May 2001 - Nr. 5
Dick reports...
Paulaner – going, going, gone…
That was the story at the Mövenpick Restaurant at the end of March. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to get all the details, to let our readers know before we put the last issue to bed – so here it is now.
Close to 300 guests followed Fred Lavon’s invitation to taste the new Paulaner "Weizen" wheat beer. Since it was also a charity affair and the guests were asked to make a small contribution, about $500.00 was collected for the Sick Children’s Hospital in Toronto.
Needless to say "Paulaner" was a hit. Paulaner had arrived – at least in Ontario for now but efforts to introduce it into Quebec are well under way and quite successful so far.
Well, it is a great beer. 5.5% alcohol, nice light fruity taste – not too bitter – the way the ladies like it, with more than the usual carbonation. So of course, the guys liked it too, so well, as a matter of fact, that they consumed about 240 bottles in only about 4 hours. At around 8:00 o’clock they ran out of beer and Fred Lavon, owner of the "Fine Beers Agency" and sole importer throughout Canada of this delicious brew had to go out and get more. By the way, this beer is only sold in bottles and available in the beer stores where sales have been doing quite well so far, and it looks that Paulaner may really be taking off in Ontario.
Brad Shehan, director of purchasing for the Mövenpick Restaurant had arranged to serve Hors d’oeuvres to accompany the beer that was being enthusiastically sampled by the guests: sausages, salmon/cheese rolls, shrimp with fresh cucumbers, Thai chicken rolls and delicious Swedish meat balls, just to mention a few of them.
Also, from now on, this beer is one of the stables at the Mövenpick and if you didn’t have a chance to sample it, you can now have it with your meal at the Mövenpick Restaurant. It is an ideal beverage to accompany light meals, salads, fruits, poultry, fish, and all dishes where lemon is used as seasoning.
Paulaner beer is, needless to mention, brewed in accordance with the old "Reinheitsgebot" (beer purity law) of 1516 and only contains top fermenting yeasts, "Hallertau Hops", and virgin water from the brewery’s deep wells, to ensure a long shelf life and a stable head of foam.
"Paulaner Hefe Weissbier" is a wheat beer brewed with 60% wheat and 40 % barley malt. It is unfiltered and contains a high proportion of trace minerals and yeast, which is high in vitamins.
It’s natural cloudiness helps to distinguish it from other wheat beers.
"Gut, Besser, Paulaner! Try it, you’ll like it.
Kindermanöverball 2001
Now
it is really over – the local carnival season, I mean. And the results are
in. First the "Kinder" category: Originality – Treuer Husar,
Mississauga / Show Dance – Narragonia, Brantford followed by Blau-Weiss
Sarnia and Treuer Husar, Mississauga.
Tanzmariechen
Solo – Blau Weiss, Sarnia followed by Narragonia, Bantford and Treuer
Husar, Mississauga. In the guard dance category we hat a tie for third place
between the Loreley, Oshawa group and the Treue Husaren, Mississauga. Blau-Weiss,
Sarnia placed Second and Brantford First – which awarded them the
"Wander trophy" again.
In the "Junior" category Treuer Husar, Mississauga received the Originality spot also.
In
the show dance category Blau-Weiss, Sarnia garnered First place – and the
trophy, followed by Narragonia, Brantford and the Treue Husaren,
Mississauga.
Tanzmariechen
Solo went to Brantford for a truly inspiring performance. Brantford also
received the coveted wander-trophy again. Narrenzunft, Kitchener placed
Second and Blau-Weiss, Sarnia Third.
The Guard Dance category went to Brantford, with the trophy, Blau-Weiss, Sarnia, took Second and Loreley, Oshawa, Third place.
Some
of the show dances and the costumes were really inspired. Dalmatians
("Who let the dog out?"), Kung-Fu warriors, Bedrock Twitch, Rock
& Roll and THMs Spanish costumes were universally admired. 
Also
very striking were the new Black uniforms of some of the Oshawa group. Great
choice. Looking good!
Most
of the many "Camp Followers" – if that is what you can call
parents, grandparents and siblings of the participants – enjoyed the
performances even more than the kids. They pretty well filled the hall and
applauded all performances – not only their own groups.
But
the ones getting the most out of the event are the kids themselves. They can
see what the other groups do, how well they perform and how
"seriously" they take their fun. Experiencing this and the
comradery involved are things you cannot pay for with "Mastercard".
Those memories will stay with them probably most of their lives. Our
gratitude goes out to all the people involved in making these events
possible and in helping to positively shape valuable young lives and
instilling values that can last a lifetime.
Alaaf, Helau and Ahoi – until November….
43 Years "Hansa"
This
anniversary was celebrated at the home of the German-Canadian Club Hansa –
in the "Hansestadt" Brampton (No, not Bremen) this last Saturday.
The Hansa Choir inaugurated this festive event with the appropriate songs
for the occasion.
To
make this event even more festive, "Hurricane" Hazel McCallion had
been invited and she did not disappoint the audience. In a short address she
mentioned how valuable the club’s contributions are to the community at
large. Unfortunately she was expected at another function and could not stay
the rest of the evening. I guess that goes with the territory. She also had
to decline the fantastic dinner of pork medallions with veggies and mashed
potatoes – but she had the salad anyway.
Well,
now I have already given away what the dinner consisted of, but I did not
mention the delicious lemony cake, that was served as a dessert and the very
palatable Reif Vidal wines (1989/1999) served during the festive dinner that
started after Henry Bunge said "grace".
While
I am on the subject of the Bunges, Irmgard celebrated her 75th
birthday this evening and her husband Henry is very well known for his
contributions to the club 
as
long-time president and valuable driving force behind the success of the
club.
Of course there were a lot of other members that greatly contributed and some were honoured with honourable memberships that evening. About 13 couples and individuals received their "Urkunde" – nicely framed – and to my great surprise I was included. I don’t really know why, since I have only done what comes naturally to me for the club. However it must have created a favourable impression. My other two teammates, Sybille and Rolf, were also included. Thanks, Hansa!
The
Weiss-Blau Bayern Schuhplattler and Bell Ringers and the Almrausch Dancers,
who do their best to keep our traditions alive and to introduce many
youngsters to their German heritage provided wonderful entertainment. They
are trying to accomplish what a lot of our clubs and organizations have
failed to do – bringing their children into the clubs, thus keeping the
clubs alive and functioning. There is a lot of personal satisfaction
involved for the children in this part of belonging, of having friends with
the same interests and to share with others and their parents.
But here I am on my favourite rant again. I am still hoping it might someday sink in and things will change for the better – but I am not holding my breath waiting.
The balance of the evening was spent dancing to the Matt Lebar ensemble and Matt’s immense repertoire of favourite tunes.
As always,
Dick Altermann
( German-Canadian, heritage, reports, news, Mardi Gras
)
Comments to: dick@echoworld.com
