Oktoberfest

Last night we went to Oktoberfest, sponsored by the German American Club of Greater Miami. This is an annual event, and we went last year for the first time. This Oktoberfest is a lot of fun, and unlike the Oktoberfests sponsored by the German restaurants in the area (Fritz and Franz, Hofbrauhaus), it is sponsored by a community social group, so the feel is less commercial and more folksy. This means that it may not be as polished as the other Oktoberfests, but it feels more genuine. What's more, you can feel good about supporting a local group.



Oktoberfest reminded me of small town bazaars and carnivals, a festive environment with a lot of families...and positive energy everywhere. There is a $ 10.00 admission fee, and then you buy tickets for a dollar a piece, which gets you food and beer. The German American Club Hall was all decked out with German flags and Bavarian checked banners hanging from the ceiling (just like small town Fests in Bavaria). There were two folk bands from Germany, and folk dancing performed by members of the German American Club. It was really fun to watch, even if German folk music is not in my usual repetoire of tunes.



The food was actually really good. I had a schnitzel with red cabbage and potato salad. The red cabbage was wonderful, really strong. I love that German taste combination of sweet and sour. Of course the beer was good (I have yet to try a bad German beer). But the gastronomic highlight were the brezeln (pretzels). They were perfect! Freshly baked at the fest, and served strung up on a stick by women walking through the hall. With butter or spicy mustard, they were really the best thing I ate all night.



To top off the night, the band got us all involved in a conga line, and we were weaving all around the hall, trying to hold on to the person in front of us while not stepping on their heels. Then we did this silly dance that resemble the chicken dance or the hokey pokey. Not the most sophisticated steps, but the kind of dance that leaves everyone breathless and laughing.



I can't wait till next October, to do it all over again.