Free Range on Food: Passover recipes, how to make kolaches, farm subsidies, the decline of German restaurants and more.

I was so glad to see Becky's story today about prepping avocados where someone in a major food publication FINALLY had the sense to criticize the practice of using a knife stab to remove an avocado pit.

For years, it's boggled my mind why anyone would recommend stabbing the avocado with the blade. I agree it creates the prospect you could miss and hit yourself, as she mentioned. What I've experienced--that really scares me--is once you've completed the maneuver, you have a super-slick avocado pit stuck to a super-sharp object and you have to find a way to get it off without your fingers slipping into the blade. I'm cringing just thinking about it it. I would also think it's not great for your blade to do this.

My technique is very similar to Becky's, although rather than using a spoon to remove the pit, I will usually use a small paring knife to cut the avocado half in half again, using a similar cutting-around-the-axis move she described for cutting the avocado in half. The two pieces (each a fourth of the avocado) are easy to pull off from the pit with your fingers, and this generally results in not losing any of the avocado flesh.

ARTICLE: How to slice, pit and peel an avocado without ending up in the ER

While I was cleaning my blender after making this recipe, I had a thought - why can't you just use a can of crushed tomatoes? Why whole tomatoes pureed? Seems like it would save some cleaning. 

The article about food at Passover includes a reference to "the Sephardic dish called huevos haminados: eggs cooked, uncovered, for long hours with onion skins, peppercorns, a pinch of salt and a layer of olive oil on top." This got me to wondering. Are there other dishes that use onion skins? They're the first thing I throw away when I start cooking (it seems like almost every savory recipe starts with, "peel and slice/dice an onion"). Should I be saving them?

Hoping you can help. I have a Fagor Duo (stainless steel) pressure cooker, both the smaller and larger size (4Qt and 6Qt?). I love using the smaller pan, I use it all the time, whether as a pressure cooker or as a skillet. When I used the pressure cooker a few times ago, it burned on the bottom, even though I was cooking rice with the same amount of water I always use. Now, every time I use it, it seems to burn in that same area. I have scoured the bottom of my pan (inside and outside) but don't know why it's doing this. I'm thinking it's maybe the electric element on the stove (not a high quality electric stove, but can't change it). Is it possibly that? Or, has my pan been damaged to the extent it will do that each time? thanks for any insight!

Thank you for the amazingly simple and tasty polenta recipe last week. I added in a can of chickpeas to roast with the tomatoes in order to add some heft and protein, and it worked great. May I suggest that some improvements are needed on the print format for the new Voraciously recipes? That was a short and sweet one, and it came out to 3 pages when printed thanks to the big headline and notes. That's fine for online viewing, but can the print version be streamlined?

My favorite candies in childhood were Red Hots and Atomic Fireballs which, as you say, "clobbered you over the head with the taste of cinnamon." What I don't get is how come cinnamon on French toast, applesauce or in cookies is more sweet-warm than spicy-hot?

To add to your Passover egg ideas, my mom always makes egg salad with onions fried in smaltz for an appetizer before the Seder. My grandfather used to make a dozen hard boiled eggs and store them in the fridge in a jar of salt water for the week.

Hi, I recently bought some 00 flour because I have seen it in recipes and had trouble finding it in the past. I have always used all purpose. So I went ahead and bought the 00 when I came across it. Can you tell me what kinds of things I would use it for and why it is better?

I'm looking for a retail source for freshly made corn tortillas in the Silver Spring/Wheaton area. We're hosting a dinner party and I think making them ourselves would be a little too much. Many thanks for all your help!

How can I make doro wat at home? The mere mention of it in the restaurant review made me salivate and there's no way I'm driving to Alexandria today.

I just whack the seed with the edge of the blade, twist slightly, and it's out. No danger at all there.

You don't have to whack the seed that hard. Just a bit of traction and there's no problem getting the seed off the knife.

I have actually noticed that I may get headaches from California wines, but not European. Is this all in my head??

Hi there! I have no question today but just want to say Thank You for the nice Passover story -- and especially for the vegetarian-friendly recipes. My husband and I are 90 percent vegetarian and I struggle to find new recipes during Pesach that are not just matzah brei or a tossed salad and grilled cheese on matzah (ha). The quajado sounds delicious and could be just the thing for Sunday brunch after Saturday night's second Seder. Chag Sameach to the Foodies who celebrate!

What is your best, go-to Passover dessert?

Hi there, from Texas. I'm in Houston, and while kolaches are all the rage here; I prefer to get mine from small Czech towns closer to Dallas. Your recipes highlight the sweet kolaches, but for breakfast, savory is quite popular. They are usually filled with egg and some sort of breakfast meat. How would you adjust recipe to add egg and cheese?

I wanted to give a public shout-out to chatter Emily, who graciously offered up her bread-baking expertise in a chat some weeks back - we had the lesson this past weekend and it was great! Emily taught us to make a basic French bread in a few different shapes, and she was so helpful in explaining each step in the process. The bread was delicious and I can't wait to make some in my own kitchen. Thanks, Emily, and thanks to Free Range for putting us in touch!

I made polenta last night. The last steps were to remove from heat and stir in gorgonzola cheese, and the consistency at that point was thick and perfect. Recipe said to serve immediately, but it ended up sitting on the counter for about 10 minutes. When I went to serve it, it had turned thin and soupy. In my experience with polenta, it tends to thicken upon standing, but I don't typically add gorgonzola. What happened here, and is the only way to avoid it to serve immediately?

Good morning! I am nursing my 11 week old who has reflux so I have to lay off dairy and soy. I found that margarine has soy, so I'm looking for a non-dairy or soy replacement for butter so I can bake. Would a non flavored oil work or even a nut butter? thanks!

Can this recipe be made dairy-free? What would you substitute the yogurt with?

I am having an Easter lunch for family and friends and wanted to serve a ham. my husband hates mustard, which rules out my personal favorite glaze of brown sugar and mustard. any other options you might recommend?

My dad adored hard candy and especially atomic fireballs. He would keep one between his cheek and gum all the time until he got a sore in his mouth. He was sure he had mouth cancer so he went to the dentist. Nope, it was the candy eating a hole in his cheek. I think the dentist talked about that for years. I also think my dad put the dentist's kids through college. ha.

Becky I had to giggle over the Fireball cake using instant pudding mix. I have an old retro recipe for Rum Pound Cake that uses a yellow cake mix and instant french vanilla pudding. Every time I make it I think I should find a from scratch version. But honestly my family loves it as is. And sometimes it's just nice to throw together such an easy cake.

ARTICLE: You don’t have to be a bro to love Fireball Whisky cake

The article on German restaurants caught my eye, since I happened to spend last week with the family (during spring break) near the German part of the Lone Star state (Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, etc). I'm not going to lie, the idea of eating German food for lunch or dinner didn't appeal to me and we opted for a place that wasn't German. On the other hand, we ate at German bakeries every morning because who doesn't love fresh baked hearty bread and strudel?

This brings back memories of my aunt taking me to my first "real" restaurant, which was German, and eating wiener schnitzel and sauerbraten and sweet-and-sour cabbage and some wonderful breads. This was followed by a trip to the Bavarian restaurants in Frankenmuth, Michigan, which are chiefly known for their fried chicken platters and tourist buses, but still had a lot of good food. There used to be more ethnic European restaurants because recent immigrants would start them, but growing up in the Midwest I had a front-row seat as these immigrants' children moved out to the suburbs, sent their kids to college, and moved away from restaurant work. There were also ethnic European neighborhoods all over Chicago, and now the ethnic neighborhoods are Mexican, Asian, middle Eastern. I wonder if the Latin restaurants will also disappear a generation or two hence as people's educational attainments and career choices evolve.

I got a bunch of collards in my hungry harvest box and am not sure what to do with them. I am a huge fan of swiss chard & spinach, hate kale, and have only had collards as a side at bbq restaurants once or twice (it was... okay). Can I treat it like chard and quick saute it with garlic and oil? Or does it need the cook-the-hell-outta-it treatment of kale?

Old Europe was the first restaurant I ate at in DC, back in the '70s when I visited a friend whose divorced father lived at Watson Place and took us to eat there. It may have been the only restaurant in the area besides the Westchester dining room, where we also ate. Now, more than 40 years later, I live in the area and when my friend comes from Ohio to visit me, we have a nostalgic meal at the Old Europe.

The article on different kinds of flour was very useful, but what about 00 and semolina flours? I’ve used both for pizza. I know semolina is used for pasta, but what about other uses for 00 flour? (And what does 00 mean, anyway??)

ARTICLE: How to choose the right flour for the right baking recipe

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned in this chat before or not, but the first U.S. edition of Ottolenghi and Goh's Sweet contained multiple errors. The publisher not only provided corrections on their website but offered new copies to anyone who bought the books with errors. My brother and his girlfriend gave me a copy of the book for Christmas. I submitted my information for a new book a few weeks ago. The new book, along with a signed bookplate and Staub wooden spoon, arrived today. They went above and beyond my expectations. It was such a stark contrast from the way Cuisinart handled their blade recall last year. I can't wait to make something else from the book.

I have a huge bottle of apple cider that I’m not interested in drinking. What are some recipes that will help me go through it? Savory or sweet? Maybe a braise?

Everything I've read online tells me the color of the egg yolk doesn't influence its flavor. But I can tell the difference - I occasionally end up frying eggs from different cartons together, and the bright orange yolks definitely have more flavor than the pale yellow yolks. Is there any way to determine the yolk color before I buy eggs? I'm guessing probably not, but it's so annoying to break open eggs from a new carton for breakfast and discover they have the flavorless pale yolks.

I'm starting to explore going vegan (-ish) after a slide into vegetarianism, and have a question about milks. There are so many options now, and they all seem to be sold in half-gallon containers, which is quite a commitment if you're not sure which/what to buy. The main uses I have, apart from occasional baking needs, is breakfast- I am a cereal+milk gal and also put a splash in my coffee. I purchased some unsweetened cashew milk to try first (it was on sale), and it works just fine for the cereal (granola, muelsi, & oatmeal all passed the test- it doesn't add the same flavor but does the trick) but in coffee it's a huge fail... first it bubbles which is super disconcerting and then disappears, returning the cup to both the taste and appearance of black coffee. I guess my (long) question is two-fold: a) do you have a recommendation for a type to try that approximates milk in coffee (no allergies so soy/etc is on the table, but I'd prefer it to be unflavored), and b) are there ways/places to buy smaller quantities of soy &/or nut milks to try them myself without having to buy a half-gal? Anyone want to do an article on it and invite me to the tasting? ;)

I'm hosting a dinner the last Friday of Passover for both Jewish and non-Jewish friends and wanted to do a side-by-side of dishes that are chametz-free and chametz-full (aka lasagna made regular and one made with matzo or squash, mac and cheese and spaghetti squash and cheese). Any ideas of what I can add to the menu? I thought it'd be fun to compare dishes and really see if Passover is as painful as us Jews make it out to be!

I didn't take Carrie up on her suggestion last week that I step up to Red Breast from Jameson/Bushmills. $62 is just too rich for my blood. But I did shell out a bit extra for Jameson Black Barrel. And ... I don't think I care much for it! I haven't had enough Jameson to really nail down the difference between it and the Black Barrel iteration, but the BB just seems less distinctive. I suppose the charred notes that appeal to people just aren't to my liking, but even those don't really stand out to me. OK, it's back to Paddy for me.

I made this last night and here's a tip: If you're using a stick blender in the can of tomatoes, first put the can in the sink. Clumsy people like me can make a mess. just saying.

I love that Susan Barocas's dishes are not matzoh based and that she says that though we must taste matzoh, we don't have to eat it all the time. That's been my family's approach in recent past - just skip it. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, quinoa (for those who eat it), roasted vegetables, etc. And, thank you Susan, for a recipe using the extra egg yolks!

I loved the article on kolaches. As a displaced Texan, I have fond memories of the TX version of the pastry (you are right, they are different depending on where you are from). We had a favorite place that was in Columbus, TX , where we always stopped on trips between Austin and Houston. It was a tiny place set back behind a gas station. We even once drove the hour and half, both ways, just to get a bagful when we had no other reason to take the trip. Besides the fruit filled ones, they made sausage ones that were just killer.

I've been tasked with making a vegetable side dish for Easter dinner. Definitely need something that can be served at hot or at room temp, prepared in advance, can stand up to a short car trip, no potatoes (mashed are on the menu), plus gluten free and no nuts for the allergic family members. Any ideas?

I find the biggest difference is so many of the CA wines I'm drinking have a bit more alcohol than the EU wines I'm drinking. Varies of course depending what wines one prefers from where, but that's a reason to get more of a headache besides additives.

Unless there is a reason why I need to have two clean avocado halves or long slices, I usually will cut it around the middle, rather than length-wise. This feels safer, and, if I only need half, it leaves less exposed flesh to turn brown.

Recipe called for whisking the corn meal into water (can't remember the proportions now), and then to gradually add about one cup of milk as it cooked. It was perfect ladling consistency when I removed it from the heat and right after the cheese was in. One of my saddest cooking failures--it was a perfect chilly evening for polenta, too!

What are your favorite recipes for rice that might entice a kid to eat? In fact, what are anyone's favorite recipes for anything that will win over a two year old? Or, at least give me some solace when I eat all the food so it doesn't go to waste. Hopefully something simple since I also have a 5 month old ;)

Hi, OP from last week re: soggy bottom pizza. Thank you all for the suggestions! We're happy to report that by combining thicker dough on the bottom with brief pre-baking, and low-moisture mozzarella, we had a very tasty, perfectly cooked pizza crust - top and bottom. Even our picky eater enjoyed it! Again, many thanks. :)

I've been taken off wheat and corn for a month and am experimenting with unusual grains and legumes, especially Indian ones (the variety is amazing). But I can only seem to find pearl millet flour, not the grain itself. Even my favorite Ganesh Bros., which carries horse gram! failed me. Bob's Red Mill only sells the flour. Any mail-order or other sources?

In a couple of months, the month of Ramadan starts and we eat a lot of chickpeas for breaking our fast. When I make my chickpea dish, I use a trick my sister-in-law taught me. I usually use one can of drained chickpeas and put in one can undrained. The undrained can adds a nice thick consistency to the final dish. I recently discovered that people actually use the liquid as an egg substitute in vegan reciepes, so I guess she was onto something. THe rest of the recipe, I initially, saute onion and two chopped roma tomatoes together in oil until the onions soften. Then, I add cumin, garlic and ginger paste, salt, paprika and tumeric. Next, add the chickpeas. Once it's cooked through, I add garam masala. Once I take it off heat, I like to add some chopped corriander leaves, small chopped chili peppers and squeeze in some lime.

I really want to try these during Pesach, but we've started packing for our impending move and my blender and food processor are already packed! Anything else I can use to pulse the cocoa and espresso powders? Could I just whisk them, or do I need to do more to really break down the espresso powder?

RECIPE Mocha Chip Meringues

I'll be doing a couple of Passover dinners, rather than full seders. I'm interested in Passover recipes that would work for two consecutive nights of dinners for different parties. Any ideas for things I could make that can be served twice (or make two times)?

I made the Congolais cookies from your recipe finder and although they were tasty, I think there was a problem with the texture of the coconut. I used the same brand mentioned in the recipe notes. Should it have been processed or something to make it more fine? It seemed too chunky.

My aunt makes the most amazing many-layered mocha torte on the planet. It's an all-day event. Baking the sponge, making the frosting, grinding the hazelnuts, sometimes even making the jam. Relatives are honored to receive one, and her sons' girlfriends-eventually-wives have done the "baking a torte with the mother" day as a way of being accepted into the family. And yet, one of her OTHER favorite things to bake is a pistachio pudding/yellow cake mix bundt cake made from a 70s recipe that was on the pudding box. There's a time for everything!

Can you explain the difference between Voraciously and the rest of the online food section? What goes on the front of the Recipe Finder page vs. the Voraciously Recipes page? Thanks.

I'm looking for a dessert that I can make ahead to bring to a passover. It will have to go through some travel too. (No nuts!) Also, anytime I make a chocolate Passover cake, it tastes like a chocolate Passover cake. What is it that gives it that distinct passover-y taste? the lack of flour? the chocolate and sugar combo without any gluten?

For the great education in addition to the great recipes. Iranian dishes and information about Nowruz, and eggs at Passover -- I treasure you guys.

For her James Beard nomination in the humor category for the article “Pumpkin Spice Life.” So how would a lady celebrate this momentous occasion? ;-)

I have been using a "hard red winter wheat" that is grow and processed near where I live. Can you explain the difference between summer and winter, soft and hard wheat? And when I would not want to use my local source?

I tried to replicate a restaurant dish which features crispy cubes of tofu. I bought firm tofu, pressed, cut, marinated, dried, and dredged in cornstarch before frying in my wok. The edge had a skin, but didn’t keep the crunch, and the inside was really creamy, no resistance at all. It was tasty, but it seemed like an awful lot of work for no crisp or bite. Suggestions?

I'm looking for more complex carbs, though. The pearl millet is larger, greener, and more irregularly shaped than "regular" millet -- it's about the size of hulled barley or slightly larger.

My mother grew up during the Great Depression, and polenta, then called corn meal mush, was on their table frequently. After chilling, it was sliced and griddled and served with maple syrup for breakfast. She then made it for us children as a relief from boxed cereals. It's nice to see that it lives on, under a prettier name. I've made something like your sauce from cherry tomatoes, but with a hefty addition of sauted mushrooms. Great vegetarian dish!

I'd like to make a coffee cake or something similar, but I don't have sour cream. And, I don't want to run out in this weather. I do have milk though. Any recipes that could fit the bill?

They have a LOT more alcohol. I've complained about this for several years (we spend up to a month in Sonoma County every year). The vintners protest that they aren't doing it to hype up the flavor easily, but nobody's fooled.

I don't know how Germans in the U.S. manage to survive without the incredible array of great complex whole-grain breads that they have in Germany. Even artisanal bakeries here don't measure up; you need a German recipe and the right ingredients. I hope German bakeries never go the way of German restaurants!

I love German food and would frequent restaurants again as I did as a carnivore if there were more vegetarian options. Field Roast makes great veggie sausages they could offer as a sub for meat. I hope some restaurateurs are reading this.

A bunch of friends and I used to have a contest of how long you could hold one in your mouth without taking it out, chewing it to pieces and swallowing, etc. Person who could take the pain the longest, won. We were adults. On a commuter train, killing time during the 2 hour commute.

Hi Joe- Was good to meet you Monday at the America's Cookbook event, I'm the gal who talked about how your articles about the Buddha diet back in Jan 2017 inspired me. Just wanted to say thanks again- I was pretty nervous and in retrospect think I said "yeah" way too much instead of being more conversational about what I kept/changed and other lifestyle changes that followed from that first step that I never would've taken if they'd been prescribed by some plan rather than natural evolutions over time (like going from meat+pasta+wine-daily to vegetarian-edging-vegan & infrequent drinker, and going from not exercising ever to joining a competitive sport). It's expanded my cooking range too, in a great way- I made a mushroom-heavy version of Three Sisters Stew last night that tasted like it had delicious meat gravy but was vegan. And sorry for interrupting you mid-cupcake to talk diets lol!

Most Asian markets offer fried tofu. According to my Japanese friend the fried tofu should be soaked in clean water, then dice up to your preferred size and then fry at home. This should result in more like what you get in a restaurant.

rest them 15 minutes, and not one minute more... How in the heck do you fill all of them in such a short length of time? Pressures on I guess?

Yes! Dust the slices with flour and fry it in bacon fat. Then pour syrup or honey over it. Best breakfast ever. And yes, I did laugh when the polenta craze first arose -- "that's our fried cornmeal mush!"

We love polenta and have been lately making it in the Instant Pot. But whenever I try to fry leftover and sliced polenta, it ALWAYS sticks. No matter how much oil I use... is there a trick to this?

If you straddle your thumb and index finger across the BACK of the blade, push on the side of the pit facing you, and hold it over the trash can, you can pop the seed off quickly with little danger. Respect the danger, but don't be afraid (just like swimming or driving a car).

I've got a fresh pineapple waiting to be eaten. I usually use it in smoothies, but I'm looking for something more creative to do with it, preferable a dessert that can be shared.

Throw a few yellow or red skins in with the water for hardboiled eggs. No confusion about which eggs are HB and which are not (its happened at my house).

Sigh. Yes. My preference is for big and dry. Which the French, Spanish, and Italians still know how to do, thank goodness.

Is there another?

I'm an experienced cook, but it still confuses me about at what temp to remove a roast from the oven, and how to deal with "carryover" (or as we call it in our house, "kareoke") cooking. Remove from oven when temp is reached, or a bit before assuming it will rise while sitting? Example, beef rib roast, remove @ 120-125 for medium rare, or earlier? Rule applies to other types of roasts, Turkey, etc.? Thank you

Thanks for taking my question- the chickpea & collards recipe looks perfect and added bonus I have all the ingredients already so I can make it tonight without having to do a snow-day grocery run!

Wow, I've had better German food in Fredericksburg than I have in DC. Tastier and more delicate.

Thinking ahead a tiny bit, could you publish some natural egg dyeing tips for Easter Eggs? I am thinking onion skins, beets, tumeric, that sort of thing. I know they won't have the pop of the synthetic dyes, but that works for me. Thanks.

They're just for color, right? Or if they have a taste, can you describe it?

What are your top three uses for tofu? Many years ago, I tried cooking with tofu and it just... didn't work for me. Other than using it (successfully! tasty!) in hot and sour soup, I have left it be. The other day, I picked up a pack of extra firm tofu on a whim. I'd like to give it another go, especially as I am reducing the meat in my diet. So... convince me. Meals for one or meals where I can use tofu in my portion and meat in others' portions, please. Also, no nuts. Otherwise, free range... Ha! Thank you.

What happens if you microwave a bag wrong side up? Popcorn, frozen veggies, or something else. Cabin fever is making me really curious to experiment but it seems like a possibly dangerous idea so I'm hoping one of you can tell me.

I've learned that the hard way. Take it out of the oven 15 or 20 degrees lower than the recommended temp, and wait 15 minutes.

I like to toss smallish tofu chunks in both cornflour and nutritional yeast. I roast with no oil straight on my cast iron pan (can use baking tray) at 425 for 15-20 minutes. It is magnificent!! I do a lot at once and add it to things - my husband and I just had lemon chicken (him) / tofu (me) with some of those few day old tofu beauties. I added steamed carrots and the tofu in an oily hot wok before adding the lemon sauce and veg Uncle Bob was most definitely my friend!

I have to wonder, is the problem actually German food? Like is it really all beige and heavy? Or is it more the average American's ideas/perceptions of what "German food" is that suffer these problems? I've only been to Germany once, briefly, so I can't speak to it intelligently. I wonder if it just needs to go hyper-local. No one wants German food but perhaps they do want Bavarian artisan wurst paired with seasonal greens and mircobrews?

Love me a good choucroute. And sauerkraut is making comeback as we're getting on the fermented bandwagon.

Here in the US, german food generally means southern German food - schnitzel, dumplings, etc. My father's roots were in northern Germany and we ate quite a bit of seafood growing. Not sure pickled herring would be for everyone, however (I love it).

I've started a sort of tradition where I cook sauerbraten and spaetzle for us for Christmas Eve dinner. The first year I did it, my husband told me he wasn't even listening to any of the conversation among our guests because he was in a total bliss state. I was kind of proud of myself. Yay me!

For anyone heading to Naples, FL, there is an excellent German deli (Peppers deli) that serves hot German food during lunch hours. Their specials change daily but they always have bratwurst and sauerkraut, pork schnitzel, red cabbage, and house cured meats. Their breads and pastries are authentic, also.

in the early 70"s, I lived in Glover Park, just off Wisconsin Ave. One Friday, my boyfriend and I were supposed to drive to Upstate NY to go skiing, meeting my roommates who were already on their way. However, there was a storm even heavier than today, and the snow was piling up fast. We decided to forgo the trip and trek over to Old Europe, meeting a friend who was also stranded in DC. We had a great meal, just right for a snowstorm- I wish I lived closer now, so that I could recreate it.

My husband's absolute favorite german restaurant is Schmidt's in Columbus, OH. As far as I can tell, they're doing ok. Re Grandma's cooking: It bothers me that somehow our grandmothers have become irrelevant and just a punchline. I loved and respected my grandmother. When I was in my hip and happening twenties I wanted to hang out with her. She made homemade noodles that were sublime. Avocado toast is all fine and good but it can't compete with her cooking.

My father lived in Germany (then West Germany) in the 70s. He said once he got back to the U.S. he searched high and low for the perfect German bread but he could never find it. He took us once to a German bakery in Helen, Ga. and he said their rye was the closest he found to the bread he liked in Germany.

Maybe it would help if they didn't decorate with German steins and escutcheons or wear that "traditional" garb that makes some of us think of WWII or movies about WWII Germans ... or even WWI Germans ...