This non-American Life

Because tap water is making you fat

Found this while sorting through my photos from our recent trip to the US. Sometimes Germany feels like an absurd pit of consumer product marketing (Obama Fingers, anyone?), but the US always manages to take it a billion steps further.

It also reminds me how much I love being served tap water in US restaurants – icy, free tap water. It’s so much better for the environment than bottled, and usually healthier for you, too. Given that Germany tends to be ahead of the US on environmental matters, I’m disappointed that bottled water is still so prevalent here. Alas, in this case the US is moving to be more like Germany instead of the other way around. Perhaps the Germans are worried that tap water will make them fat?

Tags: Americana, environment, German culture, Germany, huh?, travel, US, water

Expat eats: in search of salsa

Maybe it’s all the Mexican food we ate on our recent trip to the US, but I’ve had enough of the crappy salsa offerings in Germany. Standard German grocery stores tend to stock one brand of salsa, usually Old El Paso. My attempts to find alternatives have not been good. I once joyfully bought up several types of salsa from a small Mexican store near Pariser Platz, only to discover at home that every single one of the jars had expired. A long time ago. (I ate them anyway.) And then this, the last straw:

Don't buy this.

I don’t remember where I bought it, but I do remember recoiling in horror at the first taste. A glance at the ingredients would have spared me the pain: water, sugar, tomato puree (14%), a couple things that actually belong in salsa, a couple more that don’t, MSG, etc. The jar also proudly states that its contents are preservative-free and thus should be eaten within seven days of opening, which luckily means that I can throw the rest away now rather than guiltily storing it in the back of my fridge for a year.

It’s not like fresh salsa is so hard to make, so I’ve decided to quit whining and start chopping (well, food processing, mostly; I’m no kitchen martyr). In general this is my preferred approach when faced with expat food dilemmas, since we don’t travel back and forth to the US often enough to do our own importing. So far my homemade peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips have proven themselves to be as good as or better than the originals, so why not add salsa to the list?

My first couple attempts at homemade salsa have been good, but they could be better. Anyone have a favorite salsa tip or recipe they’d like to share?

A couple side questions, if anyone wants to humor me with some answers: For those of you who prefer to work with fresh hot peppers (in general, not just for salsa), what do you see as the advantage over dried? Can you taste a big difference? And for those who already make your own salsa, do you de-seed the tomatoes? All the recipes I’ve used so far have told me to do it, but I don’t think things taste substantially worse when I leave them in.

I’m hoping to hit upon the perfect recipe in time for our somewhat-annual Eurovision party in a few weeks. Too bad Germany doesn’t stand a chance again this year.

Tags: Americana, expat life, food

Germans love Obama and his body parts

By now you have probably heard about Obama Fingers, the tasty new frozen chicken snack food* available in Germany. Although much ado has been made over the possible racist overtones of the convenience food’s name, personally I doubt that those behind the name intended offense. I’m guessing the only reason the fried chicken strips are named after Obama and not Bush is because no one would buy Bush Fingers.

Obama is a marketing machine over here in Germany. Notice him here pimping glasses at a optician in Munich’s Gärtnerplatz, in the most enthusiastic window display ever created by a German optician.

He does look lovely in those gray frames, doesn’t he?

* As a vegetarian, I’m going to have to sit the investigative journalism out, but other bloggers are all over it.

Tags: Americana, funny signs, Germany

Celebrating the new president, expat-style

Oh happy day! While I decided against attending the Munich Inaugural Ball, I definitely felt the need to celebrate yesterday. So I threw a little party of my own, and soaked up the inauguration with some American and European friends. Obama’s swearing-in was at 6:00 pm our time, perfect for some champagne prosecco toasting.

We also enjoyed some American-themed foods, such as this patriotic cake made by Heza. Had I had access to an American party-supply store, I might have had fun going over the top with the decoration; as it was we made do with American flag napkins and toothpicks, and some patriotic balloons.

The party is over but my heart is still filled with joy at the direction my country is taking. As an American abroad, today I feel I can hold my head a little bit higher.

Tags: Americana, expat life

Partying with the Dems Abroad

Another first for me today: I took the first subway of the morning home, at around 4am. We got home in plenty of time to watch CNN call the election for Obama at 5am. I knew it was coming, but still I was surprised how emotional it made me to actually hear it.

I barely made it through McCain’s concession speech before I fell asleep. Still, this was the closest thing to an all-nighter I’ve pulled in quite a while.

It was a long evening. We arrived at the Democrats Anonymous Abroad party around 7pm to have dinner with friends. There was an, um, interesting program of live music on offer, but by around 10pm or so we were all itching to re-glue ourselves to a TV, even though we knew it would still be hours before any news came in. We moved upstairs to the bar area and found some prime seats in front of the big projection screen showing CNN. Thanks to my new toy (which I will tell you more about later) I was even able to get online and chat with friends and family back in the US, to find out what they were hearing on their end.

In the hours before the polls started closing, we entertained ourselves by watching a little Nailin Paylin and making up election night drinking games.

The crowd cheered each state as it was called for Obama, and for Democratic House and Senate members who were declared winners. It was especially satisfying to see Elizabeth Dole go down, after having seen this. Unfortunately Al Franken’s race was still too close to call.

Not everyone managed to stay up as long as we did.

Tags: Americana, expat life

Bring on the hugging*

A funny thing happened to me today. For the first time in eight years of living in Europe, I walked around wishing that everyone around me knew I was American.

Thank you America. Well done.

* The title is in reference to this fab video

Tags: Americana, expat life

are we done yet?

It’s almost 3am here in Old Europe, and CNN (our main source of news) just called Pennsylvania for Obama.

Can I go home to bed now?

Tags: Americana, expat life

It’s here!

I was starting to think election day would never come.

If you need me, I’ll be here flipping between N24, N-TV, and CNN. And this evening, I’ll be here, partying with Democrats Abroad Munich. Hopefully we’ll get some meaningful news starting around 1am (and hopefully I’ll still be away by then).

Have you voted yet? How were the lines?

Tags: Americana, expat life

You should be satisfied with this coat

I shouldn’t find this funny, but I do. I do.

http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/490e373926c6f058/4741e3c5156499a7/a486fb9a/-cpid/5cf6f92d45bd3b6b

Tags: Americana, media

Enough with the hugging already, Europe

Sometimes when I get overwhelmed with the current political reality, I like to fall back into this alternate version:

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Tags: Americana