When you move to Deutschland and want to live "on the economy" as opposed to "on post," you'd better be prepared to BYOK. I ain't making that up. Houses here for rent do not generally come with their own kitchens. There is usually an empty room which has a hot and cold water pipe poking from the wall, and for the price of a trip to Ikea or Bosch or a local department or Home Depot-ish store, you may Bring Your Own Kitchen.
When Sir and I were looking for housing this summer, I was totally flabbergasted by this. The eager, nodding landlords would usher us into this completely barren room and say, "Dies ist die Kuchen," and I'd be going, "Where? Where is the kitchen? Where is the sink, the stove, the fridge, the cabinets, the counters???? Where????" "Oh, you have to buy," said they. For real? Yep.
I always wondered why Ikea had whole kitchens on display. Now I know! They also have neat little books with stickers so that one may design one's own configurations. And the stoves/ovens and refrigerators are TINY. I mean miniature. It reminds me of the cute wooden kitchen center I used to have in the basement when I was a little girl.
You not goin fit no Thanksgivin turkey in them thangs, girlfren.
Fortunately, we were finally able to secure on-post housing, complete with a small, already-installed Kuchen. The appliances are American-sized, and even include a dishwasher, though its instructions are totally in German and I sort of wonder what some of the odd filters and such inside it are...
It's a one-person Kuchen, so I have to shoo Sir out when I'm cooking, but I'm thankful I didn't have to spend nearly $8,000 to buy one for off-post, because what would I do with it when we left here? Would this sort of thing ever fly in America? I think not. Don't even get me started on the fact that it's also BYOLF (bring your own light fixtures) on the economy as well. Here in our glamorous stairwell apartment, we have some uuuuggggllllyyy light fixtures, but they're there! No wires protruding from our ceilings!
Another of the never-ending fascinations of life away from home. May I take this opportunity to say how much I miss home? Specifically everything at Chick-Fil-A, California Dreamin's she crab soup and salad, McAlister's brownies and giant spuds, K&W's sweet tea, Prosser's macaroni and cheese, Habaneros, El Cerro, Abuelos, and all the rest of you who are responsible for the fact that I gained nearly ten pounds in ten days while eating my way through the state of South Carolina last month.
Off to bake some cookies. What's your favorite food at home?
Must we not forget Kobe steak bowls!
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