What is NEL?

I used to deliver Chinese food, and people would always look at me and be like, "You're not Chinese!" Like it's going to make their food taste different or something.

They are a German thing that does happen in Germany in pretty much most inner cities. At least for the bigger ones.

Christmas markets date to the Late Middle Ages in the German-speaking part of Europe and in many parts of the former Holy Roman Empire that included many eastern regions of France.[2] They became a popular Advent custom during the Reformation era.[1] Dresden's Striezelmarkt was first held in 1434 and one of the first true Christmas markets;[5] earlier markets of the season were "December markets".[5][6] Early mentions of these "December markets" can be found in Vienna (1298),[7] Munich (1310),[5] Bautzen (1384),[8] and Frankfurt (1393).[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_market

Manchester and Brum have them round Xmas time selling 'German' Bratwurst and beer for £8 with lots of German flags waving.

People were buying tiny pots of baked beans with curry powder in them for silly money.

If they plan to charge me a tenner for a sausage I demand to be served in bloody German!

What’s a German Christmas Market

They're quite common in most of the big cities (I've been to the one in Manchester quite a bit, that's been running since the 80s) you get to drink gluhwein, eat schnitzel, but wooden toys and get a bit cold and underwhelmed in the process.

You drink weird tasting warmed wine and eat stale pretzels. Creepy European Santa is present. Also, pop-up shops and I didn't know dried horse meat was a thing in Frankfort.

are they in germany perhaps?

But you probably don't call them "German Christmas markets"...