German culture curiosities... (Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages) Language Learning Forum

German culture curiosities...
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Mani
Diglot
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Germany
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Message 9 of 34

30 December 2011 at 4:12pm | IP Logged

I had a good laugh at this! I think some of these things differ a lot from region to region or even from countryside to city. Growing up in Eastern Germany (former GDR territory) I'm giving my answers to what I am (was - as I know live in Luxembourg) used to.

blackcherries wrote:

Opinions, Attitudes, Customs, Habits

Don't put your left hand in your lap when you eat.
Germans don't put their hand on their lap while eating. Looks like you are giving the food to the dog, I've been told. (Really? And, if there's no dog around?)

True. Keep your hands on the table. Like RogerK I think this is an old custom though I don't know if it really relates back to fact that you can't conceal weapons then. Btw never put your elbows on the table while eating that's concidered to be clumsy, rest your wrists on the table and you're doing fine.

blackcherries wrote:

When eating or drinking together, wait until someone says Guten Appetit or wants to "anstossen" (click glasses to say "cheers". (Do young people do this too? Teens?)

Yes, most of the time true (when it comes to food), especially when you're a guest somewhere or in a restaurant, you're released from it when someone says "Please start without me." though it's considered more polite to wait anyways. As for drinks it's usually okay when you're thirsty to sip at your water or softdrink with alcohol you should wait for the "cheers". Those are the general rules for formal settings.
What teens do I don't know, I'm twice that age, so ...

blackcherries wrote:

RESTAURANTS

Notice on the menu if the tip is included. (Tipping expected now or not?)

Tipping is expected - usually 5-10%, if the service/food/beverage was fantastic you can give more, if the service/food/beverage sucked you leave without a tip.

blackcherries wrote:

Don't expect ice cubes in cola, you need to ask for it. (Nobody likes their drinks cold in Germany?)

Well, we like them cold, not frozen. :-) You'll always get ice cubes in fast food restaurants and when it's really hot in summer.

blackcherries wrote:

Feel free to sit with strangers in a restaurant, once you determine ob hier noch frei ist (What's "ob hier noch frei ist?; Is it common for people to sit with strangers? Thought Germans are reserved.)

Yes, true for small crowded places like cafés or for cafeterias. You'll ask: "Endschuldigung, ist hier noch frei?" or "Entschuldigung, ist dieser Platz (noch) frei?" ("Excuse me, is this seat taken?"). Rather unlikely in a restaurant.

blackcherries wrote:

Doggiebags are still mostly unknown but feeding your dog under the table and asking for a bowl of water is no problem in most restaurants (some now have signs with a picture of a dog and "Ich muss draussen bleiben"). (So, taking leftover food home is seen as tacky or somthing?)

Not true, doggiebacks are quite common, you can ask for them anytime, sometimes the service even asks you. Feeding dogs under your table in a restaurant is quite uncommon in my experience.

blackcherries wrote:

SHOPPING

Don't expect people to bag your groceries in the supermarkets. (In Berlin, can one bring their own bag to use while shopping? Or will it look like you're stealing?)

True. Preferably bring your own bag. Plastic bags will cost you some cents. You might earn some looks if you put items into your bag (they might think that you're trying to steal) so it's better to use a shopping trolley or basket.

blackcherries wrote:

WalMart scrapped German expansion - Germans mistrust American version of customer-oriented, ultra-friendly service. (Like Parisiens eh?)

True, too. Speaking for myself, I like to look around by myself, if I need assistance I'll ask for it, else I'm feeling like the service thinks I'm too stupid to do my shopping.

blackcherries wrote:

Does one still have to ask if one may look around when one goes into a smaller shop? (You really have to ask?)

No, not really. When you enter a small shop you greet the ones inside with a "Hallo." or "Guten Morgen/Tag." If the salesperson asks you if you need assistance you can answer "No thanks, I just would like to look around."

blackcherries wrote:

There is no line at the bakery or the butchers. (So, just these places?)

Not true at all! Try to step out of the line here and you'll get killed by the looks (especially) older people throw at you. I sometimes think Germans invented standing in line (apart from entering busses, trams or trains there you'll find survival of the fittest).

blackcherries wrote:

HOMES

Close the doors. Keeps the heat in the room and prevents drafts - Es zieht! (I've this many times. Are Germans really sensitive to drafts?)

I'd say true. Most people I know are sensitive to drafts. Keeping the doors closed and keeping the heat in the room as also the side effect of saving energy which most Germans are mad about - also saving energy equals saving money. When your flat or house is good insulated against heat (energy) loss it's likely to leave the doors open.

blackcherries wrote:

Most Germans don't shower every day. (Even teens?)

Again I'd say true. Not showering doesn't imply not washing. You can get yourself perfectly clean by washing yourself with a washcloth, a custom which probably dates back to times when the bathroom was only heated once a week (using an oven) and the rest of the week you cleaned yourself with a washcloth. Also saves water...

blackcherries wrote:

If one visits a private home, do they have the wall of books? For me, that's a dead giveaway that they are middle class. They must think it strange that so many American homes do not have the wall of books; no wonder they think we are ignorant and unintellectual. (Funny. Why are you mid-class if you love books?)

I have a lot of books and most of my friends too, but there are enough people that never touch a book again after leaving school.

blackcherries wrote:

BUSSES AND TRAINS

Greet the people in your train compartment. The same goes for small restaurants and especially hotel dining rooms. (Really? Greeting everyone in a small restaurant seems time-consuming!)

True, greeting in the sense of saying hello. The thing about the train you can forget because the trend goes to non-subdivided passenger compartments where greeting doesn't make any sense. If you should find yourself in a train with cabins (very unlikely) it's considered polite that you greet while entering the compartment.

blackcherries wrote:

LAUNDRY - CLOTHES

You do not have to have a different outfit for every day! (Do women in their 20's re-wear clothes without being made fun-of?)

Gosh! What kind of world are you living in over there? Being a woman in my early 30's I always wear (and always wore) whatever I liked.

blackcherries wrote:

The laundry is often boiled in a lengthy washing process, so some do their laundry infrequently to save energy. (Huh? Don't they just use regular machines? Boil?)

Boiling - haha, yes, 60 years ago. Just wait till you have enough laundry for a full machine and then wash it.

blackcherries wrote:

FLOWERS
Flowers: Give an uneven number. E.g. A dozen roses is one too many and bad luck.
When you visit someone with a Mitbringsel in the form of a nice bouquet, make sure you dispose of the wrapper before presenting the flowers, otherwise your hostess will look at you as though you've handed her a dead rat.

Yes, flowers - give an uneven number (don't know why, probably really something about bad luck) while a dozen red roses might be the exception to that rule.

blackcherries wrote:

SHAKING HANDS
For young students: Always wait for the older generation to offer their hand first.
Male: Always wait for the female to offer her hand first.
Don't forget to stand up to shake hands with people!
Shake hands with someone you meet. Also when departing especially and definitely with people who are older. (Young people shake hands? Even when meeting someone new in highschool?)

Generally true in formal settings. In informal situations absolutely unlikely, especially amongst teens. You are usually only shaking hands (apart from formal situations) when being introduced to someone for the first time.

blackcherries wrote:

PERSONAL SPACE - IN PUBLIC and WAITING IN LINE
When in public, there is no private space. When in private - it is huge. Let me explain. When in line, on a street-car, or other crowded place, your personal space starts on the inside of your clothes. (very disconcerting to American males when a matronly Oma leans her chest into your back). The way to keep your place in line when someone gets close is to NOT back away, since that gives them permission to move on up (ahead of you), but rather put your weight on your foot closest to that person (for an American this feels like leaning back into the leaner). (Wow!)

Hm, thinking about it I'd say it's true. Very subtle telling the other one: "Back off. I'm standing here." (Body language is weird, isn't it?)

blackcherries wrote:

People in Austria and Germany do not line up. Push forward, just like they do, if you want to get on the bus, etc. (Ugh, I hate it if it's true.)

You'll hate us for this - entering public transport is survival of the fittest...

blackcherries wrote:

Do not expect total strangers to smile at you and nod hello. My students always wonder why people in Europe do not do that. I point out that smiling/eye contact can be indications that you want something from the other person.

Depends on where you are, the smaller the place the more likely people will smile at you and nod or say hello. In a village people might even stop and talk to you, extremly unlikely that this'll happen in a city.

blackcherries wrote:

MISCELLANEOUS

Do not sit down on the sidewalk or on the floor or in any other public place (such as the Pergamon) (Seen as dirty?)

Well, you can get dirty buttocks from that and for people over the age of an university student it's unlikely to do so, but it's not forbitten or considered as rude or such like, but we have benches in Germany as well ;-)

blackcherries wrote:

Be prepared to see dogs in restaurants, on the streetcars and busses, in church, etc.
(Boo, I dislike dogs.)

Churches no, else true.

blackcherries wrote:

Don't be surprised when Germans correct your English!

This could happen...

blackcherries wrote:

If you want to practice German, you might need to ask specifically for Germans to speak German with you, otherwise they will use the opportunity to practice their English! If they speak dialect, ask them nicely for Hochdeutsch - most can speak it!

True, too. Or just ask some older person (over 60).

blackcherries wrote:

Bathing daily is not common.

Again, bathing is not washing...

blackcherries wrote:

Interesting post from the site:

It is hard trying to pin down cultural differences between Germany and Northern America. There has been a frequent cultural exchange over the last decades, so that now the icons of each culture, McDonald's and Mercedes Benz, can be found in both places, culminating in the fusion of Chrysler and Daimler Benz.

Luckily, one big difference remains. Whereas the American always tries to move the frontier further, the Germans would never do so. Why is that? On first glance, this question can easily be solved, there is no frontier left in Germany , every spot of ground already belongs to someone. But there is more than meets the eye. The keyword is: Problems of insulation. Since freshly built farmhouses somewhere in the outback tend to have badly insulated windows and doors, no German would dream of living there.

Oh, many Germans dream of a farmhouse somewhere that's green, but of course we would insulate windows and doors first. ;-)

blackcherries wrote:

Besides watching soccer on TV, making fun of the beer of other countries and showing of with economical cars (or with Mercedes Benz, for Germans they don't belong in this category), there is another beloved pastime in Germany : Looking for draughts (ein Zug).

Guilty. But we don't make fun of Czech beer and some of us also consider British and Irish beer as drinkable...

blackcherries wrote:

What people from other countries usually like (“Hey, open the window, let some fresh air in!”) is the most horrifying thing Germans can think of (well, perhaps losing against some American soccer team would be worse). Due to a genetic misconstruction of the inner ear and the respiratory system in general, Germans develop rich varieties of flu, sinusitis, cold, rheumatism, fever and symptoms the English language lacks expressions for, as soon as the slightest breeze hits them.

Oh, we air our rooms, too.
And losing against the American football team - nah - impossible. Our nightmare is to lose against the Dutch.

blackcherries wrote:

Luckily, the Germans have always been quite a innovative bunch of people. Companies producing insulating material and glass wool are one of the most flourishing industries in Germany . In fact, every normal German apartment shows a level of insulation that could be transferred to Mars without any air emerging from it, or it might be placed on some abyssal plain without the lodger even taking notice (as long as he doesn't step out on the patio to smoke a cigarette).

Could happen.

blackcherries wrote:

Of course, this avoidance of fresh air leads to a low level of oxygen in closed buildings. In order to not to have to open the window, any feeling of dizziness is encoded in the second most popular German pastime, having troubles with your blood circulation, in German: Kreislaufstörung . Anyone planning a trip to Germany : better learn this expression by heart and use it a soften as possible. This can be useful: A normal citizen of the world admits, after being horribly drunk at night and after not having enough sleep, that he or she has a hangover. In Germany , one can avoid this guilty plea: That is not a hangover, that is just a Kreislaufstörung . You are not to blame for it, it can happen to anyone. Smoking a pack of cigarettes and feeling sick? Kreislaufstörung. Caught drunk driving? Kreislaufstörung. Falling asleep in a meeting? Kreislaustörung.

Throw occationally in "Mein Blutdruck ist zu niedrig." ("My bloodpressure is to low."), it'll sound more authentic.
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Doitsujin
Diglot
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Germany
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Message 10 of 34

30 December 2011 at 4:28pm | IP Logged

The German weekly Der Spiegel has a Germany Survival Bible section with interesting articles written by expats that are more realistic than your sources. You might find the following articles relevant and/or interesting:

Brutally Honest
You Have What? - Mysterious Illness in Germany (Kreislaufzusammenbruch)
Baring It All - Get Naked with the Germans
Scoring a German - Flirting with Fräuleins, Hunting for Herren

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Badner
Diglot
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Message 11 of 34

30 December 2011 at 5:13pm | IP Logged

Losing against the American soccer team (in case it ever happens) is not worse than losing against any other team (although Klinsmann is its current coach). The defeats that really hurt are against the Netherlands, England, Italy and Austria. ;-)

Badner (who takes a shower or has a bath every day, but usually wears a pullover two or three days in a row)

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LebensForm
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Message 12 of 34

30 December 2011 at 5:43pm | IP Logged

I read those articles and yes very interesting. I've always been one to be rather honest so I completely understand that. As far as being naked, I live in America, this will be something to get use to, if I'd ever move back. And I am not one to flirt, as I am quite oblvious when a man is flirting with me. Thanks for those!
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Sprachprofi
Nonaglot
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Message 13 of 34

05 January 2012 at 12:28am | IP Logged

Most of this was already answered, so just one note:

There are definitely bookshelves in the living-room or an equally visible space. This
does not however correlate to people reading said books - maybe college students would
line up the books they're reading, but when visiting older people you'll often see
books that they haven't read and probably never will, for example a 25-tome
encyclopedia, or the complete works of greats like Goethe and Schiller.

Compared to America, people show off wealth much more rarely, as wealth is often met
with suspicion rather than admiration. So it's uncool to mention the price of anything,
and surveyers often have a problem with rich people claiming to be earning barely over
a pauper's wages, so that it's necessary to ask about secondary indicators (profession,
status symbols) instead. Education has taken the place of wealth. Having a bookshelf
full of Goethe is a way to show off, to distinguish yourself from the masses. Same goes
for speaking well, or knowing the intricate rules of Knigge (etiquette). There
is little upwards mobility for people who cannot act the part.
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Iversen
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Message 14 of 34

05 January 2012 at 3:36am | IP Logged

Speaking about Goethe: in my family (which lives in Southern Jutland) we have regularly watched German TV since the 60s, and we had a weird little game: whenever Goethe was mentioned we would yell "Goethe" ... and then that day was saved. It was extremely rare not to hear a reference to Goethe at least once every evening. Lately it seems that more evenings have become "Goethe-frei", but it is still amazing how often he is mentioned in German TV.

Edited by Iversen on 05 January 2012 at 3:39am
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LebensForm
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Message 15 of 34

05 January 2012 at 6:15am | IP Logged

Going on the Goethe thing, this may seem like a dumb question, so advanced apologies, but could his name be spelled with the ö? Göthe, since the ö makes a oe equivalent... sorry if this has obvious answers. Just something I wondered.
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jeff_lindqvist
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Message 16 of 34

05 January 2012 at 10:46am | IP Logged

To me, a visible bookshelf is merely a sign that the person likes to read, rather than wanting to show off. Other people might have CDs/LPs, DVDs, VHS tapes or a statue of Superman. Now that I think of it, we've never had a bookshelf in the living-room where I grew up, but each bedroom has had at least one shelf filled with books.

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