Ask Max and Molly
Hi everybody! Send us your questions and we'll answer them here!
We'll try to answer all sensible questions (especially questions which we haven't answered before), but it sometimes takes us a little while to answer them all.
If you send us your email address, we'll be able to tell you when the answer to your question is online.
Note: This page gets updated quite quickly. If you can't find an answer to your question here, try looking through the pages of past questions. (The higher the number of the page, the more recent the questions.)
Dear Max and Molly
"What is your favourite food? Do Germans eat a lot of bread and drink a lot of beer?"
Grace
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Grace,
Well, there are lots of German dishes which I really like, but one of my winter favourites is Grünkohl mit Pinkel (curly kale with 'Pinkel' sausages). Lots of kids don't like it, but kale with sausages and boiled potatoes is a traditional dish in northern Germany, and I love it! You can find out how to cook Grünkohl mit Pinkel here: www.chefkoch.de
Bread is indeed very popular in Germany. Each area has its own specialities, and one of my favourites is Pumpernickel (dark rye bread). You can find out more about German bread here.
As for beer, we are much too young to drink that, but I do like Malzbier (malt beer), which is rich and sweet and, of course, doesn't contain alcohol.
Max
Dear Max and Molly
"Where do you and Max live?"
Michael
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Michael,
I live in York and Max lives in Hamburg. Do you know where Hamburg is? You can find out on our interactive map!
Molly
Dear Max and Molly
"What does your town look like?"
Lydia
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Lydia,
I come from Hamburg, which is a big city in the north of Germany. Hamburg is connected to the sea by the River Elbe, which is so wide that enormous container ships can come into Hamburg's port. In fact, the port is the third biggest in Europe!
Hamburg is known for being a very green city, with lots of open space and two big lakes called the Alster in the middle of the town. It's great fun to play in the park in the summer, but the winters can be a bit nippy!
You can see what's going on in Hamburg harbour right now with our webcam map!
Max
Dear Max and Molly
"I need to bring German food to school for my friends to try. Can you suggest anything kids would like? My Mum is willing to cook / bake with me!
Emmet
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Emmet,
What a fantastic question! Max and I have spent a long time talking about this. There are lots of simple German recipes, but one which always goes down well at kids' birthday parties is Kalter Hund, which doesn't even involve any baking. You can find out how to make it here.
If that doesn't take your fancy, why not have a look at the selection of simple recipes on the following website?: www.kidsweb.de.
Happy cooking!
Molly
Dear Max and Molly
"How old are you both? Do you go to Christmas markets?"
Jayda
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Jayda,
I am twelve years old and Molly is eleven. I live in Hamburg in Germany and Molly lives in York in England. We both love going to German Christmas markets - they’re so much fun! I really like the Christmas market in Hamburg!
www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk
Max
Dear Max and Molly
"What language do you speak - English or German?"
Ellie
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Ellie,
We speak both! Molly's German is really good - she hardly ever makes any mistakes. My English is OK, and I like to practice my vocabulary with the games and quizzes on the voyage kids website. Why not try them out yourself?
Max
Dear Max and Molly
"How long are school lunch and break times in Germany?"
Harvey
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Harvey,
Lessons usually start at 8:15 and at 10:35 primary school pupils have die Pause - a 20 minute break. It is quite long because they start school so early. Many primary schools finish at 13:15 after six lessons and go home for lunch. The afternoon is free for activities such as sport and there is plenty of time to complete homework!
Have a look at this video clip for a glimpse of primary school life in Germany:
www.bbc.co.uk
Molly
Dear Max and Molly
"Why are words in German 'male' or 'female'?"
Hope
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Hope,
Tricky question - this is going to get a bit complicated! English and German both come from a mixture of Latin and Germanic languages, which were spoken in Europe, a long, long time ago. These languages all had 'male', 'female', and sometimes 'neuter' words.
In the course of time, English has dropped the difference between male and female words, but German has kept it, giving us der (male), die (female) and das (neuter).
Molly
Dear Max and Molly
"What is your favourite German food?"
Melissa
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Melissa,
I like all different sorts of German food, but I especially like Kartoffelpuffer (potato puffs). My grandma, who lives in Mainz in the south-west of Germany, makes them and they are delicious! Kartoffelpuffer are pancakes, which are made with grated potatoes instead of flour. Other ingredients are eggs, onions, herbs and milk. The recipe varies from region to region, and Kartoffelpuffer are always a big hit at German Christmas markets and other fairs in the western part of Germany.
You can find out how to make your own Kartoffelpuffer here:
www.blinde-kuh.de
Max
Dear Max and Molly
"What is your favourite drink?"
Hope
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Hope,
My favourite drink is Malzbier (malt beer). It's made of barley malt and sugar and looks a bit like cola, but it also doesn't contain any caffeine. It has a lot of important vitamins and nutrients in it, but I’m not allowed to drink it every day because it contains so much sugar.
I also like Apfelschorle (half water and half apple juice), which is really refreshing.
You can find recipes for other delicious drinks here:
www.blinde-kuh.de
Molly
Dear Max and Molly
"Why is the word for 'she' the same as the word for 'they' in German?"
Ruby-Mae
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Ruby-Mae,
In Germany we call words that have two different meanings Teekesselchen (tea kettles). Examples are Schloss (which can mean both 'castle' and 'lock'), Birne ('pear' and 'bulb') and sie ('they' and 'she').
I've asked everyone I know, but I'm not quite sure why sie is used both for 'they' and 'she'! When you grow up speaking German, you don't really think about it. (In the same way, the word 'trunk' in English can mean lots of different things - like an elephant's trunk, an old fashioned suitcase and a part of a tree.)
You teacher can find instructions for a game with Teekesselchen here: www.kikisweb.de.
Max
Dear Max and Molly
"What is the word for 'rain' in German?"
Niamh
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Niamh,
Rain is called Regen in German. Did you know that Halle an der Saale is the town with most rainy days in Germany - about 250 per year. That makes it wetter than any town in the UK!
Why not test your knowledge of German weather words here?
Molly
Dear Max and Molly
"Why are there so many different types of school in Germany?"
Kerri
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Kerri,
That is a very good question! Pupils in Germany leave primary school at the age of 10 in most federal states. They then usually have to choose between three different types of secondary schools: Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium.
There are several differences between the three main types of school, but basically the education at a Gymnasium is more traditional and ‘academic’ (with subjects like Latin!), whereas the Hauptschule is more ‘practical’. The Realschule is somewhere in-between.
You can find out more about a typical German school day here.
Max
Dear Max and Molly
"Is it hot in Germany?"
Sally-Ann
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Sally-Ann,
The temperatures in Germany vary a lot according to what season it is, and where you are. It can get very hot in the summer, especially in the southern regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. This year, summer temperatures rose over 30°C - that's hot!
In general, the winters are colder than in the UK, often with lots of snow, especially in the south and east of the country.
You can see what the weather is like in Germany here:
http://kinder.wetter.com
Molly
Dear Max and Molly
"Do you know what the most popular food is for lunch?"
Ruby
Dear Max and Molly
Dear Ruby,
If people have the time to sit down to a 'proper' meal, there are lots of famous dishes which are typical for particular regions of Germany. Some common dishes are Sauerkraut, Kartoffelpüree und Eisbein (sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and a leg of pork) and Rotkohl mit Knödeln und Fleisch (red cabbage with dumplings and meat), as well as the south German dish Jägerschnitzel and Spätzle (pork escalope with mushroom sauce and Spätzle noodles).
If people are in a hurry, there are lots of popular kinds of 'fast food' such as Bratwurst (grilled sausage) or Currywurst mit Pommes (sausage in curry sauce with chips).
You can find out more about fast food in Germany here.
Max
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