Bahnhofsmission does even more than that - when a traveller is lost, needs help during traveling by train (mom with several kids and a pram, people with a wheelchair, elderly people with mobility issues and single travelling children for example) they assist.
And most of them look for volunteers. I did voluntary work there for about ten years - and I experienced so many things I wouldn’t have to come into contact with outside of the BM.
Ashton: Jonathan, how does my pumpkin pie compares to your mothers? Jonathan: it's a 10! That's a man that knows the secret to a happy marriage! Happy Holiday season!
Wie eigentlich jedes Jahr bin ich am meisten dafür dankbar, dass wir bis jetzt alle gesund geblieben sind. Ich wünsche uns allen viel Kraft, Freude und Gesundheit für die Zukunft.
So thankful for your nice video. I enjoyed living twice in Germany; Heidelberg from 2011-2012, Wiesbaden 2012-2014, and Kaiserslautern from 2018 - May 2021. I also went back to Germany back in 2017 and stayed in Poland and Grafenwohr. My wife and I thinking about returning and retire, particularly near Bad Durkheim. Continue to vlog, and please make the best Christmas Market vlog. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Thank you! How cool that you have had the opportunity to live in so many different German cities! We will do our best to make another Christmas Market vlog (there's some clips in our last video, but it's not a full on Christmas market vlog). We got lucky because literally 4 days later the market had to close due to high COVID numbers in the City. We have tickets for another market deeper in the forest for next weekend. Hopefully it will stay open. 🤞🤞🤞
That’s what I love n Germany. The Butcher that organizes what you need, no matter how uncommon it is. Need a Cows head? No problem.. come back tomorrow. All the small businesses are awesome. This would be impossible in all the big box stores in the US.
I really love the emphasis on small business owners in Germany. There's a cheese store not from our house that is my FAVORITE to visit. An entire store with JUST special cheese from around the region and the owners are experts in picking just the right one for every occasion. So awesome.
40 years ago my late uncle gave me the following advice in life : A man can be happy only with a happy woman! ( After 35 years of marriage I can say: He was right - but sometimes it was really hard work ).
You must never forget traditions! And it is great to hear you speak German. I think you are really doing well! I work in an Amerikan company and I have collegues who live in Germany for a decade or more, and they still don't speak a word of German.
What was so fun for me was watching you make your pumpkin pie because I literally could taste the spices as you added them! Tip for turkeys in Germany and Sweden, spatchcock them! Since ovens tend to be smaller, this helps. And I agree. How is it possible for whole, raw birds to STILL have so many feathers when they cost nearly an arm and a leg? True story: For my first Thanksgiving here in Sweden about 23 years ago (I’m originally from San Diego, California), I proudly prepared a full thanksgiving dinner for my husband and a few of our dear friends. And this is how it transpired: 1) pumpkin pie dough successfully created 2) where the heck is the pumpkin? What do you mean, I need whole pumpkins. I know cans. How else do you get pumpkin? WHAT!!! An actual real pumpkin? Then what? Mission accomplished. Dinner is now only two and a half hours late. 3) spent an extra hour removing feathers from resistant turkey 4) preparation of stuffing delayed by feathers and the lack of “Mother Cubbison Stuffing Mix”, not to mention celery stalks (I still use apples, which are always available) 5) pies successfully baked during the rest of the turkey preparations 6) turkey into oven 7) mandatory hours of suffering through the scents of the baking turkey, but with no distractions from the Christmas Parade in New York City or hotly contested football competitions. THE TIME ARRIVES! The turkey emerges from the oven and I, as the experienced turkey master, take my carving knife and begin to slice. In my families time honored ritual, naturally I regally fork one of the first slices and place it in my mouth. ..................... and I instantly begin to gag, staggering over to the trash can to spit it out. To the utter horror of the other family members, I then took hold of the ENTIRE turkey AND THREW IT AWAY! I genuinely pray that none of you will be subjected to my experience. Although sold for commercial use, these early turkeys were intended as fodder for other animals. They had been fed exclusively on fish. Undoubtedly healthy. ENTIRELY INEDIBLE! My pumpkin pies. They were truly delicious and completely rejected by my Swedish family as disgusting. Just stick to Apple Pies. 😖☹️😱 ...and love.
Thanksgiving definitely is a "labor of love". Oh man I'm so sorry that your turkey did not turn out! That is such a funny story but I am happy that your pumpkin pie went well (even if it wasn't found to be as tasty by your Swedish family). Thank you so much for sharing this funny and heartwarming story - and also, thank you for watching. ❤️❤️
Thanksgiving ist mein "Lieblingsholiday" in den USA. Habe es jetzt schon 3 Jahre in den USA erlebt und auch schon mehrmals in Deutschland mit Amerikanern gefeiert. Es ist im Prinzip neben Weihnachten die einzige Zeit, wo man mal wirklich runterfährt; die Zeit mit sich und der Familie genießt und nicht an den harten Arbeitsalltag denkt...und ordentlich gemampft wird natürlich auch 😂😋Schönes Video!
Es war sicherlich immer ein lustiges Fest für unsere Familie. Es sind einige unserer Lieblingsspeisen, auf die wir uns jedes Jahr freuen. Danke fürs zuschauen!
Fun, engaging, thought-provoking video, thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. In hindsight, I wish you to have spent a cosy, warm thanksgiving holiday all together the three of you 😊 =]
I respect, that you at least mention and recognize the genocide of the NA tribes by the pilgrims. The story Americans are told from childhood on is quite bs. I’m going to donate along with you for the Native Arts project, cause you inspired me.
They are a wonderful organization. Due to covid, so many artisans had to move their performances or creative work online. They also offer online classes and events which are really spectacular. Thank you for making a donation!
You can very easily make pumpkin puree yourself. Just cook a peeled butternut in bite-sized pieces with a dollop of butter until soft, strain, blend and let it sit in a strainer until the excess water is all gone.
Thanks for the suggestion! We have thought about doing this, but with all of the other dishes to be made, there is not much time left in the day. Plus, the canned pumpkin has a distinct taste that triggers our childhood memories.
Sehr schönes Video! Die Idee eine „Runde“ der Dankbarkeit vor einem traditionellen Festmahl abzuhalten, finde ich absolut klasse. Das merke ich mir jetzt mal für das Weihnachtsessen vor. Dankbar zu sein ist eine Sache, aber es auch auszusprechen ist gleich noch eine Stufe höher. Danke für diese Inspiration.
Es ist eine Tradition, die unsere Familie immer gemacht hat. Als wir kleine Kinder waren, dachten wir immer, es sei langweilig... aber jetzt, wo wir mit unserem Kleinen erwachsen sind, lieben wir es wirklich. Wir haben so viel zu danken und zu oft sagen wir unseren Lieben nicht, wie viel sie uns bedeuten.
@@TypeAshton traditions are very important. What I found lame as a kid, I now cherish. Some weird traditions like making turkey-stuffing without actually stuffing it are fun and should be kept :)
It is something that we really cannot do enough and yet we've been doing it way too less in our family as well. We really take too many things for granted.
Beautiful video! Happy thanksgiving Black Forest family 🌹 we agree that there’s too many needy people in Germany which is even worse when it’s this cold outside. We wanna do everything we can to help support these charities
Thanks for sharing your Thanksgiving traditions with us. My wife and I started a tradition many years ago to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and invite friends and neighbors to be our guests. Unfortunately, as the years progressed, we have been increasingly subjected to diet restrictions. With them, we’re no longer able to make a decent stuffing, my favorite side dish. Alas, we gave up that tradition some time ago. In its place, we’ve developed our Christmas cooking traditions, including regional specialties, like Fränkische Schäufele and my wife’s family recipe of roasted lamb. 😋
Oh roasted lamb sounds AMAZING. That would be a wonderful treat for Christmas. We may need to keep that in mind! Also - Jonathan is totally with you on the stuffing. It is his favorite. ❤️❤️
Der Dialekt des Metzgers war definitiv eine Herausforderung, aber er ist einer der nettesten Menschen. Wir essen nicht so oft Fleisch, aber wenn wir es tun, gehen wir gerne dorthin und reden mit ihm.
@@TypeAshton bei meinem Urlaub in Sexau, war die Frau mit den Eiern die Herrsusforderung, als Nordlicht. Es half nur mit den Fingern, die Zahl zu zeigen..
I just watched and thoroughly enjoyed this video. I noticed that you bought your produce at the Münstermarkt from one of my favorite stands. He’s always so friendly.
The best thing about buying more food than normal during winter time: it's cold outside and you can use your balcony for storing the bird and other stuff :)
Hey Black Forest Family! Lovely video. I’m really happy you’re able to pull a traditional Thanksgiving of. I, as a German, have tried this a couple of years ago and basically made 3 different pumpkin dishes. If I remember correctly it was pumpkin soup as a starter, some turkey breast with pumpkin mash and beans and pumpkin ice cream as dessert. I guess I got some Canadian recipes, coz there was maple sirup included :) Happy belated Thanksgiving and eine frohe Adventszeit! P.s. to handle the self-packing at the cash register easier, I’ll always put my groceries on the belt in an order, starting with the heavy stuff up front to put in first and delicate objects at last. But I’m sure you’ve figured that out. :)
Oh that sounds supper yummy! My family used to make a sweet roasted squash with brown sugar and maple syrup. Always delicious. And thank you so much for the kind comment and for watching. We also hope you have a wonderful first Sunday of Advent! ❤️
Some advice about the pumpkin filling: Usually around Halloween or the weeks before, stores like Lidl or Aldi will special weeks with "typical" products of the season. Often, you can find Pumpkin filling in the promotional shelfs for a reasanoble price. If possible, you can maybe buy and stock it for Thanksgiving?
We will look for it in October next year and see what we find! Typically we have a bit of extra space in our luggage when we go home and can bring a can or two back with us.
Your German is so good, I really consider myself to posting comments in German only in the near future, since your GER speaking skills are so amazingly good! Jack will be a native German speaker by Easter of 2023 the latest for sure. It's so great having you here in rhis country!!!!! My annual donation went to the Bahnhofsmission, thank you for reminding me!!!! "Ärzte ohne Grenzen" have been my most favorite target before.....
Thank you so much. Also, thank you so much for the kind encouragement of our speaking skills. You are welcome to leave comments in German - we really like it actually because it pushes us to write more in German too!
It varies. We've often had either turkey or goose (duck is another common one). But there are many options and also regional differences. Fish is also popular. Carp would be the traditional choice there in some areas (it's *the* dish in some Eastern European countries), but we'd had trout a few times. Or a pork roast. Last year we had raclette, which is a good way to kill some time and stretch out the dinner. If the internet is to be believed the most common Christmas dish is boiled sausage and potato salad. But I think it's important to distinguish Christmas Eve and the day after there. In my family we do something simple like that on the 24th (often bratwurst) just so there isn't much work. But then have a complicated dish like a bird or a roast the next day.
Yum! Last year we were in Germany for Christmas (lockdown + a newborn) and we enjoyed a fun fondue night. We went to a local cheese store and got all of the "proper" ingredients and we had a ton of fun. Fondue is so interactive - quite a bit like raclette!
Super vielen Dank für so einen netten Kommentar. Wir freuen uns, dass Ihnen unsere Videos gefallen. Sie machen uns sehr viel Spaß und es ist immer schön zu hören, dass andere daran Freude haben.
Well Biskin is quite similar..I looked up what Crisco is...both are vegetable fat for hot temperature like for instance frying. Although when I have to use such, which is not that often, I don´t use vegetable fat but clarified butter (Butterschmalz...which I don´t buy but make myself which is no big deal and very easy to make) or pork lard (Schweineschmalz) depending of what kind of food I prepare, because those 2 havein general a way better taste than any vegetable fat. For building up a Christmas tree it is quite early..in order to keep it fresh you have to water it from time to time..otherwise it will dry out in that warm enviroment ...but just with plain water..just a tip.
Very interesting! Some of my grandmother's recipes also call for a product called "Oleo" which is Oleo an old brand of margarine. Always fun to dig through her recipes and make foods that remind me of her. And we will be sure to keep it watered. In past years we give our tree to a friend of ours right before we leave to go back to the States for Christmas. That way the tree gets a second life and can make two families smile.
We're lucky that there's a hof about 15 minutes drive away and they let you go cut your own tree down. We went yesterday since it was first advent. The kids love it
Das Video hat mir richtig Spaß gemacht! Ein kleiner, feiner, detaillierter Blick auf Tradition. Wir sind dankbar, dass alle Menschen, die uns am Herzen liegen gesund geblieben oder genesen sind. Und ich hoffe, dass das auch so bleibt! Hier grasieren gerade Überlegungen, sich Weihnachten an einem "echten" Turkey zu versuchen. Es sah zu lecker aus🤤. Liebe Ashton, Dein Gesicht beim Vorbereiten der Pute, grandios! So ähnlich gucke ich, wenn ich eine Leber vorbereiten soll (deswegen gibt´s die nicht mehr). Bleibt gesund
Sie sollten versuchen, den Truthahn zu machen! Es ist wirklich toll geworden, auch wenn es vor dem Kochen schwer anzuschauen ist. Wir empfehlen die Verwendung von Knoblauchbutter, damit das Fleisch saftig und die Haut knusprig bleibt. Wir haben auch das Innere mit Äpfeln, Knoblauch, Rosmarin und Zwiebeln gefüllt.
I haven't celebrated Thanksgiving since 96' when I was stationed in Schewinfurt. I separated from the US Army in January 97 and made a new life living in Mittelfranken ever since who my Frau and I raised 3 kids. All American Holiday are gone in me. Frohe Weihnachten to you and your family.
I bake like crazy every Xmas, like tons and tons of German-style cookies, and what’s always been saving me so much time (and annoyance) is covering the dough in saran wrap when rolling it. (I haven’t tried beeswax towels for more sustainability yet, I’ll go for it this Xmas.) Watching your videos is incredibly wholesome, I’m so excited you found a second home here.
I'm a recent subscriber and just wanted you to know how much I've been enjoying your videos. You both are such fun and cool people (sorry for the lack of an appropriate descriptor) and I always look forward to the next video. I'm hoping to become an expat when I retire in a few years and your videos and web site really help.
Awesome! We're so happy you've been enjoying our content. We have a lot of fun making blog posts and videos and it is always nice to hear that others enjoy it as well.
Hallo Superfamilie! Oh Wau was für ein schönes Video 🤩🤩🤩ich hatte viel Spaß beim zusehen ! Das Essen zubereiten hat sich gelohnt ,aber da steckt auch viel Arbeit drin ,das darf man nicht vergessen ! Alles was auf dem gedeckten Tisch war sah total lecker aus 🦾🦾hätte mich gleich dazu Setzen können 🥰🥰🥰Ich wünsche euch eine schöne Adventszeit,Die Deko habt ihr auch gut hinbekommen ! Bleibt gesund und munter bis zum nächsten Video☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
Ganz schön, you guys! It's cool, and interesting, how many US Americans find Germany a good home. Alles gute, Frohe Weihnachten von Kanadiers auf 73099!
my mom lived in US when she was younger so we did not celebrate Thanksgiving (not a holiday in Spain) but she cooked a pumpkin pie for christmas and it was delicious. I now make pumpkin pie for Halloween and I buy the pumpkin and cook it and then I use it for the pie. Usually I buy an edible pumpkin, we carve our Jack o‘ latern and I cook the „meat“ we spooned out. My husband (german) always say: iii pumpkin pie (because he thinks it is crazy to bake a pie with pumpkin) bit the he loves it and my daughter also loves it, so hopefully this tradition, that my mother started, will continue
The best way is still to buy a Christmas tree with a root ball, put it in a pot over Christmas and plant it somewhere (preferably in the forest where it belongs) after Christmas. Then you also do something for nature! ;-) BTW: You can sell the saw easily, as many bushcrafters like to have such saws with them! 🙂 Fun fact: My wife (we're not really married and we don't live together, but I still always say my wife...) doesn't like to touch meat directly either, but she does eat meat. She always puts on rubber gloves in addition, or lets me do it. Nevertheless, she also made a huge turkey every year for Christmas for her family (sons and uncle). This year she stopped for the first time because it is too much effort for her. The sons are practically all grown up and the stress is slowly too much for her.
Interesting video of your celebration of Thanksgiving in Germany. Thanks for having the English translation when you were at the market so we can understand in America. Language can be such a barrier if you can't understand.
Thank you for watching! We are primarily an English speaking channel but will do more German in the future. We will for sure continue with the subtitles, thank you for the feedback!
Boy, you make me homesick. I used to live near Freiburg (Lahr) and Freiburg was my favourite city for shopping. Especially the Bratwurst with fried onions from the Münsterplatz. Greetings from Canada❤️
You guys should travel via S10 from Freiburg Bahnhof in the direction of Villingen specially in Summer. This train travels deep thorugh the black forest and you would be able to see some really good scenaries... 😉
Thankyou for your interesting video. Everything looked very tasteful. You should add your wonderful traditions to your life here in germany and in many years (perhaps) we will have thanksgiving and Erntedankfest in a mixed up version as a speciality from the black forest. Have a nice 1. Advent and have a wonderful Nikolaus-Tag next week.
Vielen Dank für diesen sehr schönen, sehr persönlichen Beitrag. Der Gedanke, sich beim "Erntedankfest" für das schönste Erlebnis des letzten Jahres zu bedanken, hat mich gerührt. Vom "Besserwisser" ein kleiner Hinweis: es heißt "die Pute", das von Ihnen verwendete "Puten" ist Plural. Dennoch bewundere ich weiterhin Ihr laufend besser werdendes Bemühen, sich deutsch auszudrücken.
Vielen Dank, dass Sie uns korrigiert haben! Wir lernen immer noch und wir wissen es zu schätzen. Danke fürs Zuschauen und für den netten Kommentar. ️❤️
Hi guys just have to say that you two are so sweet and fun to watch that it Gives me a smile on my face Hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving dinner 😀 By the way your German is super 👍
Great how you celebrate Thanksgiving in Germany and can find a good turkey, albeit with some plucking to do. Good thing you can't find much Criso, vegetable oils are not healthy. Love the tree decorations, I can't remember the origin of some of my glass decorations.
What I allways wonder when I watch videos about thanksgiving is what do you do with all the food left. One turkey seems to be a lot of meat just for two. Sometimes I buy a part of a turkey leg and it's too much for the two of us.
We typically eat the turkey meal after meal for days until we become so sick of it that we are okay with waiting another 365 days to make it again. 😂 Basically lots of turkey sandwiches, and tonight we are making "Turkey Pot pies"
For the pumpkin puree: I usually just make mine fresh. Just throw a diced 'Hokkaido' into a pressure cooker, it'll be ready in about 15 minutes. It's an extra step, but so delicious!
Thanks for the suggestion. We might give this a try this year if we have some more time. Last year we were too busy to try and make it ourselves... plus we like the memories of the specific taste of the canned stuff.
I've just seen a few videos on your channel and I was just wondering how you guys sound when speaking German. So now that I heard you guys speaking it, I gotta say it's so cool some American guys speaking German!!! Please make more videos featuring you speaking German. I don't speak it, I know it's a hard language to learn and master, so congrats!!!
The Pilgrims in Holland (the Netherlands) Although they had religious freedom, life in the Netherlands was not easy. The Separatists had to leave their homeland and friends to live in a foreign country without a clear idea of how they would support themselves. The congregation stayed briefly in Amsterdam and then moved to the city of Leiden. There they remained for the next 11 or 12 years. Most found work in the cloth trades, while others were carpenters, tailors and printers. Their lives required hard work. Even young children had to work. Some older children were tempted by the Dutch culture and left their families to become soldiers and sailors. Their parents feared that they would lose their identity as English people. To make matters worse, the congregation worried that another war might break out between the Dutch and Spanish. They decided to move again.
By the way, the first christmastree which was dokumented was 1419 in Freiburg im Breisgau in the Heliggeist - Spital. It was decorated from the bakers guild from the town.
Hi hello servus bonjour.from Montreal....just discovered you guys( tks RU-vid😀👍)....omg...you are soooo funny...love your video...and your ''american movies😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😄😄..( please put the names )...good job. with pumpkin tarte😄....
The clips of the Christmas tree are from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Its a classic holiday comedy that we watch at least 15 times each each. 😂
Thx 4 the nice vid. It was interesting how u cook the turkey. 2 things I’ve to tell: 1: turkey = Pute (singular) turkeys = Puten (plural) 2: My mother started to decorate Saturday before 1st Advent(Adventskranz, Krippe, Windows decorations). But the tree was prepared at the 23th of December.
Ah great! Thank you so much for the advice. That makes total sense that "Puten" would be plural. We know finding a tree can be quite difficult this early because it isn't really the norm. But interestingly on our walk yesterday we saw that one of the tree lots in the city will open next weekend.
Well, if you're that nitpicky, might as well have mentioned that turkey (male) is Truthahn / Puter, turkey (female) is Pute / Truthenne, and turkey (country) is Türkei (which amusingly is where lots of the imported ones you can buy around Christmas in the chain stores come from).
@@TypeAshton Fun fact: ...and don't mix up Pute/Puten with Putte(Putto)/Putten... these are the cute pudgy figurines/statuettes in baroque churches... 😂😂
We're not in thanksgiving of course but we also decorated our home for christmas time or "Adventszeit" as we call it. According to that it began to snow yesterday... i was just a little bit shocked because you said you want to support your community and then you buy a merlot from french Rhone valley???? We have so much good red wines nearby! At least in the vicinity i know glorious red wines from Breisgau, Durbach, Kaiserstuhl, Malterdingen, Affental, Waldulm, ... Our tradition regarding Christmas trees is to get it the weekend before Christmas accompanied by "Grillwurst", "Honig" and "Glühwein/Schnaps"... There's a german saying "den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben" thats why i'll tell you what i'm thankful for in 2021 when it's 2022...
Yes that is a good point! We have not found a local red wine yet which hits our tastes. We typically like strong and full bodied reds, but often find sweet red wines locally. Do you have a suggested winery which might have something?
and you are the first ''american'' ( btw..America is /are from Canada to Panama 😀😀)...speaking about some strong reality...from the native genocide.to....up today...You got my admiration...
We moved about 25 min from Freiburg to a different Landkreis but somehow hit the jackpot and a Stefans cart comes to our farmers market every Saturday.
@@TypeAshton great have you tryed Leberle thats liver thinnly sliced with a great yummi sose we make it in 2 sorts geröstet and sauer so good normaly it is server with Bratkartoffeln potatos fryed with onion and bacon but i prever 🍚 reis. I dont know if there is a restaurant near Freiburg but we have a lot restaurants a bit more in the hills. In my village next to the church we have a great restaurant Adler the Cook is great. Try....
We are lucky to have pumpkin in our garden and so do not have to search for tins. The greeks have their own form of "kolokothopita" so it is not hard to find. Also, my grandmother NEVER put eggs inher pie crust
Gotta say, I always envied you guys for Thanksgiving. Yes, you find its' values in all the other family-coming-together holidays, wether here or in the US, but still, I always just loved the whole vibe of it, the whole turkey, the athmosphere, all of it. And I also attest this to the fact that to an extent, we all grew up big time with american movies and media culture and you just know Thanksgiving as this magical thing from across the pond haha, idealistically speaking.
We absolutely love the holiday. It's all about family and being together and eating good food. We will for sure continue this tradition while we are here in Germany. And of course share it with some friends once COVID comes to an end.
Very nice video :) one cute thing I recognized that "stressful" part of shopping in Rewe it is so slow usely... Go to an Aldi if you are too slow they throw th stuff in your cart XD
i hear the recipe for your pumpkin pie and my first thought. "uh honey. good luck finding canned pumpkin in a store." i never came across some. but i never looked to be honest.
When I was a kid, our school Talked about Thanksgiving but we also celebrated it as Harvest Festival becuase that is what it was. All the fruits and vegetables that become ready to harvest end of summer into Autumn. The leaves changing color, etc. Thanks giving wasn't necessarily a Christian Holiday, or a American Nationality thing, but a celebration of bounty. The Cornucopia was our symbol of this, not the Turkey. I remember one year the art project was to draw and cut out all the Autnum fruit to decorete our paper cornucopia. . We also did a mock Pilgrim thing, but that was minor in my memory. I like this side of the Tradition more than the Religious/Nationalism aspect of it that the U.S. seems to be steeped in.
