Oct
20
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Comments Off
Dinah Leabeau asked:
From September 20 to October 5 of this year, Munich, Germany will once again celebrate Oktoberfest. With the myriad of food and drinks offered during this sixteen-day festival, it’s a good idea to learn German to be able to pronounce them.
Oktoberfest will once again be held in Munich, Germany from September 20 thru October 5, 2008. The Oktoberfest is a very valid reason to study German online, if just for the pleasure of actually being able to eloquate the myriad of food and drinks available in the 16-day event.
Food and Delicacies
The numerous kinds of “wurst” (German sausages) are never far behind when you envision Oktoberfest. The frankfurter is the most common sausage, but you will also appreciate the bratwurst (pork, beef, and/or veal), knackwurst (pork or beef with fresh garlic), and bockwurst (pork, lamb, turkey, chicken with salt, paprika, white pepper, chives, and parsley), among other sausages. To avoid making a fool of yourself, learn German in order to eloquate the German names of these delicious sausages.
You’ll also have the opportunity to try the many kinds of spatzle, or noodles, the perfect accompaniment to beer. These noodles are made from common ingredients such as salt, eggs, milk, flour, and diverse spices. You should absolutely try the kasespatzle – cheese noodles with fried onions. These are so scrumptious that studying German, if only to show your gratitude, is a must.
You can also sample other German dishes like hendl (roasted chicken), sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), and Apfelpfannenkuchen (apple pancakes). As if these are not sufficient reasons to study German, wait until you get to the beers.
It’s All About the Beers and Wines
The Oktoberfest is a festival famous for its wines and beers, perhaps much more than its food, music, and costumes. If you have a fair grasp of the German language, you’ll be able to distinguish the plethora of wines and beers offered by the fourteen tents in the Oktoberfest.
You can go for sekt, sparkling wine that’s fizzier than most because of high carbon dioxide levels. Go for the Deutscher Sekt, or sekt formulated from Riesling and Pinot black grapes and gris for special occassions.
You can also get intoxicated on German wheat beer. There are numerous types, including the traditional and unfiltered Hefeweizen, Kristallweizen (crystal wheat), Dunkelweizen (dark wheat), and Weizenstarkbier (strong wheat beer), to name a few. Alcohol content is usually higher with darker wheat, and the monikers hint of the alcohol strength, so learn German quickly so you will not confuse them.
Most of all, get drunk on the marzen (pale lager), a specially-brewed Oktoberfestbier. During the Oktoberfest, there are many more kinds of beers and wines available, with as many as 15 wines offered by the Weinzel tent alone.
Obviously, to drink bacchanalian pleasures, eat great food, meet new people, and appreciate Oktoberfest, you need not learn German. Still, if you want to be heard over the Oktoberfest raucous, learning German is a benefit.
Of course, to drink bacchanalian pleasures, eat great food, meet new friends, and enjoy Oktoberfest, you need not learn German. Still, if you want to be heard above the Oktoberfest noise, learning German is a benefit.
BRAD
From September 20 to October 5 of this year, Munich, Germany will once again celebrate Oktoberfest. With the myriad of food and drinks offered during this sixteen-day festival, it’s a good idea to learn German to be able to pronounce them.
Oktoberfest will once again be held in Munich, Germany from September 20 thru October 5, 2008. The Oktoberfest is a very valid reason to study German online, if just for the pleasure of actually being able to eloquate the myriad of food and drinks available in the 16-day event.
Food and Delicacies
The numerous kinds of “wurst” (German sausages) are never far behind when you envision Oktoberfest. The frankfurter is the most common sausage, but you will also appreciate the bratwurst (pork, beef, and/or veal), knackwurst (pork or beef with fresh garlic), and bockwurst (pork, lamb, turkey, chicken with salt, paprika, white pepper, chives, and parsley), among other sausages. To avoid making a fool of yourself, learn German in order to eloquate the German names of these delicious sausages.
You’ll also have the opportunity to try the many kinds of spatzle, or noodles, the perfect accompaniment to beer. These noodles are made from common ingredients such as salt, eggs, milk, flour, and diverse spices. You should absolutely try the kasespatzle – cheese noodles with fried onions. These are so scrumptious that studying German, if only to show your gratitude, is a must.
You can also sample other German dishes like hendl (roasted chicken), sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), and Apfelpfannenkuchen (apple pancakes). As if these are not sufficient reasons to study German, wait until you get to the beers.
It’s All About the Beers and Wines
The Oktoberfest is a festival famous for its wines and beers, perhaps much more than its food, music, and costumes. If you have a fair grasp of the German language, you’ll be able to distinguish the plethora of wines and beers offered by the fourteen tents in the Oktoberfest.
You can go for sekt, sparkling wine that’s fizzier than most because of high carbon dioxide levels. Go for the Deutscher Sekt, or sekt formulated from Riesling and Pinot black grapes and gris for special occassions.
You can also get intoxicated on German wheat beer. There are numerous types, including the traditional and unfiltered Hefeweizen, Kristallweizen (crystal wheat), Dunkelweizen (dark wheat), and Weizenstarkbier (strong wheat beer), to name a few. Alcohol content is usually higher with darker wheat, and the monikers hint of the alcohol strength, so learn German quickly so you will not confuse them.
Most of all, get drunk on the marzen (pale lager), a specially-brewed Oktoberfestbier. During the Oktoberfest, there are many more kinds of beers and wines available, with as many as 15 wines offered by the Weinzel tent alone.
Obviously, to drink bacchanalian pleasures, eat great food, meet new people, and appreciate Oktoberfest, you need not learn German. Still, if you want to be heard over the Oktoberfest raucous, learning German is a benefit.
Of course, to drink bacchanalian pleasures, eat great food, meet new friends, and enjoy Oktoberfest, you need not learn German. Still, if you want to be heard above the Oktoberfest noise, learning German is a benefit.
BRAD
Jul
7
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Comments Off
Gautamm Mehra asked:
As with all histories, there is no one theory. And you may hear different versions from different people all the time. However, one thing for certain is that the fermentation process was discovered by man some 10,000 years ago. Earlier on berries, milk, grain and grapes were used. Soon enough, man discovered that fermented products produced desirable side effects when consumed. Alcohol made its way into every aspect of early civilizations including religious rites. It was a part of the staple diet as well, Ale being the oldest known drink.
Alcohol has been used as medicine in early civilizations. When traditional medicine was unable to deal with infections of bacteria and viruses, alcohol was often used for treatment. Alcohol has also been traded since it was discovered. It was an important commodity and element of early commerce. It was not only traded, but also served, in much the same manner it is done today. Bars, taverns and inns served alcohol in villages, towns and cities. Business and politics both we discussed in bars. Today bars provide us a refuge from our daily stresses.
The other phenomenon that took place was that of regionalism. Regions around the world become famous for the type of liquor they produced. Tequila and Mescal from the agave plant, made Mexico famous. Scotch (peat and grain) from Scotland, Rum (Sugarcane) from the tropics and Brandy (made from wine) from France are some other examples.
Alcohol ushered into a new era with the advancing technologies. From basic home fermentation, the process of distilling spirits was gaining popularity. Distillation is the process of boiling off the spirit and re-condensing it, to remove impurities. This is due to the fact the alcohol is known to have a low boiling point, hence it vapourizes faster and earlier than the impurities and the vapours thus collected are richer in aroma, texture and flavour.
DENIS
As with all histories, there is no one theory. And you may hear different versions from different people all the time. However, one thing for certain is that the fermentation process was discovered by man some 10,000 years ago. Earlier on berries, milk, grain and grapes were used. Soon enough, man discovered that fermented products produced desirable side effects when consumed. Alcohol made its way into every aspect of early civilizations including religious rites. It was a part of the staple diet as well, Ale being the oldest known drink.
Alcohol has been used as medicine in early civilizations. When traditional medicine was unable to deal with infections of bacteria and viruses, alcohol was often used for treatment. Alcohol has also been traded since it was discovered. It was an important commodity and element of early commerce. It was not only traded, but also served, in much the same manner it is done today. Bars, taverns and inns served alcohol in villages, towns and cities. Business and politics both we discussed in bars. Today bars provide us a refuge from our daily stresses.
The other phenomenon that took place was that of regionalism. Regions around the world become famous for the type of liquor they produced. Tequila and Mescal from the agave plant, made Mexico famous. Scotch (peat and grain) from Scotland, Rum (Sugarcane) from the tropics and Brandy (made from wine) from France are some other examples.
Alcohol ushered into a new era with the advancing technologies. From basic home fermentation, the process of distilling spirits was gaining popularity. Distillation is the process of boiling off the spirit and re-condensing it, to remove impurities. This is due to the fact the alcohol is known to have a low boiling point, hence it vapourizes faster and earlier than the impurities and the vapours thus collected are richer in aroma, texture and flavour.
DENIS