Servus!
I had a lovely birthday brunch with my
friends and am on my way down to Munich right now, to visit my boyfriend. And I
thought that's a great topic to share with you. After my trip I'll tell you
more about Munich, but for today let's talk a bit about prejudices and
stereotypes. Over the years I have noticed that when I tell people I'm from
Germany there are few things they immediately think of:
·
Lederhosen and Dirndl
·
Beer
·
Oktoberfest
·
Sausages and cold meats
·
Cars and Autobahn
·
Good quality engineering
·
Socks and sandals
·
Hitler and World War II
·
A harsh sounding language
·
Rudeness
·
Strictness and punctuality
·
Tall and strong people
So, let's have a closer look at them. Tall
and strong people. That is nothing I ever observed in Germany. Well, yes we are
probably a taller nation than the Latin American countries for example, but
this association of Germany is actually quite funny, because that is what many
Germans associate with the Dutch. Which leads me to a really necessary
explanation:
Dutch
and German are NOT the same!
There is a country called the Netherlands, both their population and language
are called Dutch. They call it Nederlands.
Then there is another country called Germany. Our population and language
are called German, or Deutsch as we
call it. Dutch and Deutsch are NOT the
same! They are two different languages. Yes, there are some similarities
and we sometimes might understand each other a little bit, but we are not the
same people and do not speak the same language. Just like Spanish and French or
Italian are similar but not the same.
Okay, so let's continue with the prejudices
and stereotypes. Strictness and punctuality. Yes, I'd confirm that. We really
appreciate rule abiding and punctual people. But is that necessarily something
negative? Rudeness. I wouldn't really confirm that we are rude, but I can
understand where the perception comes from. We aren't very subtle, we are
really direct and pragmatic and don't necessarily realise that this can
sometimes hurt people who then perceive us as rude. That just stems from
different cultures. A harsh sounding language. For me personally it doesn't
sound harsh, but yes, obviously everybody has a different perception and I can
understand if you think it's harsh. But then I have a question for you: What do
you think about Arabic? Because for us Germans, Arabic sounds really harsh.
Hitler and World War II. No comment needed. Socks and sandals. First, did you
know there's even a Wikipedia article discussing socks and sandals? Well, yes
there are Germans who wear socks in sandals. There are Germans who don't. There
are also British, American and other people who do it. I share the opinion that
it is a fashion faux pas and usually say I'd never do it. But there are even
photos of me doing it. What can I say? It just happened. I was wearing socks
and hiking boots, took the boots off in the car, quickly wanted to go outside,
couldn't be bothered to put on the heavy boots and there I was wearing socks in
sandals. There are two things I have to point out in defence for the Germans:
1. There are different definitions of sandals. I remember one German guy at
Boarding School wearing Birkenstocks and socks. Every German would agree that
those were slippers, only worn at home, which is why it's totally okay to wear
socks in it. Everybody else called them sandals. 2. Why are Germans wearing
socks in sandals so frequently discussed whilst it's totally normal that the
British wear socks in dolly shoes? Good quality engineering. Cars and Autobahn.
I am not gonna judge whether they are good or not, let's just see: Bosch,
ThyssenKrupp, Siemens, Linde, Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, Opel, BMW, Mercedes...
And Autobahn. Let me just destroy the myth for you: It is not true that there
is no speed limit on the German motorway. You know when you enter another
country over the motorway there is always a sign telling you what the different
general speed limits are for motorways, for roads out- and inside of cities.
Those will apply if there is no sign telling you otherwise. And yes, it is
true, that if you enter Germany those signs will tell you that there is no
general speed limit on the Autobahn. But that doesn't mean that there aren't
any individual signs telling you otherwise. Usually when there is a
construction site, the speed limit will be 60kmh or 80kmh, near a city it will
be 100kmh, 120kmh or sometimes further outside even 130kmh. And yes, if there
is no city or construction site anywhere near and if the motorway is wide
enough there are parts without any speed limit. Sausages and cold meats. That
is so true! And I am so happy it is. In most countries (apart from the amazing
Full English Breakfast of course) I don't really like the breakfast. I know,
that's just me, but French Toast and pancakes, coffee and brioche, croissants,
that's just not for me, I can't imagine eating something sweet for breakfast.
That's why I love the German breakfast. Bread rolls and all the different types
of cold meats. Salami, Fleischwurst,
Leberwust, Teewurst, Blutwurst, Zervelatwurst, Schinken, Zwiebelmett, Braten,
Putenbrust, Sülze, Frühstücksfleisch.. I
could go on and on. And now the sausages or the famous Bratwurst. In Germany we
do have many different sausages, Bratwurst, Frankfurter, Thüringer, Bockwurst,
Krakauer, Weißwurst, Mettwurst and once again I could go on and on. Same
applies for Beer. But I already told you about our beer in earlier posts. We
love beer, we drink it like other people drink wine or soft drinks. Every
region brews their own beer, so we have incredibly many different beers.
Oktoberfest. Now you will soon see why I relate this list of stereotypes and
prejudices to me being in Munich. Oktoberfest is an annual fair and celebration
in Munich. The whole world seems to associate Germany with Oktoberfest,
Lederhosen and Dirndl. But that is not Germany. That is one part of Germany,
Munich, Bavaria. Lederhosen and Dirndl are a traditional costume, but not in
most parts of Germany, only in Bavaria and Austria, which is not part of
Germany. So, to conclude:
Germany,
Austria and Switzerland are three individual countries.
Bavaria
(with its capital city Munich) is only part of Germany. It is one of the 16
federal states of Germany. It's exactly 20% of the German area and 15% of the
German population. It does not represent all of Germany.
So, I really hope I could explain Germany a
little bit better to you and make some stereotypes and prejudices clearer. Once
I'm back from Munich, I will tell you more about my trip, the city itself and
Bavaria. Enjoy the weekend!
Servus!
Jen
