No reservations Berlin show tonight....

[linguafood]

anyone else watching? Expectations? Hopes? I am psyched...

[applehome]

I really enjoyed the Berlin show - I think he did German cuisine justice. It's always thought of as a less developed cuisine than France or Italy, just as the wines are 2nd class. But there's a lot of room for deliciousness even in accepting that 2nd class designation.

It was interesting to find out that curry wurst comes from the East - it's so totally ubiquitous, in every weinachtfest and open street food situation I ever went to. Some of my favorite foods were the smoked fish ever present at breakfast buffets and even street-side vendors.

He should have done some road travel - picked up on the number of caravans selling a beer and schnitzel-brot or a herring-brot. Maybe a showcase of a metzger with some real charcuterie - like the Cincinnati guy (he was, after all of German heritage). But then again, there's plenty of room in Germany so maybe he'll make another trip - to the schwarzwald, perhaps (probably where the schinken came from). Or do the Rhein trip when the vinyards are in full bloom - Munich for Oktoberfest...

[melly]

It was okay..the Berlin show. That artist reminded me of many of my former patients...and not in a good way. I think the Enlish/Berliner gray-haired guy had a crush on Tony. My husband spent part of his growing up life in Germany and the only thing he remembers about it is that Germans didn't shower often and they drank lots of beer...and they are very loud and smoke like chimney's.

[kare_raisu]

My last meal in Berlin was at the place where he had the eisbein with the Spd politiker. I am glad they touched on East german cuisine which is a subject on to itself. Spreewalder Gurken! See Goodbye Lenin!

[Nuray]

Oh my God I loved that movie!!

[firstclass1]

I didn't care much for the burlesque show (the ratty dancer ain't Dita Von Tees for sure) and the Turkish food (but I guess that's all they could find besides sausages and smoked fish). However I LOVED the crazy artist, I would have loved to see more of his performance. Overall a good show, but I had pretty low expectations about Berlin.

[linguafood]

Please elaborate on your expectations for the show -- the culinary ones in particular. While Berlin has a wide array of cuisines to offer, including Michelin-starred restos, I presume AB wanted to show some local stuff. This most certainly will include regional specialties like sausages, smoked fish, white asparagus (have you ever had any?) and yes, lots of excellent Turkish food.

Off topic, I'm also not sure what constitutes 'ratty' when compared to Ditta von Teese ;-).

And yes, Jonathan Meese is definitely crazy -- and not in a good way.

[firstclass1]

I admit my complete ignorance about German food, I wasn't expecting much more than sausages and potatoes, but I've to say, everything at the food court looked delicious, specially those white asparagus. I'm sure the Turkish food is excellent, and I'm sure the Turkish community is now an integrant and important part of Berlin, I just personally don't care for Turkish food in a Germany show as much as I wouldn't care for German food in a Turkey show. Yes, I did just say that. The burlesque show seemed to be just a filler and Bourdain didn't seem to enjoy it much, I believe he said something like he'd rather clean the toilets at tgi fridays. I just love Dita Von Teese and for me anybody else looks "ratty" compared to her.

[jennywinker]

On the other hand, if Bourdain ever did a Minneapolis show (ha, ha!) I think he would really have to include the Vietnames and Mexican places, 2 immigrant communities that are very firmly entrenched here.

[applehome]

I lived in Germany for 3 years in the 1970's and Turkish gastarbeiters were already well entrenched in the manual labor force - they had enclaves in Stuttgart and many other cities. I can't imagine being in Germany and ignoring Turkish food and culture especially as the community has grown so much since then.

But then, I suppose that there are folks that would insist that mexican food stay in mexico, and should not be treated as part of "american" cuisine. Ditto Irish, German/Polish, Italian... Imagine a showcase of american cuisine with no pizza, no pasta, no boiled dinners, no sausages. And just what is that cajun stuff anyway? Something furiners brought down from Canada???

[firstclass1]

American cuisine?!

[applehome]

Absolutely - there are well established foods that we can call our own. Real bbq from the south is certainly American. From New England Clam Chowder to New Orleans Cajun to California Cuisine, we have many foods that were uniquely developed here - or have morphed here to be our own.

But that isn't the point here. The point is that it's wrong to think that we have some sort of monopoly on foreign influences because we are an immigrant nation. Food moves and changes all over the place, and has throughout human history. There are always influences from emigration movements caused by wars, exploration, drought, disease, labor shortages... Would you feel outraged if a food show were to showcase portuguese batter fried food in Japan? How about Tempura?

It's a form of xenophobia, really, to refuse to recognize a major cultural influence. Germany got doner kabob along with their cheap labor. We've gotten everything from gumbo to watermelons with ours.

Ignoring Turkish food in Germany would be ignoring their last 50 years of history and cultural development.

[alkapal]

i was wondering why why why the show wasted precious time on that half-a**ed "performance" artist. "oooh, let's have a revolution and make ART the ruling power."

Yeah, right. Please pass the senf (mustard).

[Pete Oldtown]

Now, I am watching the old Vegas show, which I never saw. He is basically kissing ass on THIS show. He can't nuke these guys and so he finds one lousy appetizer to criticize. Not a good show, but entertaining. They should have shown him having sex with the bimbo from the bar.

[bremfoodie]

Just because he enjoyed Bouchon and didn't blast Mesa Grill doesn't mean that the show sucked. If you are just watching to listen to him blast celebrity chefs I think you are watching for the wrong reasons. To me it’s about the food and the location weather it be deep fried Twinkies in Vegas or wart hog anis in the desert of Africa.

[linguafood]

I had high expectations, and am happy to say that I was not disappointed. It makes me want to try out Rogacki now -- the smoked fish alone would be worth it. I've never eaten there because frankly, for a German, I am not absolutely crazy about sausages. I have never had a currywurst that I liked. It is not a food I seek out, or crave/miss when I am not in Berlin. Döner -- that's a different story :-D, and I LOVED that he went to Kreuzberg and had some good Turkish grub. Hasir is solid stuff.

Excellent show.

[Caroline1]

Well, I was VERY disappointed he never tried one of those Turkish peppers at Kreuzberg. At least not on camera. They are killers! Nerve toxins! I've only touched one to my tongue once, years ago when I lived in Turkey, and the pain was excruciating.

I once told a Mexican girlfriend about how hot those Turkish peppers are, and she just turned up her nose and said I didn't know anything about peppers. Then her husband was sent to Germany with his job and she went along. She missed making her own good salsas, and one day she was in a greengrocers that catered to the Turkish population. She bought a bunch of the peppers and rushed home to make salsa. When she tried it, it did the same thing to her as it did to me. It makes you feel like your toenails are exploding! It just spreads pain through your whole body instantly! I can't even say it was "hot." Just extremely painful. She threw out the salsa and prayed her plumbing would survive.

I kept waitng for Bourdain to take a bite of the peppers. I think Turks must be genetically predisposed to surviving those things.

[kare_raisu]

I had the most amazing Turkish food from a place right above the ubahn station. Not to mention killer chicken shwarmas down the street.

[jennywinker]

FRIST!! (I'm not even sure what that means.)

I LOVED tonight's show! I had some complaints last season that Tony was getting away too much from the food (remember the central Asian killer massage episode?). But, after all, this IS the TRAVEL Channel. I thought tonight's episode was a perfect balance of local food, and edgy, underground, political, angst-riddent Berlin. (But maybe Berlin just lends itself to that.) But, heck, I wish Marky Ramone was in every episode.

[stellamystar]

I wish AB would have gone there last year before I took my trip to Berlin!! I am so excited to see where he eats. Croatian food was very good.
Berlin is BIZARRE, so AB will have a good time I'm sure!

.

[linguafood]

My man and I were always fantasizing about inviting AB over to Berlin and showing him 'our city' ... I'm wondering if I won't be disappointed with the show somehow, thinking "but he should've also gone to x, y & z ----

Well, we shall see. And then we can rant or rave about it later!!

[lasiciliana]

wasn't this episode on already?
I thought I saw a berlin episode on during the New Year's Eve day marathon...or is tonight's a new one?

the one from new year's eve day was in berlin but they didn't get much because the city was under attack and they had to flee....

[linguafood]

The city was under attack?? what??

[coney with everything]

It was the show they first televised in April 1945...

[linguafood]

:-D

[Gin and It]

That was Beirut. Hey, starts with a B...

[jennywinker]

I think you're thinking of the Beirut show.

[linguafood]

OMG. Yeah, they both start with a 'B' and are not in the US. Easy to mix up, I guess... ;-D

[jennywinker]

And an "e", "i" and "r." Hey, anyone could make that mistake. Thank goodness Berlin wasn't getting bombed!

[jennywinker]

I should add - not that it was a good thing that Beirut was getting bombed.

[southernitalian]

This is my favorite CH thread to date. Swear. The episode tonight is new.

[Pete Oldtown]

I was disappointed. I spent time in Frankfurt several times and found a lot more interesting things in a less interesting time. Sitting at a bar that opened in the 1400's is pretty amazing. The food in Germany is also better than he showed it. My first time, I was young and didn't know what to say when I ordered a pork steak and they asked me how I wanted it done. I took a chance and said medium, and the waiter looked at me with something approaching respect. Germany has never had trichinosis, which is why we cook pork to death.

[kare_raisu]

Ive been to both berlin (lived there for a year) and frankfurt - and my moneys on berlin for having better food anyday.

[linguafood]

Yeah, totally. Frankfurt's a culinary & cultural wasteland...

[linguafood]

@alkapal -- yeah, total waste of time on the 'revolutionary' "artist"
@melly -- or mental patient, for that matter ;-)

I wish AB had had better guides -- maybe someone from Berlin would've been a better idea. Instead of a Brit & an Austrian... go figure.