Not Just A Cupboard Spice

The other night Steve and I went out to dinner with some friends of ours to a restaurant called Volipino. Unlike some of the other Italian restaurants we've been to in Cologne, we sat at a very large table. In the center of the table were two large plants and two tall decanters filled with oil and vinegar. Since we have been used to sitting at cozy small tables with dimly lit candles, this was very strange for us and it took a little bit of getting used to.

The Infamous Oregano Plant

While we were sitting at the table looking at the menus, I found myself having a little bit of trouble reading it. Usually they have English translations underneath the menu items but at this restaurant they did not. Steve can decipher German well enough to figure things out but since I have more difficulty and we were among German-speaking friends, I decided to ask one of them to help me translate.

I HATE Oregano!

As we were discussing the menu, our friend stopped in mid-sentence and plucked a leaf off of the plant in between us. She started chewing on it like a cow chomping on grass and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. Before I had a chance to say anything, she did it again. The words flew out of my mouth faster than I could catch them..."Did you just eat that plant?" The whole table burst into laughter. She could barely stop laughing long enough to tell me that it was Oregano.

Clearly I don't know enough about spices to know that restaurants put plants on their tables for people to snack on. Once everyone stopped laughing me, they encouraged me to give it a try. With reservation, I pulled a leaf off of the plant and sniffed it. It didn't smell like anything all that special. When I finally took a bite, the flavor was overwhelming. It was as if I took an entire jar of Oregano from the kitchen cupboard and poured it into my mouth. It tasted horrible!

We Are Not Plant People

Once we started eating, I put salt and pepper on my food and when I went to put the shakers back down, I bumped hands with my friend reaching for the Oregano plant again. I thought, "Didn't you have a big enough snack before dinner?" This time she didn't take one leaf or two, but she grabbed the entire plant until she had a good handful. She took the leaves, crumpled them all up, and scattered them all over her pasta. I'm not sure what I found more disturbing...the fact that she was eating so much of the distasteful Oregano or the realization of knowing how many other people had fondled the same plant I just tried!