Introduction

 We all love to eat. And we all have favorite foods. However, when we travel to other countries, we often find that some of our favorite foods are unavailable. Even in this country, when we go to a restaurant it is not always easy to figure out what a dish will be like by reading the menu. On this webquest we will visit restaurants in various German-speaking countries and take a look at their menus. We will see whether our favorite foods are available, and if so, what they are called. We will also have a chance to get an idea of what other foods are common in Germany's restaurants.

Tasks

 For this quest you will be working with a partner. You and your partner are in charge of opening your own German restaurant. Once you have checked out the menus of your "competition," your first task will be to name your restaurant. Then you must create a menu for your restaurant. You need to be sure to have a variety of foods to offer: Vorspeisen (appetizers), Hauptspeisen (main meals), and Nachspeisen (desserts). As you create your menu, you are going to anticipate the popularity of your offerings, and as a customer service you are going to publish the recipes for three different dishes on the menu.

Process

 After you have found a partner you have three tasks to complete:

First, you need to explore the offerings in at least five different German and Austrian restaurants, and you need to give a list of these restaurants to your teacher.

Second, using the menus of these restaurants as a guide, you need to create an eye-appealing menu for your new restaurant. This menu must include at least 3 Vorspeisen, 5 Hauptspeisen, and 5 Nachspeisen.

Third, you need to locate recipes (in English) for three of the items on your menu and print them up in an attractive form that will appeal to your customers.

Guten Appetit! Und viel Spaß!  

Resources

The following websites will lead you to images of menus in actual restaurants in Germany and Austria.

 The following websites will lead you to recipes of German foods, but be sure you also check the library for recipe books.

Learning advice

 As you work on this project, you can make your life simpler if you do the following:

1. Open up the Microsoft Word application on the computer before you begin and then minimize it behind this website.

2. As you find information, you can copy it from the website, minimize the website, and then paste it on your open Microsoft Word application.

3. Remember that not all menu items will be easy to find in a dictionary and translate. In a restaurant you rarely find dishes as simple as "beef" or "pork chop." Restauranteurs use more "flowery" language to make their menu offerings sound more appealing. One of the challenges of this webquest will be to decipher those menu offerings.

4. When you write your menu for your own restaurant, keep in mind the type of language that actual German restaurants use.

5. Since German menus always include the tax and tip in the price of the food, be sure to include the words "Mehrwertsteuer und Bedienung enthalten" in small type at the bottom of the menu.

   

National standards

 This webquest addresses the following National Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century:

Communication (Communicates in languages other than English):

1.2 Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.

1.3 Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

Cultures (Gains knowledge and understanding of other cultures):

2.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied.

Connections (Connects with other disciplines and acquires information):

3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.

Comparisons (develops insight into the nature of language and culture):

4.2 Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

Communities (participates in multilingual communities at home and around the world):

5.1 Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

5.2 Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

Assessment

 You will be assessed on this project according to the following rubric.

Conclusions

 What have you learned about reading German menus? Will you feel comfortable selecting foods to eat when you are in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland?

How do the menu items on German menus compare to items typically found on American menus? What is the same? What is different?

What German recipes would you like to try? How about bringing in a sample for your classmates to taste?

What website did you find that would help you to convert a menu from a European format of weights and measurements to an American format?

Now that you have created a menu for "your" restaurant, don't forget to review the table customs which differ between Germany and the U.S.