Oktoberfest!

Ah...
Fall...
and Fall (Herbst) in Germany makes us think of Oktoberfest. You can just imagine the crisp, Fall air carrying whiffs of warm gingerbread and sausages, and swarms of smiling, laughing people, with rosy cheeks and beer breath.

This Sunday (October 4th) marks the end of Germany's Oktoberfest in Munich, where over 6 million people will have consumed 1.5 million gallons of beer, 200,000 pairs of pork sausage, and 480,000 spit-roasted chickens (Hendl). Gulp!

That's not even taking into account all the potato dumplings, red cabbage and apples (Blaukohl), steamed white veal sausages with sweet mustard, sauerkraut, the ever-so-yummy warm pretzels or bread rolls (Brötchen), potato salads (hot or cold), potato soups and cheese plates that will be consumed. And don't forget desserts: steamed honey-dumplings served with vanilla sauce (Dampfnudel), apple strudel, gingerbread and sugared pancakes with raisins (Kaiserschmarrn).

You won't find many places in Texas that can offer what the 200-year old festival offers in Munich, but Fredericksburg is closer than Munich and their annual Oktoberfest STARTS this Friday (October 2nd) and runs through Sunday. (Tickets for adults are $6 and kids are only $1!). http://www.oktoberfestinfbg.com/

And next year, you won't have to travel far at all for a little taste of Oktoberfest...we'll just see you at the deli.