Austria fears for its Wiener Schnitzel after EU-proposal for healthier frying
Last week the European Commission announced it wants to reduce the presence of acrylamide in food. This carcinogenic substance forms automatically during high temperature processing, such as frying and baking. Exactly how the traditional Wiener Schnitzels are made… Once implemented, the new regulation will require that food business operators apply mandatory measures to reduce the presence of acrylamide. One
‘Immer wieder’ the same song in Austria
Now that the presidential election must be held again, the battle between ‘green’ candidate Alexander van der Bellen and his right wing opponent Norbert Hofer (FPÖ) continues. The Freedom party likes to do this the traditional Austrian way: with lots of beer, schlager music and lederhosen. I was walking in the Prater this Tuesday evening, when live music drew my attention. Turned out the Freedom Party
Ignored damage control
In a city where you can eat Kuchen and Käsekrainers just about everywhere, the Viennese have an old fashioned solution to prevent your appetite from getting out of hand. You would think they are outdated, but don’t be surprised to spot several classic scales in Vienna’s city center. They are mostly located at bus- and tram stops, where people probably don’t have anything better to do than to wait or weigh.
P.S. to God
In Viennese churches you’ll often find a book lying on a little table, in which you can write your gratitude and prayers. Most people pray for the health of their loved ones and ask for God’s guidance in difficult times. Others pray for an independent Scotland. The idea of the ‘wishbook’ is that other people can read your prayers, so that they can pray for
Goosebumps at Heldenplatz
Yesterday, on May 8th, Austria celebrated it’s liberation from the Nazi regime. At the same location where Hitler announced the Anschluss in 1938, the Wiener Symphoniker gave a concert under a bright, starry sky. Although it is the fourth year that the Fest der Freude (‘Festival of Joy’) is celebrated with the famous Viennese orchestra, for me, it was actually the first
Warm welcome in Vienna
I’m back! Yesterday evening I arrived in beautiful Vienna once again and it felt like coming home. My roommate Alex and I got along immediately and his roommate Andi, who rents me the room, even left me a nice present. Steirisches Kürbiskernöl is said to be great with vanilla ice.
Graffiti as it’s supposed to
Being the biggest graffiti-zone in town, the Donaukanal in Vienna has a totaly different look and feel than the spotless inner city. I love to walk alongside the canal, where graffiti-artists are allowed to experiment freely. The contrast couldn’t be bigger. Whereas the inner city is supertidy, the shores of the Donaukanal are covered with graffiti, decorated with dented trash cans and floating
‘Streetslaughter’ in Vienna: 1700 cops vs 19 squatters
Even in a city where everybody patiently waits for the traffic light to turn green before crossing the streets (while no car in sight), there’s trouble now and then. In those cases, police troops do the job. So it costs a million euro, and the free newspaper Österreich calls it ‘one of the biggest streetslaughters in the history