Spend any time in Germany, and you will surely see that many people here have a borderline obsession with coffee and cake. There are so many fantastic kinds of cakes to be found that when I first arrived I used to write a regular post just about eating them. Pass any cafe or restaurant in the afternoon, and you will see people of all ages happily tucking into a plate of something sweet, with the coffee close at hand.
Oddly, I have lots of pictures of coffee, and lots of pictures of cake, but none of the two together. Rest assured that I have enjoyed them both at the same time.
Since cake is almost always a good idea, it’s not too hard to figure out why it’s so popular, but a conversation in one of my classes today alerted me to the fact that there may be another reason for the obsession.
One of my students, P, was reluctantly admitting that he’ll celebrate his 40th birthday this year, and as is typical, he’ll be hosting a sizable party at his house. They’ve already rented a tent, and have also sorted out a party service to do the catering. He’s not sure exactly what they’ll eat yet, but said that of course, they would be having coffee and cake first. Because when people arrive at his house, they will want coffee and cake right away.
His office mate, W, who is a quick with a joke in any language, immediately jumped in on that one.
“Well, P, you know you will be 40 now. And coffee and cake are sex for old men!”
Whether or not this is a well-known theory I cannot say. But next time you’re walking by a cafe and see an older gent enjoying his cake, make sure you don’t stare, lest he be enjoying it too much…
Heather Goes to Deutschland 
Next they’ll be eating coffee and cake naked too 😉 Someone told me that it was unacceptable to have tea and cake – I ignored that bit of Germanness 😉
I expect a photo if you spot that one! People down here have a reputation for not being too open, so if it happens somewhere, Berlin is a better bet!
I prefer to pair cake and wine. No judgement here. Haha.
Cake and wine is probably the best combo 🙂
Tested and approved.
(Sparkling wine is also acceptable, if you are feeling festive.)
Actually not a fan of that! Though I’ve noticed ze Germans’ love affair with it!
More for the rest of us, then. 😉 Stick to the normal wine and cake!
Done 🙂 Time for a little nightcap, methinks 😉
My favourite post of the week 🙂
I’d say that cake probably beat sex 100:1 even before I ever turned 40 😉
Woohoo, thanks! And I’m hoping you were just spoiled growing up around here with an excess of delicious things… or any future relationships need to majorly step up their game…
The whole kaffee kuchen thing is where my english shows itself the most, I don’t like german cake and I’m not hugely keen on coffee. It makes for good people watching though, even better now I know why all the men are there 😉
Hey, as long as you have an appropriate substitute to get your sweet fix! And keep an eye on the old guys… let me know if you see anything that proves the point. 🙂
I’m more about cookies than cake, but I can certainly see the appeal for both. As a representative of the dudely persuasion, I feel like it’s my duty to make an aside about cake *during* sex, but I can’t come up with anything clever just now.