So I Must Have Learned Something in Three Weeks

As you may or may not have guessed from recent blog entries, part of my fellowship year here in Germany is participating in three long seminars which are intended to provide me with first-hand insights into the country and its people. Our first seminar - a three week journey through some of Germany’s largest cities - just concluded, and I must say it’s been nothing short of a whirlwind. I’ve met with countless businesspeople and public officials, taken numerous city tours, and logged some serious (often stressful) hours on trains, buses, U-Bahns, and more trains. I admit that it takes more than three weeks to truly understand a country, but nonetheless I feel that this trip has set me well on my way towards a greater understanding.

When most Americans (myself included) are asked about their mental picture of Germany, they imagine men in Lederhosen and women wearing the Dirndl, likely enjoying huge beers, pretzels, and sausages, and probably driving high-quality automobiles. In short, they imagine the region of Bavaria (Bayern) in southern Germany. This makes sense. Americans’ experience in Germany has been traditionally rooted in the south, first because that was our sector of Germany after the war, and second because we American tourists still flock to Munich as the destination of our German vacations. Not surprisingly, just as New Yorkers differ from Texans, there is more to Germany than we Americans see on postcards (though I still send them). My first and perhaps most simplistic observation: Germany is a culturally diverse place. What I find remarkable is the fact that it retains this diversity. Germany is about the size of Montana or roughly half the size of Texas, and yet it its 82 million inhabitants make its population larger than that of California, Texas, and New York combined. With such cramped domestic quarters smashed between nine other European countries, one might expect a high degree cultural homogenization or even dilution. Not so. While there are plenty of similarities to tie the country together, the German regions seem proud of their distinctive cultural differences and intent on preserving them. The influx of immigrants also adds a new layer of cultural diversity as well.

A good example of this interplay between regional and national diversity is food. On the national level, it seems no matter where you are, you are sure to find pork, potatoes, cabbage, and beer. However, culinary variations abound, depending on the region. I only really found pork knuckle (Schweinshaxe) and Weißwurst in Munich, Sauerbraten (German beef pot roast) in Köln and the Rhineland, and predominantly Fisch-based dinners in Hamburg. Döner Kebab, the Turkish specialty, and Currywurst were predominantly found in Berlin. In Munich I drank lots of Hefe-Weizen and Oktoberfest beer, while in Köln it seems the only beer on offer was the regional specialty, Kölsch. What is brewed in Karlsruhe or Frankfurt just isn’t found in Hamburg or Berlin - and all seem content that it remains this way.

I learned so much during these last three weeks and I plan to write several posts in the next several days sharing some of it with you. So... stay tuned.