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.

For a place which is quite literally called "sugar hut," they have a
 relatively small dessert menu.  Looks can be deceiving t

I'm not sure how I feel about this place.  The ice-cream
is good though.

No one at that restaurant is eating real food.
I checked.

          Here in Germany, in addition to all of the standard cafes and restaurants that we would be accustomed to seeing in any city or town in the United States, there are also a great number of "ice cream cafes," which, though they typically do offer standard thoroughfare (if you care to look at the single, dessert free card in the stack next to the ice cream menu, dessert menu, drinks menu, and whatever specials cards that may be out),  heavily favor ice cream and its derivative desserts.

     The closest equivalent to these cafes in the United States that we are used to seeing are the many and varied ice cream chains or shops that can be found just about anywhere in America, with the relatively rare exceptions being occasional smaller sized cafes in major cities.

     Ice cream cafes in Germany are surprisingly full during normal "dinner" hours for most restaurants, with very few people ordering regular food, opting instead for large dessert items (try the ice cream spaghetti!).

     The best explanation for this phenomenon that I could come up with combines the German tendency to eat a large lunch, instead of the large dinner that we typically opt for in the United States, and a willingness to incorporate dessert items into a normal meal schedule, rather than something extra at the end of an already substantial meal.  If dessert is considered a "meal" unto itself, it doesn't seem quite at strange, as it would no longer be some inordinately oversized indulgence, but rather as opting for something sweet for a change.  It seems like it is a little healthier mindset, if anything else. 

For your Amusement:

The last time I walked by here, they were taking someone out on a stretcher.
There are also elephants on the wall.  These facts are unrelated.

Mix your own whiskey!  You know you want to!

Proverb of the Day:

There was a cat wearing a harness for a leash wandering around outside.

*Source links included for stock images.

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