Berlin Is Making Me Fat

I haven’t checked a scale to prove it (and I WON’T), but that doesn’t matter, my tighter than usual jeans give it away IMmediately. I’m gaining weight and unfortunately you can find it getting comfortable all around my waist. Ach, per usual! When it comes to my body and getting fit, I have always struggled with my belly- as it has always been the place my fat likes to gather, but Berlin has really showed me that this is where my chub will ALWAYS go and GROW first and that there’s no way around it.

I’m not sure if I should be grateful for this or feel cursed. I  mean this means that I’ve got just one place I really need to hide until  I get this whole weight-gaining thing under control again. I can disguise my flab with slimming black t-shirts and make it magically disappear under flowy blouses. I can use layers to create an optical illusion or simply hide underneath a fluffy sweater. I argue that it is almost fall and the chillier weather permits me to fashionably do so.

I was definitely looking forward to the endless amount of delicious choices and options for dining when I moved to Berlin. I knew this was coming. Though I still wasn’t prepared to feel 24-hour bloat and to constantly keep craving new and different food experiences. Oh, the food experiences! They continue to surpass the previous ones on so many levels of tastiness. I can’t even describe how well I have eaten since I moved to Berlin. I love to cook– goddd I live to cook, but I will admit that this little break from cutting, dicing, slicing, finger burning, and the dreaded after-dinner clean-up has been wonderful! I have to tell you though that I climb up and down numerous flights of stairs and I walk kilometer after kilometer through the city every single day, but sadly, this has not slowed down the grab on my love handles. I am surprised, but I also don’t care enough to slow down the grab of an unexplored menu.

Here is a list of the pleasure filled meals I have devoured while in Berlin:

Döner Kebap– Oddly at the same Döner man at Rosenthalerplatz every time. The bread is to die for, but I have to try somewhere new soon- I’ve eaten there 3x already!

Dolores Burrito– I’ve never visited Berlin and NOT had a burrito from Dolores. They’ve become a bit too trendy and I don’t like their salsa anymore, plus the tortilla chips are way over-priced, but the burrito size and somewhat authentic taste still manages to hit the spot- 2x

Indian food– I guess I know what I like since I always keep going back to the same places. I’ve already been to the same restaurant on Kastanianalle more than once. The menu is limited (maybe 15 items) which I like–it’s so hard to make choices when you have so many and the prices are VERY fair. God, I love Indian food- 2x

Pizza– There’s a Pizzeria near my friend’s place which astonishingly offers a full-size pizza for € 2,70! Strangely they serve cocktails like Mojitos and Long Island Iced Teas for only €3, but long drinks which are normally always cheaper for €4. It’s pretty turned around, but the pizza taste good (not great) and it’s CHEAP. Always a plus!- I’ve eaten there 3x (embarrassing?)

Asian noodles with chicken– I am usually not a big fan of the Asian food in Germany, but Berlin does an alright job. One time I had a lunch menu for just €4 at a relatively fancy place– it was sehr lecker!*. Another lunch- I had Imbiss-style fried noodles with chicken which also did a good job. And finally I had noodles with crispy spring rolls and the woman who worked there totally gave me her huge jar of sweet and sour sauce which made my day!-3x

OMG! NO WONDER I’M SO FAT…

Sushi– I tried sushi once in Berlin and I have to try it again. It was satisfactory, but I need to find a place that makes my mouth water-1x

Pasta– Another go at the Kastianalle street of restaurants. My pasta sounded better on the menu than it tasted. Again, you can’t complain about food prices in Berlin, but I wanted something spectacular since I was treating Tom and this place disappointed. I can make amazing pasta dishes at home, so I’ll skip the search for a better Italian restaurant.  1x

Mexican– I found ANOTHER burrito place inside the Bahnhof* at Alexander Platz. Seems sketchy, but it’s totally not. It only costs €2,20 and tasted pretty fucking fantastic. Id like to give them another go, at least one more time before I leave Berlin. I also discovered a burrito place in Friedrichshain while spaziering* with my French gal Marie when she visited. I am determined to investigate further. I refuse to eat at a fancy Mexican restaurant in Berlin because the prices are stupid.

Can’t forget the pretty bomb things I’ve made at home since I moved to Berlin including: Zucchini hamburgers, cheese quesedillas, vegetable pasta, and chicken-zucchini-asparagus-tomato casserole (with tasty egg noodles and yummy tomato-cream sauce and Gouda cheese to top!) I’ve been to two barbecues and had two picnics and of course  have had many visits to the bakery! Oh yeah, then there was my random try with tofu spring rolls during a lunch date with my new colleague. Wasn’t bad.

Just three more weeks in Berlin. In the mean time, I plan to eat less bread and to go jogging more often, but I can’t get serious with the fight against my belly rolls until I roll out of Berlin and back into Chemnitz. Then it’s back to salads for dinner and yogurt with fruit for breakfast. I have to take advantage of Berlin’s mind-blowing dining offers on every corner before it’s too late! More food stories to come.

*sehr lecker- very delicious!

*Bahnhof- train station

*spaziering- a word I invented by changing the German verb ‘spazieren gehen’ which means to go for a walk