Kristin Buesing: Oktoberfest in Sydney

Welcome in national colours.

I am getting thirsty!

O'zapft is! Not only in Germany we know how to celebrate the Oktoberfest. The Concordia Club in Sydney is doing it too and with every "drum und dran" and a lot of folklore and typical German fare and beer - eins, zwei, g'suffa... and everyone is having fun. The Oktoberfest is also next weekend so if you missed it you'll still got a chance, otherwise you have to wait another year.

I really enjoyed the afternoon, it was raining outside and cosy in the tent. The kids loved it as there is so much space and fun. There was a jumping castle and face painting (okay that is probably not very traditional, but as long as the kids are happy the parents are happy too) and of course music and dancing. Quite a few people dressed up in their traditional costumes that is a Dirndl for the women and Lederhosen for the men. The band played a lot of Gassenhauer music (which somehow translate into popular melody) and there were live performances as well. I especially enjoyed the new interpretation of the old time classic Schuhplattler. It shows who really is wearing the pants :-)

You can watch that movie on you tube or at the end of this post.

On the menu: Pork knuckle with Sauerkraut and Spaetzle, Leberkaes with potato mash and Sauerkraut, German Bratwurst and of course lots of German beer. There are four German beers on tab: Erdinger, Spate, Warsteiner and DAB. Especially for the Oktoberfest there is also a dark beer available that I can highly recommend. I had Leberkaes with Sauerkraut and a few beers to wash it all down. My friend who isn't German couldn't resist the pork knuckle and I am still in awe how she managed to eat it all, it's quite a portion. Anyway, inspired by the Oktoberfest I decided to celebrate our Germaness and only cook German dishes, especially Oktoberfest fare for the whole month of Oktober. Gosh, thank God I don't own a scale ;-).