The Celestial Openness of the Child’s Mind March 21, 2012

The celestial openness of the child’s mind.

Doesn’t that just sound beautiful? Apparently it is how romantic writers and poets described the mind of children. Although I haven’t yet found where…. No matter. The following video of a lecture by Patricial Kuhl explains it all. We all know that speaking more than one language with children has many benefits, including creating even more extraordinary brains. Just wait til you hear what she has to say about the brains of babies and how they acquire and differentiate between languages! It’s absolutely fascinating!

My husband was watching the video on Ted.com, and I very quickly became riveted to the screen. I just had to share it! It’s about 10 minutes long, but so worth watching – especially for those of us raising bilingual children!

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You know, I studied a little bit about second language acquisition (SLA) when I was a grad student. I have to confess: I found it awfully dull! And yet, the real-life experience of watching Aleksander become bilingual is utterly fascinating to me!! So maybe it was just the articles and the way they were written that were dull?

I mean, this is fascinating stuff, isn’t it?! I was especially shocked by the facts about input through audio and television. They absolutely cannot compare with real live human interaction! That doesn’t mean we’ll stop listening to music and audio CDs or watching a German DVD. But the human element is irreplaceable.

I do have some questions, though. How much input do they need to be able to continue distinguishing the sounds? I just watched PER read three Dutch books to Aleksander. You may recall that PER doesn’t really speak much Dutch to Aleksander – he gets occasional input at best. And yet, Aleksander sat in PER’s lap, happily listening to each book. When PER asked a question such as “Where is the lion?” (I don’t speak Dutch, so I’ll just give translations!), Aleksander pointed to the lion! When PER asked, “What’s that?” Aleksander named several animals in Dutch!! Okay, maybe he was able to do this, because PER has read him these books before. Nevertheless, I sat there in amazement!

I have been wondering something else, too – about myself this time. Does all this research about distinguishing sounds help with pronunciation, too? I would think so. So how come my German pronunciation often gets complimented as being near-native? And even Italians have told me I should learn Italian, because my accent is so good. I’m pretty sure my French isn’t too bad either. So where did this ability come from? And why does it appear to be true for these languages but not for others? Apparently, my Dutch pronunciation is terrible And when a bilingual friend tried to teach me some Swedish, I did not receive the same compliments that I’d gotten from the Italians. I have to admit that this makes me crazy! Why can I pronounce some languages so well and others not well at all??? I do wonder if I could improve if I had some instruction from someone who could better explain the sounds and how to make them. PER has many talents, but a language teacher he is not! Someday, I’ll have to find myself a Dutch teacher and give it a try….

For now I’ll just focus on Aleksander. I’m rather jealous that he gets to grow up with English, German, and a wee little bit of Dutch! Aren’t our children lucky that they are being raised with more than one language?! Just think of what it’s doing for the development of their brains, especially as they are “celestially open”!

Happy Hungry Caterpillar Day! (oh, and spring, too!) March 20, 2012

Did you know that today – March 20th – is Very Hungry Caterpillar Day? I don’t know who decided that, but that’s what Amazon tells me. I’m all for celebrating the Caterpillar, as anyone who follows my blog will know

The obsession started all on my own. By now, I’m pretty sure I’ve passed it on to Aleksander. He talks about the Caterpillar. He talks about die Raupe. And it’s no wonder…. We have two copies of it in English, one in German, and one in Dutch. Aleksander can recite almost the entire book – in both English and German! There’s a framed picture of it on the wall in his bedroom. There’s a wall decal in the basement – leftover decorations from his birthday party that are just too darned cute to take down! (Neither of these were expensive – check out the links if you’re interested.) We have the DVD, a song, and several audio texts – these all in German. He once had a Caterpillar squirt toy, but sadly it got left behind on our first family vacation. He has several different puzzles of various scenes from the book – one wooden set, and one a that’s a double image. He has a plate and a cup. And lots of stickers. Oh, and we’re now on our second set of colorforms (best activity on our long flight home from Europe!). Yes, I’d say obsessed is a word that applies! (For more info on our German products, check out this post from a couple of months ago.)

It’s funny – I had never heard of Eric Carle until I was in my mid-20s. Now his books are some of my most beloved. I have memories of sharing them with Aleksander that I will treasure for a lifetime.

HAPPY VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR DAY!! AND HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!

New Site for Ordering Books!! March 18, 2012

I just stumbled across a website for ordering books, and I’m SOOOOO excited!! Not only do they have a great selection of German books (and I think books in other languages, too), but the prices are amazing and the shipping is FREE!!!!! Yes, free to most countries! What?! It almost seems too good to be true! Let me give you an example of their astounding prices:

One of the books I wanted to get was from the Bodo Bär series. I decided on Bodo Bär am Meer (a board book). The price was only $5.89. I price compared with Amazon.de, where the price was 4.95 Euro!! That’s better than the exchange rate, which would put it at about $6.50!!

Need another example? How about Elmar rettet den Regenbogen? The price was $13.39. On Amazon.de: 11.90 Euro. The exchange rate puts that at $15.67. Crazy!!

Honest, I’m not getting any compensation for this review! I’m just SOOOO excited!! (Wait, did I say that already?)

The only drawback I can find is that searching for books isn’t exactly geared toward searching for (children’s) books in a foreign language. You can do an advanced search and narrow down by language. But they don’t have options like searching by age. So it might still be easier to browse on a site like Amazon.de and then see if you can find it here.

Oh wait – what is this website, you ask? It’s called The Book Depository. Have you heard of it? Any experience with it? I’d love to hear about it! Especially if you’re looking for books in another language – are the results as good?

Happy book-shopping!

German Chat Group March 16, 2012

I’ve been a little quiet the last week or so. That’s because I’ve been busy preparing to host my German Chat Group! About four years ago, I joined a local newcomers’ club. It has events for the entire group (I think there are a couple hundred members) and also numerous subgroups, such as tennis, book clubs, gallavanters (outings), etc. Most importantly, it has several language groups – French, Italian, and of course German!! In the past four years, I think I’ve only made it to 7 meetings. First it was my dissertation that kept me too busy, and since Aleksander was born it’s gotten even trickier to make it to the monthly meetings. So I was thrilled when Helen, the organizer, contacted me to ask if I’d host the March meeting.

I had over a month to get ready and started planning right away. I love hosting little parties. The planning is as much fun as the party itself! Even though there were only going to be 8 people attending, I couldn’t help going a little overboard on the food Every time I’ve attended one of our gatherings, the hostess has offered a beautiful spread. So the bar was set pretty high, and I was excited to try to meet it. Sometimes the food is very “German” and although I’ve written recently about wanting to try German recipes, I didn’t end up going that route. I knew I had to make my famous chocolate cake. Okay, it’s not my cake, since the recipe was given to me by a baker friend of mine. But I’ve made it so many times in the last 10 years, it feels like it’s mine now, too. The cake, which is laced with Godiva chocolate liqueur, is unbelievably moist and has a chocolate cream cheese frosting. Lecker!!!  [Yummy!] I also made scones with a “mock” clotted cream and Caprese tarts and set out cheese & crackers and strawberries. I wish I had taken a picture of the table! Everything looked so pretty!

The planning was not only about the food, though. Isn’t it true that company always inspires us to attack projects around the house?! We moved into our house seven months ago. When another mother at Aleksander’s music class said it would take a good six months for us to move in, I was horrified. “Oh no, no, no, no, no,” I thought. Weeks at most. After all, my parents were visiting at the time, so I had help with Aleksander and help with the unpacking. (My parents lived in one house while I was growing up … and moved about 7 times since they retired. Add that to the 10 or so times they’ve helped my brother and me move, and that adds up to two amazing packing/moving/unpacking experts!) And yet here I am, not six but SEVEN months later, and there are still boxes around the house. Ugh. The house is plenty big, but it doesn’t have quite as much storage as I’d thought. Several trips to Ikea later, and I think the end is finally in sight. We have a super handyman who has been great in helping get everything done. He even hung my special wall cabinet that houses my collection of shot glasses from all my travels. (No, I didn’t start the collection because I’m a big drinker! Believe it or not, I started back when I played the oboe, because they’re the perfect size for soaking reeds!) I’m just so excited to see everything coming together. There might actually be a place for everything! Can we keep everything in its place? Alas, that is probably not realistic. I could blame our 2-year-old, but truth be told, Aleksander is much better about putting away his things that his parents are! (sigh) All I can do is keep trying!

Anyway, back to the chat group! We met on Thursday morning. In addition to the usual members, I asked Anika to join us. So Logan and Aleksander got to play together in the basement – under the supervision of a babysitter – while we ate, drank, and chatted in the living room. The occasion shriek of joy from downstairs brought smiles to all our faces   About half of our members are native speakers. The rest of us speak at varying levels. It’s a very friendly group, though, so when someone needs a word in German or doesn’t understand a word someone else said, we just ask. I’m always amazed at how the conversation flows. It’s not as if there are prescribed topics to be discussed. I suppose it helps that many of the members have now known each other for quite a long time. There is always a lot of laughter, too. It’s all very gesellig  [this word doesn't translate very well - sociable? companionable??]. Oh yes, and everyone loved the food as well as our new house

I’m so grateful to have this group. I’m really going to make an effort to go more regularly. Besides the enjoyment I get out of being with the diverse group of women, it’s fantastic for my German. Just to hear it is wonderful. I feel like the language washes over me, getting into the cracks and crevices of my brain that don’t get much exposure to German these days. I hear words I’d forgotten, and sometimes words come out of my mouth that I’d forgotten I knew! I may speak German every day with Aleksander, but talking to a 2-year-old is so very different from adult conversation!

Kinderklatsch March 8, 2012

Anika & I have finally revitalized our Kinderklatsch play group! We’re starting out just the two of us with our two boys who now know each other so well. Our goal is to try to meet once a month. Maybe in the summer, once her semester of teaching ends, we can meet more often.

For our first meeting today, we didn’t do anything special. We met at Anika’s house and just spoke German.

The first thing I noticed is how much my own language has changed. Ugh! Talking with another adult is so different than talking with a toddler!! My vocabulary has been reduced to a pitiful state. Words that used to be on the tip of my tongue have gotten lost in the dark recesses of my overloaded brain. So….. All the more reason to continue! This playgroup is good for me, too!! It also tells me that signing up for the Language 180 Challenge is a really good idea. I’m still not sure how much time I’ll be able to put into it, but any time is better than no time, right?

As for the boys, that was kind of interesting. Logan spoke very little German, even though Anika follows the OPOL method and only speaks German with him. I sometimes wonder if my half-days of German will be enough, but this experience at least tells me that we’re doing pretty well so far. To be fair, Logan didn’t say a whole lot while we were there. He’s a rather shy, sweet little boy. Actually, I think he talked more today than I’ve ever heard him talk before. Then again, Anika could probably say the same about Aleksander. He takes a little while to warm up before he starts rattling away with all the things he says when he’s in his comfort zone.

Which brings me to Aleksander. He spoke a mix of German and English. He was even mixing the languages within one phrase or sentence. So I would repeat his English words in German, and usually he’s say them back to me. And I was pleased that when he went up to one of his favorite toys – alphabet magnets on the fridge – he said, “Buchstaben!” [letters!]. He was also asking for more snacks in German.

The boys still generally engage in parallel play – not so much playing with each other as playing next to each other. Shortly before it was time to leave, however, they found a little game to play: a toddler’s version of hide-and-seek. That means, they absolutely know where the other one is, because they go to the same place every time. And Aleksander would watch Logan go around the corner. But the delight the two of them had in running toward each other and “surprising” each other was hilarious! It’s the first time we’ve ever seen these two play with each other.

Tomorrow is Lesestunde [story hour], and since Anika is on spring break, she’s going to be able to bring Logan! Yay!

I’m not sure when our next playgroup will be, but for the next time I’d like to do something a little more organized – some songs or books maybe. Eventually we might invite some other families to join our group, too. For now, though, it’s so nice to spend a morning with my dear friend and know that at the same time we’re doing something great for our kids’ language!

Three Months of Language Explosion! March 4, 2012

It is hard for me to believe that Aleksander has only been talking for about 3 months now. Ever since he started building his spoken vocabulary at the beginning of December, his progress has truly exploded! He has such a big vocabulary, I couldn’t begin to count the number of words he says. He generally uses about 3 words together at a time, but I’ve heard him say full sentences, too!

Since he started talking, I’ve become even more aware of how much German we’re speaking (or should be!). For one thing, he’s like the town crier announcing what language I speak! I greet him every morning in German (since we spend the mornings until his naptime in German – or at least that’s the goal), and he announces: “German!” He’s finally started to say it in German now, too: “Deutsch!” And if I should happen to falter and lapse into English (okay, this happens on a regular basis!), he immediately lets me know it: “English!!” So I clap my hand over my mouth and then switch right back into German It gets tricky when a non-German speaker is around, such as his babysitter. He seems to be getting the idea that Sam speaks English. He’ll say: “Sam – English. Mama – German/Deutsch.” Since the word for English in German is very close [Englisch], I still can’t tell what language he’s saying it in!

For a while, Aleksander was really pushing for English when I would speak German with him. “English … English … English,” he’d cry. I gently explained to him (again) that this was our German time, and Mama was going to speak German (in German, of course). More and more, though, he’s really catching on. Before I know it, he’s speaking German back to me. I still don’t insist on it. I try to repeat the things he says in English back to him in German. And sometimes I’ll ask him, “Kannst Du das sagen?” [Can you say that?]. He then repeats the German word. I’ve even started playing a little bit with asking him, “Wie, bitte?” [what?] when he says something in English. He usually responds with the German word!

What still shocks the heck out of me is to hear how often he self-corrects! He’ll say something in English and then immediately say it again in German. Amazing!!! Sometimes it sounds like an actual phrase, because he says the two words so quickly. One example happened at breakfast the other day. He often comments on how big (or small ) of a bite he’s taking (probably my doing, since I told him so often that he was taking too big a bite!): “little klein,” he said.

Occasionally I hear Aleksander mixing the two languages. For example, “very groß” [big]. But generally, he manages to keep the two languages separate.

I love breakfast and lunchtime with him. It’s a great time to practice and hear him speaking German. My favorite thing is when he asks, “Mehr Milch, bitte?” [more milk please?] Yes, he usually adds the “please” now, too, without being prompted!!

We’ve started watching a new DVD in the past month or so. I ordered it from Amazon.de before we went to the Netherlands last December. It’s called Singen und Bewegen by Detlev Jöcker. Lots of silly songs for him and his six little friends to dance to. Aleksander LOVES it. He asks for it all the time: “tanzen?” [dance]. The funny thing is, he does not get up and dance with Detlev and the kids – not even when I do it! He sits in his little chair and drinks it all in, just watching and listening. I don’t mind so much, since he’s getting German input. And I even get to cheat a little bit, since he often asks for the DVD in the afternoon – bonus German time!! The only downside is that those darned songs get so stuck in my head, they play over and over and over as I try to go to sleep at night!

I have to admit that my favorite thing Aleksander says these days is actually in English. “That’s … so fuh—neee!” It really is so funny when he says it! I must get out the video camera and capture some of these adorable little language nuggets!

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On another note, I’ve been doing some more cooking recently. Only thing is, the recipes didn’t turn out so well So I’ll post about them when I try them again….

The Language 180 Challenge at Multilingual Living started on March 1st. So far, they’ve asked participants to fill out two short questionnaires and post about resources on their comment page. It’s gotten me inspired, though! In fact, I finally organized and posted my own page of resources here. I also finally printed out the language guide from Alphabet Garten on Parenting auf Deutsch (you can get it for free by signing up for their newsletter). It’s filled with lots of useful phrases that a non-native speaker such as myself just doesn’t know! So now I have to start studying

Have I mentioned lately that my German Story Time is going really well??? Well, it is!! We usually have about 5 families each week. Some repeats, and some new families. The room in the library is quite small, so it really is just the right size. We meet every other Friday now, so I have time to plan everything. For each session, I pick a theme and then find books, songs, etc. to share with the kids. Sometimes it’s challenging, especially if I’m not very familiar with a book or song. But everyone seems to enjoy it, and they keep coming back! I’d say we have about 5 or 6 families who attend on a semi-regular basis. If you want to see what we’re reading, singing, and crafting, you can hop over to the blog: germanstorytime.wordpress.com. It’s been great for my learning, too. I know a lot more songs than I did a few months ago! It’s also a nice way for me to talk to other German-speakers. Not to mention a great opportunity to create a place for Aleksander to hear more German!

Language Challenge 180 March 1, 2012

*deep breath*

Okay, at the last minute, I’ve decided to sign up for the Language Challenge 180 at Multilingual Living. That’s 180 days of working on my language skills. That adds up to 6 months.

I love the idea. I know my German can use some work. I was writing an email the other day and had to look up some words that used to be right on the tips of my fingertips. And of course I’m constantly having to learn new words to keep up with Aleksander. I’d also like to become more comfortable with both comforting and disciplining in German. My adjective endings could use some brushing up, too. I’m sure the list could go on and on. Hopefully the Language Challenge will help me get in some more practice.

I was hesitant to sign up, because I’m up to my ears in all my to-do lists. Can I really add one more thing??? The good news is that it is pretty non-committal. So if I slack off, there’s no real harm. Well, only to myself. I tried their Language Refresh 101 Challenge last summer. I think that lasted about a week. But this challenge is different. The weekly emails alone should help keep me going!

So what is the challenge about? According to their website, it includes:

1. A step-by-step guide to get you on track with your language(s)
2. A step-by-step guide on how best to expose your children to your language(s)
3. Short weekly emails with tips to keep your& your children’s language mastery on track
4. Support and camaraderie via weekly online conversations and contact
5. Articles written by language experts to help us along
6. Language-learning resource suggestions and links for adults and children
7. And best of all: Prizes – there are sponsors who have donated some great prizes.

That sounds doable…. Right? I’ll have to let you know how I really do. Of course I’ll check in here on my blog.

The challenge officially started today. Care to join me? It’s not too late to sign up! Even if you don’t sign up, you can get in on some discounts from the sponsors.

As we say in German, drück mir die Daumen!! (literally: press your thumbs for me )

Puzzling February 27, 2012

It seems like Aleksander has always loved his puzzles. It all started with a shape-sorting ball. I think he was about 8 months old when I dumped the shapes out for him in his playpen and rushed back to the kitchen to finish making dinner. When I came back, all the shapes were in the ball! I was dumbstruck! For his 1st birthday, he got a couple of Melissa & Doug sound puzzles. (Okay, I wasn’t too sad when the batteries wore out on those! Sometimes I think they were possessed! We’d turn out the lights at the end of the night and the ambulance would sound its siren!!)

Around 18 months, I got him an alphabet puzzle. It said it was for ages 2+ but I thought it was cute, so I bought it anyway. He took to it right away! Before long, he could find the right piece, even if it was upside down or turned over! Here he is, putting in the pieces (check out the intent expression):

For his second birthday, his Oma & Opa gave him an easel. One side is a magnetic wipe-board, and he loves putting up his alphabet magnets. Before long, we realized he recognized his letters! Once he started talking, he quickly learned his alphabet. And the first song he sang on his own was “ABC”. He says the alphabet in German, too, although not quite as easily. Of course there are those tricky letters – in German “E” sounds more like “A” and “I” sounds more like “E”. He says them correctly if he’s saying the whole alphabet, but individually, he still mixes them up.

The one problem with his alphabet puzzle was that it’s in English! Some of the pictures work, like A for apple and Apfel or M for moon and Mond. But when I speak German with him, I can’t very well say “C” – “Karotte”. The German word for carrot begins with K, not C.

And so I finally broke down and made a big purchase from Amazon.de. The shipping is flat-rate: about 15 Euro, as long as you’re buying books, CDs, DVDs, and select toys. Of course I got a couple of other books and CDs, and I even got Anika to order with me, so we could share the shipping. It was worth every penny!!! I found an alphabet puzzle with great pictures. Most of the letters even have two pictures. Aleksander just loves it! And now I can practice the alphabet with him in German. Even when it isn’t technically our German-speaking time, we do this puzzle in German. When he asks to do it, I remind him that it’s a German puzzle, so we’ll have to speak German. Sometimes he tries to insist on English, but I insist right back by speaking German Here’s a nice big picture of it, so you can see the images:

Playgroups February 23, 2012

When I was pregnant with Aleksander, I switched into the prenatal yoga class at my yoga studio. I still say it was one of the best things I did for myself while I was pregnant. There were just so many benefits – far beyond the physical ones. One of the best things to come out of that class was the group of women I met. We started meeting for coffee or lunch after class and as our kids were born – one by one – we moved from the coffee house to each other’s houses as our coffee group turned into a playgroup. More than two years later, we still meet every week – or at least try to! There are five of us in the group – all five babies were born within 6 months of each other – and they’re all boys!! This group of women has been a lifeline to me since I met them. Most of us don’t have family nearby, so it makes it all the more important to have each other’s support.

This is no ordinary playgroup, however. By chance, our group is amazingly international! The oldest in our group is Henry, born in July 2009. He’s the only one whose parents are both American. But his aunt recently returned from Korea, though I don’t know that she speaks any Korean with him. Next came Luca, born in September 2009. Both of his parents are from Brazil. They speak Portuguese with Luca at home, and he goes to an English-speaking preschool. He is still in the early stages of talking, but uses words in both languages. Later that same month, Aspen came along. His mother is from the US, but his father is from Australia. While that doesn’t make for bilingualism at home, it does give them opportunity for international travel! Aleksander joined the group next in November 2009. You already know about us – I’m from the US, PER is from the Netherlands, and I speak German with Aleksander at home. Finally in January 2010, Logan made our group complete. His father is from New Jersey, while his mother is from Germany. They use the OPOL method (one parent one language), and Logan speaks both English and German. In May of 2010, Aspen and his family moved to San Diego. We still keep in touch and skype when we can. But it left room for a new addition to our group. Almost a year ago, I met a family from London. They were a perfect complement – another boy, Zac, who was born in September of 2009. While not bilingual, they too are international.

It seems rather extraordinary to me that we all have these international ties! What wonderful perspectives these boys can offer each other! They already hear several different languages being spoken. And as they grow, they can hear about each other’s travels to foreign lands to visit family and friends. They can share each other’s customs and traditions and have access to whole other worlds!

I have also found plenty of encouragement and support from this group in my quest for bilingualism. Knowing that Portuguese and German are being spoken by other mothers makes it easier for me to address Aleksander in German, even if everyone else doesn’t understand.

Today our playgroup met at Logan’s house. Since we meet in the mornings, we always meet during German time. So on the 40-minute drive to his house, I played German children’s songs. I just got a couple of new CDs, and listening to the Kindermusik always helps get me in my German groove. So we arrived chattering away in German (okay, I chattered, Aleksander said a few words.) Anika – Logan’s mom – and I have a hard time staying in German. I guess it’s because we’ve just always spoken English with each other, so it takes a lot more effort to stick to German. She and I actually met long before prenatal yoga. We met almost 10 years ago in grad school and got our PhD’s in German literature together.

But I digress…. Even though Anika and I were speaking English (especially once Luca & his mom arrived), it was somehow easier today than ever before for me to continue speaking German with Aleksander. And low and behold, he responded in German! It wasn’t the first time he spoke German – he’s been doing pretty well with it lately. But I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak so much German! It was wonderful! I really think that being around Logan and his mom helped. It shows Aleksander that Mama is not the only one who speaks German, even though Logan is rather shy and hardly says a word while we’re there. And Aleksander hears me speaking to Logan in German, too.

When we left, I told Aleksander to say “tschüss” (bye) and then said “winke, winke” (wave, wave). Next thing I knew, he was singing the goodbye song from story hour: “winke winke, tschüss tschüss tschüss, alle gehen nach Hause” (wave wave, bye bye bye, everyone is going home). I could have fallen right down the stairs! Hurrah, hurrah!! Such a successful language day!!

Anika and I have been talking again about starting up our German playgroup. We’re having some trouble finding a time that works for us both. But after today, I’m more eager than ever to get it going! It looks like Anika & I will be the only ones able to make it to our regular playgroup, so we can give it a good trial run then. We’re planning to meet at least once a month until the semester is over (Anika is teaching at a local university, so she should have more flexibility come May). Since Aleksander doesn’t have any family in Germany, I think it’s even more important to build up our own community of German-speakers. It might not be quite the incentive of having a grandparent who doesn’t understand English, but at least it demonstrates to him that there is a bigger world beyond Mama who lives in this other language.

I was thinking it might be good to have a little bit of structured time at our Kinderklatsch. Maybe sing a couple of songs or read a book. For those of you who take your child(ren) to a bilingual playgroup, how does it work? Any tips???

Eating our Way through German Cuisine February 18, 2012

This post is part of the February Bilingual Blogging Carnival! It is hosted this month by Perogies & Gyoza. I’m so excited to have this post as part of the Carnival … especially since it was inspired by last month’s Carnival! I’m certainly looking forward to reading what this month’s Carnival has to offer!!

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Last month’s Bilingual Blogging Carnival really got me inspired! I was overwhelmed (in a good way!) by all the ways my fellow bloggers come up with to really make the minority language(s) come to life! For example, I had never heard of Environmental Print before. That one really got me thinking. (I guess there’s a future post in that….) I think I do a pretty good job of offering a variety of input to Aleksander through speech, books, music, and DVDs. But now I realize I can do even more!

And so I’ve been inspired to take on a new German project: FOOD! The idea came from two sources, I think. There was a post from The Educator’s Spin on It about cooking Borscht, a traditional Russian dish. Then over at Bringing up Baby Bilingual, Sarah also introduced me to the blog of a mom who is cooking her way around the world, one letter of the alphabet at a time.

And so I’ve decided to start cooking German dishes. Well, since German is not only spoken in Germany, that means I get to open my (kitchen) doors to Austria, Switzerland and even Liechtenstein, too! I’m working on a list of dishes and recipes, which I’ve tried to organize according to country (although it’s possible there is some overlap – more research to do!). Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Austria:

• Apfelstrudel (apple pastry)
• Sachertorte (a kind of chocolate cake with apricot)
• Wiener Schnitzel (breaded veal cutlets)

Germany:

• Bratkartoffeln (similar to home fry potatoes)
• Bratwurst (a kind of sausage)
• Glühwein (mulled red wine)
• Kartoffelsalat (potato salad)
• Knödel (potato dumpling)
• Lebkuchen (similar to gingerbread)
• Sauerbraten (beef marinated for THREE days!)
• Spätzle (a type of egg noodle)
• Stollen (cake with dried fruit, covered in powdered sugar)

Liechtenstein:

• Älplermagronen mit Wirz (a pasta dish with cabbage: Wirz is the Swiss word for Kohl, or more precisely Wirsing, which is savoy cabbage)
• Käsknöpfle (similar to Käsespätzle – Spätzle made with cheese)
• Riebel (a cornmeal dish)

Switzerland:

• Rösti (a large potato pancake)

That makes 16 dishes so far. And I have a feeling I’ve only scratched the surface! If you have any suggestions or recipes to add, please send them along!

So here’s my plan:

I’m going to find recipes for the dishes and start trying them out – in no particular order and on no particular timeline (I’m not ambitious enough to say I’ll do one a week or commit to some other regular deadlines!). I’d like to do a little research about each of the dishes, too. As I try out the recipes, I will of course report about them here on my blog and include pictures and the recipe. I also would like to put together a recipe book of all the dishes I make. What a keepsake that will make! (I’m thinking about using Tastebook for this – it’s a fun project if you’ve ever wanted to create your very own recipe book!) There is one slight problem with this plan: we’re not the most ambitious eaters in our house (alas, myself included). So I hope I’ll get up the nerve to try some of the dishes that might sound less appealing. I already know I’m not a big fan of German potato salad, for example, but I guess I’ll have to give it a whirl! Who knows? Maybe Aleksander will eventually like it!

I’ve actually already made my very first dish (which I’ll tell you about in a moment…). The first thing I’ve realized is that there is no hurry to complete this project – at least not as far as Aleksander is concerned. He never even took a single bite of my first dish! Hopefully as he gets older, he’ll not only take more of an interest in the Germanic culinary traditions, but might even help me make them! For now, though, I’ll take my time cooking my way through them.

*  *  *

Rösti

In general, I’m a pretty big fan of the potato (except for potato salad, of course!). So I thought I’d start with the Swiss dish Rösti. It was surprisingly easy and quite a hit with myself and PER (even if Aleksander never tried it).

Rösti (or Röschti) is a Swiss recipe for a potato pancake. Traditionally, Rösti consist only of potatoes, however you can also try adding bacon, onion, cheese, apple, or fresh herbs. In Germany, a similar dish is called Reibekuchen or Kartoffelpuffer. These tend to have egg and flour to bind and are usually made in individual portions and served with applesauce. I’ve had them at the Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets) in Mainz and Münster and find them to be quite lecker (yummy).

Recipe (serves 3-4):

1 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed (about 2)
1 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsp peanut oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt

The night before:

Place the whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until fork-tender, approximately 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To make the Rösti:

1. Peel the potatoes and then grate into a bowl.
2. Put 1 tbsp of peanut oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add 1/2 tbsp butter.
3. Once the butter has melted, pour the shredded potatoes into the pan. Sprinkle with salt. Shape into a circle, pressing down gently with a spatula.
4. Check the heat – if your stove top runs hot, you may need to turn down to medium-low or low, so that the middle does not burn.
5. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are browned on the bottom.
6. *Now comes the tricky part!* Place a plate over the pan and flip the potatoes over onto the plate. (I cheated and slid the potatoes onto a plate, then flipped from the plate back into the pan – it kind of worked!)
7. Put remaining 1 tbsp oil and 1/2 tbsp butter in the pan. Return the potatoes to the pan, cooked side up. Cook another 10 minutes until the potatoes are browned on the other side.

The finished product:

Rösti

If you try the recipe, please leave a comment to let us know how it turns out!!