Kultur 7

The first article that I read was the "How Not to Die on German Roads." I found this article quite funny. With this sense of humor in the article though, I wonder how much of that stuff actually happens. I bet most of the things on the roads do happen but the one about your car being kicked if you leave it running?? Come on. I think someone would have to go pretty low to do such a thing and if the author really means that all these things do happen, then there is no way I would want to attempt to drive in Deutschland. Although, I think it would have a great deal based off of where you live. Such as crossing the street or going through an almost red would definitely apply in a big city but not so much in a more rural area.

The next one I read was "No-Frills Shopping, German Style." Now this definitely paints a bad picture of German supermarkets and German people in general. After reading this I realized how thankful I am for the supermarkets here in the US such as Meijer. Wow. Although I am not in them that often, I know that they are way better than the description I just read of these German ones. Again, I believe this very much relates to where you live. In a more busy/urban area I bet you find more people who will cut and be rushed for time rather than in a more rural area. I think this would be true for most highly populated cities wherever you go, you will get these kinds of people and workers.
 
And the last article I read was "Of German Lines and Pythons." This one is also pretty funny. It seems like you really have to be aware of your surroundings and stay on your toes if you want to get through these horrendous shopping experiences. I like the line system we have here in the US.

After reading all these articles, I have quite a bad picture painted of German people in general. It sounds like most, as they described, can be quite rude and mindless of others interests. I think I would struggle in Germany for at least little bit after hearing these things. I wouldn't consider myself a patient person but I am not one to run to a newly opened register, or cut in front of someone in line to possibly save 5 minutes. It's just not worth it and it sounds like it would cause a scene. I did find these articles interesting though and something one would have to experience for themselves to really know what goes on.

Kultur 7

After finally reading the Kultur for this chapter, I have come to the conclusion that this person is very frustrated by German culture or simply did not have a good time in Germany.  After having been there over summer, I can tell you that it is not that bad.  Supermarkets can sometimes be a bit unclean, but it's not as exaggerated as it says in the articles.

Next off, when it comes to driving in Germany, I have to respect German drivers.  These people need cat-like reflexes in order for them to not crash at very high velocities.  Then again, this makes them INCREDIBLY disciplined.  Coming from an island where everyone drives however they want, the difference is like heaven and hell.  People will only pass you on the left, they will slow down in zones with speed limits, and the driver will even yell at a passenger if he or she is being unruly towards another car (which happened to me, oops).  Drivers in Germany are very politely and should be treated with the same level of politeness.

Kultur 7

Hallo!

These articles were... more of the same. Erstens ich fahre nicht, also der Artikel "How not to die on german roads" war langwellig. Ich mag der "No-Frills Shopping" Artikel nicht, weil er unrealistic hat. The thing I got most from the textbook articles was the sense that Germany is much better organized than America, with many different parts of the system working together. For example, having a student ID (der Studentenausweis) that helps you all over.

Concerning the 'Schlange' article, I was reminded of an article I read long ago about masses of people being quicker than lines. However, despite spending a fair amount of time looking, I found not a trace of it... Anyways, it also reminded me of Israel, where lines at fast food places tend not to exist. I have a vivid memory of standing in line at a burger place, and trying fruitlessly to push my way through the mob of people surrounding the counter.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Alle Artikel war sehr interessant! Ich habe viele über die Deutsch Kultur gelernt. I was really surprised by what I learnt in these articles. I did not know the german culture in supermarkets and on the road was like this. It's funny because there's a stark contrast between the articles describing how to behave on roads and how to behave in queues/supermarkets. While the article on the roads asks you to be overly polite, making sure that other people always get their way first (or else you'll "get a ticket or die"), the article on queues and the supermarket encourages you to be pretty ruthless. I found it funny that the author compared being in a queue like being in a jungle, each man for himself. It's funny also how even if you are the first in the line, you are still not guaranteed safety into the actual checkout lane. Other people behind you might easily cut and steal an open stall if they see that you are not immediately moving towards it. Where as in the roads article, even if you are 25 seconds late, you should expect a ticket from the meter maid, and you should so while smiling. It amazes me how polarized these articles are in terms of behaving, as one asks you to be completely passive - allowing others to take the benefit of you doing so - while the other two demand that you be fierce and determined to make sure that others don't take the benefit of you. In fact, one of the articles even suggested to eat a lot of garlic the night before as germans hate the smell of it. But collectively, all the articles were interesting and entertaining to read.

Kultur 7

The description of the cheap supermarket was beautiful, almost poetic. It was straight out of a dystopian or apocalypse novel. One with a humorous tone, I guess. The part about the produce not being fresh, that is nothing unique to Germany or any cheap place. That food that wasn't German-made was labeled "American-style" was interesting. I didn't know we had our own kind of rice....or ice cream.
I read the article about "Super Bowl Party" on USA Kulinarisch. American football isn't very popular in Europe, and so I bet it is interesting to them that the Super Bowl is such a big deal to Americans. It is sort of like the World Cup to us. The writer said that they were going to have a party and watch it, even though it would be in the middle of the night for them. One commenter said "Wenn du dich mit dem amerikanischem Bier gar nicht zurückhalten kannst, kann ich dir Samuel Adams empfehlen." I think this means "If you can't stomach American beer, you can have Samual Adams."
"How Not to Die on German Roads"- I can tell this one is going to be cheerful. My dad has told me that Germans are actually very good drivers, and they think that when you are driving you shouldn't be doing anything else, and they often don't have cupholders. "You might not get a ticket but you'll incur the wrath of those beautiful people in chic tweed jackets and well-coifed gray hair" ahhahahaha. I don't think I understand that reference completely but it is still funny.
"Germans cannot stand the smell of garlic"-- VAMPIRES??!?!?

Kultur 7

As always this chapters Kultur readings were very interesting. First off, the article on value supermarkets sounded like my description of Walmart, the only thing that I thought was dissimilar was the way rotten foods are not removed. In regards to what most people would consider rude or impatient behavior in German supermarkets I feel that the culture in supermarkets in the US is not much different. Furthermore, cashiers at many places are similar in practice to their German counterparts. My favorite article for this chapter was the piece on waiting in line in Germany. I was actually quite surprised by their lack of order as the author discussed, especially when, in my opinion, this is one realm that we in the US are quite orderly about. In general I feel that Americans take waiting in line relatively seriously, cutting is uncommon and people are quick to call you out for trying; this may be the only facet of life that I have ever heard of Americans being more organized than the Germans.

Kultur 7

Guten tag, meine Freunden! The kultur readings for today were interesting, which is par for the course. It was definitely interesting browsing the different German articles about American cuisine. I happened to stumble on one article about American Superbowl parties. It was actually fairly accurate in its description of American Super Bowl fare. I went on to read the comments, and people were describing their typical party snacks. I found one person who made nachos with gouda cheese, which sounded especially appetizing. Moving on to the other articles, I liked the one about driving on the autobahn. It was definitely amusing, and it was interesting to note how many ways there were to get killed--or worse, fined--by violating German traffic laws. It's good to note that the Germans don't like idling, it's a practice that definitely contributes a large amount of unnecessary chemicals to the air we breathe. It was also interesting to note the percieved superiority of Mercedes and BMW drivers. It makes sense, they're damn good, damn expensive cars. The people who would get them probably have more money than sense in some ways, and feel entitled to drive somewhat recklessly. It's funny how this sort of tomfoolery is tolerated, and people just feel that they have better things to do than mess around with a borderline insane man behind the wheel of a fine piece of engineering. Frankly, nobody wants to hurt the car! The article about the lines struck me in a similar vein as the article about how Germans pound on office doors and then stroll in like they own the place. I'm not necessarily sure this is as universal as the author makes it out to be, as this seems universally uncalled for. Then again, I haven't set foot in Deutschland, so maybe they are actually this chaotic and self centered. It just seems like a caricature to me, though...

Kapitel 7

I think it is very werid the way that German supermarkets are set up. It amazes me how rude that the German people sound. It seems to me that they do not care about anybody but themselves and do not care if you get hurt getting in their way. I found it hilarious that the rules of driving in Germany were so different then here in America. I also found it funny that a lot of the rules ended with "or you will die". It really does amaze me how rude and mean the Germans seem to be. They do not take anybody else into consideration it is all about themselves. This is shown in the line article. They will do anything they can just to get in front of the line.

Kultur 7

Well, first I would like to say, this semester's articles are much more interesting than last semester's. For Kultur 7, I like the two articles: Take it from a German, How not to be die on German roads & Bargain Buys, no-frills shopping, German style.

I am interested in the suggestions given by the German about the rule of the road. He put "or you die" at the end of almost every sentence. That makes me feel it's really dangerous to drive or walk on a German road. I was surprised by the fact that people can drive about 200 kph on the autobahn in Germany! Because in China, the maximum speed on the highway is usually 100 kph. However, low speed doesn't usually mean safety. Actually, it might be more dangerous driving on a Chinese highway. When you trying to overtake a car, the driver next to you will speed up and not let you to take the place. So I think the most dangerous thing while driving is not speed, but respect to others.

As for the supermarket, I think it is just like our Chinese supermarket. It's usually crowded, full of people and goods. However, there is one thing better in China. Employees will always check if the food is turning bad and replace the bad food. I think it is scary that German employees usually don't do this. The same thing between the supermarkets of these two countries is, when you finally finish shopping, you would feel like you just survived from a battle. 

Although I gain a lot of fun from reading these articles, I kind of lose my confidence to travel to Germany one day. It seems scary to be in a country like this described by the authors. If I choose to study aboard  in Germany, hope I am not going to be killed by the old ladies who kick into high gear and try to get poll position. 

Kultur 7

Hallo,

I found the article about the German style of shopping very interesting. It seems to be that German shopping is totally different then American shopping. When I have gone to my hometown's local grocery shops like Meijer or Krogers, there are always many options and varieties. The article conveys that Germans tend to shop more in small convenience stores. Although the article says that these shops are not consumer friendly, I feel like a small store with a few good options would be nice. When I go to big stores like costco or walmart, I am very easily overwhelmed with the choices available. Therefore I don't think I would mind the "hostile environment" that German shops can sometimes create.

-Sripriya

Kultur 7

The article about bargain shopping reminded me of the supermarket that was down the street from my apartment in Montreal. Pretty much identical to what they described - very sketchy, slightly terrifying, but CHEAP. I can't say I'm a big fan of stores like this. For me, I'd rather just pay the extra money and shop somewhere where I feel comfortable, and where the food looks appealing!

As for the article about lines, I think that would be very frustrating! I hate when people do things like that. It seems so inconsiderate - I don't think I would be able to control my anger for very long if this kept happening to me. But the article on driving was pretty funny. While I think it would be extremely scary, it also sounds like kind of a good time - as long as you don't die.

The website about American food was really interesting. I had a fun time browsing different "American" recipes. One of my favorites was Dinner a la TGI Friday. Can't say I've ever actually been to a TGI Friday, so I guess I'm a bad American - but the recipes they chose looked pretty great. Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie, Cajun Chicken Past & Shrimp, Vanilla Bean Cheesecake... yum. No wonder everyone else in the world assumes we're all super fat!