Kapitel 1 Kultur

When I was younger I was always curious why there was not more German tradition in the midwest USA, but as I grew I slowly came to realize that it is not visible because it is everywhere. The midwest embodies many German traditions to the core, such as a strong manufacturing base (not quite as much as when I was younger), hard, blue collar work, and a strong sense of independence and loyalty to where one grows up.

Although the underlying German traditions are well defined in the northern Midwestern USA, as the reading states "The diversity of religious expression among German-speaking immigrants was paralleled by a high degree of heterogeneity stemming from differences in regional and linguistic origins." (pg 21) Because of the Germans in the Midwest came from many different parts of Germany over long periods of time, German Americans don't typically have as strong of a German identity as that of Italian Americans or Irish Americans. This has also had the unique effect of allowing German Americans to blend into the prototypical American over time, allowing German ancestry to spread out across the country. It seems as though Germans tended to gravitate more towards a common culture than a common homeland while in America.

The pinnacle of the German tradition becoming that of America as a whole is in food and drink selections. The prototypical food for a 4th of July as well as a baseball game consists of hot dogs and beer (both of which can be traced to Germany). Beer drinking is this country's alcohol of choice, also something most likely brought over from Germany, as Germans drink the most beer per capita of any country in the world by far.

"Over time, as German Americans defined themselves less according to ethnicity, aspects of their heritage became part of the community as a whole. Today Milwaukee is known for its “beer and brats,” symbols of local culture that cut across ethnic lines and transcend their origins in the foodways of German-speaking immigrants.Perhaps we can say that Milwaukee is now “the most unconsciously German city in America." (pg 25)

Although it can be hard for me to see specific instances of Germany in America, I get the sense that it is all around me.