traveling gourmand

just read the ny times blog, "the frugal traveler." it's a great idea, and this is one of the many reasons i now wish i had discovered blogging while living in europe and not after - my stories now seem to be pure nostalgia and sentimental reminiscing, and i'm sure i'm forgetting things (what with old age and all...i turn a wise old 26 in 13 days Reader).
one thing matt gross's lovely pictures from farmstands in muret, france have brought back to me are the local festivals in germany, which seem to go year-round. most (but not all) revolve around food. everyone knows about oktoberfest, naturally (what they may not know is that oktoberfest actually begins in september), but there were other tiny ones, even in the smallest towns. leinfelden for instance had an annual "krautfest" (we experienced this at the very beginning of our stay, and my brothers put it most aptly when they said "why do the germans celebrate the cabbage?").
stuttgart had a week-long "hamburger fischmarkt," which yielded row upon row of stalls hawking fishy delicacies from germany and around the world.
benches and tables were set up in the middle of an empty ground, and the stalls were set up along the bordering periphery - you could literally go around to each one, get a sampling from a smiling, mustachioed vendor, and walk back to the middle, to the table and bench you were sitting at.

and the beginning of summer, as everyone in germany knows, is "spargel season," where asparagus bunches are sold everywhere, and all of those checkout-line magazines carry pictures and spargel recipes.
but though i may not celebrate christmas, the christmas markets (or "weihnachtsmaerkte") in each city really brighten up the darker winter months. professors and their students had a much closer relationship than their counterparts at larger universities in america - it's common practice for students to go out for drinks or dinner with their professors after evening classes. during these outings, the professors stepped away from their role as older, wiser mentors, and into a more convivial mood, but even they were able to pick out the students they wanted to be with (the genuinely intelligent and unassuming ones) from the ones who they'd rather avoid (the fawning, flattering, teacher's pets), and the relationship remained professional once back in the lecture halls (well, mostly).

the months leading up to christmas were the best - everyone felt spirited, and professors would end class early to take their students (10-15 at the most) down to the "weihnachtsmarkt" to treat them to crepes or "rinderwurst" and "gluehwein" (a mulled warm wine particular to christmases in germay - in my case, i always had the non-alcoholic version, known as "kinder punch," usually meant for kids).

alright, the thought of warm, fresh-made crepes with nutella and nut filling is making me hungry...stopping this post now to go seek sustenance...