Canadian Invasion in Braunschweig

May 1st was a public holiday here in Germany, and it was perfect timing because that's when the Canadians invaded! Mike and his cousin Kelsey were our first visitors from Canada, so you can imagine how effing excited I was! After taking them on a bike tour of our city, we did as most of the Braunschweigers do on May 1st: BBQ. Here we are hangin' out in Prinzen Park... it was packed, btw!



...and then, on May 2nd, we canoed around Braunschweig! It sounds funny, but there's actually this really pretty river that circles all around the city. Absurdly, you don't need to drive 30 minutes up north to get in touch with nature here! Awesome, no?! The whole canoeing experience took about 3 hours and it was heaps of fun. Most memorable moment: the baffled look on locals' faces at the sight of us portaging through a residential area. Hahaha. Thanks for not tipping over, guys! Go Team Canada!



It's DÖNER, Mike, not DONER! Hahaha. After an action-packed day of canoeing, we all agreed on döner. So we took the Canadians to a place André claims has the best döner he's ever had. See, Mike and Kelsey have already tried döner, but they've never tried döner from Anatolien Grill. I gotta admit, they serve the biggest döners I've ever seen, but I've definitely tried better-tasting döners. All in all, the Canadians were lovely to host and it was a pleasure showing them a bit of our city. I ♥ having visitors!

The Döner Phenomenon in Deutschland

You could be in the middle of butt#$@& nowhere in Deutschland, and some random Döner joint would probably be right around the corner. You North Americans will be intrigued to know that there are more places to get Döner in this country than McDonalds locations! (it seems like that, anyway) The bottom line is, Germans cannot get enough of this fast food. It's cheap, it's tasty, and of all the places I've been to so far, it's always been decently good.



What the eff is a Döner?! Well, all I know is that in Toronto, we call 'em "Shawarma" or "Kebab." And none of the "Shawarma" or "Kebab" I've had in Toronto have ever come close to the Döner I've had in Deutschland. A Döner is usually no more than 3-4 EUR, filled with shaved meats from a rotating spit (i.e. chicken), topped with veggies such as tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and red onions, and served in a pita-like flatbread. Some Döner joints will toast your Döner in a sandwich press thingy, resulting in a Döner that is beautifully textured and crisp on the outside. Miam miam.

Having tried a Döner in Berlin, Hamburg, Münster and in Braunschweig, I've come to believe that wherever you go in Deutschland, a decent Döner can be had. Of course, variations do exist. For example, some places offer garlic sauce or hot sauce as options. If you've never tried a Döner before, here are my 3 recommendations: 1. Make sure your Döner is toasted (preferably in a sandwich press thingy) 2. Ditch the hot sauce (if this is your first time trying it, you wanna try it in its most original form, don't you?) 3. Wash your Döner down with a bottle of Ayran (best... sheit... ever. seriously though.)