German Stories and Fairy Tales for kids were NOT all sweetness and light. Many stories, especially those from the pre-1950s, were cautionary tales designed to impart lessons or give warnings. Aschenputtel’s (Cinderella’s) sisters get their feet cut off, and Max and Moritz get eaten by ducks. And then there was Stuwwelpeter (and Struwwelliese). It’s truly a wonder that any of…
Author: karenanne
Steiff Stuffed Animals – Toys to Love for a Lifetime
Like so many German kids, I was lucky enough to have a few stuffed Steiff Stuffed Animals & Plush toys. A small Dog with a blue collar and a bell, an Owl, and a Goldfish. One very memorable Christmas, I found a Steiff Bear sitting in the branches of our Christmas Tree. The Owl is still with me today, it…
Dr. Oetker School Cookbook (Schulkochbuch) My Kitchen Lifeline!
My copy of the Dr.Oetker School Cookbook (Schulkochbuch) is a bit worn out and falling apart. There are stains on many of the pages and drips have glued some pages together. You could honestly say that this book has been used! I got this book when I moved away from home many, many (many) years ago. Mom was such a…
Erfrischungsstäbchen – Refreshing Citrus Filled Chocolates
One of my favorite candy treats is Erfrischungsstäbchen, Orange Lemon Filled Chocolates. They aren’t as well known as many German Chocolates, but I always made it a point to bring home a few boxes when I went to Germany. Luckily, the world keeps getting smaller, and now Erfrischungsstaebchen are available in America! ErfrischungsstäbchenGermanShop24 For those of you who’ve never…
German Shield Charms – Collect Memories on a Bracelet
Some people collect spoons, others collect patches or postcards, and others collect beer steins. I don’t know when it began, but somewhere in my childhood, I started collecting German Shield Charms for a charm bracelet. These special little charms are all painted with a place name and then enameled. I fasten mine onto a silver bracelet that I enjoy wearing,…
German Unity Day Movies- Remembering The Berlin Wall in Film on Oct. 3
We do love Movie Night in our home. I was thinking, since October 3rd is German Unity Day, why not watch movies that show what it was like before the Wall came down and after of German Unification? These German Unity Day Movies are a fascinating time capsule of sets and clothing. And they also give a little insight into…
Sandwiches in Waxed Paper-German School Lunch in an American Cafeteria
In the school cafeteria in the 1970s, I always felt different from everyone else. Mom packed my school lunch for me almost every day, and I loved these lunches, but it’s amazing how different mine were from the kids around me. You see, although I had a Scooby Doo lunchbox like the other kids, the contents were worlds apart. The…
German Restaurants in America- Also Bakeries, Delis and Online Sources
Ever wonder “Are there any German Restaurants near Me?” Readers have kindly sent me the names of their favorite German Restaurants in America, as well as German Bakeries, Delis and Online Sources. It looks like we will all be able to eat Rouladen, Bratwurst, Brötchen and Torte as we make our way across America. And now we’ve even added German…
Growing Up a German Girl in America
Eating Salami in a Peanut Butter World… Hi, I’m Karen, the voice behind German Girl in America, I was born in California, but my heart has always been in Germany. My parents are German and emigrated to the US in the ’60s to start a new life. Fortunately for me, much of the life they thought they’d left behind came…