Munchin' in Munchen

It was only half-full when I got it (I swear).

While in Munich (that's "Munchen" to the locals - hence the title of the post), Anne and Mark visited some of the many places to eat.  As previously mentioned, they quickly found a street vendor with extrem scharf in his currywurst (I think there is a cure for that now).  Now it was time to visit the big shots.  First up, the Hofbrauhaus.  (*editor's note: please excuse the egregious misuse of double dots over the "u" in "brau" and "Munchen" - this keyboard does not have the umlaut character).

The Hofbrauhaus is a huge place in the middle of Munich.  Anne and Mark made it to the third floor
(they estimate this was half-way through the hall) before being lured by the siren song of an "oom-pa" band back to ground level.  The atmosphere at this centuries-old beer hall was quite festive, even though Anne and Mark visited in the middle of the afternoon on a slow day.  In addition to the fine HB products pictured above, the Hofbrauhaus served "hocks" of several varieties (you know, ham hocks and.... other hocks) and several cabbage products.  Good times were had by all.

After leaving the Hofbrauhaus, Anne and Mark were careful to avoid turning left.  The reason is that they saw this sign to the left:

Obviously, this sign designates that area as a single-mother and child only zone.  Anne and Mark do not qualify, so they avoided that area.  This type of sign was fairly common.  On their visit to Fussen, Anne and Mark noticed this:

This one was really quite inconvenient because it was on the main walking path to the castles.  However, when visiting foreign lands, Anne and Mark try to obey local law and custom, so they avoided these areas.  This is not to say that Anne and Mark agreed with the law.  They actually felt quite uncomfortable when they saw this sign:

Discrimination of the worst kind.

Granted, Germany is allowed to make whatever type of laws they want, but a no-single mother zone?  Is that really necessary?  I don't think so.  It is certainly not very classy.



Back to the food.  Speaking of classy, on the classiness meter the Hofbrauhaus was a bit above the currywurst vendor, but that's not to say that  the currywurst vendor was inferior in any other way.  In fact, the currywurst vendor may have been a genius.  In addition to the spicy dish, the currywurst vendor also had a "ketchup-udder."  Just brilliant.  The hungry customer holds the currywurst (or whatever else) beneath the bottle and gives it a gentle squeeze.  Ketchupy goodness is then released.  How in the world did we never come up with this technology before?

Streamlined design, inspired by nature.

Later, Anne and Mark went WAY up on the classiness meter and had dinner at the Rathaus.  Although it may appear to, this does not translate as "Rat House."  (Or maybe it does, Anne and Mark do not speak German.)  What they do know is that it is a bad idea to fill up on pretzels and mustard before your entree arrives, no matter how much you might like pretzels.

Free pretzel appetizer?  I paid five bucks for a pretzel at a Twins game last summer.

 Anne and Mark visited one other place for a meal, but they are still not quite sure where this place would fit on the classiness meter.

 If you want to make the argument FOR "Classy," you have these points to work with: suit of armor on the wall (Classy), restaurant provides a bib for the patrons (Super Classy), and you are encouraged to eat with only a knife and your fingers (Uber Classy, until you cut off a finger, then Klassy).

 If you want to make the argument AGAINST this place being classy, consider that this is what happens when you leave a light tip.....

Thank heavens for abnormally thick wrists, or Mark would still be in the stocks.

And with that, Anne and Mark are on break.  See you in January...