Jaunted - Tag: Food Trends

Berlin: It's War of the Wursts in Berlin as Grillwalkers Battle Imitators

Victor Ozols — 2009-09-26T13:48:26-05:00

Back in 1997, an unemployed former hotel manager named Bertram Rohloff had a brilliant idea. Unable to obtain the necessary permits to open an outdoor sandwich stand, he found a way to circumvent the entire bureaucracy and wound up making portable food vending history. He invented a wearable propane sausage grill that requires no special permit, as neither the grill nor the food ever touches the ground. Thus, Grillwalker was born, a sausage oven with legs that can bring hot sausages to the hungry masses at some of Berlin's most heavily-trafficked urban spaces. As The New York Times points out, Rohloff's 15 sausage walkers are now fixtures at such sites as the Alexanderplatz, bustling Friedrichstrasse train station, and even outside popular nightclubs.

Nuremberg: Germany's Waiter-Less Restaurant

amandak — 2007-08-30T09:20:01-05:00

A German restaurant owner has come up with a unique solution to rude waiters, problems with tipping or wait staff calling in sick: he's done away with them altogether.

'S Baggers restaurant in Nuremberg, Germany, is being billed as the world's first automated restaurant. Guests choose their meals from a touch screen at their table and food is delivered by a "mini-railway" from the kitchen located on the floor above. Parts of the delivery contraption look like a slide, so the food has plenty of fun on the way down to the tables. Presumably 'S Baggers still employs humans to cook the meals, but who knows how much longer that will be necessary.

Related Stories:
· Gooodbye Rude Waiters [Spiegel]
· What's Worse Than Kiwi Wurst? [Jaunted]
· Destination: Bamn Automat [Jaunted]

What's Worse Than Kiwi Wurst?

amandak — 2007-06-13T09:20:16-05:00

German sausages just got better. Or so they say. If variety is really the spice of life then the variety of new sausages available at a good Wurst stand in Germany should be making everybody happy.

The new chilli-honey Wurst is at least something we can imagine, but the kiwi fruit Wurst that also includes maraschino cherries and pineapple pieces seems to be taking things a bit far. Lemon and aloe vera are other new ingredients. We're not sure if these sausages are to our taste, but they certainly add novelty value to the average German meal.

Related Stories:
· Say Aloe To A New Flavour [The Australian]
· Only If There's Sauerkraut [Jaunted]

[Photo: planetina]

Hamburg: Get Your Qualified Kebab Here

amandak — 2007-03-09T09:45:04-05:00

If you've spent any time traveling around Germany, chances are you've not just gulped down a sausage and some beer, but also a kebab. With 2.5 million people of Turkish descent calling Deutschland home, there's a doner kebab stall on every corner.

But now kebab culture is going to get even better. Up in Hamburg (where they surely should be focused on hamburgers) they're starting a Kebab School. Focus skills will include how to cut meat properly, the calculation of how much meat to put on a skewer and how to avoid germ contamination.

Graduates will proudly hold a Certificate in Meat Processing with Doner Kebab Production Specialization and will, no doubt, be sought after for their high skills by corner doner stalls across the continent. So if you're looking for the best kebab on your next trip to Germany, just check if the back wall of the stall for diplomas.

[Photo: mikko_l]

Related Stories:
· School for Skewers? Shish! [Reuters]
· It's September, It Must Be Oktoberfest [Jaunted]
· No Wurst For the Wear [Jaunted]

New York: Japonais, New York, and the Eight Samurai

AVB — 2006-09-08T10:05:01-05:00

This summer saw the opening of the third big box Asian mega-restaurant in New York City. Buddakan and Morimoto opened at the beginning of the year, and now Japonais has joined them. A Chicago import serving sushi and French-Japanese fusion, it's not quite as big or as flashy as the other two, but that's decidedly a good thing.

Enjoying these food barns is a matter of personal taste more than anything else, though it's hard to deny the skill it takes to serve 1,000 people in a night without a total kitchen meltdown. We visited the other week, and we liked two things in particular at Japonais: The Eight Samurai, which is eight different kinds of tartare, including two kinds of tuna, shrimp, and scallops. We also liked Le Quack Japonais, which is a cross between Peking Duck and Mu Shu; you get to make your own little duck burritos with fresh scallions and mango chutney.

It's not a super authentic Asian experience, or even a revelatory one, but who cares when you get to make your own duck burritos?

[Image via ronnyg/Flickr]