God Bless(ed) the Germans

Who would have thought that a German appetite and a local Queanbeyan institution could have played such a big part in making me feel at home in Beijing. On the struggletown front I'm not speaking about the Queanbeyan Riverside Plaza (although no doubt it has its merits for invoking a sense of homeliness - UGG Boots do that to me). I'm talking about the Central Cafe. Meat city, where even the most dedicated carnivore can walk out with their head bowed down in shame for leaving an unfinished Mixed Grill (THE legendary dish on the menu, which gives anyone finishing it a real sense of achievement as well as some serious artery hardening).

Now while I have mentioned in previous posts about the large size of the serves here at the restauarants, there is considerably less meat included in a dinner menu than in Australia (well at our house anyway, where vegetarians ARE welcome as long as they come already basted and seasoned). It was nice then to find a few weeks ago a German restaurant just around the corner from us which does a nice lunch smorgasboard, and with no plans last night we decided to head along and check out the dinner menu. While some of the more traditional dishes looked good I decided on a mixed grill while Amy went for the steak (which got an A+ from her). What a great pick mine was - a hot skillet right from the stove top with more meat than I could finish off, and underneath nothing but BBQ style roasted potatoes. My new favourite (m)eating place, if I ever decide that I need to purge my body of remaining green vegetable free radicals. So if you are planning on coming over and are of the carnivore ilk then prepare to have the gauntlet thrown down - it seems the Germans really know how to serve up a dish where even the single remaining vegetable has lost all resemblance of its former self. And I can guarantee it will thwart the hunger pains of even the biggest eater for a good 24rhrs afterwards, just like a Central Cafe Cordon Bleu (which, like most other dishes comes in pairs). My own little suburb of Canberra right here in Beijing.

Still on the topic of the Germans and their appetites, I am excited to report that I have come across someone who can actually out-eat me. 'Rubbish', 'Lies', 'Witchcraft' I hear you say, but to make it even more amazing is that this ability resides within a German friend of mine who looks like she would weigh in at around 15kg wringing wet. Sure enough she is on her feet all day at work and doesn't eat alot up until dinner, but she had Amy and I exchanging glances of amazement when she managed to finish off the two Beijing Ducks we had ordered AFTER finishing a 7 dish banquet. I remain in awe, and suggest that if there is a God then he not stray too close to my friend's knife and fork.