Reflections of Germany

[Thermo]

I just got back from a couple weeks in Germany. I visited Munich, Regansburg, and Salzburg, Austria. I enjoyed the trip and made some observations about the people and culture. Overall I would rate Germany high above England or Italy.

Food - Germany has some very good meats, breads, and beer. I liked pretty much all the food I tried. They also have some good chinese and middle eastern food is on almost every corner.

Toilet paper - They use single ply, but you can get two ply.

Smoking - Germany is Flavor country. I don't like smoke so at times this was unconfortable coming from the US where I can pretty much avoid smoking all together. It is rare to enter any building that isn't filled with smoke.

Handicapped and Strollers - My mother made the observation that "You would probably want to shoot yourself if you handicapped." They have very few escalators and ramps. It is hard to move children and wheelchairs around.

Children - I found Germany on the whole unfriendly to children. Children as supposed to be seen and not heard, even small children. I got quit a few nasty stares when my children acted like children, particularly in restraunts. Although I did meet some germans that were very nice to my children.

[Shai Gar]

children are morons. and the handicapped were shipped off with the jews.

[crule81]

On the occasions that I visited Germany, I was pissed that one had to pay to use the restroom at rest areas off of the autobahn, but there was free dog food and treats for the pooches.

[Swift]

Eat any Sauerkraut?

[In...TP]

I was there in '99. Munich, Salzburg (a friend of mine teaches there), Coburg, Berlin, Hamburg, and Amsterdam. Amsterdam was the eye opener.

[crule81]

I was there in '99. Munich, Salzburg (a friend of mine teaches there), Coburg, Berlin, Hamburg, and Amsterdam. Amsterdam was the eye opener.

I didn't know Germany was getting aggressive again and annexed both the Netherlands and Austria to the Reich.

[Swift]

I didn't know Germany was getting aggressive again and annexed both the Netherlands and Austria to the Reich. There's a lot your government doesn't tell. ;)

[ApeTheDog]

I think you'll find that the whole of Europe is not so child friendly. But that all depends on what you think childfriendly is. We don't have eurodisneys, and in restaurants they don't name dishes after cartoons, but that's not because we don't like children, but because we think doing that is a bit retarded. Europe is a lot more serious about things like that. Almost nobody eats cornflakes here as a breakfast when they're adult.

[Pedro_The_Lion]

That's too bad corflakes are awesome. Here there seem to be "adult" cereals and "kiddie" cereals (packed with sugar). Whoa... that was weird I never noticed porn and cereal fit into some of the same categories. Anyway... I think I agree more with europe's stance on children but I am hardly a bastard about it. This sounds like an ethno-socionics thing. I think Germany is characterized by an ISTJ culture whereas America is more ENTJ.

[Thermo]

We don't have eurodisneys, and in restaurants they don't name dishes after cartoons, but that's not because we don't like children, but because we think doing that is a bit retarded. Europe is a lot more serious about things like that. Almost nobody eats cornflakes here as a breakfast when they're adult.

I'm glad I grew up in America then.

[Swift]

Almost nobody eats cornflakes here as a breakfast when they're adult.You forgot Kellogg's Special K, targeted at people that want to lose weight. Anyway, I don't think what you're saying is correct.

Swift

[Dunearhp]

That's too bad corflakes are awesome. Here there seem to be "adult" cereals and "kiddie" cereals (packed with sugar). Whoa... that was weird I never noticed porn and cereal fit into some of the same categories.

Now you can invent "Rice Boobies" and make a killing.

[Pedro_The_Lion]

Now you can invent "Rice Boobies" and make a killing.

I think the milk squirting out of them would disturb me while eating them.

[Dunearhp]

Snap, Crackle. Squirt!

[Shai Gar]

no.

Snap, Crackle, Shluuurp!

[ApeTheDog]

You forgot Kellogg's Special K, targeted at people that want to lose weight. Anyway, I don't think what you're saying is correct.

Swift
In the USA a lot of adults and old people eat cornflakes as a breakfast too and over here it's almost exclusively kids food. There's a big difference between how many cornflakes people eat, for sure.

[Claverhouse]

In the USA a lot of adults and old people eat cornflakes as a breakfast too and over here it's almost exclusively kids food. There's a big difference between how many cornflakes people eat, for sure.
Breakfast... shudders. Bad enough waking, without getting stuck into food. Cornflakes... reshudders. As you say: kiddylike.

But Grapenuts are rather nice. A lot tougher. But expensive in this country, about £2.50 a packet and difficult to find.


Claverhouse :ph34r:

[ApeTheDog]

Yeah. Anyway. Germany is a nice country if you own a big car. There is no speed limit on the highway, so you can drive 300 if you want and can. Germans are never annoying either. They always seem more modest and introvert than the inhabitants of other countries.

There is one exception. Germans, on holiday, are often quite annoying! I don't know why, but they are. It's probably because there are so many of them.

[Nighthawk]

I was there in '99. Munich, Salzburg (a friend of mine teaches there), Coburg, Berlin, Hamburg, and Amsterdam. Amsterdam was the eye opener.I used to have border patrol duty in the Coburg sector when the wall was still up. Beautiful city. I would love to see the other side now that the wall is down. Amsterdam IS an eye opener. Great place though, IMHO.

[crule81]

I got stuck on a train from Frankfurt to Munich during a winter storm. Unlike Americans, the Germans were very calm, well behaved, and did not complain. You'd think that not getting somewhere on time would be the one thing that would piss off Germans.

[ApeTheDog]

It probably did, but you can't act on that. Making a scene in public is not done. The children learn this at a very young age. (Which, incidentially, is why the first poster's children were stared at for making so much noise in public.)

[crule81]

It probably did, but you can't act on that. Making a scene in public is not done. The children learn this at a very young age. (Which, incidentially, is why the first poster's children were stared at for making so much noise in public.)

Good point. They probably were thinking the same things as Americans, but merely retained a stiff upper lip.

[ApeTheDog]

Complaining about something that bothers you, and through doing that annoying everybody around you for having to listen to you whine, is something that is not done at all. It is a very self-centered thing to do, and europeans are generally far less selfish than Americans because we are taught so soon not to consider our own needs and wished to be paramount.

[crule81]

I think it is more that Americans believe that if they make enough noise, things will be changed. That is part our our political system and society that goes back very far and might be attributable to low population denisities and relative wealth. The problem is that Americans tend to make noise even when they know, or should know, that complaining is completely futile.

[ApeTheDog]

Well we both can't but have a different view on this, so it is probably both true. You Americans you are taught to be loud, and behavior such as that is stimulated, and us europeans are taught to be modest and silent, with behavior diametrically opposed to it being frowned upon.

[booyalab]

I think Americans are louder simply because there are more extroverts than introverts, If I'm not mistaken.

[MacGuffin]

WE ARE TEH BEST!!!!

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

[Nighthawk]

Complaining about something that bothers you, and through doing that annoying everybody around you for having to listen to you whine, is something that is not done at all. It is a very self-centered thing to do, and europeans are generally far less selfish than Americans because we are taught so soon not to consider our own needs and wished to be paramount.My guess is that it is harder to be self-centered where the population densities are higher? Crowded situations make crapping on your neighbors less tolerable.

My parents are both German and raised me just to shut up and suck it up.

[aether]

So when was it that the Germans came out of the woods?

[Pedro_The_Lion]

German staunchness and dedication is awesome. They remind me of the Spartans.

[euterpenc]

Yeah, Germany may be too "strict", but in contrast, America is kind of not strict. I like the freedoms I have, but other people abuse them. I guess it's the price we pay. Fucking idiots.