Kapitel 3 Kultur-Texte

Drinking

There's not a chance the citizens of Germany will allow any sort of law infringing upon their right to drink beer. Germans like their beer like Americans like their open web. If the English Wikipedia went dark to oppose SOPA, the entire German web would revolt against a government even considering the tightening of the public drinking laws.

However, I have a strong stance on public intoxication laws and public alcohol consumption in general; especially in Germany. One of the most awesome parts about the country is how well the general populace functions with such lax alcohol rules. Americans in general are raised to believe that alcohol (no matter the quantity or type) should be kept far away from productive life. Even the casual mention of having a beer during work elicits alcoholic jokes and can get many-a-employee fired. From the article and from my experience in the Country, this is the exact opposite Germany. High School kids would grab a six-pack on the way home from Friday classes and drink them in the park. College parties were held in the student unions, complete with students throwing up in the bushes and falling asleep on the dance floor. Hostels provided free beers for staying the night.

The American aversion to mixing alcohol with normal life tends to break down quickly, and with minimal warning. Oft understated is the importance of alcohol in business and casual meetings, which tend to get neglected in the typical American upbringing until it is too late. There is a fine line between having a beer or two over lunch with a potential client and getting drunk as a skunk. Many of my friends (and many college age Americans in general) see alcohol as a way to get drunk and act stupid, not as the casual social lubricant that it is to many young Germans. I'm sure this stems from the differing of cultures, where underage drinking is punishable by hundreds of dollars in fines and random drug screenings in America and is greeted by a couple friends and a 6 pack in Germany. By teaching our youth only to stay away from alcohol and showing gristly scenes of drunk driving accidents when they inquire about it, we impose upon our young adults the viewpoint that alcohol is best either avoided or abused. And we have far too many of both in our population. The uber-moderate German stance towards alcohol (especially beer) could benefit our young people more than we think (especially those on college campuses, where driving is rarely, if ever, required).


Doner
Great, cheap food. I'm personally offended that the writer didn't metion the Doner Durum, which is wrapped in flatbread and then stuffed with cole slaw and french fries.

Optimists
I didn't see much of this while I was there. Perhaps it was because I was around mostly young people who had as many hopes and dreams and as bright of an outlook on the future as I do.