Essen: Ausländer vs Deutsche 😂🤯

My French roommate Clara and I have been living together in a small apartment in Berlin for six months. She’s a really cool woman, loves art and music, and makes the best croissants in the city – but when it comes to food, we argue all the time. Food: Foreigners vs Germans 😂🤯 – that’s our favorite reason to argue, especially when it comes to potatoes, because for Germans, potatoes are a food for every day, but for French people, they’re only a side dish (and not even every day at that!).
Last week, I decided to cook a typical German dinner for us: mashed potatoes with roast pork and red cabbage. I cooked three potatoes per person – for me, that’s normal because mashed potatoes are the main course. When Clara came into the kitchen and saw me mashing the potatoes, she shouted: „Lena! What are you doing? Three potatoes per person? That’s a disaster! For French people, we only eat potatoes as a side dish, and then maximum one per person!“

I stopped and said: „Clara, this is typical German! Mashed potatoes are the main course, not the side dish. Without potatoes, it’s not a real dinner.“ Clara shook her head and rolled her eyes: „That’s absurd! Potatoes are boring and nutritious, but they can’t be a main course. In France, we make main courses with meat or fish, and potatoes only on the side – if we eat them at all. My grandma always says: „Potatoes are for farmers, not for French people!““

I laughed and said: „Then try my mashed potatoes – it’s made with butter and milk, totally creamy. You’ll love it.“ Clara took a spoon, ate a little, and shook her head: „It’s okay, but too fatty. And why are there no spices? In France, we make potatoes with garlic, thyme, and olive oil – not with butter and milk.“ I replied: „Because it’s so tasty! Germans like it creamy and simple.“

The next evening, Clara decided to show me a French dinner to teach me „real food“ – and I was totally surprised 🤯. She cooked salmon with lemon sauce, a small portion of potatoes (only one per person!) fried with garlic and thyme, and a salad with fresh tomatoes and olives. On the table were also two glasses of red wine – for French people, wine belongs to every dinner, but for me, only to special occasions.

Clara grinned and said: „Now you see what real food is! Salmon is tender, the sauce is fresh, and the potatoes are perfect as a side dish.“ I tried the salmon – it was really tasty – but then I saw the potato: „Clara, is that all? One potato? That’s not enough for me. I need at least three to be full.“ Clara laughed: „You’re a real German! For us, that’s enough – we don’t eat to be full, we eat to enjoy.“

Then I tried the potato – it was fried, with garlic and thyme, and really tasty. „Okay, the potato is good“, I said, „but I need more. And why are we drinking red wine? It’s just a normal weekday evening.“ Clara shook her head: „Wine belongs to every dinner! It makes the food taste better and relaxes you. For French people, it’s like water – you should try it.“ I took a sip – it was dry and sharp, and I shook my head: „No, thank you. For me, water is enough. Food: Foreigners vs Germans 😂🤯, we will never agree!“

But then something surprising happened: Clara tried my mashed potatoes again (I had some left for the next day), and said: „Wait, it’s actually not that bad. Maybe with a little garlic, it would be even better.“ And I tried her potatoes again – with a little butter, as I’m used to – and said: „Yes, that’s good. Maybe we can combine it.“

Since then, we’ve been cooking dinners together that combine both cultures: mashed potatoes with butter and garlic, roast pork with lemon sauce, and sometimes a salad on the side. Clara has learned that potatoes can also be tasty as a main course, and I’ve learned that wine also fits normal weekday evenings. And every time we cook, we laugh about our argument and say: „Food: Foreigners vs Germans 😂🤯 – but the combination is the best!“