Oktoberfest, facts and figures

The Oktoberfest is known as the Largest Volksfest (People's Fair) in the World. Beginning with the first celebration in 1810 out on the 'Theresienwiese' site, today up to 6 million visitors come to celeberate.







Along with the ferris wheel and amuzement park attractions, 14 non permanent beer tents are set up on the 104 acres fairgrounds holding up to 100 000 seats. There is obviously a party atmosphere everywhere, and I must say, that although I hate amuzement parks, I do enjoy being in the tents ,it must be due to the 'Oompah band':-) But don't be fooled, it's very difficult to get inside, most visitors have reserved in adavance. If you are even lucky to get inside, don't be surprised to be sitted with other people on the benches ...but it won't be long before you are all up and 'drinking songs' in any language!





I wasn't able to download I video I had taken, so this will have to do.!




consumed (* based on last year)
Beer: appr. 69.406 hectolitres
Wine: 79.624 litres
Sparkling wine: 32.047 litres
Coffee, tea: 222.725 litres
Water, lemonade: 909.765 1/2 litres
Chicken: 521.872 units
Pork sausages: 142.253 pairs
Fish: 38.650 kg
Pork knuckles(yuk) 58.446 units
Oxen: 104 units


A Maß (pronounced mass)1 liter stein, goes for 8.80€, and it's sidekick, the large, doughy pretzels calls Brez'n — are sold from stands everywhere. Note that the heavy use of salt is no accident; after a few bites you'll want to drink more beer!

And just when you think, that things must get out of hand here, with all the alcohol, low and behold, the police, or as they say here POLIZEI, have their own tent, but it's permanent. (actually a nice piece of architecture)




The fact that it's called Oktoberfest and starts in September, well that's just logical: it's warmer and chances are you will want to drink more beer,PROST!

Sign language is for the birds

Although my daughter -M.is only 20 months old, she has quite a developed palate, in Italian we say buongustaio. At 9 months she decided that she was going to stop eating the mush, that most babies all around the world eat (she made that clear by throwing it on the floor).
At that point she started eating 'adult food'(cut up in smaller pieces btw, because she still didn't have any teeth) with her hands, why use cutlery, when you can lick your grubby little fingers...hmmm.

Now just because she eats with her fingers doesn't mean she has a fine palette, but the fact that she likes 80% dark chocolate' does. Back in Italy, one of her favorite dishes, was 'galletto con scarola' (cockerel with escarole lettuce). It may sound awkward but the meat is tender and makes an incredible savory broth. So the other day I decided enough of the 'wurst' (sausage) let’s go back to our mediterranean diet.

Not having a butcher close by, I decided to head to the only outdoor market in the center i know of, 'the viktualienmarkt', expecting and accepting to 'pay for it'.
I let M. run loose for awhile and when I finally found a shop that didn't only have sausages hanging from the window, I walked in. Obviously, the vendor didn't speak English so as I asked for cockerel, I had to flap my arms, like a bird. She looked at me strangely and pointed to some chickens....I said 'nien huhn' (not chicken) I looked at the poultry section, and came across, what looked like to me a 'galletto'. I pointed and she said 'Bird, from France, you know (flap flap with her arms), very famous'. Okay, close enough, I'll take it, the French are very picky eaters too!

Back home, I start to prepare the galletto as my mother in law taught me...oil, garlic, onions, sauté a little bit of tomatoes, then add the bird....and finally water and greens, and a parmesan rind as the final touch. I leave it alone while playing with M. and once she has run out of things to play with its done! I start to cut up the meat, and realize that it's rather brown. Maybe it's duck, I think to myself, but strangely the vendor didn't go 'quack quack' when she sold it to me?

I finally decide to use my German dictionary ...well 'junge taube' means young pigeon! And mine cost me 12€ probably because it flew in from France!

Needless to say, I am dropping the sign language and bringing a pocketbook dictionary, next time I go shopping.