The German Club's annual Oktoberfest had the best turnout that I’ve ever seen in my four years at Moravian.
The
turnout varies each year, likely because of a combination of
advertising, timing, and the weather. This year the weather wasn’t
fantastic, but that didn’t stop the 53 people who came to Oktoberfest.
Yup,
you read that right. 53 people. It might not sound like much, but
considering Oktoberfest usually draws 25-30 people, we got almost double
the usual turnout.
Of course, having more
people turn up than you expected has its drawbacks. The German Club
President and I were scrambling to keep cooking food for the guests. The
bratwurst in particular was popular, and we went through all of what we
bought. In the end we had to resort to making hot dogs.
The
bratwurst was not the only smashing success. The other food items that
did well included raspberry kuchen (basically a pastry with raspberry
filling in the middle and topped with icing), apple strudel (a personal
favorite), and spaezle (a kind of noodle that you can put salt, olive
oil, or any other dressing on). They were all delicious and were gone in
an hour and a half.
We also had sauerkraut to
go along with the bratwurst, but not too many people ate that. I can’t
blame them; I hate the smell of it, and it was hard cooking the
bratwurst while I was inhaling ode de sauerkraut.
Interestingly
enough, the usual chips and pretzels were hardly touched. Then again,
the President and I forgot to bring them out until halfway through the
party. Still, it was nice to see everyone enjoying the German-themed
food.
As to the party itself, everyone seemed
to be having a good time. We had background music playing while everyone
was conversing (in English) and eating. It was a great chance for the
officers to talk to the new members and for the German professors to
talk to their students (there were some who came because they are taking
German and heard about it) outside of class. It was also a chance to
just sit back and relax a bit. Well, for everyone else. The President
and I, not so much. But it’s a small price to pay for having such a good
turnout.
The only notable thing that happened
was the balloon fight. We had blown up some balloons and scattered them
around the suite, along with some streamers we had put up. Some of the
new members took the balloons and decided to start a volleyball-esque
battle. Luckily it was contained in the living room and nothing was
broken. It might have been slightly childish but it was fun to watch.
To anyone who attended, what did you think of Oktoberfest?
Unfortunately I couldn't make it to this, but my roommate did go! I really like bratwurst :). Also, sauerkraut is definitely an acquired taste, and if I weren't used to it I probably wouldn't eat it either. My grandparents have been making their own sauerkraut forever, and they cut up cabbage, put it in a sealed jar with vinegar (?maybe) and let it sit for about 6 months to a year. So basically it's rotted cabbage. yum. :P
ReplyDeleteJust had a visit from a friend who lives in Germany. He was here to hike in Utah and stopped in Allentown to visit family afterward. Do you believe he's NEVER been to an Oktoberfest celebration in Germany?! He doesn't like crowds....
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