Should you ever find yourself in the Austrian countryside and see the word “Buschenschank,” then bitte, bitte, bitte – stop and have a meal! Buschenschank derives from the words “Busch” (which means bush), and “Schank” (which means bar and/or to pour a drink). When the wine is new, the proprietor hangs a “bush” over the restaurant door so everyone knows it is time to taste the fruits of the family’s labor.
During the third weekend of June Mutti, Petra, and Damian took us to Wies Eibiswald to meet Gottfried and Sofi, Mutti’s brother- and sister-in-law. Wies Eibiswald lies in western Styria, a section of Austria famous for producing pumpkin seed oil and wine, among other delicious items. Gottfried and Sofi thought we should experience the gustatory joy of a Buschenschank and we’re so grateful they did.
A Buschenschank is only allowed to serve food and drink produced on their property. Thus you can imagine how fresh and amazingly delicious everything tastes! The typical Buschenschank menu features a variety of sausages and smoked meats, cheeses, vegetables (primarily lettuce, tomatoes, beans, etc.), eggs, fruit (mostly plums, cherries, apricots, etc.), and of course wine and schnapps. The chewy bread and memorable desserts are also homemade. 
On the day we met Gottfried and Sofi, Styria experienced an unusually heavy rain the whole day. Hiking was out, so an extended lunch was in. We sat in the Buschenschank for a solid three hours and enjoyed the food, the drink, the dear multi-generational family who served us, and most of all as you can see from these photos, we enjoyed each other. 
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