Germany, France and Chilean romance

Everyone needs a little culture shock from time to time. It’s like cleansing the culture palate.

If you’ve spent months gorging on faux culture experiences—watching contestants on Dancing With the Stars groove to Latin beats, ordering Chinese takeout or watching Andrew Zimmern eat bizarre foods in remote places of the world—you need some culture sorbet to get your palate back on track.

And nothing gets that going quite like German bier. With hundreds of beer fests held each year in Germany, it’s apparent Germans really know how to celebrate their culture. But there’s no need to wait until October to drink kölsch and eat currywurst. Marzenfest on Saturday, March 21, from noon to 5 p.m., will be like the spring version of Oktoberfest. Prost!

If you need more of an intellectual cleanse, check out Journée de la Francophonie. The event will feature dances, movies and lectures about a variety of French-speaking countries. Experience musette, the Parisian-style music, and learn about hip-hop in France or sugar-cane plantations in Martinique.

For those hoping to make their lovers swoon, take them to hear music by Chilean troubadours on Saturday, March 21, at 8 p.m. Featuring internationally renowned musicians Eduardo Peralta, Rafael Manriquez and Lichi Fuentes, this experience will get your palate out of the pop-culture gutter and feasting on a culture-rich helping of Latin amor.