I'd like to know some information about Austrian people and what they like...?

I live in the United States and I am getting a foreign extrange student from Austria. She's a 15 year old girl. I'd just like to know a little bit about the Austrian culture I guess... like what kinds of food do they eat??? ect... she doesn't eat much meat so I'd also be great if you could give me some examples of meals I could make that she would enjoy. My family is Venezuelan and we normally eat spicey food like enchiladas, chimichangas, ect... but we also have American food a lot.

please help!

If she is from a large city like Vienna, Graz, Salzburg or Innsbruck then she would have been exposed to a wide variety of cuisine like Italian, Chinese, Japanese, etc. But if she came from a small town then she would probably be more comfortable with traditional foods. You say she doesn't eat much meat? Then it sounds like she is used to having a variety of mixed salads (Gemischter Salat), scrambled omelette (Eierspeise), soup, vegetables, pasta, and dark multigrain bread (ex. Hausbrot and Siebenkornbrot). When she does arrive, ask her what her favourite meals are. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers,

Petra M, Vancouver

I've been to Austria quite a lot (skiing) and found the people charming. Offer your student a Weiner schnitzel - she'l love it - providing she's not a vegie.

Coming on an exchange, she'll want to try the typical American foods. However, Austrians also typically eat a lot of cheese, soups and bread.

You could use quorn instead of meat in the enchiladas and if in doubt, just do a buffet type thing with plates of different tjings so she can help herself.