Cover image of Mainzelmännchen Michael Kramer, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Isn’t it nice how the little things can make you so happy? One distinctly German cartoon that brought me endless delight was the Mainzelmännchen! These little animated men on German TV would come on during the commercials in quick animated spots that just made us LAUGH. Over…
Category: Book and Movie Reviews
Some of my Favorite German Cookbooks in English
Because of my recent move, I had to box up my Cookbook collection. Some might think I have a cookbook problem, but I look at it more as an “enthusiasm”. There were a lot. I stopped counting at 15 boxes… Tech Guy just shook his head But in packing them up, I did a bit of real sorting, and I…
What is a Duden? It is MORE than Just a German Dictionary!
What is a Duden? Is it just a wordbook? A dictionary? A sort of Encyclopedia? A bit of a grammar guide? In truth, it’s all of those things. The German Duden or Vollständiges Orthographisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (Complete Orthographical Dictionary of the German Language) by Konrad Duden is the gold standard for all things related to the German Language and…
Fun Facts About King Ludwig II- Not So Happily Ever After
Have I already mentioned how much I enjoy guest posts? And I’m sure you all might have noticed how much I enjoy “fun facts”? (Like did you know that the distance between the kneecaps on the Roland statue is an official measurement in the city of Bremen?) So when I got an email/post contribution from Susan Braun filled with…
The Gingerbread for Liberty Book- The Story of a German American Hero during the Revolution
Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution Gingerbread for Liberty, a beautifully illustrated children’s book by Mara Rockliff, is based on the true story of Christopher Ludwich, a German Baker who arrived in America as a young man. Ludwich was known for his delicious Gingerbread and his motto, “No one goes hungry if I can…
Your Favorite German Children’s Books, in English and German!
I grew up reading German books for children in German. Sadly, my kids never learned German (read why HERE), and I was sad that they would never get to enjoy the stories that were so familiar to me. Now I’m finding more and more German Children’s Books in English. Finally, my kids will get to read about Die Kleine Hexe…
German Star Wars Quotes for May the 4th Krieg der Sterne Day!
“May the Force be with you”… what does that have to do with Germany? not a whole lot. Still, love for Star Wars or Krieg der Sterne, is pretty universal (literally UNIVERSAL), and as we celebrate Star Wars Day, May the Fourth (get it?) I thought it would be fun to share some German Star Wars Quotes, because everyone is…
Biergarten Cookbook Traditional Bavarian Recipes with a Modern Twist
Biergarten Cookbook Visit any Bavarian Biergarten during the Summer, and you will see people enjoying the mild weather with a Maß of beer and food. But this isn’t an ordinary picnic… you won’t find plain old ham sandwiches and potato chips… Out of baskets and coolers come fresh Salads, grilled Sausages, a variety of dips, pickled veggies and sliced…
The House By the Lake by Thomas Harding- History of a Home
[no_toc] The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time reading books I would have avoided a few years ago… books about Germany in the 20th century. The emotional toll was just too high. But, despite my anxiety about going down that…
Traditional Couture; Folkloric High Fashion in Germany
A few years ago, I shared the story of how I bought my first “Dirndl.” Since my family is not from Bavaria, I wanted something different from a traditional Dirndl. Instead, I hoped to find something that would reflect the region my family came from in Germany, while still maintaining a recognizable German style. I looked at a LOT of…