Culture Post #6: American Fast Food in Germany

     Well hello there, people, places, and things.  I know, I may or may not have mildly exaggerated about the influx in posts, but relax, you'll get them all in good time.  And now to the good stuff!

     Back home in the United States, fast food chains are an ubiquitous part of nearly every city and town, all across the country, to the point where the question isn't necessarily if a place has a fast food joint, but which it happens to have.  Through the magic of business expansion, this now applies with increasing frequency to Germany too.

Location Spotlight: Naumburg

     Welcome back!  This week's location spotlight is on Naumburg, in the German state of Sachsen-Anhalt.  Naumburg was properly founded in 1029, as a state of the Holy Roman Empire (its name loosely translating as "new city").  The city is notable for having two large sections, the former "people's city" and "church city," which encompass the areas which were predominantly citizens' housing and church controlled propertyies.
     Originally functioning as a trading city, it lost importance due to the city of Leipzig's rise in prominence, and due to the 30 Years' War.  During the time of the former GDR, Naumburg served as an                                                                                     important manufacturing center.

Tips and Tricks: Volume 6 - Unit Conversions

Bid these goodbye!

     Well hello there ladies and gentlemen!  Today, I'm going to try to be useful with a collection of measurement conversions.  As we all (hopefully) know, Germany (, Europe, and basically the entire rest of the world) use the metric system, among other things, and its not always easy to tell what different units mean.  Hop on in!

Cooking for People Unsure of What a Stove Does: Recipe 7 - Handmade Pasta!

I am not even going to try this anymore.

    After a long, unexplained, and unforgivable absence, I am back!  Be prepared for a storm of double posts as I play catch-up.  Anywho, here is a short recipe to tide you over until this week's post downpour!

Handmade Pasta:

Ingredients:

• Flour
• Eggs
• Salt
• Tomatoes (cherry)
• Cheese (take your pick, but softer is better)
• Pesto (again take your pick, but we went with green)
• Bell pepper (1)
• Arugula
• Scallions (to taste)
• Salt and pepper (to taste; try white pepper this time)
• Cauliflower and broccoli (if you're feeling peckish)
• Sunflower seeds (or similar; to taste)
• Beet juice (optional; for color)
• Oil

Location Spotlight: Meissen

     Hi again, and welcome back to the latest installment of "Location Spotlight!"  This week's guide is on the city of Meissen (Meiβen in German).
     Meissen was officially founded in the year 929, after being home to a tribal riverside settlement.  The city is located on the Elbe river, in the German state of Saxony, approximately forty minutes' drive from Dresden.

     Meissen is primarily known for being the home to the first porcelain factory outside of the East, with the Royal Porcelain Factory opening in 1710, in Albrechtsburg castle.

Tips and Tricks: Volume 5 - University Referate

Yes, this is from Spongebob.  It illustrates the point
perfectly though.

     Here in Germany, one of the primary methods of grading in university seminars is using a Referat, or oral presentation, designed to both teach a topic to the rest of the class, and evaluate the student presenters.  While most college age students are fairly familiar with how to give a standard presentation, there are a few odds and ends which warrant mentioning before you go off to the great wide world of standing in front of a room of disinterested fellow students.

Culture Post #5: Eis!

The first person who can actually make this for me will win
a cookie!  You provide the cookie.  You can't have any of mine.

     Welcome back!  It is totally that time of the week again, where I talk about something culture related, and this post is not possibly, in any way, replacing the normal oddities post.
     That being said, today's topic is ice-cream and desserts here in Germany, specifically how they appear to hold a different status in German culture than in the United States.
     Jump in!  ...Or just click the link.  No one wants you to fall out of a chair or something like that.