I don't know why there is a second consecutive post based on my culinary experiences! Maybe because I am the only lone vegetarian in any group of "n" people whom I meet here...wat is this world made of? Are there no vegetarians around?
Anyway, this particular episode has a prologue...so I will start with that. When we were en route to Paris, we decided to stop at Mannheim for a quick bite (dinner that is!). So we headed to the nearest fast-food store and started placing our orders. Poor me walked upto the counter and tried my best to convey to the girl that I needed a VEGETARISCHE burger...without chicken, meat, beef, pork, fish etc. Thankfully, that particular girl understood me and clearly explained that they do have a VEGETARISCHE burger with a potato and red kidney beans pattie! Yay! So I went ahead and promptly ordered one. When I received my order, I begged my friends to check out whether it was really a vegetarian one. They confirmed it and well, I went on to enjoy a really good meal. So...what went wrong here? Why did I make you read through this last para which has absolutley no twist or turn? Well, I told you! Its just the prologue... :)
So...now what? The main scoop of course!
Fast-forward to one week later...Me and my friend spent a blissful day of shopping and galivanting about the streets of Heidelberg and Mannheim. We returned to Heidelberg to find out that we had missed our bus to the Hotel by just a minute. Cursing and giggling, we staggered inside the Hauptbahnhof and tried to find something to eat. We saw a huge Burger King sign and promptly headed that way. Now, just so you know...this friend of mine is one of those rare vegetarians like myself. So being a good girl, I told her that we do get Veg burgers at Burger King and promptly headed the small party of two towards the entrance. We waited patiently in front of a queue of loud teenagers who looked more like the local urchins and finally reached the counter after a full 20 minutes! Confidently (but falteringly in my german) I told the guy behind the counter that I wanted "2 Vegetarische burgers". He looked at me a little skeptically and broke into a tirade of Deutsche...that was when my friend stopped him and asked if he spoke English. He flashed us a wide grin and this time, broke out in Butler English. So to cut a long story short, we got it through him and had our order processed. The bill came to € 3.70 (in total!) and I had this quick flash-back wherein I remembered chipping in € 3.99 per person for a similar order. I immediately started trying to remember all that we had eaten that day...
"Maybe because we had ordered pommes frites and coke? And maybe because we also took some Flurry-Joghurt..."
Before my mind could actually remember all this and answer them (to myself)...my friend was nudging me to ask if i needed Käse. On reflex, i said NO. But she was indulent with my diet that day and went ahead with an affirmative consoling me that: "giving in once in a while is good..." Oh, well! I went ahead with the wave and completely lost track of the unanswered questions in my head. We were served our burgers and we headed to the nearest table. Prattling non-stop about our shopping, we hardly cast an eye on the burger that we each put to our respective drooling mouths. The next moment, we both were looking at each other with an inexplicable, albeit similar, expression plastered on our faces. No no, no no...It wasn't non-vegetarian...it's just that...that...there was absolutely nothing in it!!!!!!
We set the so-called burgers down and looked between the two breads. Another moment later, we were roaring with laughter and almost out of breath! The so-called "Vegetarische Burger" had as its stuffing: one slice tomato, one slice Käse and a sad looking lettuce leaf...AND NOTHING ELSE!
So...wat did me and my friend learn from this? Never trust your half-baked German knowledge...and never, ever order a "Vegetarische Burger" unless the person at the counter understands and speaks good english!!!
