delirium clemens

Do you know Labskaus? It’s the traditional sailor’s food north of Hamburg: a stodge of beef, beetroot, pickles, onions, herring, and potatoes, all cooked and then squeezed through a meat grinder. Haters of this dish – because of its gross appearance – compare it to vomit, half digested and then spat out. Those who have got used to the vague taste of it praise Labskaus to the skies as a delicacy.

A mishmash of fish and meat: that’s also how globalization is understood by its opponents. People in favor, however, love to compare it to the nifty evening buffet, where everyone takes what s/he wants (and needs?): sushi, dumplings – plus a bit of Dal, the traditional Indian lentil dish.

This brings us back to Central Europe, where recently an unprecedented German-Austrian film experiment was televised (with Indian spices): Bollywood lässt Alpen glühen (‘Bollywood makes the Alps glow’) is the latest stroke of genius in German commercial TV for which, as we know, Continue reading →