When your kitchen boasts a stove the size of an Easy-Bake oven, and a fridge that would’ve counted as my beer cooler in college – cooking, a lá European-style becomes an exercise in creativity.
The B.I.K.
The first onerous task of any PCS move is to secure housing. We had finally lined up a few suitable rentals to view – and noticed the term, “B.I.K.” frequently denoted on the rental listings.
When I asked a listing agent what the term meant, she matter-of-factly answered, “Oh, it simply means Built-In-Kitchen.”
A kitchen wasn’t a standard amenity? Guess not.
The agent explained that in a German home, it was not at all uncommon for tenants to want to fully customize their homes – which could include a full kitchen, including the kitchen sink! But, landlords were now frequently including the B.I.K. to attract renters, particularly Americans.
As we toured what ended up becoming our new home, we quickly realized the cultural difference of “customization” in action. Our home has no walk-in closets (those could be bought, to your liking of course, at IKEA), there are no bathroom shelves or cabinets – (again, so that you may customize the space to your liking), and no pantry shelves!
Thankful that our new rental at least came with a kitchen, I picked up a basic baker’s rack from – you guessed it, IKEA – then set out for the commissary to re-stock our new kitchen.
