Bonn by the Book

Since moving I have read two books that – though not about Germany – mention Bonn. They are:

• Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This is an autobiography by a Somali woman who traveled to Europe and, before receiving asylum as a refugee in the Netherlands, stayed in Bonn. The book discusses that many Muslim immigrants never become part of European society, a point that made me think of a conversation I had with a Libyan classmate from my language school. I was telling her how valuable I thought the school's organized outings were. Though I could understand why she wouldn't want to attend Friday night's stammtish (drinking beers while sitting around and talking), trips to museums or walking tours of the city might give her a chance to practice the language. Her response was that "her husband wouldn't let her."
• The United States of Arugula by David Kamp. This is a collection of essays about the food revolution in the U.S. No book about America's change of attitude toward food and cooking in the second half of the twentieth century can avoid discussing Julia Child. I was quite surprised to read that Julia live for a while in Bad Godesburg – the neighborhood in Bonn where I live. (Though I was not shocked that she didn't become obsessed with German food.)