Culture Post #4: Imbisses

The nearest one which actually said "Imbiss" was an hour
round trip on the tram.  Sorry about that.

     Now that I've successfully managed to both take pictures and get them put into my computer, we can be off with the fourth culture post of the summer!   This week, I'll be tackling Imbisses, the latter of which have come out in full force now that the local temperature has been hovering at approximately 100 degrees (Fahrenheit, keep your hats on metric system lovers) for the last few days.  Take the jump!
     Seriously.  That's where all the good stuff is!

They mean Curry-Wurst (sausage with curry flavored
ketchup), not Indian food.  I was disappointed.

     An Imbiss is a German "snack bar," which exists either as a standalone business, or as a subsection of a larger cafe (or occasionally a grocery store).  While the offerings vary greatly, common options include varieties of Wurst (sausages), dӧner (gyros), and sandwiches (mostly some combination of roll, cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and deli meat).  Regardless of what a given Imbiss offers, they are typically the fastest food option available if you find yourself in need of a quick bite to eat on your way through a city.

They claim to make pizza.  It may taste good, but they
don't actually have a clue what they're doing!

     At first, Imbisses looked kind of odd to me, not because I wasn't used to seeing fast-food places around cities, but because of how accessible that they are designed to be for someone walking, who is looking to stay that way.  Unlike most American fast-food restaurants (and I mean that in the loosest sense of the word, lets be honest), which are typically set up to try to draw people into a building, Imbisses here in Germany frankly seem better suited to people on the go, as they basically cut down the time you spend at one to just as long as it takes to put together your order.

Chili and chocolate ice cream.  Right here.
What are you waiting for?!

     Continuing with the idea of time, it appears that here in Germany, Imbisses appear to fulfill the same niche that is otherwise filled by drive-through lanes in the United States (they call those "drive-ins" here.  Its hysterical), but considering the vastly lower frequency of car ownership, at least around major cities, those don't make quite as much sense over here.  On a probably unrelated note though, the quality of the food does tend to be better, possibly due to the increased likelihood that the people buying food are less likely to be eating while walking or driving, meaning that they care more about what they are actually having.

It was raining.  Poor gal!

     As a final point, because it is the closest direct connection I can probably make here to an American street food vendor, here is a bratwurst vendor from downtown Leipzig.  While the only food-related difference compared to American hot-dog vendors are the sausages themselves, it is interesting to note that depending on the city you visit, you can find very similar stands using coal fired grills, which stuck out like a sore thumb to me, being more used to seeing electric or gas grills with the strange roller mechanisms that we all know.

     I hope that you are able to find an Imbiss during your travels that has something new for you to try out! (In all seriousness, every, single sandwich offering one will have the exact same ones.) See you next time!

For your Amusement:

Jeff Bridges is a clothing model.  Now you have to live with
that fact too.

Proverb of the Day:

The person who invented chocolate and chili ice-cream is a genius.

The person who invented ketchup and mayo flavored Pringles needs a swift kick in the shins.

*Source links are included for stock images.

**The background music is from a personal music project in progress.

***Show of hands, how many people would notice if I changed the song I used?