Lich Zhang Danhong was perfectly prepared for the trip to Germany. Culinary, not at all. And then, even the Cutlery! She stood in front of the choice: Adapt or starve. Or finally learn to cook?
Knuckle of pork to eat with chopsticks is impossible
Before I came to Germany I have a German Chinese instruction at the Holiday Inn in Beijing. The Hotel was regarded as a kind of German colony, the biggest sign was a Shop with German food. The business was located directly behind the entrance of the hotel. When I went the first Time to my student, I was almost going to faint from the pungent smell of Cheese. After that, I repeated every Time in front of the Hotel a deep breath, then the breath to be observed, until I arrived at the top of the seventh floor.
In Germany, I was relieved that I was not anywhere cheese smell rose in the nose. Also the food in the cafeteria were mostly prepared without cheese. However, they were not pure joy for the Chinese palate. My German fellow students thought I was certainly in for a annoying bitch aunt, who was at the eat everything in question. “You have to overcook the vegetables until it tastes like nothing?” “Why is the whole meal from a single bowl of soup?” “Why is the rice pudding cold and then even without any side dishes?” At least it came with soup or milk rice without a knife.
This work would certainly be nothing for our author
Dealing with a knife and fork to be learned
Dealing with a knife and fork wasn’t easy for me. To mention whether or Kassel, or roast Beef, knuckle of pork, the sheer size of this piece of Meat forced me to respect it. I looked at the meat from the left to the right: Where should I start with the knife and how I should deal with this lot ever?
Soon I found that the food of Kassel or beef roast only a warm-up exercise. The real challenge was waiting for me with the first Steak. My timid and awkward Fiddling with the Cutlery and shoot me, beads of sweat on the forehead. The tough meat was like the sole of a Shoe.
The next Time I ordered fried like my German friends, my Steak is medium rare. When the food came, slipped out of me, almost a “Yuck”: Between the fibers of the pink flesh I saw first blood, then in my mind’s eye the living animal. How barbaric!
For Zhang Danhong Steak is either the Shoe sole or barbarism
Gaffe with the announcement
Since I had previously only with chopsticks and fed, was programmed to be a faux pas. At the first Breakfast with the family of my first German friend, I licked the knife after I had lubricated to jam on the sandwich. His brother looked at me amused and said: “you Lick in China always have the knife?” Since I knew I did something wrong. A blush rose to my face. For an apology, I saw no reason – how would I know and who knows whether or not the rice grains end up in Your nose, if You have to eat with chopsticks, replied my inner voice. In order to save the honor of my people, I said bravely: “In China, weapons such as knives are also not on the table.”
Tenderly I thought this sentence in my home, to the delicious dishes my grandma and my mother, chicken in Gongbao style, and Peking duck. The offer in the German Chinese Restaurants was Germanized, and therefore, only pseudo-Chinese. Bitterly I regretted that I had not looked at home my mother cook over the shoulder. An old Chinese saying is: “food is the heaven of the people.” Now the sky threatened for me to collapse.
In contrast, Beijing is a Feast for the eyes and stomach of duck
Cooking class by phone
Before I had to starve to death, it occurred to me the solution: I had to learn to cook! More difficult than the German language could not be. I bought meat, vegetables, salt and pepper and called my mother. The money for the crash course, well-deserved not you, but the Deutsche Telekom. At the time, Telekom has held a monopoly position and handle the customer when on the Phone deep in the pocket.
A few weeks later, I started to enjoy my own food. Actually, the preparation of Chinese cuisine is relatively simple – salt and pepper as spices completely. Well, maybe a little soy sauce. After my life-threatening danger had been averted, I found even Fallen in many a German home-style cooking, such as cabbage roulade with mashed potatoes, stuffed Cabbage with Savoy cabbage, or cabbage roulade with red cabbage.
Cabbage rolls with mashed potatoes – that would be to miss Zhang Danhong, should you live in China
With time, I developed a weakness for savory things, such as broad beans with bacon, neck, braised pork, duck leg with Brussels sprouts and Bratwurst with Sauerkraut. Also, of course, Bratwurst with Cabbage and Sausage with red cabbage. The selection of vegetables in this country is really big.
But is compensated for by the variety of cakes and pies – although with significantly more calories. Bienenstich and black forest Gateau were soon to be my favorite cake. Even the cheese I’ve demystified very carefully. But only such varieties that look like cheese, and not cheese smell.
Zhang Danhong was born in Beijing and lives since 30 years in Germany. In the series “English is not a bed of roses” she writes once a week about your first contacts with the German language and their Integration in Germany.