Cheap Eats on the German Economy

I had my first rude awakening when we paid for our first German meal. We had a few schnitzels, fries, okay a couple of good German beers and walked out 80 Euro poorer. That's about $115 dollars folks. We had to find a cheaper way of eating, especially knowing we'd be in the hotel for at least a month.

We've been here for just over a month now....we still don't have our stuff, but at least we moved up in the world and just got our stairwell apartment with borrowed government furniture and a loaner trunk full of kitchen supplies from the ACS lending closet. I have perfected about five meals I can cook that only require minimal utensils, a few pots and some salt and pepper. I refuse to buy more spices with my extensive collection on the way. That's how I ended up with three containers of paprika in the first place.

But I'm jumping ahead. While in the fancy Marriot Hotel, we did have a small refrigerator, where we dutifully moved out all the overpriced minibar minis, and put in our own stash of snacks, juice and milk. The "growing-boys-always-hungry" ate a lot of cereal in those four weeks. For lunch....easy...we ate German rolls with butter, meats and cheeses and some fruit and chips. For dinner, sometimes the same and sometimes a restaurant meal.

Restaurant meals were costing us anywhere from the Euro equivalant of $80-120 for a family of four. That's a big ouch in the wallet. We were visiting the ATM more often than I would've liked....but mom, we love schnitzel and a Swaebisch specialty called Maultaschen....and even Schweinehaxen (pork knuckes)...strange fare they never would've eaten in the US! So what's a mom to do with two very growing boys....eerrr actually three including DH....who liked their meat?

After two weeks of snooping around the economy with my frugal glasses on, I finally found some cheap eats that didn't mean a trip to the on-post bowling alley to eat greasy hamburgers or chicken strips or a visit to the Popeye's at the AAFES food court, plus these choices were a lot healthier for us anyway. Granted, these eating establishments are in the Stuttgart area, but there are similar choices all throughout Germany, you just have to know where to look.

Be sure to try these options...and yes, a lot of these I found just by following where the older crowds went to eat...it's just like in the States...the retired folks know where to get the most bang for their buck or should I say Euro.

• The local Donerkebab Stand. You see them everywhere. Ask the hotel where your nearest one is. You can get a Gyro or kebab, spit roasted meat...yes it's greasy....but they add tons of fresh veggies and tatziki sauce. Get it all with a drink for about $5.

• Your nearest IKEA store. Yes, this is the same Swedish furniture and household store they have in the States. Go upstairs to their sit-down restaurant and get a nice cafeteria-style meal with a salad and drink (free refills) for a family of four only paying 20 to 30 Euro! You can guess we came here often.

• The ubiquitous REAL Superstore. This is the German version of Wal-mart and this is why Wal-mart was dead in the water before they ever tried to take over Germany...yes, they tried. All REAL stores have a nice cafeteria with regional specialties, and you can get a nice schnitzel meal for about 8 Euro. Many of the other mega superstores also have cafeterias. REAL just happens to have a stronghold in our area, so we go there often.
  

• The cafeteria on the second floor of Sindelfingen's BreuningerLand. I absolutely love the industrial architecture in this place! They have all the food stations laid out, where you can really see what's on the menu. They have the best salads, with ingredients you don't see in the States, plus stirfry sections where you pick out what you want grilled in the wok and get your fare freshly prepared, right in front of you. I had a huge meal that I shared with my two boys one afternoon for about 6 Euros. There are Breuningerlands throughout Germany.
  

• Werner's Biergarten. This place happens to be in Sindelfingen, but many German locales have such a place. It is kind of like a greasy spoon where you order and then go get your goodies at a pick up window when your order is called, but they did have some fresh stuff, and since it was summertime, it was nice to sit out in their Biergarten (of course the beer flows freely). My Frikadelle (meatpatty) with potato salad and a drink was about 6 Euro.

• A local Volksmarch. Read more about the favorite German pasttime of Volksmarching in every Thursday's issue of the Stars and Stripes newspaper. There you'll find out where all the Volksmarches are for that upcoming weekend. You walk a designated route (5 to 20km) at your own pace, and get a prize at the end. You can also join the IVV and collect points and kilometers (this has become a real family outing for us). The best part is the local ladies who cook up a storm of vittles that is both inexpensive and filling. You can many times enjoy this feast with a local oompah band and hobknobbing opportunities with the locals. I've paid as little as 4 Euro for a plate of homemade potato salad, two slices of pork roast with gravy and a crisp green salad.

• The latest local Fest. The Germans have a Fest for anything and everything...better excuse to relax, kick back and have a beer than just sitting around at home. On any given week, there is at least one Fest in a 50 mile radius of where you are in Germany. Check your local USO or Thursday's Stars and Stripes again for Fests in your area. We went to the Hamburger Fischfest in downtown Stuttgart, and it was almost criminal, the plates full of fresh fish from Hamburg that we ingested for pennies on the dollar.
  

• The Le Rose Restaurant on Patch Barracks. This is an old stand-by for us. The Italian food is inexpensive compared to what you would pay on the economy for something similar, plus it is very close and convenient.

• The top floor restaurant of the chain department stores. Next time you are downtown, instead of stopping in a restaurant, go to the top floor of one of the major department stores. You'll be pleasantly surprised to find a fairly inexpensive cafeteria-style restaurant. Even if we don't eat lunch here, we like to pop in and have dessert once in awhile.

Do you have any cheap eats?