OKTOBERFEST @ SWISS CLUB

2nd October 2008

OKTOBERFESTSwiss Club36 Swiss Club RoadSingapore 288139
It's 2nd day of October and we are eagerly anticipating this evening's party at Swiss Club in Bukit Timah. We are heading for the 9th OKTOBERFEST held at Swiss Club, but clearly the traffic snarl is not helping us that evening to reach there ontime besides losing our direction to the exclusive Swiss Club Road vicinity in Bukit Timah.

OKTOBERFEST or Germans called it DIE WIESN is an annual festival widely celebrated internationally but it is in Munich where the biggest OKTOBERFEST celebration will take place each year for about 16 days starting in September.
The tradition normally kicks off by declaring "Ozapft is" or "Angezapft ist es" which means "it's been tapped", the barrel I guess!
The first OKTOBERFEST started off as just a wedding celebration of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 11, 1810, about 200yrs ago and tradition has since been kept alive on this ocassion held annually.


I could stop only when a friend asked me when am I putting a brake to the meal.....oh how enjoyable the meal is! Of course I washed it down with a pint of unforgettable good taste of Erdinger, the authentic Bavarian wheat beer with frothy head which is so refreshing; no I am not a aficionado of Erdinger beer but ..... PROST, cheers !!

As we enter the huge tentage, we were awed by the rows and rows of traditional long tables and benches reminiscent of OKTOBERFEST celebration in Munich where millions of merry-making visitors and tourists flocked there like an annual pilgrimmage each year, to join the the biggest celebration of drinking Bavarian wheat beer amongst the RELVERY and excitement the prevails. Yes, it's happening here in Singapore too and amongst the crowd, stood the Pretty Beer Girls in bright red, white Bavarian /Austrian Heidi costume serving beers and also pleasantly posing for photoshots too and we are in the midst of this; cannot believe it, really ya !

OKTOBERFEST is not all about drinking, you can also feast on a wide spread of authentic German specialties of sausages, schweinhaxe (pork knuckle), sauerkraut, meatloaf and apple strudel with vanilla sauce. The tent was filled with much relvery and joyous spirit to let go of oneself and enjoy the whole atmosphere when the Bavarian brass band kicks in inviting you to join in the chorus of "oooooo" and "aaaaaaah" with the crowd that thronged the place.

We enjoyed the buffet spread, all things German and I particularly enjoyed the food including the clear soup, Fladle Suppe which is beef broth added with thin strips of pancakes. My favourite is of course the Sauerkraut with bacons and grilled meatloaf; It's also sausage mania as we get grilled pork sausage (brackwurst), bockwurst, and weisswurst and noteworthy to mention the Schweinhaxe crispy pork knuckle akin to your "roasted ter ka bak". Sweet mustard is the best accompaniment for the meal.

German dessert is always so temptingly delicious with apple strudel n vanilla sauce (though I have tasted far much better ones in Germany), blackforest cake and plum tarts with icing sugar, not forgetting the giant pretzels.

As many are now into the mood of merry-making, we were asked time and again by the band to stand up and do the prost and also to arm locks with the next person to you and enjoy the swaying to the music and kick your legs if you can. There was no dancing on the tables but most stood sober on the ground but continued with a mug in the hand. No one seems intoxicated but do practice DRINK AND DONT DRIVE !!

DANKE Auf Wiedersehen (thank you, Till we see Again)