"This is more an EU thing than a German exclusive. Some stuff might differ from country to country but in general pretty much all EU countries have the same initiatives and regulations to have energy efficient housing. In my country, for instance, all houses for sale or rent need to have an "energy certification", which rates the house energy efficiency from A to F as if it were a domestic appliance."

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oezp-_DcUgg"

"Do a google image search on "Vhils"."

"Actually this is really useful. I use mine pretty much every day. For small stuff like dicing onions/garlic/herbs this is way faster and easier to clean than using a (bulky) food processor that's stored and needs power to work. Also, for that type of stuff, I also feel you have more control on the chopping action compared to using a food processor."