Sparky arrived in Germany a full month ahead of me, so he had to shop, cook and generally fend for himself for a time. When I finally arrived he warned me that I would never find anything familiar in the grocery stores. ” They don’t even have Tunafish” said my spouse. “But they have can after can of Ravioli, Spaghetti and Goulash! And the freezers are full of frozen Pizza’s.” I just starred at him and sighed. Obviously the past month had been rough in more ways than one.
After a couple of futile togetherness shopping adventures where he raced through the stores saying “the sky is falling,” I made the decision that I’d be doing the shopping all by my lonesome just as the Good Lord intended. Ladies…..you understand, right? Now, Dan has lots of areas where he excells, but grocery shopping or shopping in general is not on that list. To this day, I dread hearing him say he’ll go with me.
Right off the bat I hiked myself down to Feldkirchen and paid a visit to Tenglemen’s which is our local grocery. I didn’t take a cart as this was basically a “Meet n Greet,” so I could see what was available and what prices were like in Bavaria. I spent over an hour in that store to the point where the Clerks were all watching me wondering what the heck I was doing. Row by row, I wandered, stopped, looked and thought. Sure enough, everything I needed to set up house was right there at Tenglemen’s! Laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, dairy, meat, produce, peanut butter, Gummies, Licorice ( all the essentials!), ice cream, pet food. Of course there are American food items that I just can’t get in Germany but they aren’t anything we can’t live without for a time.
Tenglemen’s is a fine store, if a tad more pricey than some others. Not overly big, but none of the grocery stores are very big. And YES, it has Tunafish! And for whatever reason, the freezers are jam packed with frozen pizza! I have branched out quite a bit with shopping as I have found stores that carry items somewhat cheaper and also stores that carry different varieties of every day items. About 6 months after I arrived, a new shopping center opened in Brückmühl, a town about 5 miles away and that’s where my shopping begins. I now end up visiting 3-4 stores to purchase all we need at the best prices.
So, let’s go shopping, Bavarian style!
The shopping center has 2 Grocery stores. Rewe and Aldi’s plus a DM, a shoe store and a Takko clothing store. It also has a hair dresser and a take out restaurant. No different than any USA shopping center.
Both Rewe and Aldi are great! Aldi in Germany are wonderful stores. Modern, clean and well stocked but there are things Aldi just doesn’t carry.
Yep….there he is, Mr. Nottashopper at Aldi’s looking at tools.
Aldi’s has lots of frozen fish including Fishsticks. Unlike the American counterpart, German Fishsticks are made from actual slices of fish and they are delicious! We enjoy them for a quick meal once in a while. I would never buy American Fishsticks. It’s the same way with chicken nuggets. They are nice hand cut pieces of chicken breasts, seasoned and lightly breaded. Really delicious!
Produce is usually fresh and very, very inexpensive at Aldi’s. It may not last quite as long as produce from Tenglemen’s but you can’t find a better buy. A head of Cauliflower is 99 cents!
I purchase most of our meat here at Aldi’s. It’s all packaged and every package weighs the same amount but again, the price can’t be beat. 1 lb of boneless chicken breasts sells for $2.50. Fresh Bratwurst and wonderful Pork Tenderloins. Oh….you have to bag your own groceries here and you bring your own grocery bags too at all the stores.
Then I go next door to Rewe which is the biggest of the grocery stores. I buy Gracie’s canned dog food and Biscuits here. They have a huge supply of baking products but the main reason I shop there is Rewe carries PEPPERONI and CHEDDAR CHEESE! Yea! Rewe also has a rather nice bread bakery, confectionery and coffee shop as pictured. In warmer weather, you can sit outside and enjoy your snacks.
In the same plaza is the DM Store. Think Walgreen’s or CVS and you have DM. It’s where I buy Bandit’s food at real discount prices. They have the best prices on paper products, laundry supplies and cleaning supplies.
See any familiar looking name brands?
You need it? DM’s got it! When you travel it is so comforting to find brands you are familiar with!
Then I head back up to Tenglemen’s because they have a Vincent Mur packaged meat counter and a full operating butcher shop. I can buy cold cuts packaged or fresh, plus they carry something called “American Style Bacon.” It really isn’t but it’s as close as we’ll get here. The bacon is so thin it is transparent and comes in 100 gm packs which is less than a quarter pound.
Tenglemen’s has an entire cold display of cheeses plus they have 2 more open displays of fancier cheese. Can you guess that cheese is big, really big in Germany?
Tenglemen’s has a large variety of Herbs and Spices. Some were a struggle for me to translate but now I have it down pat! The only thing I have trouble finding is dry mustard and celery seed.
Dan buys his beer at Tenglemen’s. They have a great assortment but he gets the Oettinger which is the most popular beer sold in Germany. And no wonder! For $6.99 a case, it is a beer drinkers dream come true!
All the Grocery stores carry a selection of wines and Liquors.
And let me tell you, the Germans have a sweet tooth! Every store has a huge long aisle of candy! Lots and lots of chocolate and Gummies!
We have one more discount chain store close by that I frequent. That store is Netto. It’s also in Feldkirchen. They carry discounted produce and they have a Butcher shop too.
Not overly big but very popular with locals who either walk or ride their bikes to the Grocery. Every store has bicycle racks.
This entire case is Yogurt! A mainstay of the German diet! Sorry, it’s blurred.
This aisle is all dry packaged sauces and soups. This is normal in Germany but I couldn’t tell you why. I do know that there is not a lot of cooking from scratch like in the USA. Kitchens, refrigerators and storage are all small!
They have every Knorr product known to man or woman!
Pumpernickel is dense and heavy as a rock here.
It comes thin sliced and the taste is well……not something I am used to.
I buy fresh cut Schwein Koteletts here. That would be Pork Chops. Netto also carries Pork Schnitzel and Beef Rouladen to make traditional German meals.
One last picture from Netto. Kalbleber ( calf liver) for 15.99 for 2 pounds and Gelbwurst or Yellow sausage with or without Parsley.
That’s my grocery shopping fun here in Bavaria! I have to tell you that no matter where I shop, the people working in the stores are as nice as they can be to this American! We may stutter and sputter trying to communicate at times, especially with the more “seasoned” employees, but we manage to laugh through it and I think they enjoy my visits as much as I enjoy them. But more often than not, when I attempt to order something in German, I get a response in very good English from the younger workers! In fact, they want to practice their English. But they do help me speak Deutsch and then repeat it in English. I am truly blessed to live in this part of Germany amongst the wonderful Bavarian people
Thanks so much for stopping by today and going shopping with me. I truly wish you were here. If someday, you have the opportunity to travel, I encourage you to grab the bull by the horns and have fun! My experience is that people are the same all over the globe and they are as happy to meet me as I am to meet them. Journey on!
Karen, TJG
Very helpful! Thank you!
Very helpful! Thank you!