Kultur 3 Cooper John

The article that really intrigued me was "Forget the 'Mett', Try a 'Frikadelle'", regarding German preference in food, whether it be snacks, fast food, etc. I thought it was especially interesting because when I lived in Germany, my family would sometimes eat at common fast food places, such as McDonalds, but the comparison between some of the meals or norms when it came to McDonalds was very apparent. For example, the small size of a cup in America is about the equivalent of a large in Germany. Also the fast food buildings were much more modern than they are here. If you have heard about a few of the McDonalds that are getting the 'Starbucks Makeover' in the US, that is more of how those places are designed.

I also enjoyed the article about how blunt Germans are in general everyday conversation, since I consider myself to be very blunt as well. I have always been one to tell it how it is to people (which is not always the best when I go to work in a retail shop!). I just feel that it wastes time and emotion to mislead people when responding to their thoughts just in effort to save face for them. I do have to say that I'm not so harsh on people to call their ideas stupid, but I would never say it was brilliant.

Kultur 3

The first article I read was "Forget the 'Mett', Try a 'Frikadelle'", which was really interesting because I always wonder what is qualified as fast food in other countries. I know that other countries have American fast food chains like McDonald's, but they don't eat there all the time (understandably so). It was cool to see what sorts of snacky foods Germans eat when they need to grab a quick bite. I was beginning to think that every meal was Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, und Bier! Bockwurst sounds particularly yummy.

The article about pessimism was hilarious! I liked all of the blunt statements like "that'll never work" and "that's stupid" that are apparently so common among German speakers. They're not afraid to speak the truth about each other and their plans. I'm like this a lot around my friends- sometimes I'm afraid they don't realize I'm (mostly) joking when I tell them that "no one cares" about what they had for dinner last night. The glimpse into the stereotypes and jokes about the different regions of Germany was also entertaining. It reminded me of the way that Northern and Southern Californians joke about each other, and the way all of the U.S. states mock each other. I guess every country knows how to poke fun at themselves!

Kultur 3

The first article I read was Beer, Brewskies and Liquid Bread. I found it very interesting how many different types of beer were brewed in Germany. I also found the notes the writers left in the hangover risks to be quite funny. I also now want to go back to Germany and try those drinks. I'm surprised that the Germans of all people were debating a ban on public drinking, especially considering how important beer is to them and how ingrained it is in their culture.

I was also hardly surprised about reading what Germans considered to be fast food. Aside from the fact that there were hardly any fast food restaurants when I was in Germany and Austria, I distinctly remember seeing these foods laid out at large rest stops. At one notable stop (notable because there was a Porsche Carrera GT parked close to the entrance) I remember ordering some bockwurst and spätzle. I'm also not surprised the Germans eat their fries with mayo, as I've seen the same done in other countries like Belgium.

Kapitel 3 - Katherine

I enjoy reading about the food and drinks in Germany. I thought the article about different beers was funny and interesting. The hangover risks made me laugh and I like that we can learn about German culture while being entertained at the same time. It was also interesting that they were trying to implement laws that banned alcohol in certain areas. When they banned alcohol in the park and everyone just moved to the side streets around the park is no surprise given the stereotype Germans have. The other article I read that was fascinating was the one about the obsession of organic food. This one was very surprising to me. I would never have guessed that Germans are so against genetically engineered food. It was written as if they are extremely scared of genetically engineered food and I find that comical. Prost!

Kultur3 - Matt Simpson

What was most interesting to me was how serious Germans are made out to be, yet claim to have the "best" sense of humor. It is quite the opposite of what I would expect and could hardly believe what I was reading. We've heard Germans are unusually pessimistic, brutally honest, and are capable of producing a "meducian" death stare. Add an incredible sense of humor to that list, and something doesn't quite add up.

Upon further reading, all of the pieces seemed to fit together, specifically for Berliners. According to the Teutonic Humor article, Berliners are famous for their Schnauze, or "big city attitude". They have a very cut-you-down, sarcastic way of humor. This is the perfect compliment to their pessimism, they use it to humor themselves and others. Apparently, "A true Berliner will respect getting taken down a peg as much as making fun of somebody else." Maybe that's one reason the Germans have such a varied, well rounded sense of humor. Being able to make fun of oneself is the foundation for a good humor. Now, they are even beginning to poke fun at themselves (well, past Germans) for WWII and the Nazi regime. Hence, the Adolf Hitler picture above. (It's a playoff of Hitler's Mein Kampf, for anyone who doesn't get the joke.) Being able to joke about something like that really says something about a person, in this case a "people". I hope that many Americans will be able to take a lesson in humor from the Germans and move beyond our apparent superiority complex. Canadians can stay where they're at. No one really pays attention to them anyway, being inferior and all that. (Get it?!)

Kultur 3 - Joe Schafer

I thourougly enjoyed reading about Germans and beer in "An Obsession Explained: Beer, Brewskies and Liquid Bread". It was especially interesting given the stereotype. I liked how the author explained the different types of beer brewed in German and also gave them a "Hangover risk". However, now my urge to go to Germany and sample all of their beers has grown.

These articles are enticing me to travel to Germany more and more. They have kegs upon kegs of beer and based on the descriptions of food in "German Fast Food: Forget the "Mett," Try a "Frikadelle"" I want to try their food as well. However, the author played down German Bratwurst, which I figured/hoped would taste very good.

The following article about Turkish food in Germany now has me thinking that there is simply not enough time in the world to spend in Germany and sample the food and drink.

Kultur 3

I thought these articles were really interesting. It's pretty crazy, and awesome, how many different types of beers they have in Germany. The statistic that they have 3/4 the breweries in the entire EU is staggering. It's no wonder that people aren't too keen to go along with bans on public drinking. That's definitely a tricky issue. I'd love to be able to casually have a drink outside, or while walking around with friends, but I understand why it's hard to draw a line between this responsible behavior and the public drunkeness on the other end of the spectrum. I also liked the article about the "eco-centrism" in Germany - sounds a lot like the collegetown I grew up in! I think it's great that the demand for organic foods is transforming the farming industry to encourage farmers to stop using chemicals, etc.

The articles about German humor/pessimism were also great - I think I would fit in pretty well there. My family and I joke that our German relatives are completely, stereotypically humorless, but it's true that they have a dry, biting sense of humor that is pretty amusing. Deadpan is my favorite, so I think I would be a big fan of the typical Hamburger. I'm also extremely pessimistic, so I kind of like their gloomy outlook. I'm starting to think I should just drop out of school and move to Germany...

Kapitel 3 Kultur - Adam Zientarski

When it comes to health issues, I find that German culture is very odd and somewhat contradicting. While you are openly allowed to get drunk in the middle of streets AND drink when you are 16 years old (and often earlier when in the home), a staggering 70% of the people said they would eat genetically altered foods (when there really is no conclusive evidence yet that it effects your health). I'm not saying I have a problem with public drinking (I think its a great idea actually, America should strive to be more like Europe with public transportation and have stricter license requirements) but I just find it odd that they can care so little about the health effects of drinking as opposed to food.

I also can't believe they have so many different kinds of beer. It seems as though a large part of their culture is centered around drinking, more than I previously thought anyways. We don't have any holiday in America where we just party for a week. I'm interested in how this affects their work... do they get vacation during these times? Do they work as much as Americans?

Willkommen!!

Welcome to our class blog!

Throughout the semester, you will be posting here roughly every other week for your Abenteuer mit Deutsch (AMD) assignment. First you do a fun activity that involves German, then you post about it. You should spend an hour total on this (maybe 45-55 minutes doing something, 5-15 minutes posting about it). And make sure to add your name as one of the "Labels." See the links on AMD Ideen and Beispiele for ideas! This should get you excited about the kinds of things you can do!