Day.  The result was popular, so they made Dennis "chief doodler".  Today, Google has a team of designers, will listen to your suggestions, and holds competitions.  To date they have created over 300 for the U.S. and 700 world wide.

The entire archive of Google Doodles can be found here and descriptions here... but that's not fun.  Se we'll share some in quiz format!

Here are some Doodles that recognized birthdays of famous artists.  Try to guess -- answers at the bottom.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6  (my personal favorite!)

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13  (technically, this is an architect...)

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Answers below:

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#1    Paul Cezanne
#2    Andy Warhol
#3    Edvard Munch (The Scream)
#4    Vincent van Gogh (Starry Night)
#5    Jackson Pollock
#6    Piet Mondrian
#7    Leonardo da Vinci
#8    Pablo Picasso
#9    M. C. Escher
#10  Norman Rockwell
#11  Marc Chagall
#12  Michaelangelo (Statue of David)
#13  Frank Lloyd Wright (Guggenheim, Falling Water)

Touchscreen Guides at Munich Airport

The Munich Airport is undergoing some small upgrades, and taking use of impressive technology.

Now they have touchscreen kiosks throughout the airport. You can touch a flight to find out the status, or you can use it to search for food, drink, and services throughout the airport. Even better, there's an interactive map that will walk you there.

We find our flight info, search for the Paulaner biergarten, and then get directions to the rental car pickup.