Why I love cooking

Cooking is one of the things I love most. The process of simply putting together the right ingredients while following my inspiration or a good recipe is a real pleasure. When I am at the stove, the armoa coming from the pot makes my mouth water and makes me curious about the outcome. If I've done my job right, the outcome will be something incredibly tasty from just a few ingredients. Creating this dish often takes hours and plenty of patience. But the return on investment is definitly worth it because there's nothing like the satisfaction of that first bite of a dish well made. Both the delicious taste of my own creations and the pride which comes along with it have a lot to do with why I love cooking.

Starbucks in Austria

Coffee - the energy supply for many students. Some students love to drink coffee either to stay awake or to just socialize with others. During my stay in the States my friends and I loved to meet up at Starbucks for a nice coffee. My favorite one was a cappuccino with caramel flavor. The cappuccino was delicious and at the same time it was a great opportunity to meet up with friends to chit chat. Today as I got myself a cup of coffee I thought back at the good old times and  about why there are just a few Starbucks coffee shops in Austria. I couldn't think of an answer to satisfy me so I started researching and that is what I came up with: 

The Austrian coffee market is not the first choice of Starbucks if you talk about a new target market or entry strategies. However, the demand for "coffee-to-go" increased in the last couple of years. Many people especially the younger generation loves the fast coffee.The general trend can be recognized by just looking at all the small, individual coffee shops  especially in places where you can find many students like Graz or Vienna.

The first branch from Starbucks in Austria was opened in 2001 in Vienna. Since then Starbucks grow constantly throughout Vienna. Starbucks hasn't opened so many stores outside of Vienna. A reason could be that there are a high number of competitors. In Austria competitors for Starbucks are well established companies like Tchibo, Segafredo, McCafé and a number of small, regional coffee shops. All of them have a high variety of coffees with different flavors and sometimes offer a better price than Starbucks.

The city I know the best from all other cities in Austria is Graz. The number of coffee shops in Graz is really really high. Alone in the inner city of Graz you can find at least seven coffee shops. This is one reason why Starbucks isn't so present in the city of Graz. I have to admit I would love to have Starbucks coffee from now and than.  

"Kaiserschmarren" - Austrian speciality

Have you ever heard about the term “Kaiserschmarren”? It is simply chopped pancakes and an Austrian speciality.  They are definitely one of my favorite dishes in Austria. The best chopped pancakes I have ever eaten were made by my mum. She serves them with peach compote or with baked plums. It tastes so delicious that you definitely have to try it out by yourself. I will give you the recipe my mum uses so you can create your own “Kaiserschmarren”. You definetly need to try out the most legendary

Ingredients:

·         4 eggs

·         200 g finely ground flour

·         4 tbsp crystal sugar

·         1 packed vanilla sugar

·         A pinch of salt

·         250 ml milk

·         Approx. 50 g butter for frying.

How to make it:

1.       Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a mixing bowl. Pour in the milk, vanilla sugar and add the flour. Mix to form smooth dough.

2.       Beat the egg whites with the crystal sugar and a small pinch of salt until it forms a firm peak and fold into the dough mix.

3.       Let the butter and bubble up in one large heatproof dish. Pour in the mixture. Cook the underside until light brown, turn over using a spatula and bake it until golden brown.

4.       Tear the creation into small pieces, using two forks. Sprinkle with some crystal sugar and serve it with a peach compote or baked plums

Now you have the right recipe to make a delicious “Kaiserschmarrn”. You will see it will definitely be worth trying. Enjoy the cooking and of course the taste of this tasty dish.