ausgezeichnet - excellent

valentine's day at the KaDeWe. (that rhymes if you pronounce it right.)

the KaDeWe, and it's aforementioned "gorgeous food hall", have a special sparkle on this sunny valentine's day. most specifically, the chocolate counters have an energy that far exceeds the sugar rush one might have after savoring their wares. similarly, the cake counter and the giant wine section buzz with people carefully selecting gifts for a loved one. berlin is not a particularly friendly town, but today people seem be more amiable.

after circling the 6th floor food hall three times conducting research, during which a nice gentleman gave me a personal lesson on the german word for "herring sandwich", i decided to sit at the antipasti counter. the only person not smiling at the counter is a 16 year old girl who, i conclude from the look on her face, has been abducted by a man and a woman, to whom she bears strong resemblance, and is being forced against her will to eat gourmet food and buy chocolates.

the friendly atmosphere allowed me to leave my comfort zone for a moment to order lunch - a bowl of penne with crawfish in curry sauce with pineapple and fennel. needless to say, this is not a dish i ordered by name, nor can i remember any of the german vocabulary associated with it. but it was excellent - ausgezeichnet! the chef made it in front of me, smiling the whole time.

my day of sun, good food, many smiles, and friendly interactions makes me wish there were more holidays coming up. i feel like i had more successful conversations today than in the whole last week put together. perhaps as the weather gets better people's dispositions will follow. a girl can dream.