My 2nd Life

When Tammi took me out for dinner the other day, we ordered this enormous plate of "Sauerkraut for 2" or "Choucroute Royale" as they say at the "Taverne Maître Kanter" in the town centre of Annemasse (just opposite the town hall, phone: 04 50 84 46 80). As I never read the small print, I had missed the hint in the menu which should have warned me. When the steaming plate arrived at our table, the garcon added a small bottle of champagne to it! I was wondering whether I should call my mother immediately or give it a try first? How would I explain to the policeman later at the alcohol check that I am drunk because of sauerkraut? But more than anything else I was wondering how one could have the idea to add champagne to sauerkraut? I have to admit that I have not found any answers to my questions until today. But I can say that I liked the food and if you want to invite all your friends to a sauerkraut party, here is the recipe for feeding a dozen:

Recette: Choucroute alsacienne

We would not live in France, if we couldn't find a political aspect to the consumption of sauerkraut. How do you find for example liberté, égalité , fraternité , choucroute? Read more on this here: http://conjoncture.blogs.challenges.fr/archive/2006/04/18/et-une-choucroute-royale-une.html

I did evetually call my mother who shared my amazement. She knows that strange things happen and that there are people who add sugar to sauerkraut. But champagne? No, my mother had no answers either. Needless to say that my mother's sauerkraut is also just wonderful. Try it if you can: http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/466571140083231/Bergisches-Sauerkraut.html

For those of you who are afar: Unlike my mother's way of preparing sauerkraut - for which I would have to take you home - choucroute royale can be found around the world, even in New York City: db Bistro Moderne, City Club Hotel, 55 W. 44th St. (bet. 5th & 6th Aves.) Manhattan, NY 10036, phone 212 -391 -2400. Or in Berlin (Sauerkraut mit Champagner und Knackwurst, for the little amount of 17,90 €) at Ganymed Brasserie, Schiffbauerdamm 5, 10117 Berlin, phone 030 - 285 99046.

The fusion of franco- german eating habits remains a mystery as far as choucroute royale is concerned. I got some clues when a week later the up-dated local phone directory arrived in my letter box. In the absence of any curioity for my neighbours and friends, I immediately checked whether my own name is there. Something I expected after three years of uninterrupted residence at Place Porte de France! And there it was, my name and - to my amazement - another half a page of German family names: Stein, Steinbach, Steinmann, etc. Even if the first names Jean-Luc and Mireille deny the germanic heritage, one wonders, nevertheless, whose ancestor might have been the first to season the sauerkraut he/she brought from "autre Rhin" with champagne?