European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 12, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse line Holiday eats at Europe s tests by sgt ret Clement Lounder Brewster Doody and me were out the other Day enjoying some of them double brewed Holiday a cars that the germans Are famous for and we ended up getting into one of them real pointless conversations that go on forever and usually Start out with the words what if As in what if John Wilkes Booth had missed or what if very Verne Decateur was Usa eur commander this particular discussion was All about what if the Star of Bethlehem was really Halley s Comet because Brewster pointed out that if you do a Little figuring it works out that the Comet would have been around in the year Zero when the baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in the Manger. I got to admit that it does t work out exactly because there Are a couple of years left Over but we figured that is due to leap years or lunar irregularities or some of your other space Type factors that have occurred Over the centuries. Besides the idea really makes a lot of sense because first off a streaking Comet could have been easily seen by the shepherds who were keeping their of is by night and secondly Halley s Comet probably w ild have been Bright enough to guide the Wise men who had to travel in with the Gold and them other gifts that arc found nowadays Only in bouquet Gorni. Brewster and me have no proof of All this of course but we figure it makes this Christmas a Little nicer knowing that " Alley s Comet is around again just like it May have been in Lucca when Mary and Joseph could not get reservations. Course Mary and Joseph probably got to see the Comet without booking a trip to Australia or buying a Telescope but that is another matter. The Point of All this matter is that what with Halley s Comet and Christmas approaching us at about the same Speed i did not mind a lick when the Powers at the Start and stripes suggested that instead of being about a restaurant this time that choline be about All the food you can get at Christmas fists in Europe. Now right off the Bat i got to say a few words about your Christmas festivals in Europe. They have become pretty commercial Over the years and what with the junk stands and the rides and All the rest it is getting increasingly difficult to go to one of these festivals and come away glowing with the old Bing Crosby Type Christmas spirit. For example i noticed at the Fesl we went to that there was gum wrappers in the baby Jesus s Cradle and there was this one Guy there Selling buttons and pins of singing stars and logos that said things like eat my this is basically not the kind of stuff that most of us will want to be finding at a Christmas fest if you get my Drift. Still some of these fests have been Able to retain their Charm and spirit and i can personally recommend the festivals in Nurnberg and Strasbourg and Marseilles which Are both in France. However jumbo Perry who took the picture on this Page tells me tells me that they got one Hummer of a fest in Hamburg but i have never been there so you la have to take his folks line up for festive Christmas goodies at the Hamburg Market. Recommendation which has in the past often been very strange. But about the food. One of the big Lions in Chow at Christmas festivals in Germany is your potato Pancake which usually comes three to the order with a Little Apple sauce on the Side and which Are especially enjoyed by folks who arc heavily into grease because they literally float in a Lake of sputtering melted fat until they get a Little Brown and Crunchy. Very Verne and me Are still of an age where we do not worry much about cholesterol so we had two helpings apiece of these babies and they were pretty darned Good. Although like. 1 said very Greasy. To sort of Wash All that starch Down we wandered Over to the go Uhlein stand and ordered up a couple of cups. For the uninitiated your go Uhlein is made of very cheap red wine that is heated up and Flavoured we assorted spices and herbs and stuff with sometimes maybe a Little fruit. Most of your go Uhlein stands claim to have a secret recipe but almost All of them Are using these Little bags like teabags that have All the spices and such right in there and that you can buy in most stores. I make go Uhlein at Home myself using them Little hags and a very inexpensive Val Policella that tastes Good despite its origins. Anyway after Brewster and me had sipped on this hot wine for a while we wandered Over to the hot food stand to Sample some of the Chow that is the very Backbone of these festivals. We re talking All manner of German fest food Here including your bratwurst and your and your Ever popular Schasch Lik. Most folks have had a bratwurst but Many people have avoided ordering up a Schasch Lik because it takes some practise to say it right. A Schaich Lik by the Way is your Little pieces of meat on a Slick that is cooked in Gravy and while pretty Messy is one of your Premier festival foods. Those of you who object to eating Organ Type meat should watch out that they Don t get a a Erenst Ess or a though because that Means that the meat is kidney. Brewster went for the tech Aschik and i can Only assume from his assorted grunts and sighs that it was Good eating. I personally had a Fri Kadelle which is a Distant relative of the hamburger that has an awful lot of bread crumbs in there but it was just of. Your really adventurous types can also order up the old Fischb Rotchen which is a dead fish and onions hanging out both sides of a hard Roll and which i have never been Able to stomach. Brewster dragged me Over to the junk food stand immediately after that and he proceeded to order up about $40 world of sugar Popcorn ind chocolate covered Nuis Mallow balls and candied almonds and gum and sour butlers and .1 whole slew of other Teeth rolling Lulf you Hoilo have if you Wani to prove you be been to a Christmas festival. He also bought about 11 pounds of ice Kuchen then by strange German Gingerbread that some people love and Oil Iri people hate and that very few people Are just so so about. He also got some , whith Means stomach bread but which is really just Little pieces of Lebkuchen that after a couple Houis Lake on the taste and consistency of Wood c hunks. By this Point in Lime we were jelling Prelly loaded Down but i insisted on touring the Little Christmas stands thai sell everything rum ornaments to slippers to sweaters to plastic toys and pots and pans. A couple of purchases i made was a Coffee Mug with Joleen s name on it spec Ial Ord because the closest they had was Johann and org. I and a couple of Kitchen gizmos including a shrimp do Veiner that Craig Claiborne has on his required list and that i have been trying to track Down for some to my. Let me say that the Kitchen Gizmo stand is a must at All your european Christmas festivals and markets especially in France where there is always at least one Guy with the Little microphone on the Chest stand doing demonstrations for your Tomato twirler or Citrus squelched or what have you. Carrying All the Iluff Over to Brewster s Goat in Honor of he season he was driving the Ted one with the Green leather Interior we tried to figure out How we would rate a Christmas festival if it were a restaurant and not a fest. The food was probably about three pointy Finger Quality but them gum wrappers in the baby Jesus s crib really bothered me so we just gave up on the idea of giving a rating and decided to just wish everybody your Basic peace on Earth and Goodwill to All men. And that friends is a five pointy Finger wish. Ratings q 3 b a i awesome East. We re talking Paradise on a plate Here. & a 3 very in dining. Crack service and memorable food and drink. H h h solid Chow. Good food of atmosphere and pleasant a h b decent. About equal to a Ponderosa Steak House. 2 thu Trot. Crummy Chow so so service Semi ratty Interior. December 12,1985 stripes i Maizine 17
