Mahlzeit!

In Germany there is no such thing as sandwich and crisps for lunch. It is the norm for people to have a “warme Mahlzeit” (hot meal) slap-bang in the middle of the day. For supper, they will have “Abendbrot” (literally evening bread), usually eaten around 6pm and consisting of a few slices of bread, cheese, cold meat, and the ubiquitous gherkin. It struck me as a bit upside-down to start with and it took me a while to get used to a heavy meal during my working day and having to fight off the lethargy that ensued in the afternoon. The idea does grow on you, though, and it is even apparently healthier than having a big meal in the evening, because you have all day to work off what you ate.

A lot of my colleagues go for lunch at 11.15am on the dot. Just for the record, we are not talking brunch or mid-morning snack – no - they actually have their hot, three course, main meal of the day at his time. Preparation starts at 11.10am when you start to hear people shuffling, putting their jackets on, and then walking up and down the corridors saying “Mahlzeit,” This is a common expression – a greeting used around lunch time – to which you answer “Mahlzeit” back. I suppose it can also loosely be translated as “enjoy your meal.” Other common expressions used here to indicate the intention of going for lunch and indirectly asking whether you would like to join are “happie happie,” or “mangiare.”

Why go so early? I’ve managed to come up with a few logical explanations. Firstly, my company is full of computer geeks, some of whom start programming at 7am, so, by 11am half their working day is over and they are understandably hungry. Secondly, my company also has around 12,000 employees here at its headquarters – that’s one hell of a lot of lunches – and therefore also very long queues if you choose your time badly. And thirdly, if there is something popular like “Fleischsalat” (meat salad) or “Kaiserschmarrn” (pancakes) on the menu for that day, then if you leave lunch until the more “normal” time of 1pm, there will be nothing left but reheated noodles from the day before.

Lunches in the company are generally good, despite what my husband will tell you (he is Spanish after all and therefore has higher standards than a Scottish highland nomad.) There is a big salad bar, a choice of three main courses, including a vegetarian option, various “Beilagen” (side dishes), and always two puddings to choose from.  Lunch is also a “geldwerter Vorteil” – a so-called non-cash benefit that you don’t pay for, but that is taxable. I think it works out as roughly 2 Euros a day, so it’s basically free, and boy do computer geeks love free things. Trays are always full to the brim and you will even see people taking extra rolls wrapped in napkins for their “Abendbrot.” You will also see people stuffing their pockets with bananas and apples from the fruit bar, and if there is cake or a yummy pudding, you will see people with stacks of two, three or even four bowls leaving the canteen. No wonder then that there are never any strawberries left for me when I go at 1pm! It is also a well-known fact that people have been fired, because they were caught taking their weekend supplies of salt, pepper, coffee, even toilet rolls, home with them.

Lunch in the company is rarely leisurely. In fact, the main aim is getting the food down as quickly as possible while exchanging as few words as possible.  If there must be conversation, make it about a current work topic and certainly nothing too personal. I would say it takes the average person 20 minutes to complete their lunch and so if you go for lunch at 11.15am, followed by a short walk or coffee, you can be back at your desk with a full belly by midday at the very latest.  At this time, I am still just about starting to contemplate going. Mahlzeit!