Culture Post #3: Spargelzeit!

This was on the side of a normal department store.
Imagine Macy's selling carrots.

     Its Spargelzeit!  As with any country, Germany loves its seasonal foods.  In Spring, the primary one is white asparagus, or Spargel in German.  The season here runs from April through June, with every grocery store and vegetable stand clearing space on their shelves, and many restaurants adding a new menu page to accommodate the accompanying seasonal menu items.  Before the jump, if it wasn't entirely clear, "Spargelzeit" literally translates to "asparagus time."  And we're off!

I don't know what happened here, but I think a farmer may
have lost the bucket of green for the asparagus.

     According to the internet, which is never wrong (obviously), white asparagus is covered with dirt as it grows, preventing it from gaining color (although if you go to grocery stores or vegetable stands here in Germany, you will notice that the cheaper varieties have purple tinted heads, caused by exposure to the sun).

     When you buy white asparagus, you will notice that it is significantly thicker than its green cousin that we are used to in the United States, that it is made up primarily of water (don't squeeze them!), and that it has a coat or shell on it (which has to be peeled off before its cooked).

But seriously, go here!

     In many restaurants, even occasionally ones which don't primarily serve traditional German food, there will be a "Spargelkarte," or asparagus menu, which is put out just in time for the season (don't worry, I put one below).  Typically, white asparagus appears to be used as a side for various meat based dishes (particularly pork ones), with a common topping being Hollandaise sauce (the egg yolk and butter sauce that is more commonly known in the United States for its association with eggs Benedict).

     It is at first a little bizarre to see asparagus (of all things) being such a prominent part of Spring-time foods here in Germany, but when its compared to the type of foods that we bust out during the Fall in the United States, it doesn't seem to be quite as strange of a concept.  Back home for example, pumpkin foods and flavored items crop up (see what I did there?) for a few months in the Fall, only to be nearly completely set aside for the rest of the year.  It works the same way here in Germany, but it also never hurts to have a history of royalty considering it to be one of their favorite foods.  I guess I'll just have to try it at a restaurant one of these days to see what the fuss is all about!

For your Amusement:

No Doctor Faust! Don't sell your soul!

Funny story about that...

This is a legitimate and growing political party.
And yes, it means what you think it does.

This is between the Chemisty and Physics campuses.
Its a good think there's a student club in the basement to explain it!

The wonders of auto-focus and a fast shutter speed!

I'm not sure what y'all are protesting, but what do we have
to do to play foosball with you?

Yet another strange preacher guy.  At least he did have
a PA like the ones in Munich!

I hope they know that tinnitus can be permanent...

Proverb of the Day:

Street preachers are apparently not allowed to approach people first here in Germany.

That might explain the weird people with the posters and fliers in Chinese at the end of my street.

*Source links are provided for stock images.
**The background music is from a personal music project in progress.
***Anyone want to guess the order that I actually write the sections of each blog post in?