Penne Joy

All around me, I am seeing shops and eateries closing down or suspending their operations as owners try to cope with huge losses. On top of having to pay for rental or mortgages for their real estates, they have to continue paying salaries and wages, utilities and suppliers (who also need to pay for rentals and mortgages, salaries and wages, and utilities). The inability to do so means huge losses and foreclosures for operators, and unemployment for the population. 

I try to do my little part, difficult as it can be at times (my income has also been severely affected since pandemic began a year ago) by supporting businesses and business people as much as I can. 

And so it was that I ordered lunch (takeaway, of course) from Theater Kantine Erfurt, a little cafe that is attached to a show theatre. Ordinarily, they have transgender shows that are raunchy, in-your-face and hilariously entertaining. In Singapore and Malaysia, they're often called Boom Boom Rooms. Since the pandemic, however, these shows are indefinitely suspended, and while the obvious victims are the performers and those directly involved in the shows, the cafe has not been spared. From a bustling little cafe that had people in the tens queueing up before and after shows for drinks, snacks and meals, the queue these days comprise only 2 or 3 people. Sporadically so too. 

NB: What I need to mention here is that prices in real life are different from what you may be able to Google, a change I suspect arising from the pandemic and lack of customers. Don't worry - it's good news. Everything is cheaper, significantly. 

Support local businesses + cheaper than usual = definite option for lunch. 

Especially when it also means I don't have to crack my head for recipe ideas for food for the family. 

I had a craving for pasta something something (I wasn't fussy, it just needed to be pasta) so Penne Pepperoni was ordered. 

Love at first sight. 

The steam drifting out from the penne after I lifted the aluminum foil cover was so .... sexy. Wafting up in swirls and bringing with it that inexplicable scent of melted cheese, tomato base and freshly-boiled penne. It was all I could do to hold myself back long enough to take photos. Like I said, sexy. 

Digging in, the penne was nicely boiled. As you have probably read from my earlier pasta-related blogs here and here, I have my specific "requirements" from my pastas. I was delighted to see that my penne here wasn't damp or sticky. It was springy and boiled well, which is how I like my short pastas - I could bite into them and still not suffer any worries of half-cookedness. I could do with a little more springiness, but its lack doesn't warrant a complaint from me. 

The pepperoni sauce it was in was tasty. I expected a little more spiciness though, as the description said it was "scharf", meaning spicy. Then again, it could just be my Malaysian buds making the comparison, so I won't factor that in for any of my preferences here in Deutschland. The sauce was mixed with melted cheese and then added on with sprinkles of cheese flakes, chili (minced or blended, I couldn't really tell) and bits of blended tomatoes - all of which I could find as I ate through my meal. 

The green stuff you see is Rucola, or arugula, a member of the mustard family. This was a pleasant surprise for me; normally, they use other herbs for garnish and this was one of the rare times I see Rucola on my pasta. And I loved the combined flavours of it and the pepperoni sauce. 

Another plus point for this cafe was its generous portion. These are tough times for business owners, especially those that need perishables. Fewer customers could mean bigger losses as food stuff go bad, so I have noticed some business owners actually reducing portions, in the hope that they have more portions at the same costs. 

I am glad to report that Theater Kantine isn't one of them (and hopefully, they never will be). So here's my final word: Theater Kantine delivered a good lunch. Great on the stomach, lovely on the taste buds and super fantastic on the pocket. This very-filling meal was all of  €5,90, which, to me is a steal. [Note that orders after 3pm will mean an extra  €1,50]. 

Theater Kantine also sells drinks, by the way, which I didn't buy as I was packing my food to be eaten at home. Seeing the fridge with wines and spirits, however, was hugely tempting. Maybe next time, I will willingly fall into temptation. 

The food business is the only business that is unlimited in its operations during our current lockdown. By my own allowance, I vote to support small eateries, Bäckerei, sellers at the weekend markets, food and drink kiosks, grocery shops, and, naturally, supermarkets for as many of my purchases as possible. My priority? The ones that are privately owned and run by families. 

Naturally, supermarkets are my go-to place too, mainly because they are the only place where I can get my greens and meats in one place, but also because they employ people who have families to feed. 

The economics of economy, as they say, is severely co-dependent. No one spending (or able to spend) means nothing moves, and this economic hole we found ourselves in will just get deeper. 

If we all pitch in, we will all win. All of us.

If even one small part of the community doesn't do its part, we will all suffer. All. Of. Us. 

Teamwork is the key. Support whenever we can. 

[I hope this blog can do its tiny part in boosting patronage and business. If you're in the neighbourhood, go look them up: 

Theater Kantine

Lange Brücke 29

99084 Erfurt

Or call them at +49 361 5511625

Note: orders need to be made between 10am and 2pm, then 3pm and 9pm]

Update on 31.8.2023: 

Sadly, this outlet has closed down and taken over by Grand Tartufo, an Italian bistro-restaurant and an extension to the little restaurant a corner away.