Your dinner plans for Friday?

I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.

ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:
> Your dinner plans for Friday?
>
> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen.  But here
> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
> pieces and browned.  Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
> too.  Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.
>
Sounds good, BLT's here. Had some smoked sausage for lunch.

Livin' high on the hog.

ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:

> Your dinner plans for Friday?

> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
> pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
> too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.

I had a lovely turkey club sammich mit fries from a fave local place, Frida's:

"Low-key restaurant serving Mexican-inspired breakfast & lunch, plus wraps, pancakes & French toast...?

https://fridasevanston.com/evanston-evanston-frida-s-evanston-food-menu

"Turkey Club $15.00

Sliced turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato with mayonnaise served on white toast"

It was a LOT of food, so I have half the sammich and fries left over for the weekend...

This is one of the few places around I don't consider a rip - off, the cost of dining out has
really risen... even a McD's meal approaches fifteen bux these daze...

The food is fresh, generous, and great service. Emphasis on Mexican, but the menu is wide - ranging, their hash is divine...!!!

A club sammich is a very "basic" thing, but everything about this was spot - on perfect... their burgers are fine, too... they *taste* like a good burger should...

Wish I could "zap" some of this good grub down to ya, Joan...!!!

;-D

--
GM

On 3/15/2024 6:19 PM, ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:
> Your dinner plans for Friday?
>
> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen.  But here
> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
> pieces and browned.  Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
> too.  Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.

I haven't decided yet. Perhaps another couple of pieces of the fried
chicken I bought at Publix yesterday. (Yes, I'll use the small
air-fryer to reheat them.) I'm not very hungry.

Enjoy your dinner!

Jill

GM wrote:

> I had a lovely turkey club sammich mit fries from a fave local place, Frida's:

> "Turkey Club $15.00

> Sliced turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato with mayonnaise served
> on white toast"

> It was a LOT of food, so I have half the sammich and fries left over
> for the weekend...

> A club sammich is a very "basic" thing, but everything about this was
> spot - on perfect.

> Wish I could "zap" some of this good grub down to ya, Joan...!!!

> ;-D

Every year my financial adviser has group meetings for his clients and
invites people from Medicare, Social Security, lawyers, etc. to offer
advise and answer questions. The meetings are besides the regular
the holiday dinners. These meetings are always catered by whomever
they choose and two years ago it was some local subway sandwich shop.
Lots of different individual substantial size salads and many different
sandwiches. I chose a club sandwich and it was sooooo good it didn't
need any mustard or mayo. Maybe it was the first club I'd had since
Truman was president or maybe it was just that good, but I certainly
scarfed it down!

On 2024-03-15, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
> Your dinner plans for Friday?

We went to a German restaurant for lunch. Tossed salad, cabbage roll,
German potato salad (without bacon, served close to room temp). I
considered the vegetable of the day rather than the potato salad, but
it was cauliflower and I didn't think I needed a second cruciferous
vegetable. Besides, I love their potato salad.

My husband had tossed salad, Mettwurst, and spaetzle (with gravy).

Dinner was a salad. I was a little surprised I ate at all.

> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
> pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
> too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.

That sounds great.

--
Cindy Hamilton

On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
> GM wrote:
>
>> I had a lovely turkey club sammich mit fries from a fave local place, Frida's:
>
>
>> "Turkey Club $15.00
>
>> Sliced turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato with mayonnaise served
>> on white toast"
>
>> It was a LOT of food, so I have half the sammich and fries left over
>> for the weekend...
>
>> A club sammich is a very "basic" thing, but everything about this was
>> spot - on perfect.
>
>> Wish I could "zap" some of this good grub down to ya, Joan...!!!
>
>> ;-D
>
> Every year my financial adviser has group meetings for his clients and
> invites people from Medicare, Social Security, lawyers, etc. to offer
> advise and answer questions. The meetings are besides the regular
> the holiday dinners.

Goodness. My financial advisor doesn't bother spending the fees I
pay them on feeding me. We just have meetings.

--
Cindy Hamilton

On Fri, 15 Mar 2024, ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:

> Your dinner plans for Friday?
>
> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
> pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
> too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.
>

I had a starter of Foie gras with brioche, then black angus ribeye from
Uruguay and for desert a chocolate fondant and a coffee at my favourite
steak house. Almost spiritual!

D wrote:

> On Fri, 15 Mar 2024, ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:

>> Your dinner plans for Friday?
>>
>> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
>> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
>> pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
>> too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.
>>

> I had a starter of Foie gras with brioche, then black angus ribeye from
> Uruguay and for desert a chocolate fondant and a coffee at my favourite
> steak house. Almost spiritual!

Very nice... and so you've not gone the "green way" of eating...do you not feel "guilty"...???

:-)

I am reading that "Our Betters" (especially those of the "World Economic Forum", led by Herr Klaus Schwab) want to ban meat production for "climate change" reasons:

WEF founder Klaus Schwab: Must prepare for an angrier world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJTnkzl3K64

MORE:

Great Food Reset: Irish Gov’t Seeks to Sacrifice 200,000 Cows To Reach Net Zero Climate Goals – Kerry targets U.S. farmers Next!

https://www.climatedepot.com/2023/06/04/irish-government-seeks-to-sacrifice-300000-cows-for-climate-net-zero-goals/

Ireland Looking To Kill 200,000 Cows To Fight Climate Change; Are US Herds Next? – In the latest effort to reduce emissions from agriculture, Ireland said it may kill 200,000 cows. Meanwhile, climate activists have American farms and ranches in the crosshairs.

"Via The Telegraph:

The collateral damage of net zero is now getting uncomfortably close to home. First Dutch farmers were threatened with compulsory purchases to satisfy EU emissions targets, fomenting a new revolt in the process. Now it’s Ireland’s turn, where the government is reportedly looking at plans to cull around 200,000 cows to meet its climate targets. The scheme would be a bit like voluntary redundancy, with farmers offered financial inducements to give up their cows.

British beef and dairy farmers are now very jittery. It seems increasingly clear that there is an eco-modernist agenda to do away with conventional meat altogether. It’s not just the Extinction Rebellion mob, either; many of the world’s politicians are on board...

Leaked documents suggest the Irish government is planning to cull 65,000 cows a year for the next three years, at a cost of 200million euros a year, to meet its climate targets. Get ready for more, not less, of this insanity..."

--
GM

Cindy Hamilton wrote:

> On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
>>
>> Every year my financial adviser has group meetings for his clients and
>> invites people from Medicare, Social Security, lawyers, etc. to offer
>> advise and answer questions. The meetings are besides the regular
>> the holiday dinners.

> Goodness. My financial advisor doesn't bother spending the fees I
> pay them on feeding me. We just have meetings.
>
>
These meetings are quite enlightening more so for some than others.
The one from an attorney concerning wills vs. trusts, quit claims,
and taxes was quite interesting. Whereas the one with a Social Security
representative was very eye opening when I realized a good many in the
meeting were clueless. These were folks who are fast approaching
retirement age a few that were already retired!

Individual meetings are also held each year, but no lunch is offered.
I'd be willing to bet the money spent on meetings with food and
holiday dinners is tax deductible.

ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>
>> On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> Every year my financial adviser has group meetings for his clients and
>>> invites people from Medicare, Social Security, lawyers, etc. to offer
>>> advise and answer questions.  The meetings are besides the regular
>>> the holiday dinners.
>
>> Goodness.  My financial advisor doesn't bother spending the fees I
>> pay them on feeding me.  We just have meetings.
>>
>>
> These meetings are quite enlightening more so for some than others.
> The one from an attorney concerning wills vs. trusts, quit claims,
> and taxes was quite interesting.  Whereas the one with a Social Security
> representative was very eye opening when I realized a good many in the
> meeting were clueless.  These were folks who are fast approaching
> retirement age a few that were already retired!
>
> Individual meetings are also held each year, but no lunch is offered.
> I'd be willing to bet the money spent on meetings with food and
> holiday dinners is tax deductible.

Of course it is, because it's a business expense.

ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:

> Your dinner plans for Friday?
>
> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite
> size pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that
> skillet, too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the
> meal.

I like! Simple and all I'd add is some green veggies.

On Sat, 16 Mar 2024, GM wrote:

> D wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 15 Mar 2024, ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:
>
>>> Your dinner plans for Friday?
>>>
>>> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
>>> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
>>> pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
>>> too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.
>>>
>
>> I had a starter of Foie gras with brioche, then black angus ribeye from
>> Uruguay and for desert a chocolate fondant and a coffee at my favourite
>> steak house. Almost spiritual!
>
>
> Very nice... and so you've not gone the "green way" of eating...do you not
> feel "guilty"...???
>
> :-)

Hah, far from it! Reasonable care about the environment I have nothing
against, but climate change has reached levels of mass hysteria.

What is sad is that the politicians (who are flying around in private
jets btw.) have lost all connection with the people in europe, and are
literally talking about crushing the livelihood of farmers.

What this will lead to is public revolt and far right extremists parties
and nationalist parties will come to power. I think we all know how that
will finish. At least those of us who remember or read abotu WW2.

In terms of meat eating I recommend the book "Why It's OK to Eat Meat"
by Dan C. Shahar in case anyone is interested.

> I am reading that "Our Betters" (especially those of the "World Economic
> Forum", led by Herr Klaus Schwab) want to ban meat production for "climate
> change" reasons:
>
> WEF founder Klaus Schwab: Must prepare for an angrier world
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJTnkzl3K64

Well, if he continues I think at least Klaus should prepare for an
angrier world. ;)

> MORE:
>
> Great Food Reset: Irish Gov’t Seeks to Sacrifice 200,000 Cows To Reach Net
> Zero Climate Goals – Kerry targets U.S. farmers Next!
....
> Leaked documents suggest the Irish government is planning to cull 65,000 cows
> a year for the next three years, at a cost of 200million euros a year, to
> meet its climate targets. Get ready for more, not less, of this insanity..."

Madness.

That said, I do enjoy game and fish I catch myself a lot more than what
I buy in stores. If hunting was less regulated, I would definitely hunt
myself. But living in europe, I stick with fishing, that also an honest
way to get something tasty on the table from time to time.

See nice fish here: https://we.tl/t-siHDRmuYas

Enjoy! =)

Best regards,
Daniel

On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>
>> On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> Every year my financial adviser has group meetings for his clients and
>>> invites people from Medicare, Social Security, lawyers, etc. to offer
>>> advise and answer questions. The meetings are besides the regular
>>> the holiday dinners.
>
>> Goodness. My financial advisor doesn't bother spending the fees I
>> pay them on feeding me. We just have meetings.
>>
>>
> These meetings are quite enlightening more so for some than others.

I have an individual meeting once a year to discuss my investments.

> The one from an attorney concerning wills vs. trusts, quit claims,
> and taxes was quite interesting.

Yeah, my advisor recommended an attorney for setting up a trust
for my mother's estate. I can't quite decide if she'd pass the
sniff test on competency.

> Individual meetings are also held each year, but no lunch is offered.

Oh, well, I can see why you'd hate to miss free Subway.

> I'd be willing to bet the money spent on meetings with food and
> holiday dinners is tax deductible.

Doesn't matter. It'd still be my money they were spending. It's
a tax deduction, not a tax credit.

--
Cindy Hamilton

Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>
> On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
>>
>> Individual meetings are also held each year, but no lunch is offered.
>>
> Oh, well, I can see why you'd hate to miss free Subway.
>
It was not a subway sandwich. Reading comprehension is still important
as you age.
>
>> I'd be willing to bet the money spent on meetings with food and
>> holiday dinners is tax deductible.
>>
> Doesn't matter. It'd still be my money they were spending. It's
> a tax deduction, not a tax credit.
>
For the information we receive, it was worth him taking a tax deduction.

On 2024-03-16, Cindy Hamilton <hamilton@invalid.com> wrote:
> On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:

> Goodness. My financial advisor doesn't bother spending the fees I
> pay them on feeding me. We just have meetings.

I'm my own financial advisor. So far, so good. I see that you spell
"advisor" the way I learned it. My slrn spellchecker displays it in red.
They ought to fix that!

On 2024-03-15, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
> Your dinner plans for Friday?
>
> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
> pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
> too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.

Chicken wings with leftover Rice-A-Roni. They were better than expected.

<https://postimg.cc/9zhNfSDw>

On 16 Mar 2024 21:27:47 GMT, Leonard Blaisdell
<leoblaisdell@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

>On 2024-03-16, Cindy Hamilton <hamilton@invalid.com> wrote:
>> On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
>
>> Goodness. My financial advisor doesn't bother spending the fees I
>> pay them on feeding me. We just have meetings.
>
>
>I'm my own financial advisor. So far, so good. I see that you spell
>"advisor" the way I learned it.

My dictionary says: 'adviser', in American English also 'advisor'.

>My slrn spellchecker displays it in red.
>They ought to fix that!

Can't you add words to it?

On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>>
>> On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> Individual meetings are also held each year, but no lunch is offered.
>>>
>> Oh, well, I can see why you'd hate to miss free Subway.
>>
> It was not a subway sandwich. Reading comprehension is still important
> as you age.

Too much has been snipped. I don't care what the food was, anyway.

>>> I'd be willing to bet the money spent on meetings with food and
>>> holiday dinners is tax deductible.
>>>
>> Doesn't matter. It'd still be my money they were spending. It's
>> a tax deduction, not a tax credit.
>>
> For the information we receive, it was worth him taking a tax deduction.

With your money.

--
Cindy Hamilton

Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

> On 2024-03-15, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
>> Your dinner plans for Friday?
>>
>> I'm late posting this and I'm late heading to the kitchen. But here
>> it's going to a smoked sausage link that has been sliced into bite size
>> pieces and browned. Potatoes and sliced onions will hit that skillet,
>> too. Maybe a small skillet of cornbread to round out the meal.

> Chicken wings with leftover Rice-A-Roni. They were better than expected.

> <https://postimg.cc/9zhNfSDw>

I like it...

PS: and I *highly* approve of the rice...

;-)

--
GM

D wrote :

> Hah, far from it! Reasonable care about the environment I have nothing
> against, but climate change has reached levels of mass hysteria.
>
> What is sad is that the politicians (who are flying around in private
> jets btw.) have lost all connection with the people in europe, and are
> literally talking about crushing the livelihood of farmers.

The climate hysteria isn't limited to Europe. New York City will soon
be cracking down on businesses that use wood fired or coal fired ovens.

https://www.nysun.com/article/uproar-as-new-york-approves-rule-cracking-down-on-wood-fired-pizzerias-forcing-them-to-spend-big-to-reduce-emissions
-----start partial quotes-----
'This is an egregious overstep of the state and local government', wrote
one citizen in an official comment submitted to the citys Department of
Environmental Protection.

when the Sun visited Carmine and Sons Pizzeria in Williamsburg, which
uses a wood-fired oven and has been selling pizzas since 1979, the
owner, Carmine Gangone, asked, "Does it really make that much of a
difference? We have burned smoke coming from Canada and they're worried
about a wood burning oven? They let the baseball game play during the
smoke!"

When thick smoke from Canadian wildfires covered New York in June 2023,
Mayor Adams did not stop the baseball game at Yankee Stadium, where the
Yankees hosted the Chicago White Sox. The players had to continue the
game while everyone else locked their windows and stayed inside to
escape the heavy smoke that lingered for days.
-----end partial quotes-----

--
If progressives didn't have double standards,
they'd have no standards at all.

On Sat, 16 Mar 2024, heyjoe wrote:

> D wrote :
>
>> Hah, far from it! Reasonable care about the environment I have nothing
>> against, but climate change has reached levels of mass hysteria.
>>
>> What is sad is that the politicians (who are flying around in private
>> jets btw.) have lost all connection with the people in europe, and are
>> literally talking about crushing the livelihood of farmers.
>
> The climate hysteria isn't limited to Europe. New York City will soon
> be cracking down on businesses that use wood fired or coal fired ovens.
>
> https://www.nysun.com/article/uproar-as-new-york-approves-rule-cracking-down-on-wood-fired-pizzerias-forcing-them-to-spend-big-to-reduce-emissions

Sad... I won't be moving to New York City, that's for sure. ;) In
sweden, when visiting, at least I can still light a fire in the fire
place of my apartment. I spoke with a german colleague the other day and
apparently that is illegal in germany, but many people who live in the
country side do it anyway.

Completely absurd!

On 3/16/2024 3:18 PM, Hank Rogers wrote:
> ItsJoanNotJoAnn wrote:
>> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>>
>>> On 2024-03-16, ItsJoanNotJoAnn <ItsJoanNotJoAnn@webtv.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Every year my financial adviser has group meetings for his clients and
>>>> invites people from Medicare, Social Security, lawyers, etc. to offer
>>>> advise and answer questions.  The meetings are besides the regular
>>>> the holiday dinners.
>>
>>> Goodness.  My financial advisor doesn't bother spending the fees I
>>> pay them on feeding me.  We just have meetings.
>>>
>>>
>> These meetings are quite enlightening more so for some than others.
>> The one from an attorney concerning wills vs. trusts, quit claims,
>> and taxes was quite interesting.  Whereas the one with a Social Security
>> representative was very eye opening when I realized a good many in the
>> meeting were clueless.  These were folks who are fast approaching
>> retirement age a few that were already retired!
>>
>> Individual meetings are also held each year, but no lunch is offered.
>> I'd be willing to bet the money spent on meetings with food and
>> holiday dinners is tax deductible.
>
> Of course it is, because it's a business expense.
>
Yeah, that was one of the dumbest things I've read here, at least since
yesterday.

--
--Bryan
For your safety and protection, this sig. has been thoroughly
tested on laboratory animals.

"Most of the food described here is nauseating.
We're just too courteous to say so."
-- Cindy Hamilton

On 3/17/2024 6:41 AM, D wrote:
>
>
> On Sat, 16 Mar 2024, heyjoe wrote:
>
>> D wrote :
>>
>>> Hah, far from it! Reasonable care about the environment I have nothing
>>> against, but climate change has reached levels of mass hysteria.
>>>
>>> What is sad is that the politicians (who are flying around in private
>>> jets btw.) have lost all connection with the people in europe, and are
>>> literally talking about crushing the livelihood of farmers.
>>
>> The climate hysteria isn't limited to Europe.  New York City will soon
>> be cracking down on businesses that use wood fired or coal fired ovens.
>>
>> https://www.nysun.com/article/uproar-as-new-york-approves-rule-cracking-down-on-wood-fired-pizzerias-forcing-them-to-spend-big-to-reduce-emissions
>
> Sad... I won't be moving to New York City, that's for sure. ;) In
> sweden, when visiting, at least I can still light a fire in the fire
> place of my apartment. I spoke with a german colleague the other day and
> apparently that is illegal in germany, but many people who live in the
> country side do it anyway.
>
> Completely absurd!

When I moved to CT in 1981 I put in a good wood burning stove in the
family room. It was nice and cozy in winter, but it also added quite a
bit of pollution, as did the many other houses doing the same.

New models had catalytic converters to make them cleaner but I stopped
using mine. It is unhealthy and there are cleaner methods to heat with.
And to make pizza with.

D wrote:

> On Sat, 16 Mar 2024, heyjoe wrote:

>> D wrote :
>>
>>> Hah, far from it! Reasonable care about the environment I have nothing
>>> against, but climate change has reached levels of mass hysteria.
>>>
>>> What is sad is that the politicians (who are flying around in private
>>> jets btw.) have lost all connection with the people in europe, and are
>>> literally talking about crushing the livelihood of farmers.
>>
>> The climate hysteria isn't limited to Europe. New York City will soon
>> be cracking down on businesses that use wood fired or coal fired ovens.
>>
>> https://www.nysun.com/article/uproar-as-new-york-approves-rule-cracking-down-on-wood-fired-pizzerias-forcing-them-to-spend-big-to-reduce-emissions

> Sad... I won't be moving to New York City, that's for sure. ;) In
> sweden, when visiting, at least I can still light a fire in the fire
> place of my apartment. I spoke with a german colleague the other day and
> apparently that is illegal in germany, but many people who live in the
> country side do it anyway.

> Completely absurd!

In the German countryside I've read instances of people reverting to using *wood* for their
primary heating source, as the German state has gone "green" and fuel prices have risen astronomically...!!!

I used to admire Germany as a modern and well - functioning state, now, "not so much". Good article:

"It has been clear for some time now that the way Germany is run is alienating a growing segment of the population. Some have been so angry with the status quo that they have been willing to put their trust in the AfD, a party that is routinely labelled as extremist by the mainstream..."

Germany: so much for the ‘grown-up country’

The model nation for centrist liberals is in political and economic turmoil.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/01/21/germany-so-much-for-the-grown-up-country/

"Germany has long occupied a special place in the liberal-elite imagination. Over the past few decades, and especially since the world was upended by the votes for Brexit and Trump, Germany has been held up by the great and good as a model nation. As the rest of the West lost their minds, or so the story goes, Germany remained a paragon of economic efficiency, political maturity and environmental stewardship. The last bulwark of the liberal order in an age of rising populism...

This elite Germanophilia is best embodied in John Kampfner’s Why the Germans Do it Better: Notes From a Grown-Up Country. First published in August 2020, it became an unlikely bestseller in the UK. It received rave reviews and was declared ‘book of the year’ by the Guardian, the New Statesman and The Economist. Its central claim is that Germany has forged ‘a new paradigm in stability’ that the rest of the world ought to follow...

It is hard to think of any book that has aged quite so badly, quite so quickly...

Indeed, the news coming out of Germany lately paints a wholly different picture: one of economic collapse and interminable political strife...

Even though 2024 is just a few weeks old, Germany has already been rocked by huge farmers’ protests, with thousands of tractors blocking cities and motorway junctions this past week alone. It has been crippled by transport workers’ and doctors’ strikes. Factories in its much-vaunted manufacturing sector are shutting down and shipping production elsewhere. The federal government is struggling to reckon with a budget crisis and is ushering in a new age of austerity. Data released this week showed that Germany had the worst economic performance last year of any major economy. In the year ahead, it is predicted to have the slowest growth in the G20, apart from Argentina...

The results of the 'Energiewende' have been stark. Electricity prices rose by 50 per cent between 2006 and 2017, giving Germany the most expensive electricity in Europe. The energy shock of the war in Ukraine then sent prices into the stratosphere. In 2022, the government was forced to spend some €440 billion – or €1.5 billion per day – bailing out energy firms, sourcing new energy supplies and subsidising bills. And still cutbacks had to be made to energy use, as supplies dwindled...

Major firms like BASF – a chemical giant that is older than the German state itself – are now closing their factories and offshoring production. Even ‘green’ industries cannot cope. This week, Germany’s largest solar-panel producer, Meyer Burger, threatened to shut down its factory in Saxony and relocate to the US...

It would have been possible for the political class to denounce the AfD’s more hardline elements while acknowledging the public’s anger and addressing some of their concerns. But instead of trying to win back the voters they have been shedding, the mainstream parties have tried to draw up a cordon sanitaire between themselves and the populist upstarts. Mainstream parties refuse to work with the AfD, even at the local level...

Back in 2017, when the AfD made its first big mark on politics, it was the only party in the Bundestag to question Merkel’s immigration policy. Back in 2015, she decided to open Germany’s borders to around a million Syrian refugees – without consulting parliament or allowing for any political debate...

Merkel, in particular, presided over a notable decline in the public realm, from infrastructure to public services. Today, Germany is no longer a country where the trains run on time... Even slower is Germany’s internet, where its broadband speed has been among the slowest in the Western world, and its 4G coverage the worst in Europe. Curiously, some 80 per cent of German businesses still use fax machines for office tasks, as do a fifth of doctors’ surgeries. Fax machines are due to be phased out in the offices of the Bundestag by June 2024 ‘at the latest’. German efficiency, at least where tech is concerned, is a myth...

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Rather than being valorised as a model nation, perhaps Germany ought to be seen as a cautionary tale – of how a cosy elite consensus, untroubled by democracy, can take even a powerful, successful country to the brink..."

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