Tea, Chocolate, Bread, Cheese, Salami

The Irish and British way to drink tea is with milk (no, not "creamer"). In Germany and The Netherlands, this is not customary at all, they just serve it plain.
But I confess, I now require milk in my tea in order to experience its full pleasure. Ahhh.

Meanwhile, the Germans sure do love their chocolate! Whenever I've gone into someone's home, I am immediately served chocolate. Not that I'm complaining--they do have some great chocolates! I'm now in Aachen, where there is a Lindt factory...mmm.

Aachen is also known for its local specialty "printen"--similar to gingerbread, but different...containing spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, aniseed, clove, coriander, ginger, and sweetened with honey.

Germans also have really good breads--hard and hearty breads, none of the soft airy stuff found elsewhere. In fact, my German colleagues were laughing about how in the States, you can take an entire loaf of bread between your hands and compress it together to be half the size! There is definitely no doing this with German breads. :)

Also, the Germans love their cheese. The standard breakfast is bread with cheese and salami. The same could be served for lunch or dinner, with no hesitation, day after day...give them bread and cheese (and some beer) and they are happy...