Koblenz originals

Kowelenzer Originale

(Koblenz Originals)

In this blog we are going to write about the so called 'Kowelenzer Originale' which can be translated as 'Koblenz originals'.

Koblenz, the city we study at has many interesting personalities to offer.

We will present you six of them who managed to stay in mind and who are being displayed in the form of statues all over the city.

• Dat Schängelsche

Probably the most famous of all these statues is 'dat Schängelsche' (nickname for any young boy) which does not actually represent a person who has once lived but is dedicated to a local writer.

The term 'Schängel' has its origin in the 1920's. Primarily, it was used to describe children from german women descended from french men. Back then, the most current names were 'Hans' or 'Johann', or 'Jean' in the french way. German people had troubles with pronouncing 'Jean', thus it ended up being called 'Schang'.

Once in a while, it was transformed to 'Schängel' which initially was considered as an insult. However, nowadays 'Schängel' is an honorific title and every man born in Koblenz is proudly engaged to call him- or herself a 'Schängel'. Frequently, they even add a belittlement and make it 'Schängelche'.

The famous Schängelfountain is dedicated to the poet Josef Cornelius (1794-1814). Obviously, this monument will always remind us of the Schängel's jokes and, of course, the vitality of Koblenz' townsmen. 

Another popular reminder is the Koblenzer national anthem 'Dat Kowelenzer Schängelche'. Only to get an impression of it, we will show you a small part of it:

'Et es bekannt doch iwweral,

Et waiß och jedes Kend,

Dat närjens en der ganze Welt

Die Schängelcher mer fend

Als hei bei ons am Deutsche Eck,

Wo seit uralter Zeit

Dat Kowelenzer Schängelche

Am allerbest' gedeiht.

Et es vur kainem bang

On singt sei Lewe lang:

(Chorus)

E lustig Kowelenzer Schängelche ich sein,

Gedaaft mit Rhein- on Musselwasser on met Wein,

Gesond an Herz, an Lewer on der Lung,

On sein och meiner Modder allerbeste Jung …..'

• Das Pfefferminzje ( the peppermint)

Annemarie Stein was her civil name. Her nickname ‘Pfefferminzje’ occurred because she sold peppermints for subsistence. Clearly, she had a sassy mouth as she set out to old pubs every evening in case to get her snifters and cigars, which she favored to smoke.

Moreover, it is rumored that at Christmastime she went gratefully to the crib at the ‘Liebfrauenchurch’ and thanked Jesus for all the snifters and cigars. Her gratitude was heard by the sexton who then answered with manipulated voice: ’Does it compulsively have to be hard liquor? Can’t it just be water?’ Thereupon the Pfefferminzje ranted and raved and abused the child in the crib: ‘What does a rugrat like you know about the needs of an old woman?’

Another aspect of her manner was that she danced and sang after her fictive role-model Queen of Saba. At carnival sessions she inspired with her poetry skill. The Pfefferminzje passed away last war.

• Dä lange Gummi (the tall gum)

'Dä lange Gummi', his real name Peter Schneider, once was a hawker who walked from door to door trying to sell braces, laces and newspapers. His admittedly funny name comes from a certain diesease he suffered from; a form of neuropathy which affected his way of walking, causing strange looking movements of his limbs. People were reminded of caoutchouc and therefore named him 'the tall gum'.

• Spitals Andun

'Spitals Andun' became famous because of a certain habit/or even ritual he used to cultivate each year on his name day.

He would walk through the city with cardboard boxes and cigarette packs under his arms, his hat beautifully decorated with ribbons and flowers seizing the day. Everyone knew him and especially the young shoutet at him in acknoledgement so that his name day turned out to be a festive event.

• Dat Blemersch Klär – Mrs Ringelstein

Mrs Ringelstein represents a typical market-woman; one of those who kept squatting at her stand all day hoping to sell her goods (mostly vegetables) but always managed to keep a smile on her face. Also she mothered the soldiers providing food and beverages.

• Dä reche Henrich (the crispy Henry)

...is seemingly the most popular original in Koblenz.

As the grandson of Blemersch Klär his profession was being a shoemaker. Henrys favorite trick was to alert the 8th battalion. According to this, as an ancient reel he pretended to tramp the general march through Koblenz whereupon every citizen assembled at the place of the plea. For such jokes his penalties were six weeks under strict arrest.

Furthermore, Henry was very favored by the ‘Schängelcher’ because he tramped the general march drumming and bumbling through the streets with boldfaced bloated cheeks. Those endued him with the song ‘....Resch, Resch, Resch Eise eß kai Blech Blech eß kai Eise datt wolle mer demm Resch beweise ....‘.

Whether producing boots with heels on the front for the prison wardens' daughter or ringing the master shoemaker out of bed in the middle of the night only to ascertain if he is wearing his cylinder even while sleeping, Henry was always the man for jokes.

As there were lots of rumors about crispy Henry, the Lord mayor Lottner threatened him with workhouse in case he would not change his lifestyle. Obviously, his answer was of naughty nature : 'Herr Owerbergermeister, glawe Sie denn alles, watt su gefaselt wird? Von Inne hiert mer och su allerhand munkele ... Awer ich glawe su ebbes alles nett, von Inne nett.', which means ' Mister Lord mayor, do you really believe everything that is maundered? There are lots of rumors said about you too...but I do not believe in such stuff, not about you.'

Everytime we walk through the city and see those statues we get reminded of their impressing and funny stories. Koblenz can be glad to have them!

Student jobs

Student jobs

 
As we are supposed to give you an insight to our life as a student here in Germany, we thought of a basic need that every student has and that is money. Probably most of us are being supported by their parents or the government, but that money usually doesn't last long and if you want to enjoy the good part of being a student you will eventually have to find a job.
This topic also gives us the opportunity to later compare our results with the experiences you have made with jobs in your country. Therefore we would really appreciate if you gave us information about your situation after you have read our blog.
First of all we will tell you something about the jobs some of our group members work at and later on we will briefly talk about a survey that we have made on Facebook concerning the salary of different jobs that students of our university have.

                    __________________________________________________________________

Lucca:

"During summer time I worked in a climbing park in my hometown.

      http://www.hochseilgarten-kletterwald.de/anbieter-fotos/kletterpark-bad-neuenahr2.jpg

Depending on the day I had three different jobs to do. I either had to explain adults how the climbing system works and what they were supposed to do or I had to watch over the children climbing in a different area especially designed for them. On some days I had to be the cashier, which was in my opinion the busiest job. Before I could start working in those different sectors of the climbing park I had to learn the important facts about the security system and how I was supposed to explain it to the customers. 
The advantage of such a job is that you are always outside and you meet a lot of people. If you like climbing and you are not scared of heights such a job will be perfect for you. During the winter season the park is closed."

For more information about the climbing park check the following links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AqWyViDcBk
http://www.wald-abenteuer.de/bad-neuenahr/

Unfortunately the YouTube video and the webpage are only in German.



Angie:

http://www.regioactive.de/img/35/193796/full/club_a_g.jpg

"In order to extend my allowance I am doing a sidejob as a waitress and bartender. Generally, I work at the alternative restaurant/bar/club ‘Circus Maximus’ in the center of my hometown Koblenz. I can either work behind the bar mixing cocktails, preparing other drinks, or as a server where I directly have to serve the customers and in the end, of course, I have to cash up. According to that, it is a crucial benefit that I am allowed to keep all tips I get during one shift. Finally, I earn 7,20 €/hour plus tip.

In summer, I work in a cocktailbar at the city beach which is kind of a subsidiary of Circus Maximus. Working there is really appreciative as you can enjoy the sun while earning money. Another beneficial aspect about working at the city beach or at the bar is that actually I only have young colleagues with whom I get along very well. Furthermore, it is a stress-free and especially pleasantly atmosphere to work with my friends. 

  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=420520361344133&set=a.420519211344248.98602.153237784739060&type=3&theater

However, it is still a disadvantage that as a student the only time I have left for work is at night or at the weekend. Usually, it is possible to manage working, learning and sleeping in the right relation, but as you can never tell how long the last shift will last, there are always exceptions where I do not get enough sleep in order to be fully aware of the next lecture’s content."


Brian:

"To be able to spend some money beside the university I decided to take a job right after I finished
school. I work as a vendor in a running store which is only one of many branches in Germany.

In my shop I don't have to only sell the shoes and running equipment but also help the customers finding the running shoe which fits them the best. To achieve this there are many ways given by the shop-gadgetry. For instance a treadmill which is connected with a camera-system and with a pc. In this way customers can watch themselves running with the different shoes and the vendor then is able to evaluate whether the shoe is good for them or not. 

Another useful gadget is a board with two imprinted footprints. By stepping onto these footprints without shoes the customer creates a heat image of his or her feet, which is of paramount importance for finding the right shoe, because it is fundamental to know whether the pressure of the bodyweight is placed regularly on the foot or if there is a special dent. 

Nevertheless, vendor and customer should basically focus on the comfort of the shoe because a shoe which fits perfectly to your running-style but feels like a plank with nails isn't a good thing at all...

All in all I am very happy with my job because it's very customer orientated and you get in contact with many different people and I do of course hope that I will make enough money with this job to make ends meet."



Alexis
 
"I work as a bartender in a café in my hometown Bonn. Unlike other cafés, this one works with a self-service system. You order your beverages or dish at the register and get it immediately after it has been prepared by the ‘milkman’.

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=156869847673174&set=pb.156308277729331.-2207520000.1352751016&type=3&theater

 
As you can see, the main work goes on behind the bar. There are three kinds of ‘working stations’ behind the bar:


                  - The cashier:   He takes the order and fills a freshly  
                                   made espresso shot into a cup or a glass,  
                                   depending on which coffee you’ve ordered.

                          - The ‘milkman’:   He’s in charge of preparing the coffee with 
                                     the right ratio of milk and milk froth. 
                                                          A good milkman is able to create artworks 
                                     like a heart, a tree or other incredible stuff 
                                     on your milk froth.

                          - The ‘dish-washer’:   He’s responsible not only for cleaning the dishes,
                                         but also for the tidiness of the café.


On hot summer days, when a lot of people like to sit outside at the terrace or cold winter days, when a lot of people need a coffee to warm up, the help of even 5-6 workers is needed. It might not seem like it, but there’s actually a lot of work that needs to be done. A good advantage about this job is that you get in contact with a lot of people, you get to know how to make the perfect coffee and - probably the most important fact – you learn how to work in a team. 
The reason why we’re telling you all these details about the jobs is not to bore you by explaining how a coffee-house works, but to show you how much work is being demanded by a usual student.

This leads us directly to the disadvantages of student jobs. A lot of students who work as a waiter in a catering service, do not earn a big amount of money. You could actually even say they’re being exploited in a kind of way. Most of the time they don’t get more than 6,50€ per hour, although they have to work up to 8 hours a day. A student cannot work from Monday to Friday because of classes, though. 

So where’s time left to work then? – Only on weekends! And the fact that you also need time on weekends to study for yourself and do researches, reduces the possible working time probably even to 5 hours a day, which results in the end to 260 € a month. An amount that covers possibly the monthly bill for your dorm room."

Now we will give you some information about the survey we have made. 

We tried to find out what different jobs students of our university have and what they earn per hour and asked those questions on Facebook:

As you can see most students that participated in our survey work as a waiter or a waitress in restaurants or bars, but there are also some other job opportunities, that most of the time require a lot of background knowledge. The salary spreads from about 5 € to over 8,5 €. In fact those jobs are a good way to earn some money beside your studies, but it is usually tough to combine your studies with a job, because you'll always only have time for one. Now we are interested about your experience with jobs while studying !

German recipes

German Recipes

Debbekooche – Potato cake

The most famous dish around Koblenz is the Debbekooche. It’s a form of potato cake that was originally eaten by the poor, particularly around St. Martin’s Day because they couldn’t afford the traditional goose. The Debbekooche is made of grated potatoes, finely chopped onions, eggs, diced bacon and spices. It is a great dish for the wintertime. ;)

Ingredients (Serves: 5)

• 2,5 kg of potatoes
• 400 g of bacon (diced)
• 2 tablespoons of whole milk
• 1 – 2 onions
• 4 eggs
• a handful of oat flakes
• oil (for the roasting pan)
• salt and pepper

Preparation method

1. First preheat the oven to 160°C. Then peel and grate the potatoes with a fine grater. Combine the grated potatoes with the eggs, oat flakes, milk and the diced bacon. Then season the potato-bacon-egg mix with salt and pepper. After that, stir everything well.We usually do it with our hands.
2. Now transfer the potato-bacon-egg mix into a roasting pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 2 hours until it forms a crust. Don’t stir the potato-bacon-egg mix during baking; otherwise there won’t be a crust. In my family the crust is considered to be the best part of the dish.
3. We usually eat it with apple sauce. Enjoy it! 

The Debbekooche



Chocolate mousse with olives

This recipe is one of my favorite desserts. I know chocolate mousse with olives sounds a bit strange but it tastes delicious. I usually don’t like olives, but in this combination I love them and you don’t even taste the olives at the end.

  

Ingredients (Serves: 6)

• 150 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 4 egg yolks
• 50 g of sugar
• 100 g olives
• 300 ml of cream
• 3-5 drops of vanilla extract

Preparation method

1. First melt the chocolate slowly in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. The chocolate shouldn’t become hotter than 30°C. You can just turn of the stove after the chocolate starts melting.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the 50 g of sugar; the egg yolks and add the vanilla extract to it. Then put the olives in a separate bowl and mash them with a mixer.
3. Afterwards whip the cream by hand. Be patient it takes a couple of minutes. ;) You should now have four different bowls with different ingredients. It’s then time to blend everything together. That means you lightly stir the egg mix into the mashed olives, then into the chocolate mixture and at last fold in the whipped cream until everything is mixed well.
4. Transfer the mousse to small cups and refrigerate for about 4 hours or just put it in the freezer for a litte while. Enjoy !

 

 

Rissoles with mashed potatoes and vegetables  

This is another traditional recipe from Germany. The so called 'Frikadellen' can also be found under the name Bouletten. You can also use this recipe to make your own hamburgers.

Ingredients (Serves: 5)

• 500 g of ground meat
• 1 bread roll
• 1 egg
• 1 onion
• salt and pepper

Preparation method

1. First soak the bread roll in water for around 15 minutes and then drain it. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and place it into a bowl together with the ground meat, egg and at last the bread roll.
2. Then season the mixture with salt, freshly ground black pepper and mix it well. Now use your hands to shape the meat into large patties.
3. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the rissoles and fry for about 10-12 minutes until golden-brown and completely cooked through. Don’t forget to turn them occasionally.
4. Serve immediately!



http://img.kochrezepte.de/recipeimages/839725/546/selbstgemachte-frikadellen_20090624012316439.jpg



In my family we usually eat them with potatoes or mashed potatoes and vegetables, whatever you prefer.

 

 

Fried liver with onions and apple slices

This is another famous regional dish which is very strong in its flavour. Not everyone does like it though it is quite healthy, containing a high percentage of vitamin A, B, folic acid and ferrous sulfate. I, for my share, do like to eat it occasionally but enjoying it each time!

Ingredients (Serves: 1)

• 125g liver
• ~ 50 ml cold milk
• 1 ½ large onions
• 10g vegetable fat
• 1 to 2 apples
• some flour
• salt and pepper

How to make it!

1. Rinse liver under running water and then soak it in milk for about 30 minutes. Dry it and then turn it in flour until it's completely covered.
   

   

   http://www.der-erfolg-gibt-recht.de/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/leber-mit-mehl.JPG 

   
   
   
2. Heat up the vegetable fat in a pan and let it get really hot. Now fry the liver from both sides for about 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper ad libitum.
   
   
   
   
   
3. The liver is done and now needs to be kept warm while you prepare the onions and apples.
   
   

http://www.der-erfolg-gibt-recht.de/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/zwiebel-und-apfelringe.JPG 

Just peel the onions and slice them into rings; then fry them in a pan on low flame.Do the same with the apple as you wish. Likewise fried potatoe slices will fit perfectly as a side dish. 

 

Enjoy!