Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I've been home for two months now, and this distance from Vienna has made me consider many things about the past two years.

What have I learned in Austria?

1. Things on one side of the world are often very similar to things on the other, except for the expected linguistic difference.
2. Germany German and Austrian German are not the same.
3.  A big city is not a small town.
4. The Alps are magnificent. Alpine culture is fascinating, but not for everyone.
5. I can keep a blog better than I can keep a diary.
6. I should probably keep both a blog and a diary so I do not inadvertently over-share.
7. High schools students, re: #1
8. Certain cultural experiences are unavoidable.
9. Certain cultural differences are inexplicable.
10. The cultural differences that are both unavoidable and inexplicable will change you forever. They may also drive you crazy.
11. Americans claim to know nothing about Austria aside from schnitzel and Schwarzenegger, but if Americans actually knew what Austrian things have permeated our culture, they'd be a little freaked out.
12. Things that ALL Americans know but don't necessarily know are Austrian: apple strudel, Red Bull, Lipizzaner horses, the Austrian Alps, the Trachten, the croissant (yes, really!), the coffee house.
13. Once an Empire, always an Empire.
14. The farther east you go in Europe, the tougher it is to be vegetarian.
15. Even obstinate and independent gals will eventually miss their family.

What will I miss about Austria?

Well, I haven't been having any major waves of reverse culture shock. The scenery is a lot nicer in Austria, but the people are friendlier here - nothing beats good old American enthusiasm, though it does get annoying. I've lamented already about the overwhelming wait staff at restaurants in Green Bay, versus the more subtle Europeans (though my parents prefer the former). I miss the Austrian sense of historical perspective, the good food and - though I have noticed drastic changes in the marketing and distributing of "eco-friendly" products in the USA since my departure - the eco-consciousness of Austria as a whole.

Leaving Austria was not as sad as I had anticipated. It sort of felt like breaking up with someone you know isn't right for you anyway, even though they're a great person. Yeah. I'll leave it at that. After all, I'll always have my memories.

Cafe Kultur

The Kaffeehaus is a particular Viennese tradition that locals and tourists - despite their differences - can both get behind. I have a review of cafes in Vienna on this page.

Since the Turks left behind bags of coffee beans after the Siege of Vienna in 1529, coffee has become an integral part of the Viennese lifestyle, the Austrian Way, if you will - also cakes to go with the coffee. What Austrian doesn't like a good Jause - Kaffeepause ?

Here is a list of coffee drinks and cakes you would typically find in a Viennese cafe - by no means an exhaustive list (I did try to be thorough) - I hope you find it informative.  I've included my opinion to keep things interesting. As my mother always says, there's no accounting for taste. I'd say that rings doubly true for desserts!

Coffee Drinks in Vienna
1. Amadeus - espresso with Mozart liqueur (marzipan flavored) and whipped cream
2. Biedermeier - espresso with whipped cream and apricot liqueur
3. Einspänner - espresso with cream
4. Eiskaffee - iced coffee with lots of milk and sugar; sometimes coffee with ice cream
5. Grosser Brauner - large espresso
6. Kleiner Brauner - small espresso
7. Maria Theresia - espresso with whipped cream and orange liqueur

8. Melange - half espresso, half milk with whipped cream; sometimes served like a Cappuccino

9. Mokka - another name for a Kleiner Brauner

10. Pharisäer - large espresso with rum and whipped cream; also called a Fiaker

11. Verlängerter - espresso in a large cup, topped off with hot water; sometimes called an Americano

Viennese Cakes
1. Apfelstrudel - apple strudel; basically like apple pie, it's considered by some the national dish of Austria.
2. Baumkuchen - sort of like a funnel cake; baked on a spit, and marketed at the Naschmarkt as "typically Hungarian."
3. Biedermeier Torte - chocolate cake with whipped cream, cherries and apricot jam.
4. Esterhazytorte - layered almond-flavored meringue and butter cream frosting cake; about 1/2 cake, 1/2 frosting.
5. Gugelhupf - basically a bundt cake; often marbled, but it comes in many flavors; very moist for an Austrian cake.
6. Himbeer Torte - white cake with a gelée of raspberry preserves on top; sometimes also with whipped cream or butter cream frosting.
7. Kaiserschmarrn - crepes which are cut up in the pan, served with nuts, raisins soaked in rum, and a fruit sauce (apple, lingonberry, Powidl) and often served as a main meal, though it is sweet.
8. Krapfen - basically a jelly doughnut filled with apricot jam. In Poland, they are called pączki and made with rose hip jam (and they're much better).
9. Linzer Torte - almond and hazelnut cake with red current jam on top, and (often) a meringue lattice crust (my personal favorite).
10. Marillenkuchen - apricot cake; sheet cake with apricots baked on top; any fruit can be substituted (see Zwetchkenkuchen).
11. Punschkrapfen - filled cake like a petit four with nougat and apricot, and a punch (tutti-frutti?) flavored icing. (I don't like these at all.)
12. Sachertorte - chocolate layer cake with apricot jam and a chocolate glacé icing. Caveat emptor: a slice of Sacehrtorte at the Sacher Hotel is dry, nine times out of ten.
13. Stollen - served around Christmas; basically a fruit cake; not very sweet, but good with coffee.
14. Topfenstrudel - a cream cheese version of the apple strudel; I prefer apple.
15. Zwetschkenkuchen - plum cake, known as Pflaumenkuchen in Germany; sheet cake with plums baked on top (my second favorite).

Don't You Have Any Standards?

It has come to my attention, being a German student in Austria, the the language changes when you cross the border - it can actually change from town to town in the mountainous regions - Austrian German is distinct from Germany German, and not just in the accent or slang terms. Similar to British English and American English (though the differences are not quite so dramatic), each country has its own language standard.  This means that Austrian Standard German differs from Germany Standard German in pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary, and to some degree grammar. Though I've heard one is older than the other (and I must admit Austrian German seems to me to use more old-fashioned terms), I think they're about equal in that regard.

The German language is overseen by a governing body, similar to the French language Académie (but not as strict). Konrad Duden was the first German grammarian to write down the rules of the language in the Duden Handbook in 1880 - still the dictionary of choice for many. Because of this very late standardization, there are lots and lots of regional differences in the German language.

Here are some notable ones I've picked up on:

Austrian                                                             German                                                  English

Aula                                                    Hörsaal                                                 auditorium
Bücherei                                              Bibliothek                                             library
Diele                                                   Vorzimmer                                            hallway

Eierspeisen                                          Rühreier                                                scrambled eggs

Erdapfel                                              Kartoffel                                                potato

Faschiertes                                          Hackfleisch                                           ground beef

Fisolen                                                Gartenböhnen                                       green beans

Frühjahr                                              Frühling                                                spring

Fußgeher                                             Fußgänger                                            pedestrian

Heuer                                                  dieses Jahr                                            this year

Jänner                                                  Januar                                                  January

Karfiol                                                 Blumenkohl                                          cauliflower

Kasten                                                 Schrank                                               wardrobe

Kiste                                                    Kasten                                                 box

Kohlsprossen                                       Rosenkohl                                            Brussels sprouts

Kren                                                    Meerrettisch                                         horseradish

Marillien                                               Aprikosen                                            apricots

Melanzani                                            Aubergine                                             eggplant

Paradeiser                                           Tomate                                                 tomato

Palatschinken                                      Pfannkuchen                                          pancakes

Rauchfang                                           Schornstein                                           chimney

 Schafblättern                                      Windpocken                                         chicken pox

Schale                                                 Schüssel                                                bowl

Schlagobers                                         Schlagsahne                                          whipped cream

Semmel                                                Brötchen                                               bun/hard roll

Sessel                                                  Stuhl                                                      chair

Stiege                                                  Treppe                                                   stairs

Topfen                                                Quark                                                    cream cheese

Any important words I've left out? Please post in the comments!

Giving Thanks and All That Jazz

Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. T-Day. Turkeyfest. Being a vegetarian, I'm pretty iffy about the holiday. Among other reasons, including my opinion that Thanksgiving brings out all the bad stereotypes non-Americans have of the United States and America. Shall I elaborate?

That's probably a good idea, since most people probably have no idea what I'm talking about.

1. Stuffing yourself until you can't move. Why does this iconic American holiday have to involve eating like a pig?  Can't we be thankful for what we've got without making and serving enough food to feed a continent, take up room in the refrigerator and be thrown out at the end of the month because we get sick of eating the same thing two weeks in a row? Or, have never touched certain leftovers (cranberry sauce, I'm looking at you).

2. Football. Although the Packers are undefeated (and my hometown pride really only kicks in when they're doing well), I am not actually much of a football fan, and I am even less of a fan of the tradition my family seems to have of shoveling forkfuls of rich, heavy food (supposed to be enjoyed slowly with conversation and company) just to catch the first touchdown - or kickoff, or whatever. Or even bringing the turkey and fixin's into the living room (freshly shampooed carpet be damned). What's the difference between that and any Sunday in football season, aside from substituting a turkey dinner with a delivery pizza - or a can of Cheez Wiz and a box of Ritz crackers?

3. Thanksgiving propaganda, i.e. pretending that America is a "melting pot" full of multicultural "tolerance" and "appreciation" when in fact after the first Thanksgiving - when the Wampanoags saved the Pilgrims' butts that winter of 1620-1621 - there was zero tolerance for anyone outside the Plymouth colony. For example, Squanto went to sea on a British vessel a couple of years after the "first" Thanksgiving as one of the eariliest New World interpreters (being basically bilingual), and came home years later to find his village had been destroyed by white settlers. Who does shit like that? And then brags about it by turning it into a national holiday? Americans, apparently. My beef is that, unlike Germans and Austrians, who own up to the Holocaust and anti-Semitism (most of the time), Americans sweep the entire history of slavery, Manifest Destiny and discrimination under the rug. Discovering the truth as a college student really put me off wanting to celebrate Thanksgiving. Sure, things are getting better. The History Channel at least has some quasi-informative documentaries that mention the Wampanoags. This article from Education World touches a bit more on the subject as it is taught in the classroom.

4. Black Friday. The absolute most disgusting aspect about Thanksgiving to me is the day after. When gorging yourself of turkey and pumpkin pie wasn't enough, you can empty your wallet a full month early to get Christmas presents for everyone on your list - that is if you don't get stampeded by angry housewives snatching up HDTVs, Chanel perfume and American Idol video games. Consumerism is king, apparently. What happened to caring about each other? Like what Thanksgiving - and Christmas, for all it's worth - is supposed to mean? Getting together with family and celebrating how wondrous and beautiful life is, not showing how much you love someone by what you've spent on them, or how early you got up on the day after Thanksgiving to get it for them. This year my sister is working at Younkers in Green Bay, and she doesn't even get to enjoy a full day off - she has to go in at midnight to field the Black Friday sales. Now, seriously. How ridiculous is it to make people working in retail skimp out on a FEDERAL HOLIDAY just because you want to buy crap you don't even need?

All that said, I don't dislike the idea behind Thanksgiving: sharing what you have with the people you love, giving thanks for all that you've been given in your life, taking the time to enjoy the company of loved ones, getting away from work for an extended weekend. Americans need to do these things more often. I guess, living in Austria, where every other saint's day is a day off of school, it feels like Thanksgiving is celebrated once a month, or maybe more: sharing good food with the people you love, spending time away from work and technology and just enjoying being a human being. It's a shame Americans seem to need an excuse to do this - a national holiday set aside to remember to be thankful, rather than feeling this way all the time.

Reasons I Love Wine

OK, so, for anyone interested, I will now delineate why I love wine:

1) It gets you drunk.

2) Good wine is sooooooo yummy, I have no idea how to explain the sensation to someone who doesn't like wine. If you don't like wine, sorry, we can't be friends.

3) Grapes. I love grapes. I love raisins. I love wine. 'Nuff said. Ask my mom.

4) You can be a total snob about wine and be completely justified. Name one other aspect of life where this is appropriate. Can you?

5) Wine is grown in many wonderful regions of the world. Including Austria. I want to visit them all.

6) Food and wine go well together. I am a total foodie.

7) Wine is fine by itself. I love wine.

8) See my Facebook profile.