Wurst und Spätzle

For some reason, I often find myself attracted to the German Culinary delights.  Perhaps it goes back to my days in West Hartford, CT when my mother used to make an occasion of taking me to the Edelweiss Restaurant in the town centre.  Of course, German cuisine isn't know for its vegetarian elements, though it does contribute some lovely pastries.  But, for the full German flavour, you really do need a carnivorous spirit.

Now, as you may have heard over the various news sources we had a bit of a snow flurry down here on the Potomac.  So whatever was in your house on that Friday better had sustain you until Monday at the earliest; we weren't going anywhere under those conditions and with those roads.  When it finally was (barely) acceptable to travel (and maybe this spring when the flowers bloom we'll finally have the public streets of our community clear of ice and slush!  Thank you, Fairfax Co., VA!), I had to get out.  Yes, there was still food in the larder but one grows weary of the same old pre-prepared food stuffs day in and day out.

Of course, escape from my snowy encapsulation also meant it was time to restock the pantry.  But, with the day of Vegetarian reckoning fast approaching, I knew I had to choose my groceries with an eye toward the transition.  Thus I have officially entered the phase where I shall not buy any store items for eating that contain any element of meat.  Of course, that doesn't include restaurants, and I still had a hankering for German cuisine…

So where do you go when you want German Food in North-Western Fairfax Co.?  Why, Euro Bistro, of course!  Now, Euro Bistro isn't the kind of restaurant for which you drive 50 miles or go out of your way.  But it does have decent food and is loyal to its traditional Austrian cuisine.  I can't say it's food is culinary perfection, but it warms the palette and give comfort to an appetite seeking proper German fare.  Personally, I am quite a sucker for Spätzle and fortunately that's something I can continue to enjoy as a Vegetarian.  But, what I can't enjoy less than a fortnight from now is typical German Wurst and Sauerkraut (though the later is also happily Vegetarian). Since the Wurst is typically Fleisch and most assuredly not Vegetarian, I decided for my first foray into the snowy realm I should seek this out as one of my last acts of pre-Vegetarianism.  Mmmmmmm;  or in the inimitable words of Café World: "Nom!  Nom!  Nom!"

Alas, no more German Wurst or Fleisch for me until at least 2011.  Not that there isn't a lot of German food that is still Vegetarian. After all, there are many millions of Germans already practicing Vegetarianism at the moment, even if the traditional main dishes of Germany tend none the less to contain some form of meat.

In fact, we have a standing invitation to dinner with a lovely couple and neighbour of ours.  Even though one of these neighbours was born in Germany, I know she won't have any problem serving something Vegetarian when we visit.  In fact, she's not even a fan of traditional German cooking!  Heck, even the old Edelweiss Restaurant in good old West Hartford isn't interested in cooking German anymore; now it's serving Mexican!  Mmmm, Vegetarian Mexican food…