Spring Has Sprung?

It’s finally sunny again after a few weeks of snow and mushy grey clouds. Yay! Even though I’m fighting the tail end of a flu-ish cold, I walked to a small grocery store a mile away, just to savor the fresh air. Normally, there’s an Edeka shop a few blocks away which I prefer, in part because I enjoy the two elderly women tending shop and their good-natured banter, but today was a day for stretching the legs…At the rival store across town, I browsed among numerous sausages in the fresh meat case, including plain bratwurst, herbed bratwurst, lamb and beef sausage, and about ten more varieties, for good measure. Germans and their bratwurst addiction, what can I say. The counter woman was patient with my still-halting Deutsch, explaining ingredients and helping me figure out how long to cook each piece of meat. That done, I added fresh sesame brotchen (rolls) to my cart, passed by the always-extensive wine aisle (we have plenty left at home), and bought a pack of Wrigley’s grapefruit mint chewing gum, something I’ve never seen in the States. On my way home, I noticed crocuses are beginning to bloom. This is the time of year I love.

Another sign of spring: the miniscule gelato shop up by the markt platz just re-opened, and soon we’ll be taking evening strolls (after dinner, of course) for a serving of spaghetti eis – strands of vanilla ice cream squeezed out of a machine to look exactly like noodles, topped with pureed raspberry sauce (resembling tomato sauce), then sprinkled with shavings of white chocolate (the parmesan!). A silly and marvelous taste treat.