The Ethnic Food Enigma

“YUCK!” exclaimed The German. “Why do you always have to cook ethnic food?”

Since moving abroad, I have experimented a lot in the kitchen to satisfy my diverse food cravings from General Tso’s chicken and teriyaki chicken, to chimichangas and quesadillas, to Swedish meatballs. Until now, The German has eaten just about everything with vigor and helped himself to a second, or third, serving.

Today, though, he spat out “ethnic” like a dirty word.

What had I served for supper that warranted such an outburst?

Deep-fried crocodile?

Birds nest soup?

Grasshopper tacos?

Nope. Nope. Nope.

On our dinner plates sat Weißwurst and mustard—a type of sausage commonly served during Oktoberfest and, all in all, a very (Bavarian-) German dish.

German Lightning!

After completing my shopping one afternoon, I found myself wandering the mall and in desperate need of lunch. In the food court, there is a vendor who sells an assortment of olives and peppers, pizza by the slice, and entire legs of smoked meat—one of the legs even still has fur. If you can avoid looking at the animal appendages hanging from the ceiling, the pizza is delicious, quick, and relatively inexpensive. After receiving my slice, I decided to exit the mall in order to enjoy my meal in a more scenic area of the city center.

Sitting on a bench, which is nestled between City Hall and Johanniskirche, I hungrily devoured the pizza and observed the surrounding flowerbeds and fountains. However, I wasn’t the only person who was taking in the sights of the bustling city center. Quite unexpectedly, an elderly man wished me “Guten Appetit!”—German for “Bon Appetit!” or “Enjoy your meal!” He shot me a denture-filled grin and continued on his stroll with a white, fluffy dog.

For 30 seconds, I sat on the bench, pizza in hand, and I tried to process what has just happened. A German—one whom I didn’t know—approached me randomly and said something nice. Having a friendly, spontaneous interaction with an unknown German is about as statistically likely as getting struck by lightning.

Throwing the crust of the pizza into the nearest garbage bin, I decided that my American Midwest aurora must have been particularly strong that day. So much so, that an elderly German—typically the epitome of unapproachable—was overcome with the urge to talk to a stranger.

Read “To Eat or Not to Eat” to learn more about the German tradition of wishing others “Guten Appetit!”

America Eats

There is an expression which asks the following: Do you eat to live, or live to eat? As a full-blooded American, I live to eat. I love food. In order to make the most of my three week visit home, I made a “To Eat” list, which contained the following:

• Mexican food
• Chinese buffet
• Cheese fries
• Homemade ice cream from a local, central Wisconsin business
• Sushi

As the days passed, however, more culinary favorites were added to the list. Join me as I ate my way through Wisconsin!

Main Courses

Chimichanga: This Mexican delight is deep-fried perfection. The harmony created by the meaty center, crunchy outer shell, and cheese sauce will make your mouth sing! Add guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo and it will be even better. My personal favorite is the chicken chimichanga.

Cheese Fries: Produced by a well-established frozen food company in central Wisconsin, this food is a local favorite. Cheese fries are an Italian-spiced, sauceless pizza, which are often eaten with red dipping sauce or ranch dressing. From kindergarten through 12th grade, there is absolutely no better school lunch than cheese fries. Therefore, it’s important to always be polite to the lunch lady, otherwise you’ll be the student receiving the slightly burnt, cheeseless slice.

Fish Fry: Every Friday, all of central Wisconsin’s restaurants are packed with patrons hungry for their “Friday fish fry.” As a large Polish-Catholic community, the demand likely stems from the tradition to withhold from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. However, this dish is now eaten year-round. Typically, fish fry is served with a potato side (potato salad here), coleslaw, and bread.

Snacks

Cheese & Sausage and Cheese Curds: As America’s Dairyland, cheese is holy in the state of Wisconsin. Dairy products purchased from a grocery store simply cannot compare in freshness or taste to the cheese which is bought directly from the factory. All Wisconsinites know that the freshest cheese curds are the squeakiest cheese curds.

Deep Fried Cheese Curds: Deep fried cheese. What more could you want from life?

Old Dutch Potato Chips: Dill pickle chips were a staple in my childhood sack lunches. They’re salty, tangy, and delicious. There may be other pickle flavored chips on the market, but the Old Dutch brand is unbeatable.

Desserts

Homemade Ice Cream: I consider myself an ice cream connoisseur. I’ve eaten this frozen treat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; I’ve sampled a plethora of flavors and brands. However, nothing beats the homemade, hand-scooped ice cream of central Wisconsin.

Root Beer Float: This frozen beverage is created by adding vanilla ice cream to root beer soda. When the two ingredients are combined, a foam is created which crystallizes and tastes like heaven. Although most Germans are convinced root beer tastes like cough syrup (Where was this cough syrup in my childhood? Sounds delicious!), this dessert has a permanent spot in Americans’ hearts!

Bonus Fair Food!

Butterfly Chips: This fair food is marketed under a variety of names: butterfly chips, tornado chips, or ribbon fries. Regardless of the name, the potato based product is a blast to eat! My absolute favorite are topped with cheese sauce, ranch dressing, and bacon bits.

Guten Appetit!