The Flavor of Love

Germans love flavors. They add butter to sandwiches in addition to some type of pimped up mustard or mayo and gravy in some form tp most other sources of meat or starch. It is normal to buy pre-marinated cuts of meat and seasoned ground beef. A meat connisour I am not so I haven't tried many of the flavored vaireties but I have sampled a few. There are others, such as raw, flavored ground beef and weiss wurst that I will never taste. Just last night I used preseasoned ground beef which I didn't realize until I smelled much stronger spices than any of the ones I had used. Generaly, I am used to flavoring my own meat so this was not so odd. However, I have noticed the general pallettes of Germans are different than the American tongue. As I type this, I am eating pepper (think the garden variety) flavored potato chips. Pretty much the most popular flavor option I've seen here. You would be hard pressed to find any of the American favorites; salt & vinegar, sour cream & onion, or BBQ. On that note, BBQ is the default flavor for tortilla chips beyond salted. You can also buy BBQ dip, cheese dip or salsa. Don't expect the salsa to be too spicy, I've tried 3 varieties now ans eaten at one Mexican restaurant, salsa in Germany is more sweet and processed tasting than anything. Want cheese flavored tortilla chips to dip in that salsa, too bad. Not an option. How about cheese puffs? You will find a snack food that looks the same, feels the same, is a bit smaller in size but is missing that bright orange cheese color that was sure to stain your fingers. Put one in your mouth and your taste buds are in for a serious shock. There is no overwhelming salt tast, no cheesy flavor, in fact there is an odd similarity to a peanutbutter sandwich because, in Germany, these are peanut flavored. Although, peanut butter will not be found in many German households. It is more of an American import looked down apon by those who have never been to America as a child. While we are on the topic of snack food, watch out for popcorn at the cinema. I expected that over salted over buttered taste that you can really only get at the movies and is part of the cinema experience. Big disapointment, pop corn is sweet and without salt. If you really miss the flavors American snack foods, you can always go to Subway where they stock a selection of Frito Lay products to go with their subs. Tastebuds be prepared for a shock!