It’s funny when I type “German ice cream”, I’m reminded of the job I spent four summers doing at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. I worked in the German Ice Cream shop. I cashiered, capped strawberries, served soft serve ice cream, and made waffle cones. The first two years, I wore ugly fake lederhosen, complete with culottes, knee socks (which I never pulled up) and shirts with lederhosen straps sewn to them. The first year I worked there, the straps were not sewn on and that turned out to be an occupational hazard, since we had an unused frozen yogurt machine that had parts that stuck out on it. More than once, one of my straps got hooked on that thing. The second two years, females were outfitted in dirndls. I liked the dirndls better, since it was easier to use the restroom and I could wear my own shorts under the skirt. The only thing bad about them was that I am a bit well endowed, so that dress made me look like I was selling something milky besides soft serve ice cream. My boobs were busting out, if you know what I mean.
All day, I listened to polka music… the same damn six or eight songs over and over again all day and every summer. The polka music got on my nerves, because one of the songs had a flat note in it. I seemed to be the only one who noticed it. It’s been about 16 years since I last visited Busch Gardens, but I think they still play the same music, or so some of my local friends have told me.
This is the music I listened to for four summers… It was a little like being trapped in a Lawrence Welk style nightmare.
Now that I live in the actual country of Germany again, I get to enjoy real German ice cream. That was one thing I loved about living here last time because Germans put Americans to shame when it comes to this frozen treat. Go to any German Eis Cafe and order a sundae and you will get an incredible creation that will blow your mind.
An example of “German Eis” at a cafe… They get a lot fancier than this.
Hell, go to the store and buy some ice cream. They come in plastic containers here and you will find all manner of different flavors designed specifically for self-indulgent adults. Sometimes, you can even find ice cream with booze in it.
Two flavors in our freezer: Black Forest and Triple Chocolate… Black Forest is my favorite!
Look at that! When was the last time you saw American ice cream in a container that looks all decorative?
Yes, this is vanilla ice cream with “Eierlikor”– Egg liqueur. And yes, egg liqueur is an adult beverage.
A close up of the Triple Chocolate…
Now, I don’t eat a lot of ice cream. Every once in awhile, I get in the mood for a little dessert, but it happens less than once a week. But when I do want ice cream, it’s nice to have some that isn’t for kids. When I am in the USA, I can make ice cream. Here in Germany, I am content to purchase it and give a big present to my ass.
Tomorrow starts my big trip to Virginia, so stay tuned for new hotel reviews… and probably a fair amount of bitching.
Other than being better, how is German ice cream different tha ours? Is it richer? Does it just have more stuff in it and more varieties of it? I'm curious.
Well, obviously it's a lot fancier. And they don't have the alcohol rules that we have in the USA, so they can add booze to their flavors. Also, I do think it tastes better. Our local Aldi has \”American Ice Cream\” for sale. We haven't bought any, so I can't really compare it. And you can get Ben and Jerry's ice cream here, too. Germans are really big on their confections, though, and you can find all sorts of high quality goodies in the frozen foods aisle, though some products are better than others.