And the fare in Konstanz is not the exception -- it's the rule in Germany. This past week, Jenny and I have traveled to Berlin for some research at film archives with the Deutsche Kinemathik. Within just a block of the archives, near the world-famous Potsdamer Platz, we ate at a café and a restaurant during our visit. The café was named Ki-Nova and served Alltagsgerichte, or "everyday dishes" that Germans typically love. There Jenny had a noodle-garden salad bathed in milk with an iced chocolate on the side. I ordered a steaming bowl of ham chunks, seasoned potato dumplings and Brussels sprouts. The restaurant was an Indian restaurant called Delhi, where Jenny had butter chicken and I ate spicy lamb and a field salad. Together we shared a plate of na'an.
Today, our last day in Berlin, practically no restaurants or cafés were open. Because today is Sunday, you will find few businesses that open their doors, including eateries. Around 10 am, however, Jenny and I did find one place where we could stop for brunch. As you may have guessed, it was a bakery. Bakeries are one of the few businesses you can find open all seven days of the week here in Europe. Along with our espressos, together we shared an "American" egg sandwich.
So how did all this food diversity in Germany start? Of course, part of the answer simply lies with globalization, but there is another reason as well. Starting in the 1960s, Germany opened its national borders to "guest workers" who, over the years, became permanent residents and eventually naturalized citizens.
