German Dining Out

So, over the past 21 days, I've definitely had my fair share of occurrences of eating out in Hannover. And can say that many differences exist from dining out in the US. Not only is the food different here, and tastes much better...but other restaurant etiquette differences are apparent as well.

The most noticeable of which is how much Europeans love to eat outdoors. And who can blame them or the restauranteurs? The weather is often excellent and the views certainly better than inside, plus the restaurant can seat more people. Servers here are also less friendly by American standards, some argue its because they rely less on tips, and some as a result of cultural differences promoting less friendliness between strangers...but its not necessarily a bad thing or rude. Another thing that I've noticed about European restaurants is how expensive the soft drinks are. I've paid upwards of 4 euro for a glass of Coca-Cola (also true for Fanta and Sprite)....and water can be even higher priced than that. Most places dont serve tap water at all, and the few that do will charge at least a euro for the pleasure. Now its not because Germans/Europeans want to rip you off. Consider how cheap the beer is. A .4L glass of beer can range from 2.25 to 4.5 euro...putting it cheaper than soda, and even sometimes water flat or sparkling. Also foreign to them is the idea of a free refill or ice...so get used to drinking very little and slightly warm drinks! Germans dislike three things for sure: air conditioning, ice, and free refills...something I couldn't imagine an American restaurant without.

But, besides that dining out in Germany is exceptionally nice. I've yet to have a bad meal. I even gone so far as eating sauerkraut at a Bavarian restaurant, even though I kept away from it for 19 years in the US. Now, it was far superior to the kraut I tried in the US, but still...I'm being adventurous. I do have some boundaries though. One day, we were eating at this place which served food from the Rhineland and a guy from our group trusted Malte (our program coordinator) to select something for him and it turned out to be a meat with jelly dish served cold...and the meat was chunky with parts of grizzle still remaining. Thats the danger that can come from german language menus. But just the other day in Berlin I picked out an excellent potato with sausage soup and schnitzel. Speaking of excellent, German beer is good. From Pilsner to Hefeweisen, we've tried quite a few different types of regional and national beers... and haven't really conclusively disliked any of them. Thats probably because of how serious the germans can be with their beer.

The other very nice thing is how relaxed the atmosphere is at German restaurants. It never seems like they are trying to push you out the door like in the US. The mere fact that they wont bring the bill to you until you ask for it "die rechnung, bitte"... is really nice. The people are also really nice, while they might not be as forward as US waitstaff who are constantly trying to upsell you and get on your good side, german servers are efficient and to the point.