As we continue to cover the "Dolphins Journey to Germany," we delve into the culture of the German folk and talk about some of the "generalizations" about their language, the clothing and the food.
Festive images of Oktoberfest are often the first thing that comes to mind when some think of the German culture, and when it comes to its traditional cuisine, Harald Neuweg, the owner of Coral Gables' Fritz and Franz Bierhaus, has heard it all after 25 years in the business.
"Most of the Americans think every German is wearing lederhosen," Neuweg said. "They don't differentiate from north or south Germans. The south German image is a much louder thing."
Not every German wears the lederhosen, or dirndls for the women, as this type of clothing originated in the state of Bavaria.
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But, where my family comes from, The Black Forest area known as Schwarzwald, the "folk clothing" is more conservative and sometimes includes head-dresses with red pom poms.
There's another stereotype about how the German language can sound a bit angry, but sometimes when Germans do speak, they are rather direct.
"We might come as being a bit harsh by being like 'Hey, I don't want to tell you three times the same thing, do it the way you're supposed to do it," Neuweg told us.
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German Consul General Christopher Burger echoes the same answer.
"Germans have a habit of getting to the point very quickly," Burger said. "I think other parts of the country people can take offense -feel like they're being rude, but we are nice people, we tend to get to the point."
Also, if you go out to a restaurant, be prepared for a slightly warmer drink as it's a trend all over Europe, that drinks don't come with ice.
"The team chef needs to call the hotel ahead of time and say listen we need a ton of ice," Neuweg said. "I have the same thing, I go around to my family and I am ready to bring my ice with me because nobody has ice."
And if you need to go, and I mean "go," be prepared to pay a little extra for that bathroom trip, as most public bathrooms require change to use it.
“It’s always a logical issue people get very serious about always carrying little change to be able to do that,” Consul General Burger said.
“Sometimes you end up like ‘Do you have any money to go to the bathroom?” Neuweg added.
One final thing you may notice if you travel overseas… the German stare.
If you speak with a German, they want your full attention.
“I noticed it moving here and noticed ‘Why don’t these people make eye contact?’ and I thought it was impersonal, and you know, ‘are people afraid of me? Look at me?’” Burger said. “For us it’s another way to let a person know that you notice them and you acknowledge them.”
If you travel by train, or if you’re out and about, Germans do stare… just a little.
