Moving to Germany do not know what to expect for food!

I was stationed in Stuttgart from 2000-2002 and absolutely loved it over there.

One thing that helped with all of the wonderful food over there was all of the walking that I did. Most things were within walking distance and I found that area to be very pedestrian friendly. Walk for exercise, get familiar with the area and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I am from the Black Forest and just would like to point out that from there to Stuttgart 220kms, which I believe is about 140 miles. Of course on the Autobahn it is a quick 220 kms, but still worthwhile pointing out that Stuttgart and the Black Forest are not close.

Ah - here we see a cultural difference. I grew up in Michigan, in the American Midwest, in a town called Kalamazoo. It is about 220 km from Chicago, and I consider Chicago to be close to Kalamazoo. I now live in Massachusetts, about 1300 km from my home town. That is far. The guitarist Adrian Legg, who is English, once remarked at a concert that I attended that the difference between the US and the UK is that in the UK, 100 miles is a long distance, and in the US, 100 years is a long time.

OP: I lived in Berlin for a year, and have made a few trips back in self-catered apartments. In my experience, German supermarkets have excellent produce. But if you have smaller merchants nearby - greengrocers/vegetable stands, cheese shops, butcher shops, bakeries, etc. - you can get more personal service and higher quality goods.

ETA: Back in 1996, my wife and I drove from Chicago to San Francisco via I-90 to Spokane, then down to Portland OR and along the coast to SF. It was about 2750 miles, or 4400 km. We had to tell our French friends that it was like driving from Paris to Baku, Azerbaijan.

I lived there for a while during my High School Days. Worry not, the commissary is rather good. You can walk between Vilseck and Graf.. I actually found German's to be rather understanding but you know people are people; they vary between each other. I also lived in Frankfurt, Ansbach, (Katerbach)and a few other cities I can't remember how to spell. I loved walking around on cobblestone and the variety in food at markets. I miss the chocolate, the curry ketchup, and snitz. Total, I spent a sum of six years there. I miss the swimming complexes too.

I have been warned by many people (and in my overseas military briefing!) about how rude Germans can and usually are to Americans but I refuse to accept that everyone is like that and I look forward to meeting new people there and learning more about my husbands family in Germany and my own heritage.

I wouldn't say they're rude, it's just that Americans are so exceptionally friendly that we tend to misinterpret their behaviour as "rude." First, let me preface this by saying I'm an ESL teacher and have students from all over the world (although primarily from Asia and the Middle East). Almost *all* of them have told me, "Americans are SO friendly!" as if it's weird to them...because their cultures are not as overtly friendly. To give some examples, one Chinese student asked me "I was walking down the hallway and a stranger told me he liked my shoes...I didn't know him, why would he say that?" or "Why would someone I don't know smile and say 'hi' to me when we pass each other on the sidewalk?"

This is the kind of thing you won't see most Germans doing. I studied in Saxony (Dresden) for a summer and that was one of the biggest differences I noticed. People don't talk to you if you're sitting next to them on the bus, people don't make small-talk with strangers waiting at the tram stop, and if you pass someone on the sidewalk, it's pretty much as if you don't exist to each other. They're also generally "quieter" and will talk less to their friends on buses, in stores, etc...I got so used to the quiet, once I was home I got a couple headaches going to public places in the US because it was so LOUD! I'd also say they're more blunt and straight-forward.

That being said, when we needed help (we were lost, didn't know what food to order, etc.) most of the people were very friendly, and there were many Germans who welcomed American friends. It's just more difficult to approach them initially as we typically behave differently.

I lived in Sttutgart Germany for 2 years. The food is great. There are lots of street markets with fresh fruit and veg. It's not so much the junk food culture, unless you like kebab!. The food is all fresh and cooked from scratch. Just watch your portions and you will be fine. I was also much more active and outside all the time. I think the whole thing about being rude is that Germans, especially older ones, are afraid to try and speak English so they will just avoid you. Also pronunciation of German can be difficult at first which will make it difficult for them to understand you. I took a German 5 week intensive language course and learned the rest by practicing and using the language. I made life long friends there and I'm sure you will have a great time.