Still alive: München
Not sure when exactly I’ll have a big block of time for writing all about Oktoberfest, and at any rate I’m not finished here. But I thought I should let you know I’m still kicking, despite the universe’s best attempts to subtly eradicate me last night when I couldn’t find my backpack in its secret hiding place in the dark, and ended up having to shiver underneath a bridge with just my sweater and raincoat. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I’m sleeping indoors tonight. I’ve drunk lots of beer and discovered that it’s quite easy to get beer free here; I’ve also given up paying for food because of the Viktualienmarkt. This is a place near the center of town (the Marienplatz) that’s described in guidebooks as things like a “foodie’s heaven”. At first I was sad that it all cost money, but then I discovered the open-air restaurant, and started honing my skills at “tabling”. This is a form of freeganism where you go where there are a lot of people eating, and wait until someone gets up and leaves behind food that you want. Then you just sit down there like it’s your food, and eat it. That simple. But it allowed me, yesterday, to not just eat but overeat. I had both a lobster lunch and a whole wurst, and some obazda. Today I had another sausage, and a pretzel, and some salad, and some other stuff. The Viktualienmarkt is actually not very near Oktoberfest, but at the festival grounds you’d better believe there’s plenty of free food (and beer) to be found, even if a lot of it is pretty junky. Anyhow, next time I’ll endeavor to write about something besides just eating. For now, things are pretty good. Gonna meet some friends later and hang out and maybe even take a shower. Pretty soon I’ll get out of München, and when that happens I’ll try to let you know.
File under: Year of Adventure, Still Alive, food, dumpster-diving · Places: Germany
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10 Comments
Anonymous
HistoryFree beer and free food. What could be better? Back to the fatherland!
Dave
Anonymous
HistorySo did you find you backpack? Sounds like you had a good time even though there were few trials and tribulations. By the way, it is O.K. to pay for stuff, being a leech is not becoming of you, however, it is better than not eating at all. You will eat well in Lisbon. I guarantee it. Grandpa!
Anonymous
HistoryOh, please, oh please, please don't leech! It is perfectly fine to pay for food! If you don't have enough money, I will find a way to get you some.
Mom
Chuck
HistoryI prefer to think of myself not as a leech but as a scavenger. Perhaps a raccoon. I feel good knowing that the food I'm eating was about to go to waste and I rescued it. It means I'm not just consuming more and more resources. And come on, I'm eating fancier stuff than if I paid for anything! Lobster, endless sausages, obazda, lots of beer. It's the shortcut to the good life.
Anonymous
HistoryHmm! Never thought of it that way. However eating something someone may have already chewed on sounds a bit yucky. It's the afterspit thought that makes me cringe. Plus it may have HIV in it. Why do I think of these things. See ya' soon. G.Pa
Anonymous
HistoryI have checked out our hotel in Lisbon, and you will probably faint from the shock when you get there. From saver-of-scrap food to savorer of food of unaccustomed luxury and plentifulness. You knew that, of course. We'll try not to waste any of our food there, though. We respect what you are trying to do for the earth, and, of course, we all know that any of us would eat just about anything if we got hungry enough. Kudos to you for living your beliefs. By the way, we leave Tuesday and I am getting mighty excited for the trip and to see you. Grandma
Chuck
HistoryI looked it up on Google Maps the other day, too, and just the entrance looks classier than most things I-ve done this whole trip. Though I-ve seen enough cathedrals that I probably won-t go into complete shock.
By the way, writing this in the midst of an incredible time in the Czech Republic. It-s fast becoming one of my favorite countries. But again, that-s a story for later. …Not sure when I-ll actually find the time to write all these stories I-m promising, but it-ll happen. Not here because I have only limited time before I go fishing, and also Czech keyboards are weird. They have so many extra letters that there-s no room for English things like apostrophes. Their number row has these instead of numbers… ěščřžýáíé. You have to hit shift to get numerals.
Anonymous
HistoryJust to make sure about dates–we arrive at the Hotel Mundial sometime in the afternoon of Oct. 20. I can't be more specific. We also are on our own for dinner that night. Let's assume we'll be there late afternoon. After we get settled in our room, I'll go down to the lobby and wait for you. I hope there will be a bar close by, and if so, you'll probably find Grandpa and me there. If not, well look around and we should be out and about. We leave early the morning of Oct. 23, so that gives us Oct. 21 and 22 to do what we want in Lisbon. We're really getting excited now. Grandma
Anonymous
HistoryFishing! Did I hear FISHIING.. I want to go too. See ya' soon. G.Pa.
Chuck
HistorySounds like we have a plan of action. I'll look for youo wherever seems likely at the bottom of the hotel, and hopefully we'll be chattering and drinking right away! I'm really looking forward to this.