An American Furry in Germany

I've always preferred whole milk, although in my home environment my mom would only buy reduced fat milk. Reduced fat (2%) is okay, but any lower than that and it just tastes too watered-down to me. I hate skim milk. And I get whole milk whenever I can--now that I'm doing my own milk purchasing. (Word for the wise: Buying alcohol does not make you a man. Having to buy your own milk--and I don't mean a pint carton at school--is the true sign that you've grown up.)
The interesting thing is, I could swear that whole milk in Germany has a higher fat content. This would be less strange if it was just called "whole milk", but it clearly says "3,5% Fett" right on the carton. But it tastes like half-and-half. Needless to say, I love it. :D But I still wonder what the cause is...

    My brother recently mentioned making potato and leek soup, as an example of a cheap, easy meal. Lots of meals, actually--soup can generally be made in large amounts at one time, and last for long periods of time. Lately I've been trying to economize, so I was trying to think of how I could cook for myself, when I ran across some leeks in the grocery store. So with all the best intentions, I looked up a recipe on the internet, and went shopping very thoroughly. I came back feeling much more prepared, too--I now have salt, pepper, garlic powder, butter, milk, and even chicken bouillon. Oh, and sausage. And bacon. And a king's ransom in instant mashed potatoes.
    In short, I feel well-stocked.
    So today I finally made some potato and leek soup, and it turned out delicious. I had a recipe, but I didn't have any measuring instruments--fortunately, it didn't seem to cause a problem. That's the great thing about soup--you can always just add something, stir, and taste, and add more if necessary. I forgot to put the sausage in like I had planned, but in all other respects the soup was perfect. (Here's the recipe.) I've never had leeks before, and they surprised me--very simple, very mild, and very tasty. Now I feel very proud of myself, and I will definitely be cooking more in the future. I just need to think of something new to cook. I hear it's asparagus time, though, so maybe I can make something with that.