Gathered together with German baked goods and smiles on their faces, members of the German club sold their award-winning desserts at “Cafe Wien.” The event was held on Tuesday, Nov. 14 in the Memorial Union from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Walking into the Lown room, I was so happy to see so many friendly and smiling faces,” Katarina Hojohn, a first-year student said. “I was greeted at the door with a beautiful German flag, and the amazing smells of all the desserts. These activities and cultural clubs on campus are such an important part of our diversity here in Maine.”
Students of the club baked and sold many different types of German desserts, including a black forest cherry cake (Schwarzwalderkirschtorte), a raspberry jam tarte (Linzer torte), cheesecake (Kasekuchen) and a custard almond dessert (Bienenstich). The event was held to gather club members together and share a part of the German culture with students and staff.
“The German Club is an organization for any student interested in German culture & language. We’ll plan something as simple as German board game and movie nights, to Cafe Wien, which has been a long-standing tradition at the University of Maine,” Claudia Desjardins, the treasurer said. “We have also hosted lecture series about German history. At Cafe Wien, we sell homemade, traditional German desserts, which is what we’re known for.”
The German Club takes part in the annual Culturefest, and for three years in a row they won the food competition for best desserts.
The German club hosts many different types of events including movie nights and group discussions that help give students a firsthand view of what life is like for students and people of German-speaking countries in Europe. At each meeting and event, a German “phrase of the day” is mentioned and explained to help students become more familiar with the german language and feel comfortable practicing it.
“I wanted to get involved with the club because my mother is from Germany, so I have family in Stuttgart and it’s nice to keep up with the culture when I am here,” Desjardins said. “Other members in our club also have German heritage, or have studied abroad in a German speaking country. I think it’s very important to be exposed to different cultures and languages, because you never know when it will come in handy, especially the language aspect. It’s also a great opportunity to encourage people to step out of their comfort zone, whether it’s with learning a language, giving a talk, or baking a new recipe.”
The German Club meets every Thursday night in 207 Little Hall at 7:30 p.m. For more information please visit facebook.com/umainegermanclub or email claudia.desjardins@maine.edu.
