Every other week I make a trip to Old Heidelberg Bakery here in Phoenix, Arizona, for my wife. I am the responsible party for taking care of her addiction, that being German Coarse Rye Bread. Recently she started mixing things up by trying some whole-grain bread from a local Russian store but the taste of home is the rye bread. I’m also required to pick up a pretzel-croissant for her highness too as one cannot feel like a German Royal without the proper bread.

Now that the holidays are nearly upon us our local German importer starts getting in the sweet flavors of Christmas and Caroline is NOT immune from needing to resupply her blood with nutrients such as marzipan and lebkuchen that are as essential as potassium and vitamin C to other humans.

I shouldn’t forget to mention that this is where we buy the pickles that round out the finishing touch of scent that is unique to the smell of a German. Caroline has tried other pickles but they simply do not compare to the pickles from her native land. Old Heidelberg also carries her favorite sauerkraut, red cabbage, and damson plum products which rank high among Caroline’s most missed food items from the “Old Country”.

While we live in America, drive a Korean car, eat fruit from Mexico, use furniture from Sweden, and lightbulbs from China, there is only one place for bread, stollen, lebkuchen, and pickles: Deutschland. Now let’s listen to some Rammstein.