In Berlin, the German imbisse (snack bars) offers a cheap alternative to restaurants and pubs. Ever hear of the Donerkebab?

How often has your stomach growled mid-afternoon, causing you to crave a quick snack? If you're like me, sometimes you want something cold and sometimes you want something hot. Last year when I was in Berlin, I discovered the German imbisse (snack bars). Most of them are located in subway stations, train stations, bus stops, busy shopping areas, folk fests -- anywhere with a lot of foot traffic.

Depending on your time, wallet and hunger pangs, you may want to eat "on-the-run." Locals and tourists of all ages order French fries or Bratwurst for DM 2-4; falafel for DM 4; croissants for DM 2-3; pizza for DM 3; Chinese food for DM 8 and baguettes or paninis for DM 6.

The French fries, similar to those sold in Brussels, are served in large paper cones. You then select from more than a dozen different sauces to smother your fries: curry, ketchup, mayonnaise, remoulade, Thai peanut, feta cheese, BBQ, salt and malt vinegar, among others. On several occasions, I topped mine with BBQ sauce and remoulade.The most popular imbisse item I observed, however, was the donerkebab. The "doner," a relative of the Greek gyro, is a pocket of Turkish bread filled with spicy grilled meat, salad and a yogurt sauce. Originally, these donerkebabs used mutton. But gradually, beef, pork and a variety of non-meat fillers were incorporated.

These flavorful snacks usually cost between DM 2.50-5. Turkish "guest workers" introduced Germany to the doner, and since the early 1970s, it has become a fast food staple. Der Spiegel, a major German magazine, reported that Germans consume some 720 million donerkebabs annually. That translates to more than two pounds' worth for every resident of the country. The US$2.3 billion Germans spend on doners each year reportedly outstrips the revenues of all fast food chains in the country. Viva le pita! "These days, most people aren't eating beef [due to the Mad Cow disease scare]," says Hillary Prescott, an American expatriate student in Berlin. "But falafel is somewhat of a classier alternative."

Her favorite imbisse serves Asian food on a main shopping street, three blocks from her house in Neukoelln. "I order shrimp chips or spring rolls, with fried noodles and chicken, with a little hot sauce." A quick meal, she says, for the equivalent of US$5.According to one newspaper, donerkebabs have become so popular that one Turkish entrepreneur has planned to install a robot-operated doner-carving machine to streamline production of the labor-intensive sandwich.

If you're not into meat, that's OK, too. Kirstin Boergen, a local Berliner, says that "sushi bars" also are surfacing on the street scene. "For me, the imbisse is a cheap way to kill my hunger." Her favorites, she says, are good ol' french fries, pizza and falafel. At most of these snack venues, expect to stand while you're eating. Some do sell alcohol, so be aware that these spots will inevitably attract a jovial crowd. Pass the "schwarma," bitte.

For a peek at a mobile 'imbisse' in Germany

(Article originally published by www.expatspouse.com)