Days on a business trip in Germany (part of foraging) 5. The special Chinese New Year. I have eaten various forms of New Year’s Eve dinners, but this one is very unforgettable.

The time we stayed in Germany happened to span two years between China and the West, and it also coincided with Easter.

In this somewhat remote German town, there was no Chinese style at all at that time.

In the company we were working for, there was a German who knew something about China. He knew that we had this festival, so he sent us their delicious snacks that day. It was a very soft bread. I don’t know why.

The friendship is great, and the bread is really delicious. We all praised it after eating it.

In addition to bread, he also brought us something special, a menu with pictures and names of dishes that he brought from China. What a special gift!

While I read the name of the dish aloud, I smacked my lips without scruples. At this moment, let alone big fish and meat, as long as you give me a plate of green fried vegetables, I would be satisfied.

Those who have never gone abroad would not know how happy it is to grow up in China.

On the night of New Year’s Eve, the four of us decided to get together in a room to celebrate the New Year.

I took out the collector's edition of the food that screams for me at the moment: instant noodles.

All the food brought from China and sent by leaders have been consumed. Only I secretly kept this last precious barrel of Chinese instant noodles.

I soaked it, and a long-lost alluring fragrance immediately floated in the room. The four of us, three grown men and me, enjoyed the last bucket of instant noodles with relish and reluctance.

They are very grateful to me, because with this bucket of instant noodles I saved, this year has a Chinese New Year flavor.

6. Local food It must have been during the Christmas period that the German friend who called himself a China expert decided to take us to Berlin.

This German friend is tall and has a bold personality, much like our Shandong people. He said that he had been to Qingdao once, so he had some feelings for China and Chinese people.

His English is not very good, and neither are ours, so sometimes there are some obstacles in communication. Fortunately, every time he doesn’t know how to express himself, I can always guess what he means, so he said the most

He likes to communicate with me because I "understand" him.

When we went to Berlin by train, this German friend brought us a lunch specially made by her wife, which should be hot dogs!

We gratefully accepted the food he provided, thinking that this was probably a German home-cooked meal. When we took a bite, we found that the taste was really beyond praise. Out of politeness, I ate the hot dog in big gulps.

I felt really sad for the Germans at that time. It turned out that this was what they ate every day!

(Friends who are familiar with German food, please don’t blame me. In fact, we don’t know what kind of food he brought us that day. Maybe it is not delicious to Germans!) Another time, with them

Two executives of the company went on a business trip to Austria and went to a place similar to our service area for dinner.

I had very little knowledge at that time, so when I saw the bright red pasta, I thought it was noodles with chili sauce. I salivated, so I ordered it without hesitation.

As a result, I found that the spiciness I imagined turned out to be sour and sweet that I didn't like. I didn't like the taste at all, but out of politeness and Chinese people's face, I still insisted on eating the plate of pasta.

It’s really not easy to swallow it.

When we were about to return to China, we were invited to have a more formal German meal. I have no memory of what we ate. I guess I didn’t particularly like it!

I just remember that the environment was very beautiful and there was piano accompaniment.

7. Chocolate and beer. After coming back from Germany, I have always regretted two things. I didn’t buy chocolate when I was there, and I bought too little before I came back!

I had just started working at that time, and all I could think about was saving money. Therefore, all I thought about every day was how to solve the problem of food and clothing. I never thought of buying a piece of chocolate to try.

Before returning to China, I went to the supermarket to buy some for my relatives and friends, but I still didn't want to eat a piece first.