German for Kids
German for Kids as Food for Thought
Plenty of children know that schnitzel with noodles is one of Maria’s favorite things in the The Sound of Music. Comparatively few have any idea what schnitzel is. Similar befuddlement prevails when sauerkraut and apple strudel come up. The first is something gross that grown-ups eat with hot dogs. As for the second, well, “apple” is self-explanatory . . . maybe “strudel” means “gooey?” John F. Kennedy’s surprise declaration from 1963, Ich bin ein Berliner (“I am a jelly donut”), reminds us that many Americans of all ages have long been as fuzzy on the German language as they are on German food. German for kids can correct both those shortfalls. Naturally, a course or program in German for kids offers them more than fluency in menus and recipes. Once they finish their schnitzel and strudel, they can bring fresh insight to piano lessons (who would have suspected that Für Elise means “For Elise?”), take advantage of exciting student exchange programs, and follow the predictions of Paul, the psychic octopus in Oberhausen, Germany.
Different in a Good Way
Foreign cuisine sometimes freaks tourists out, whether it be kangaroo kebabs in Australia or still-beating frog hearts in Japan. German food, on the other hand, manages to be distinct without being scary. (A big plus when it comes to pitching German to your kids.) Allrecipes.com emphasizes this happy medium: “German cuisine reminds us of American food in its emphasis on meat and potatoes, but the focus on sweet and sour flavors is strictly German.”
Considering the country’s culinary evolution, this characterization makes sense. “The prominence of meat-eating in German culture,” the website continues, “goes back to ancient times: Romans derided Germanic tribes for their vigorous meat consumption.” Potatoes took root in Germany during the eighteenth century, when King Frederick William ordered peasants to plant them on pain of having their noses chopped off. Thanks to his farseeing, if tyrannical, policy, the kartoffel became a staple of German diet. The proximity of Germany to France and Italy led the country to experiment with spices and food preparation. The German noodle dish spaetzle, for example, shows the influence of Italian pasta.
German Food for Kids
Cooking ethnic cuisine presents an opportunity for cultural insight as well as language practice, especially if a simple recipe in a foreign language is used. Because children may need assistance in the kitchen initially, installing Mom or Dad as a co-chef is advisable. Think of it as bonding over baking pans. A program in German for kids could be enriched through the preparation of any of the following dishes, all specialties of the Rhineland:
Bratwurst: highly seasoned sausage, usually pork. Often served fried.
Pumpernickel bread: dark rye bread known for its sour flavor. The fact that “pumpernickel” means “goblin’s fart” in German may enhance the bread’s appeal to the early adolescent set.
Sauerkraut: For the brave at heart or impervious of tongue. Shredded cabbage, salted and fermented in its own juices. Also sour.
Schnitzel: veal (young cow) cutlets, breaded and fried.
Strudel: fruit or cheese pastry, rolled in thin layers of dough and baked.
German Chocolate Cake: Despite its name, this moist chocolate cake topped with thick frosting and coconut flakes is not German. According to the Smithsonian Institution, “the name comes from German’s chocolate, a brand of sweetened baking chocolate created by Samuel German for the Baker’s Chocolate Company in 1852.” Make it anyway.
As the list above suggests, the traditional German diet is hearty, not to say fatty. Despite the carnivorous emphasis, vegetarians need not despair. The Interactive Travel Guide affirms that in Germany “most restaurants have one or two vegetarian dishes,” and “there are usually organic food shops (Bioladen, Naturkostladen, or Reformhaus) in every city.”
The following phrase may also prove useful: “Ich liebe Tiere—also esse ich sie nicht.” (“I love animals, so I don't eat them.”)
German for Kids Outside the Kitchen
Rich as the culinary fare of Germany is, the language has a lot more to offer. Children may find it easy to latch onto a language closely linked with English. Remember that English is itself a Germanic language. In fact, “Old English” is sometimes referred to as “Anglo-Saxon,” the Angles and the Saxons being two German tribes that invaded Britain about fifteen hundred years ago. The presence of such familiar German words in English as “kindergarten” and “waltz” makes German for kids seem less daunting.
Another reason German for kids might be an accessible choice is the language’s prominence online. After English, German ranks as the most commonly used language on the Internet. The Goethe-Institut, an organization dedicated to sharing the German language and culture with the world, touts this fact on its website. “According to ‘Netz-Tipp-Studie’,” reports the institute, “56.4% of web pages were in English, in second place were 7.7% web pages in German (which amounts to 156,200,000 web pages, excluding PDF-formats).”
Kids Learning German Grow Up!
Kids only stay kids so long. Thankfully, the acquisition of German and other languages comes with lifetime benefits. In this fragile economy, one compelling perk to German for kids is its market value. Spanish or Chinese is often touted as a practical language to learn for business purposes, and German should be named alongside them. As the Goethe-Insitut emphasizes, “Germany has the largest economy in the European Union and the third largest in the world.”
Through a combination of cuisine, practical advantages, and cultural riches, German for kids will help them grow healthy, wealthy, and wise.
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