Cover Image-C-54 dropping candy during Berlin Airlift c1949 – Public Domain In a 2021 newsletter, I mentioned that I would be writing about the Candy Bomber who dropped handkerchief parachutes with chocolate payloads for the children of Berlin during the Airlift. One of my readers, Dorothea Thunig Smith, reached out to me with a lovely memory. “I lived in Berlin…
Category: Celebrating German Culture in America
Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made Simple
Easy German Cookbook was a labor of love. However, sharing German culture and food is what I do online, so this book is the next logical step. Between the covers, you’ll find 80 pages of food memories. These are the foods we ate at home, the foods we ate at festivals, and the foods we reserved for special occasions. Foods…
History of the Chicken Dance Song- How did Ducks became Chickens?
You are at a party, and you hear those notes… Duhda Duhda Dadah Da…clap clap clap clap… and suddenly the dance floor is flooded with people flapping their arms and shaking their tail feathers. It’s the Chicken Dance Song! (or is it a Duck?). Where did the Chicken Dance originate? And how is it that a song labeled “the most…
Old World Village in Huntington Beach- A slice of Bavaria in California
Just 10 minutes from one of Orange County’s famous surfing spots, you’ll find the Old World Village in Huntington Beach. This special enclave of shops and restaurants was conceived and built in the late 1970s by Josef and Dolores Bischof to transport guests and residents to a Bavarian Village. Today, the cobblestoned streets, muraled buildings, flower baskets, and, of course,…
Dirndls from Rare Dirndl – Tradition with Modern Flair
My One-of-a-Kind Dirndl from Rare Dirndl My mother was visiting when the big box from Rare Dirndl arrived. She couldn’t wait to see what was inside, so we tore off the wrapping… and then I lifted the lid and pulled back the tissue. Inside was my special one-of-a-kind Dirndl from Rare Dirndl. Over the years I’ve purchased a few Dirndls,…
Prime Day Deals for your German-American Home
It’s Amazon Prime Day/s, which means some interesting deals on all sorts of amazing products. I did some digging, and it turns out, Amazon has loads of Prime Day deals for your German American Home! Knives, a Spätzle maker, a Raclette oven, Brotzeit boards, language learning tools, Travel Adaptors, Puzzles, and more. Check out the assortment of goodies I found…
South Dakota Kuchen Recipe- A Volga German Legacy
The South Dakota Kuchen recipe sent me on a deep dive through two of my favorite topics: German Immigration History and Food. I can already hear all the Germans saying, “Kuchen means Cake”! And yes, generally, when speaking German, saying “Kuchen” means a non-specific “cake.” But THIS Kuchen refers to a very specific kind of cake. South Dakota’s Kuchen arrived…
What is a Volksmarsch? Walking for Fun, Friendship and Fitness
Germans love to walk. A short walk to aid digestion, or walking instead of driving to the local market to pick something up, and of course, a Sonntagsspaziergang (Sunday Walk) was a weekly thing, generally through a botanical garden or local scenic area. Germans also love to be organized. That’s why it comes as no surprise to me that Germans…
What is a Turnverein? How do Turners fit into American History?
Karen Lodder Feb. 3, 2021 When I told my mother that my latest research was a deep dive into the Turner Movement, she said, “OH! Vater Jahn! Your Opa did gymnastics with the Turners!” Freiderich Ludwig Jahn essentially invented gymnastics in Germany around 75 years before my grandfather was born, and he’s still spoken of with reverence by many because…
German Good Luck Symbols- We Could All Use a Little Luck
You see them everywhere in Germany, especially around Christmas and the New Year: Toadstool ornaments, Chimney Sweet figures, Marzipan Piggies with coins or 4 Leaf Clover in their mouths. These German good luck symbols didn’t just come out of nowhere; they all have history and legend to explain why they are lucky. Some luck charms go back to Pagan times,…