Hohl Stories

Here are a few things/events that stuck out to me while staying with Victoria's family:

a. Rice+Salt+Butter?

That is a really weird combination to me. In China, aka the king of rice, we only cook rice with water. That's it. No salt, not anything. So, as you can imagine, I was thinking the whole time, "Why the heck is this so salty?" Then I watched them cook it a second time, and yep, they added tons of salt to the water before cooking it. And of course, they don't have a rice cooker, but I didn't actually expect that. The rice in Germany also often comes in these plastic bags, and they basically submerge the entire bag in  water. This may be the case in America as well--I wouldn't know because I've never bought rice from an American brand. The other thing was how they ate their rice with butter--I was shocked when the host sister asked to have that with the rice. But I tried it, and it really wasn't that bad. But I still prefer it the Chinese way--a healthier alternative :)

Oh, by the way, have I said that I love Milch Reis? I've also realized that Zimt (cinnamon) is a good topping for it. I just might substitute that for Pork Sung (dried, shredded pork) next time.

b. Over the Campfire on a Starry Night

Just kidding. Actually, not kidding. The name just sounds really corny, but it's true. For one of our dinners, we sat in our backyard and made a campfire. I was only expecting the marshmallows to be roasted, but they also stuck their bread dough and sausages on the stick as well. My favorite quote of the day from Victoria was "I can't take those weiners on a stick seriously." We wanted to show them how to make S'Mores.
Anyways, that dinner actually tasted really, really good. I wouldn't mind roasting bread and sausages
 again!

c. Yummy Pizza

Except for the "specialty" pizza parlors (Ledos, for example), most places in the US only serve pizza with a
few toppings: cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, and sausage. Not in Germany. They have got everything--even on the cheapest of pizzas: salami, tuna, spinach, pineapples, chicken, salmon, peppers, and much more. I love the tuna, pineapple, and spinach combo. Yeah, I know, it sounds disgusting until you actually try it. The crusts here are also thinner, and you always get personal pizzas. It isn't as common to see huge sized pizzas here (unless it's a homemade one or you are a big eater).

d. What's Your Name?

I'm sorry, but Victoria and I have concluded that most German guy nicknames just sound weird. That may just be us, so you can decide for yourself.
Tim --> Timo
Pascal --> Pashi
Fabian--> Fabi
Germans seem to like adding "ee" to all names. But that makes everything sound..girly? I don't know. You be the judge.

e. Commercials

On most TV channels, whenever it's time for a commercial break, the word "Werbung" will pop up on the screen. They make it really clear that it's advertisement time. That's not what we are most surprised about, though. The thing is that here, they have commercials for Google (yes, the search engine  and Amazon (yes, the huge online store). That's a first for us Americans, who just use those services without thinking. Guess Google and Amazon have to do a little more work in other countries.

f. A Fast Recipe

Here's a recipe that I really like for a quick dinner (I ate this for the first time with Victoria's host family). I know there's a name for this food, but I've forgotten it. It's like a spin-off of the American grilled
cheese sandwich (in taste, at least).

You Need:
-toast
-toppings (cheese, meat, fruits, etc.)
-toaster
-oven

Directions:
1. Toast the toast (yes, I know what you are thinking :D)
2. Put on the desired toppings. I like a slice of cheese, chicken, and a ring of pineapples.
3. Pop into the oven and bake until cheese has melted or when toast turns golden brown.

That's it! :)

I've actually switched into another temporary host family just yesterday, so I'll do a post about that soon. Now that I've lived with three families (which will be four later), I've seen some similarities that I would like to share. In the meantime, go make those yummy sandwiches (or open sandwiches, if you will..as we do in Germany). An "open sandwich" is basically just one piece of bread with toppings on it (hence "open"). Have fun!