Photo taken on May 3, 2020 shows a night view at the Hongyadong scenic area in southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)
CHONGQING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- People often say one cannot have love and bread simultaneously. Hanno Klamke, the German owner of a newly-opened bakery shop called "Poetic Flour" in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, has proved this wrong.
After living in Germany for five years with his Chinese wife Yang Liutengzi, Hanno decided to move to China and experience a different life in Chongqing, a mountain city renowned for its hotpots, in 2020.
Yang opened a bakery shop for him here.
When he came to China, he was amazed to see how Chinese people finish projects very quickly. However, one thing also puzzled him in this metropolis -- where to find the nostalgic bread?
Although the city has a lot of bakery shops, some of which proclaim to be European style, Hanno could not find one that satisfied him.
What kept lingering in his mind was the bread he had in Germany, a kind of dark bread with too hard a crust to be squeezed and no additives.
"Bread is the main food in Germany, and we eat it every day. It's just like Chongqing's xiaomian (spicy noodles) or the hotpots people cannot live without," said Hanno.
Seeing Hanno not getting the ideal bread, Yang decided to open a bakery shop for him. It again proved Hanno's observation about China's speed correct. From May to September, it only took Yang four months to start this bakery shop from scratch.
"It's amazing to have a professional bakery in such a short time, which might take much more time in Germany, as I recall," said Hanno. "So I feel that in China if you are enthusiastic about an idea, you can overcome challenges and reach new milestones at an accelerated pace."
However, Hanno and Yang's success took more than sheer luck.
They have a secret helper, Lieselotte Klamke, Hanno's 85-year-old grandmother. Lieselotte is one of the youngest people to have obtained a master's degree from a bakery in Germany when she was only 19 years old. The bread museum in Germany even collected photos of her baking with others.
Thanks to those valuable recipes shared by Lieselotte, Hanno and Yang felt more confident about their undertaking.
"They surprised me a lot by accomplishing this on their own. Also, I like their idea of bringing German bread to China. It is like when I go to eat Chinese food in Germany. I appreciate the mix of culture," said Lieselotte.
The hard and sour European bread, though previously unknown to Chongqing residents, is gaining popularity because of its health benefits. Some customers are amazed to taste such authentic German bread in Chongqing. Some others appreciate the love story behind the bread.
"We not only want to make the right bread but also want to share a healthy lifestyle," Yang said.
"I am also looking forward to seeing the combination of German bread and local food in Chongqing. Maybe it can go with the hotpots. We are on our way to explore more possibilities," said Hanno. ■
