Steak Seasoning

So, once again I have been slacking on the postings.  I was so proud of how well I was doing for the first 12 months and then something happened- either my life got more boring or the shocking little nuances of German life have turned into everyday normal activities and no longer seem worthy of a post.  Either way... I am sorry (however, don't take the apology to mean that I will be getting better :).  If you ever have any questions or are pondering over what life might be like here....PLEASE feel free to ask!!  This would make coming up with postings MUCH easier :)

BUT... for today, I thought I would share with you a little story....

Monday afternoon, I got a knock on our door.  To be honest half the time I don't answer because it is usually some kind of fruit salesmen with whom I have to struggle to communicate that I don't want to buy a crate of apples for 45 euro- only after they have jammed 15 samples down my throat ( I think they believe that my German will get magically get better with each piece of fruit, so that by the time they are finished I will be able to effectively communicate how delicious their delicacies are and happily accept them).  But... this time I answered, and to my surprise it was our "neighbor" from down the street, whom I have not met, with an empty jar of McCormick steak seasoning in her hand.  In her worst English (which was WAY better than my best German) she happily asked if I would be willing to pick up 4 jars of the seasoning for her and her family the next time I went to the commissary on base (the family they had been getting them from moved back to the states).  Being the kind neighbor that I am I accepted the challenge, and told her that I was going to base the next morning and would bring them to her when I got back.  She smiled happily, thanked me, and stated that she lived in the next door to our right. 

Here is where it gets good.... I promise :) 

So the next day I head out down the street with my 4 jars of McCormick steak seasoning in hand to the door to the right.  I knock, and to my surprise the person who answers the door is NOT the lady who asked for the spices.  So here I am, hands full, trying to communicate to this stranger (who spoke ABSOLUTELY no English) why I was at her door with American spices.  Something funny happens when two people are trying to communicate in two totally different languages- instead of just politely saying thank you and walking away- we stood at the door staring at each other for at least 5 min speaking or respective languages, neither one knowing what the other is saying- but still saying it none the least!  Somewhere in our brains we are programed to believe that if we reapeat the same thing 15 times it will magically translate and become understandable.  However, when I finally realized that we were getting nowhere (at one point I think she even offered to buy the seasoning... ironically leaving me feeling exactly like the above mentioned fruit vendors) I nodded and walked away, back down the street with my seasonings.  I really wish someone would have been there to take accounts of what we both thought just happened- because I am pretty sure she thought that I was some crazy American trying to make a profit off of strange spices!!

Needless to say the seasonings sat on our counter for a few days (I honestly felt a little bad because I had told the first lady that I would bring them to her the next day).  Last night however, as we were taking the dogs for a walk I noticed an older man standing right outside the house, so I stopped and asked him if he spoke English, hoping I could give the spices another try!  Luckily we were able to stumble upon an understanding that he would take the spices for his wife (he seemed to know what they were when I handed them to him, so I am taking that as a sign that they were going to the right family!).  So after all of this, either I made some lady extremely happy by replenishing her McCormick supply  ...or there is a family sitting around a table wondering what they are supposed to do with all of these seasonings their  strange American neighbor just gifted them. 

NOTE *The majority of the houses in Germany are multi family houses with a common entry way- hence only one door, but two families, in the "next door to the right".  It just so happened that the first time I knocked I got the "wrong" family :)

Who would have though- McCormick seasonings would be such a hit- especially since Germans don't eat much steak!