Eins, Zwei, Zuffa!

Well- back from Oktoberfest and what a treat for the palate! Started off the first night with a Schweinehaxn, which is literally a pigs knuckle. A big round bone of roast pork with a very crispy, salty skin (like crackling), and served with a rich gravy. I must admit, I was somewhat apprehensive at first, but ordered it at the recommendation of my father, and very glad I did. Other nights, we jumped from wursts at the festival grounds to wienerschnitzel at the Spatenhaus.

But of course, the main fare at the Oktoberfest is Bier, and we consumed much of it. We spent the better part of two days at the Oktoberfest and much of that in the Hofbrauhaus tent. We were lucky enough to have tent reservations the first afternoon which is key. Without a reservation, you better be seated in a tent by 11am at the latest. Otherwise, all the seating is filled, and without a seat, no beer...or "Nein" (which we heard plenty of the second afternoon).

There are a couple of things I had in my head about Oktoberfest prior to heading out (either myth or misconception), that turned out to be completely different from reality:

1) I had heard, from several sources mind you, that you rarely see drunk people. Myth- within my first hour of being there some old guy is falling on the table and making a mess of himself. Saw numerous people passed out. Trust me, if you drink beer from 11am or earlier, til 11pm, out of litre jugs, you will get drunk.

2) You'll see as many English, Australians and Americans as you will see Germans. Myth- What I saw was overwhelmingly Germans (with a fair amount of Italians thrown in). Many dressed in traditional Bavarian clothing (see picture below). And most saying "Nein" (no) when we were trying to get them to buy beer for us when we were table-less.




3) I would be singing tons of traditional German beer songs. Let's put it this way, the first song I heard from the Oom-pah band when I arrived was a Bon Jovi song. Followed by a Beatles song. And then Country Road. And then the crowd favorite- "Hey-ey Baby! Hoo! Hah! I Wanna Know-ow-ow , Will You Be My Girl". They play this song constantly, regardless of the tent you're in, and the crowd goes nuts. Every 15 minutes or so, you get the Ein Prosit song, which is basically 20 seconds long and is a call for a group social of about 5000 people.

Anyway- it was quite thew experience. Here are a couple of more pictures from the trip.

Oktoberfest

Sorry for the long hiatus between posts. Things have been quite busy for Steakhead lately. I recently switched jobs and am now working for a large network news organization based in Atlanta (take a guess). Also Lady Steakhead and I moved from our quaint Cabbagetown abode to Sandy Springs (I still claim I'm an intown guy). And just recently, we found out that we are expecting our first child in April. Its been a hell of a two months.

But enough of that, on to the topic of this blog, which is FOOD! There are a number of new places that I am dying to try. However, it will still take another week or so, because I am heading to Oktoberfest in Munich today. If there is one thing that Steakhead likes as much as food, it is BEER! And this is the must go-to event for any beer drinker. Litre jugs of beer, served by well-endowed Fraulines (and if Muse reads this, she will find no one that is guilty of the breast-obsession she writes about more than me), goofy dancing and roller coasters (this one seems like a bad idea). Can't wait!

I will post a picture or two with adventures from the trip when I return, and then back to Atlanta based food! Guten Tag!