Food To Miss

Remember that coffee post where I said I was going to make a food series? Well, the series isn't going to happen, but I've compiled a list of the foods {and drinks} I'm going to miss when I leave Germany:

bratwurst im brötchen.

APFELSCHORLE Every time I drink this, all I can think of is, "Why don't we have this in the States?" At first we described it as carbonated apple juice, but that's actually not an entirely accurate description. Apfelschorle is a mixture of apple juice and mineral water. When you buy it pre-made {like in a bottle}, the ratio is heavy on the apple juice. But when you order it in a restaurant, it's less apple{and better this way}. The first time I mentioned to The Jedi how much I liked it, he told me it was also a favorite of his, but he liked to make it himself so that it wouldn't be too sweet. After trying lots of variations, I agree with him.

BRATWURST This should totally be a given, so I'm just going to say it and leave it at that: German bratwurst rocks every other bratwurst. As it should.

BUTTER The first time I bought butter here--and it was one of the first thing I bought--I was simply trying to stock my refrigerator. The label read Deutsche Markenbutter, which meant very little to me other than the fact that it was, indeed, butter. However, it turned out to the best and creamiest butter ever. {I had had something like it before, once, in Texas. Central Market has a "European Style Butter" available, and it is similar.} I now buy nothing else. Some Googling has informed me that Deutsche Markenbutter is first-class German butter and is required to be produced in a dairy and be made either from milk or directly derived from cream. It must have four out of five stars and be tested every month to make the grade. It. Is. Worth It.

currywurst mit pommes.
{internet photo}

CURRYWURST It's basically just a sausage smothered in ketchup sprinkled liberally with curry. The sausage varies depending on whether you're in Berlin or in the cafeteria. Frequently served with pommes {see below}.

DESSERT This mostly applies to cakes, since they're the dessert of choice and Germans like a lot of them. It's not that they're particularly special--although I think it is worth noting that a larger percentage of Germans seem to be knowledgeable about cake-baking than their American counterparts--it's that they're not particularly sweet. I'm not the biggest fan of most American desserts because they give me a sugar headache after three bites. German desserts understand the value of taste over sugar, and the result is dessert I can actually enjoy. {And yes, those of them that have been to America have negative opinions about the insane amount of sweetener we apply to our desserts.}

DÖNER Also known as a kebab {or a gyro, back in the States}, the prevalence of döner is the result of a huge influx of Turkish immigrants after the second world war. {Germany needed laborers desperately and enacted a visiting worker program that encouraged this.} Now there is döner available on every street--especially in Berlin, but also in Würzburg, and it's the best thing after a long and/or hungry day. So much food in one pocket of bread.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES I'm particularly speaking of the strawberries and tomatoes. When I first arrived in Würzburg, there were strawberries everywhere, in all the stands. I had to try them, and I wasn't disappointed. But then...the tomatoes. Let's talk for a moment about tomatoes in the States. Home-grown tomatoes are red through-and-through, and they taste like heaven. But when you buy them from the grocery store, chances are that they're not deep red on the outside and that their middles are white and dry. {If you've never had home-grown tomatoes and are content with those from the store, I pity you.} Well. The tomatoes from the German grocery stores are as red and juicy and delicious as American home-grown ones. They're so good that Miquela and I would even eat them as-is {the way you eat an apple}. Gonna miss the tomatoes.

ICE CREAM In downtown Würzburg, a person has ample opportunities to eat ice cream. Very thick and creamy ice cream. In a cone. One scoop = one Euro. I'm pretty sure the only place you can get "ice cream" that cheap in the US is the Wendy's dollar menu. Not to mention the flavors...the other night I happened upon a basil-lime ice cream. Yes, yes it was delicious.

MÜSLI Okay, so this breakfast cereal is available in the States. I even have a spectacular recipe for it back home {it's been my staple breakfast for a good four years or so}. But it's been so cool to eat müsli in the country of its invention! What is müsli? It's an oatmeal-based cereal--think granola but untoasted or syruped--with nuts and dried fruits mixed in. Techincally, müsli is simply the German word for cereal, but after the introduction of American breakfast cereals, it now applies only to this kind.

PIZZA German pizza has a different style than in the States {so much so that those of my labmates who have tried American pizza are extremely unimpressed}. The crust is thinner, and the sauce has different spices and flavors. My favorite is the Margarita pizza. It's just a fancy name for a cheese pizza, but it's so tasty that you don't miss the toppings.

POMMES After the United States' loss to Belgium in the World Cup, we were discussing the for-fun attempt of renaming "Belgian waffles" to "Freedom waffles." I commented that there had been similar renaming of "French fries" to "Freedom fries" about ten years ago when there were international policy differences between the US and France. "We don't have that problem," said the Opinionated Romanian. "We just call them pommes."

currywurst mit pommes {done right}.
{internet photo}

Though pommes is technically just the German word for French fries, it's taken on a new meaning within our Albino Squirrel group. Because there's a few differences in the method of eating German French fries compared to American. First off, you must think thick fries...not those thin things you get at McDonald's. Second, not only can you complement them with ketchup, but mayonaisse is perfectly normal {and it's so good}. Third, the ketchup and mayonaisse often {but not always} go on top of the fries...not beside. And fourth, they're eaten with a fork more than half the time. This is pommes, and I'm going to miss it.

PRETZELS Everywhere you go, there is a bakery. And every bakery has pretzels. Good pretzels. Really good pretzels. Really good and warm pretzels. For 0.65EUR. Need I say more?

RADLER A post about German food and drink is not complete without Radler. Someone has to mention it, and since I'm over-age in both the US and Germany, I'll do the honors. Radler is a half-and-half mixture of beer and carbonated lemonade {basically, Sprite}. It's perfect for those of us who aren't particularly fond of beer or its effects {i.e. me}, and I wish the US had a similar low-alcohol-content, non-bitter, beer-like drink. May have to fix that. But Radler is super-popular here; like the apfelschorle, it is acceptable to both buy it pre-made or mix it oneself.

bratwurst und sauerkraut.

SAUERKRAUT Pickles are my favorite food, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that I've become quite a fan of what is basically pickled cabbage. So good, and I might have to figure out how to make my own come Texas-time.

The German Flag

The German flag. You've probably seen more of it than usual due to that, uh, you know, tournament we won. That World Cup thing. :)

I didn't think anything of it. When we arrived in Wuerzburg, the city was already decked out with Schwarz, Rot, Gold! {Black, Red, Gold!}. The first thing I saw out my window was a house sporting a German flag. Coming from a country--and state--that drenches itself in red, white, and blue, I chalked it down to patriotism and pride. Normal.

And then we had an interesting conversation at lunch one day. Someone mentioned that they'd been driving and had seen a house that had covered its entire front with the German flag. The house was the flag. And The Computer Guy* {not to be confused with the IT Guy} commented on how that would never have flown {there's a pun for you, Alex} eight years ago.

Huh?

vs. Algeria
p/c: numa

"Oh no," they told me. "You don't display the flag in Germany. It would look political. Someone would ask you if you were part of the Nationalist Party." {I've had this conversation with two different groups of people, and the reasoning was practically verbatim.}

But what happened eight years ago?

The World Cup was held in Germany in 2006. Germany ended up in third place, which means they played an equal number of games as the championship team. This means they were making headlines for several weeks {trust me, I've lived this}. And according to my labmates, this was when people began to display a cautious appreciation and affinity for the German flag.

Eight years ago.

vs. Argentina

Having these conversations gave me a whole new appreciation for the World Cup. Coming from a sport-filled but soccer-less background, I was enjoying the tournament but had no passion for it. Now I have great respect for this event that, one could say, singlehandedly united a country and gave it back its flag.

vs. Algeria

Because during the World Cup, the flag is everywhere. The colors are worn as accessories--scarves, leis, mustaches, nail polish--and chosen as part of the wardrobe. Flags are painted--or temporarily stuck--onto faces. There are flag-style capes. Or you can just wear the flag as a cape. You can wave little German flags on sticks, or you can hang one from your window. Don't forget the black, red, and gold pennants across your balcony railing!

vs. Argentina

Of course, after the World Cup, everyone puts away the flag. The colors scuttle away, back in a drawer or a closet somewhere. But just wait: in four more years, they'll return. In four more years, schwarz, rot und gold will once again fly.

 * I wish I had a better nickname for him. "He Who Notices That I Don't Speak German" is just a bit...long. But it is consistently the role that The Computer Guy plays. When I'm lost in a German conversation, the odds are that it will be he who notices first. "Guys, Melody doesn't understand what we're saying," he'll tell them {and then I'll blush and everyone will apologize and we'll switch to English}. He is The Computer Guy because he is the other half of our tech department and the one who a) opened up and diagnosed my laptop when it had its troubles, and b) set me up with my own desktop at my desk.

Bonn: The Gummy Bear Expedition

A couple weeks ago, Joseph informed me of the Haribo Gummy Bear Factory in Bonn. So, I googled it. I found a million and one reasons to go. There were yelp reviews, youtube videos, articles, and blog posts. With every single review and picture, I found a new reason to go. I couldn’t come to Germany and not go there. The internet won me over.

yelp review

So two weekends ago, a few of us traveled to Bonn, Germany for the sole reason of visiting the Haribo Factory Store, and it was a magical experience. I don’t think my writing could ever do the store any justice. It’s a good thing that pictures are worth a thousand words.

The Day We Walked to Austria

The trip we took Saturday was my favorite yet. It was also probably the cheapest, believe it or not.

Let me first inform you, because I'm really quite proud of this fact: we walked to Austria.

comparing Neuschwanstein to Disney

We did a bunch of other things, too. The purpose of Saturday’s expedition was actually to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, possibly one of the most famous castles in the world. {You may recognize it from Disney.} We’d planned to go a couple weeks ago as part of the Rothenburg/Bamberg {yes, there will be a post eventually} trip, but tours inside the castle were booked. We planned for another weekend, but those tickets were booked, too. After looking at some mediocre reviews of the 30-minute tour, we agreed that it wasn’t worth the expense and extra scheduling. Instead, we made our plans.

     “I’m going to Neuschwanstein,” I told the Right-Hand Man and the Raman Spectroscopist.
     “Oooh,” said the Raman Spectroscopist. “I’ve never been there.”
     She and the Right-Hand Man informed me that no one thought very highly of the king who had built the castle in the relatively recent 1800s. “No one is quite sure how he died,” the Raman Spectroscopist told me. “He drowned in the lake.”
     “He walked into it,” said the Right-Hand Man. “He was crazy.”
     “Well, no one really knows,” she persisted.
     “He walked into the lake and died,” he repeated.
     “I mean, it could have been suicide, but--”
     “It was. He just walked straight into the lake one day. He was crazy.”
     The Raman Spectroscopist gave up.

Our party to visit this castle consisted of Joseph, Numa, Thomas, Victoria, and myself. We took train and bus for over four hours before arriving in the town of Hohenschwangau {the town at the base of the castle}.

There is more English {and Spanish and Japanese} in this Schwangau than anywhere else in Germany, I’m pretty sure. Even Berlin. This place is overrun with tourists. The last stage of our train trip was so crowded that we sat on the floor in the space between cars. My memory of Hohenschwangau is little more than mobs and mobs and mobs of tourists.

     “I am going to Neuschwanstein,” I told the Opinionated Romanian.
     “Ah, Neuschwanstein,” he said. “You are going to a place in Germany where most Germans have never been.”
     “I’ve noticed,” I told him.
     “Yes, you see, Germany is...” He paused, looking for the right analogy. “Germany is like a bowl of ice cream.”
     “Ice cream.”
     “Ice cream full of chocolate sprinkles, which are castles,” he explained. “And Neuschwanstein is just a more impressive chocolate sprinkle.”

exhibit a: mobs of tourists

Well, to see this impressive chocolate sprinkle, we walked up the hill to the castle {along with, you guessed it, mobs of tourists}. A word of warning for anyone ever considering castle-visiting in the future: castles are built for a reason. The whole goal of a castle is to be as impenetrable and unapproachable as possible. THEY ARE HARD TO APPROACH. It is very quaint and all to think of castles being built on hills, but when it comes to visiting them...ouch. I mean, Neuschwanstein is on a mountain.

So we climbed a hill and arrived at the castle.

And then we turned around.

Our fascination with the castle lasted all of, I don’t know, two minutes. We kept turning around and admiring this:

And this:

And this:

The castle is very nice. Almost too nice and too perfectly...castle-y. It feels plastic. And with all the tourists, one can’t appreciate the beauty or historical significance or anything. Here it stands, the ostentatious castle of a mad king. Now check out those Bavarian Alps.

picnic

We took a different route down the mountain and ate our picnic lunch at the base of a lovely little waterfall. {A waterripple? Ice-cold water trickling down from the mountain.} Then we were off again.

Since Neuschwanstein is quite close to Austria, we’d had a plan to follow a particular road across the border. It was my plan, actually, but now that we were finished with our castle viewing, I was getting worried. We had spent more time approaching the castle than anticipated, and I realized that I hadn’t brought any sort of map or directions with me. {There is no 3G at Neuschwanstein, come to find out.} I didn’t want to take us into Austria without some idea of where we were going.

lake alpsee
photocredit: numa

We went to see {and take pictures by} Lake Alpsee while we considered our predicament. That was where I found the sign. There was the trail to Pinswang, Austria.

check out that turquoise

We took it. Almost immediately, we left the tourists behind and were presented with views of trees, mountains, and beautiful Apline lakes. The lakes. They are the same clear blue as the Caribbean. They are gorgeous. The turquoise waters of Lake Alpsee, surrounded by high and jagged mountains...the beauty I saw Saturday was almost enough to make me cry.

the border!
photocredit: numa

I do not know how long we'd walked our trail through the mountains when we finally crossed the official border {no station, no passports, no one in sight}. We headed for the town of Pinswang, which turned out to be a quiet country town with fields and horses, surrounded by towering mountains. There were flowers everywhere, too. More so than are in Würzburg currently.

en route to pinswang

As we continued walking, I began to worry that we’d miss our transport back into Germany. I was so stressed, in fact, that I ignored the bus stop that would take us back right on schedule! I’m really grateful that the others on the trip noticed my error and called me back from my laser-focused mission to get to the unnecessary train station.

The temperature that day was also about 95 degrees Fahrenheit {have to specify that nowadays}. When we got out of the sun and onto the bus that would take us back to Germany, Joseph said it was “the best money he’d spent all day.” I agreed.

Upon arriving in Fuessen, Germany, we bought more water. At our next train switch, in Augsburg, we bought ice cream. And upon getting on our last train in Treuchtlingen, we fell asleep and didn't wake up until Würzburg {actually, that's not true: we dozed sporadically due to the constant fear of missing our stop}. It was possibly one of the most exhausting days of my life. I mean, we saw the most impressive chocolate sprinkle in Germany,

and we walked to Austria.

Bavaria Expedition: Bamberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber

When I first found out that I was spending my summer in Europe, I wanted to go everywhere. My last visit to Europe as an eight year old left me with limited memories and a whole lot of awkward family photos. Despite knowing that it was not feasible, I came to Germany wanting to travel all over Europe. After arriving in Germany, I realized that…Germany – there are so many beautiful cities to see in Germany. Since then, I’ve spent a good majority of my weekends exploring Germany.

The weekend after our Berlin trip, a few of us had decided to go on a “Bavaria Expedition.” After talking to a lot of my lab-mates about traveling within Germany, they had all suggested cities in Bavaria. We picked two cities: Bamberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Bamberg: It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz. Its historic city center is listed UNESCO world heritage site.

Our first stop was Bamberg. With my slight obsession for Venice, all I really wanted to see in Bamberg was Klein-Venediga, which is a colony of picturesque fishermen’s homes from the 19th century along one side of the river. A trip is not complete without going the wrong direction and/or getting lost for quite some time. In our attempts to find Klein-Venedig, we found a graffiti wall with some pretty interesting graffiti. But we did it – we found Klein-Venedig, and it was absolutely breathtaking.

“I’m free” – Bamberg Graffiti Wall

Klein-Venedig

We then visited the Bamberg Cathedral, which holds the tombs of emperor Henry II and Pope Clement II. I was very fascinated by the architecture of the cathedral. It was beautiful, like most cathedrals I’ve seen here, but it was different. Usually, I’m pretty decent at figuring out the style a building has been constructed in, but I was having a hard time trying to pin down a style for this one. Later, I looked it up and learned that due to the long construction process of this cathedral, several styles were used in different parts of the cathedral, in particular, Romanesque and Gothic.

Bamberg Cathedral

Heading back to the train station, we came across this little…antique bookstore. We initially went inside for postcards and other souvenirs, but towards the back of the store, we found a bookstore. It was a bookstore worth mentioning.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber: It is a well-preserved medieval old town located in Franconia. From late Middles Ages to 1803, Rothenburg was a Free Imperial City.

Our next stop was Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Most of the people I had talked to around here told me to make sure that I went to Rothenburg for it’s historical importance and beauty. It was described to me as “Germany’s Fairy-Tale Town.” Our first destination was the Rothenburg Town Walls. We walked most of the way around the walls getting a good overview of the little town. Brief history lesson: During World War II, Rothenburg’s medieval town walls were destroyed and the mayor of the town asked for donations from town citizens and visitors to rebuild the wall to its former glory. The wall in its entirety, approx. 3 km long, is covered in plaques to honor people who made the donations.

Walking along the Rothenburg Town Walls

While walking along the Town Walls, we discovered the Spital Bastion. Disclaimer: I didn’t actually know what it was called until five seconds ago. Stepping into the bastion was like stepping back to a medieval time. It was a very elaborate tower/gate, and certainly had its mystical charm with wheeled canons.

After our little medieval adventure, we wandered around the town a little, going into random shops. We finally stopped for a traditional Franconian dinner. As wonderful as the food was, the service…not so much. We ended up having to wait over 40 minutes for the waiter to bring our check after asking him multiple times. While we were waiting, we went through my coin purse (a coin purse is very useful in Europe) to see if I had enough pennies to equal 1 EUR. Turns out, I did. So we left the restaurant an abundance of pennies.

We then stopped to get the famous Rotheburg Schneeballsb  before heading back to the train station.

---

Translation of German words:
a. Little Venice
b. Snowballs

Berlin: Day Two

We woke up Sunday morning with the realization that we only had a couple hours left in Berlin and a long list of things to do. A few of us had decided to venture out to Berlin-Grunewald to visit the Grunewald forest. The Grunewald is a 3,000 hectares German forest.

Despite all the art and culture, Grunewald was my favorite thing about Berlin. We walked through the woods for a couple hours – it was relaxing; it was beautiful. I wanted to spend all day there, but alas, art calls.

Alex and I went back to the Museum Island. We couldn’t come to Berlin and not see the bust of Queen Nefertiti. On our way to the Neuesa Museum, we stopped by Berlin’s Art Market – it certainly lived up to my expectations of a good Art Market.

The Neues Museum is the epitome of neoclassical architecture. The building itself was breathtaking. The exhibits included Egyptian, Prehistory, and Early History collections. I went to the Neues Museum for two reasons: 1) the iconic bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, and 2) Berliner Goldhut.

Quick Art History lessons:
1) Nefertiti, literally meaning “the beautiful one has come,” was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Not only was Nefertiti one of the most important women of the ancient world, but also the icon of feminine beauty. Her bust is an icon of Ancient Egypt and is one of the most copied works in history. Approximately 100 years ago, her bust was discovered by a German archeological team, and since then has been kept at several locations in Germany. Along with being a symbol for Egypt, Nefertiti’s bust is now also a symbol for Berlin. Conclusion: Queen Nefertiti’s bust is a big deal.
2) Berlin’s Gold Hat is a Late Bronze Age artifact made of thin gold leaf. The hat served as the insignia of deities/priests in regards to the sun cult that was widespread in Central Europe around the time.

The exhibit for Queen Nefertiti’s bust was something most of us were very moved by. More than being captivated by this beautiful art piece that Alex and I had both studied in our respective Art History classes, we were more moved by the piece next to it. There was a replica of Nefertiti’s bust. Along with it, there was a description in Braille. They created a version of Nefertiti that you didn’t have to see – a version that you could touch, and feel her beauty just the same. The fact that someone thought about replicating Nefertiti’s head for blind people is…incredible. Art is about more than just seeing, it’s about feeling.

Berliner Goldhut

We left the Museum Island and we were on our way to meet up with everyone when I got a phone call from Melody and Joseph. “Come here. You have to see this,” they said. They refused to tell me what it was, other than, it was something that I must see. So we went to Melody and Joseph and they took me to a tower…OF RITTER CHOCOLATE. UT Austin’s Tower got nothin’ on a Ritter chocolate tower. Side note: they recorded my reaction.

After seeing that delicious tower and realizing there was nothing else I could see in Berlin that day that would beat a Ritter chocolate tower, we went to Checkpoint Charlie and then headed to the bus station. Six hours later, we were back in Würzburg.

Checkpoint Charlie

---

Translation of German words:
a. New
b. Berlin Gold Hat

Bavaria & Frankonia

Being here has made me realize how well-grounded a person is in the history and stories of their region...and how little one knows of other histories. Of course, we all memorize each other’s great {or horrible} accomplishments. The Germans I’ve talked to are familiar with the basic outline of wars in the United States; we Americans have about the same level of knowledge when it comes to European history.

But there’s more than that. For us, there are the Salem Witch Trials, Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride, the Trail of Tears, the Oregon Trail, the Gold Rush, Custer’s Last Stand, Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad, the Women’s Suffrage movement, the Great Depression, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech. You’ve heard of all of these; you know what these people and events meant to our country. But all of these great stories are lost in the overarching theme of America--Revolutionary War, Civil War--when Europeans learn about our country. And it’s the same when we learn about theirs. History and culture are boiled down to a very nice but very abridged overview, and all the great parts--all the most interesting parts--are lost.

As I’ve come to this realization and had the opportunity to learn more and more “stories” from the people I meet, I’ve wanted to keep and share them. So here are a few snippets of German history and culture that they don’t tell you in school. Unless noted otherwise, I have not looked any of this up for the purpose of this blog post. All of this is common knowledge and conversation amongst my labmates.

BAVARIA

Germany is made up of states. Würzburg is located in the state of Bayern {English: Bavaria}, which takes up the southeastern quarter of Germany. Bavaria is where you find what I call “old Germany,” that is, the lederhosen, the festivals, the liters of beer, the dancing on tables. It is common knowledge that the Bavarian accent is a little bit atrocious {the longer I’m here and the more German I hear, the more I think this has a great deal to do with my inability to understand spoken German at lunch}. I have also been informed multiple times that “Bavaria is very Catholic.” In other words, Bavaria is to Germany what the uncouth and unhurried Bible Belt South is to America. I have fallen in love with it. I have a Bavarian flag on my wall.

FRANKONIA

Now that I’ve given you some background on this lovely piece of Germany, it’s time to narrow down on this stretch of western Bavaria known as Frankonia. Frankonia...is a kingdom. Indeed, München {English: Munich} was once the very capital of the kingdom of Frankonia. Every time I informed my labmates that I was going to Berlin, they shook their heads and said, “There’s nothing in Berlin. It’s just a city. You should go to Munich.” You see, Frankonians...are still Frankonians. And who cares about the capital of Germany when one can visit the capital of Frankonia?

So what is the background on this kingdom? Well, once upon a time, it was its own thing. Its own kingdom. And then it was conquered by Napoleon, who promptly squashed it with other regions/tribes/kingdoms to make one giant region: Bavaria. The Frankonians were not happy about this. Not happy at all. They are still upset, actually. At some point in the last 150 years, Bavaria talked about seceding from Germany. When this got ‘round to Frankonia, they said if Bavaria left Germany, they would leave Bavaria. Well, if Frankonia leaves Bavaria, there is very little left of Bavaria--not enough to make a country--and so Bavaria is stuck with Germany because of Frankonia’s threat of secession.

Würzburg is in Frankonia, and I’ve been informed that the accent is even worse than that of Bavaria. But I’m so happy to be here. One of my favorite parts about being here and visiting all these historical places is the realization that this culture has been existing for centuries upon centuries. Just because the political boundaries changed and I’m in a part of Europe known as Germany doesn’t mean that the original tribes and kingdoms ever really stopped existing. The festivals and fairs and dialects and cathedrals and castles--these aren’t modern renditions of something old, the way we would have our reenactments or themed parties or old-style churches. No--these exist because they have always existed. It is so cool to step into a culture that has been around for thousands of years. It is impossible to do this in the States {our European culture only arrived a few hundred years ago, and we have made little attempt to remember the culture that existed in our land in the time before}.