The Flammkuchen Adventure

A few months after I arrived in beautiful Lüneburg

… I decided that I wanted to make a German dish I had heard of called “Flammkuchen”.

Flammkuchen to me is like German pizza. It is a thin dough that is spread with Crème Fraiche and topped with bacon and onions, which is then baked in the oven till crispy. 

I made my grocery list and biked to my local German grocery store. I got a shopping cart and went into the grocery store. After going to the produce section to get the onions, I looked at my list and saw something called “Schmand”. I had absolutely no idea what this was, so I quickly searched on my phone. I now knew what it was, but now I had to find it. I wandered aimlessly around the grocery store first starting in the sauce aisle. I then came upon the cold cases where the milk, butter, yogurt, etc. are located at. I thought to myself “it has to be here somewhere”. I started at the end of the case, and slowly looked through every product. I went down the case once, and once again, but I could not find the Schmand. 

People were constantly wanting to get around me

… and since I was so slow, a small line started to form behind me. At that moment, I felt so much pressure and stress, I gave up. I left the cold cases and walked down the sweet aisle. I had to stand there to collect myself because I did not want to cry in the grocery store. After a few minutes, I tried again and found the Schmand! I then went to the register to pay and biked back home. That evening I reaped the rewards of my adventure at the grocery store and ate the delicious flammkuchen.

This one experience for me really embodies the struggle of moving to a new country. Something as small as finding an ingredient in the grocery store can be a struggle. Since my time in Germany, I have experienced many little struggles and successes. Eventually, these small accomplishments build and overtime to bigger and bigger ones. Gradually, I have been getting used to my local German grocery store. Now, I know my way around the store. Of course, at times, I do not know where things are, but am much more confident. 

Adapting to a new country takes time and comes with all these small struggles.  I know that if I can succeed at navigating a German grocery store, I can succeed in many other things in Germany!

Also, I would recommend for everyone to try flammkuchen! It is really easy to make and tastes really yummy!