Germany's holiday food favorites

Often, we are asked what is different about Christmas in Germany. I came across an article that will acquaint you with some German Christmas foods. Below is simply an extract Invited to a German Christmas dinner and don’t know what to expect? Forget about your Turkey with cranberry sauce, say good bye to mince pies and Christmas pudding and embrace these Teutonic holiday specialties.

Germany has a rich and varied culinary Christmas tradition, as well as a huge selection of festive foods making coming up with a definitive list a tricky task. But here, plucked from typical German Christmas fare, are the essential tastes you are likely to encounter.

Grünkohl – kale Held in high regard across the country, kale is likely to accompany whatever slab of Christmas meat is put on the table. The kale gets minced and then cooked in stock with cream, spices and random meat or sausages for a few days. Even though it might sound odd, a whole culture has formed around these healthy greens across the country. You’ll find that everyone has their own secret spice mix to make their kale stew a specialty. Just ask any Oma and she'll swear that the process of reheating the kale gives it its characteristic flavor and texture.

Knacker – bangers Those who have turned their nose up at Grünkohl might find this dish more appealing. In some parts of Germany the traditional Christmas Eve victuals are very basic sausages and potato salad. This all-time German favorite can be enjoyed with a variety of sausages such as Wiener, Bockwurst, or Knacker, which is a smoked, raw sausage, which is a bit like like raw bangers.

Karpfen – carp If your hosts dish up a big fish it is very likely to be carp. Don’t be reserved when it comes to this downmarket fish. While carp is viewed unfavorably in America, its firm, low-fat meat is valued in Germany. The flavor is usually mild, but some people insist that the farm raised variety can have a “muddy” taste. However, carp can often be reminiscent of tasty catfish too.

Gänsebraten – roast goose You can’t live without roasted poultry on Christmas? Well Germans like their holiday bird too. Traditionally eaten with dumplings, red cabbage and the aforementioned kale stew, roast goose might even be the most popular holiday dish in Germany. One benefit is that you avoid the dreaded “dry-turkey” since goose stays juicy simply because it’s higher in fat.

Lebkuchen – German gingerbread Don’t fear if you now think of the rock hard Lebkuchen Herzen (gingerbread hearts) inscribed with icing you didn’t think were actually edible when visiting the Oktoberfest this year. No, this traditional spicy-sweet gingerbread cake is somewhat soft and comes in every shape and taste your heart desires. It is also known as Pfefferkuchen (pepper cake) or Honigkuchen (honey cake), depending on the used ingredients.

Spekulatius This is a spicy Christmas cookie. The biscuit is very thin, crunchy, slightly browned and has some image or figure stamped on the front before baking, while the back. Imagine some kind of slimmed down, spiced up version of shortcake.

Stollen – fruit cake This stodgy fruit cake might look familiar when served up. The heavy, dense, yeasty dough may appear to be solid enough to build a house out of it, but is actually quite low in sugar. Stollen contain all sorts of Christmas goodness such as marzipan, almonds, dried fruit, butter and, last not least a thick sugar coating. Even though small Stollen are available these days, the traditional weight used to be a whopping two kilogrammes!

Marzipankartoffeln – marzipan potatoes You might have noticed already that the German sweet tooth loves marzipan, but Marzipan Kartoffeln are the real deal. They're just what their name suggests. Potato shaped lumps of marzipan dusted with coco and some cinnamon for that freshly harvested spud look. Those sugary little things can only be found in the shops during the holiday season and might pick you up after a boozy and lardy evening. If that doesn’t work, start from the top of our list again and see if another cup of Glühwein does the trick...

Germany's Protestant Church in Decline

Last week, the Protestant State Church of Germany, die evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD), released its statistics from 2007. Overall, the church lost about 1.5% of its membership. However, there are some bigger stories behind the summary statement. First, the number of resignations from the State Church rose by 7.7% in comparison to 2006. In total, there were 131,000 people to turn in their membership. Second, particularly in the former East Germany the dropout rate was very high. The state of Thurigia saw a increase in dropouts from the Lutheran church of roughly 76%. Obviously, other areas of Germany saw some growth of the church - particularly to the south and west.

And what many Americans don't realize is the financial structure of a "State Church". In an agreement between the church and the state, the German government collects a "church tax" from the church members to the amount of 7% of the paycheck which is in turn given to the "state church". In other words, the government helps you pay your tithes. (Not of of your tithes, but it's a good start.) One can opt out of paying the church tax by resigning his/her membership in the state church.

Of course, being a member of a state church has its advantages for the average person. The church provides religious education in the public schools, they perform the weddings and funerals of its members, and offer basic pastoral care to its members. There is a certain social status or cultural identity that comes with being a church member, too. However, an increasing number of Germans have never really understood the Gospel and, subsequently, have no true appreciation for a state church. And then, a very small number of folks have opted for non-State churches like us evangelicals (e.g., Baptists, Pentecostals, and charismatics).

Germany has traditionally two state churches - the Roman Catholic Church and the EKD, both of which receives money from the government based on this church tax.

Russian Patriach Passes Away

This piece of news is available through many news outlets, but may not get the prime time coverage in the West. Alexei II is to the Russian Orthodox church what the Pope is to Catholicism. As you can see below, he has had an interesting impact on Russian society. And it will be interesting to see who his successor will be.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II, who presided over a vast post-Soviet revival of faith but was accused of making the church a force for nationalism, died Friday at age 79, the church headquarters said.

The Moscow Patriarchate said he died at his residence outside Moscow, but did not give a cause of death. Alexy had long suffered from a heart ailment.

Alexy became leader of the church in 1990, as the officially atheist Soviet Union was loosening its restrictions on religion. After the Soviet Union collapsed the following year, the church's popularity surged. Church domes that had been stripped of their gold under the Soviets were regilded, churches that had been converted into warehouses or left to rot in neglect were painstakingly restored and hours-long Masses on major religious holidays were broadcast live on national television.

By the time of Alexy's death, the church's flock was estimated to include about two-thirds of Russia's 142 million people, making it the world's largest Orthodox church.

But Alexy often complained that Russia's new religious freedom put the church under severe pressure and he bitterly resented what he said were attempts by other Christian churches to poach adherents among people who he said should have belonged to the Orthodox church.

Alexy successfully lobbied for the 1997 passage of a religion law that places restrictions on the activities of religions other than Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. Under his leadership, the church also vehemently opposed schismatic Orthodox churches in neighboring Ukraine, claiming the Ukrainian church should remain under Moscow's control.

He was born Alexei Mikhailovich Rüdiger on Feb. 23, 1929 in Tallinn, Estonia. The son of a priest, Alexy often accompanied his parents on pilgrimages to churches and monasteries, and he helped his father minister to prisoners in Nazi concentration camps in Estonia. It was during those visits that Alexy decided to pursue a religious life.

Under Soviet rule, this was not an easy choice. Lenin and Stalin suppressed religion and thousands of churches were destroyed or converted to other uses, such as museums devoted to atheism or, in some cases, stables. Many priests and parishioners were persecuted for their beliefs.

The persecution eased somewhat during World War II, when Stalin discovered that the church could be used as a propaganda tool in the fight against the Nazis. But the Soviet authorities never fully loosened their grip, penetrating the church at the highest levels.

Alexy was ordained in 1950, progressed through the Orthodox hierarchy, and was consecrated Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia in 1961.

Three Questions for a Frantic Family

I've written many times before, the best time for me to read is while in transit. During my flight to/from Bulgaria, I was able to read the latest from one of my favorite authors - Patrick Lencioni, a consultant par excellence. This time, he has applied his analytic questions for businesses for everyday family life. Below is a summary of his book, taken from his own website.

The Three Big Questions: Family Scoreboard Explanations

1. What makes your family unique?
The answer to this question should be two or three sentences that describe how your family is different from any other family in the world. If you don’t know what differentiates your family from others, you won’t have a basis for making decisions, and you’ll try to be all things to all people.

2. What is your top priority—rallying cry—right now?
Rallying Cry: The rallying cry is a single, agreed-upon top priority for your family over the next two to six months. Without a top priority, everything becomes important and you end up reacting to whatever issues seem urgent that day.

Defining Objectives: Defining objectives are the basic categories of things you’ll have to do to achieve your rallying cry. Without identifying those categories, you’ll be left with nothing but a general statement—and no context for getting it done.

Standard Objectives: Standard objectives are simply those regular, perennial responsibilities that a family must pay attention to in order to keep its head above water. By acknowledging these ongoing responsibilities, families will avoid being distracted from what really matters.

3. How do you talk about and use the answers to these questions?
The most important thing a family has to do to keep its context alive is discuss it in regular meetings. If you answer the first two questions but don’t use those answers in daily, weekly and monthly decision-making, it will yield limited benefits. It can also be helpful to “score” your progress as demonstrated with the green, yellow, and red color key.