German Ads (Part 1)

German culture might not have the same element of subtlety as our Anglo one, but you do see it sometimes.  (One of the main English speaking community websites in Germany had an interesting discussion about lack of subtlety here.)

In this case, the Sonntags Zeitung ("Sunday Newspaper" from Zurich, Switzerland) ran a series of print advertisements with the tagline "The Insight Story".  The idea is to show that their newspaper gets to the core of the news, and tells what is really going on... or at least gives unique perspectives on the topics of the day.

They use Russian-style Matryoshka dolls as the metaphor for the message.  Here are Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni.

Of course, Obama has to be included.  He's extremely popular over here and undoubtedly a fascinating figure globally.

No European newspaper would be complete without at least one supermodel photo (although this newspaper does NOT have a daily topless woman like some others...)  It's my favorite of the bunch. 

You need a villian too, so the Russians will fill that role nicely. 

Young & Rubicon are credited with the campaign, and the entire collection (a few more) can be found here.  Well done.

What Happens When You Give Free Toppings in Germany?

To many American tourists, Germany is the land of no ice, where water costs more than beer. And you have to pay for ketchup at fast food places.

Yes, it sounds odd as an isolated fact. But it's part of the system...Because drinks are so costly, they are also measured exactly. In most restaurants, your glass will have a line with the measurement. Under the German system, customers want to be sure that they get their money's worth - a full 0.33 mL or 0.5mL drink. Adding ice distorts the measurements, thus is not used. Why the clever German engineers haven't come up with standard ice cubes to allow for standard volume of water displacement is another question...I'm sure they could do it, but then again, many Europeans don't like ice in their drinks!

The water thing...yeah, I still am not sure why you don't get free tap water, but most people drink sparkling mineral water or want extra minerals in their water. (sparkling water is wasser mit kohlensäure - or just wasser mit. If you want plain, ask for stilles wasser or ohne kohlensäure).

Along this logic, chicken nuggets usually come with one sauce included - you pay for an extra if you want more sauce than someone has deemed normal. With fries, sometimes 1 ketchup pack is included in the price; sometimes not. In an Italian or upscale restaurant, usually the basket of bread slices is included with your meal (don't ask for a second one!); however, in most German restaurants, you will be charged for the number of pretzels or rolls you consume out of the basket on the table. (Because of this system, it would be a faux pas to take half a pretzel and leave it in the basket!)

So, it is a little unusual to drink tap water, and the German system of self-responsibility also extends to paying for what you use.

This system works pretty well here, once you know the rules. And perhaps it keeps costs from rising further, who knows? But the amusing part of it is what happens when there's an exception to the rules. As we've seen from New Years Eve fireworks, the World Cup, and other events allowing organized chaos,  when you suspend the rules, Germans will take it to the extreme.

This week Herr J stopped at Subway in the train station on his way to a meeting in Nürnberg (the smell of baking bread is intoxicating!!!), and ordered a sandwich. He asked for just a little bit of lettuce on his sandwich and maybe one other topping. Here's the exchange that followed with the Subway employee:

Subway Guy:  Don't you want more toppings?
Herr J:            No, that's OK. This is all I want
SG:                 But they're included.
Herr J:            I know, but the grilled chicken is really good and I want to enjoy its taste instead of all the toppings
SG:                 [laughs] Yeah, we Germans will pile on as many toppings as will fit because they're free.
Herr J:            And how does the sandwich taste?
SG:                 Not so good actually, it just tastes like lettuce.

For the record, Subway also has self-serve fountain drinks, with ice. AND FREE REFILLS! In additional to having international franchising standards and American customers, I think the theory is that ice is allowed in self-service situations because the customer is taking on the choice and responsibility of serving himself/herself a less than full serving.

Herr J had a similar experience in the US, when he took visiting German colleagues to Fuddruckers, home of free burger topping bar that encourages you to "Pile it high" and "Never leave hungry."

His colleagues learned the true American-style meaning of "my eyes were bigger than my stomach!" However, they really loved the place - partly due to good burgers, and especially due to all the free toppings and choice.

The German Beer Wars Final

And so we reach the end of our 64-beer tour....

After some blowouts and some close calls, we find ourselves with 8 beers remaining:

The Helles Region:
Battling for the regional championship, we have Andechs Bergbock Hell (darker and stronger than a true helles) vs Löwenbräu Orginal.

It really wasn't a fair fight...Though the Löwenbräu had shocked everyone with its success, it couldn't stand up to the rich taste and extra alcohol of the Bergbock Hell and lost 2 votes to 7. The most common comment was that it tasted like water compared to the Andechs. Perhaps it would have done better against a similar beer or would have done better on a hot summer day rather than a cold winter night...but those are the rules in a single elimination bracket tourney. Auf wiedersehen, Löwenbräu!  

The Pils/Export Region:
In this round, we ended up with two diverse beers - Hassröder Premium Pils (previously unknown to us, but we found tastier than all of the well-known Pilsners) vs Augustiner Edelstoff Exportbier. This one was a close one, coming down to the last couple of votes. It was truly a back and forth game, but Andechs came out on top by one vote.

The Weißbier Region:
Interestingly, we ended up on both ends of the weißbier spectrum: the unfiltered Andechs Weissbier Hefetrüb vs Paulaner's filtered Weissbier Kristalklar.

 In the end, the traditional weißbier beat out it's unfiltered cousin, by a margin of 6 to 3. The Kristalklar had surprised us all, but it couldn't compete with the real thing.

The Dunkel Region:
Here we have two powerful beers - Erdinger Dunkel (a dunkelweißbier) vs Paulanar Salvator, the famous starkbier.
Another buzzer beater, Salvator won the matchup by one vote. This one really came down to preference. As we're now in the middle of Starkbier season, we'll soon have a special starkbier mini-tournament to see if there's a better one than Salvator. Luckily Salvator is available year-round!

So we find ourselves (not surprisingly) with an all-Bavarian Final Four:

Andechs Bergbock Hell vs Augustiner Edelstoff Exportbier
and
Andechs Weissbier vs Paulaner Salvator   

 

 (we had some tasty chocolate chip cookies from my chocolate chip stash!)

Andechs Bergbock Hell vs Augustiner Edelstoff Exportbier:
Yet again, the monks' tasty brew blows away the competition - 7 votes to two! A pretty large margin this far in the tournament. Again, nothing could stand up to the rich (but not heavy like a dunkel or starkbier) taste of the Bergbock Hell.

Andechs Weissbier vs Paulaner Salvator 
While this one wasn't quite a blowout, it wasn't so close either...There's a reason weißbier is so beloved in Bavaria - it just has a really pleasing taste, and a full-bodied feel. Salvator, of course, is very full-bodied (it originated as bread in a glass!), but it doesn't have the feel in your mouth that the more carbonated weißbier does. 6 to 3, Andechs.

The Final Match

We've loved Andechs beers in general since discovering the monastery, but we never could have predicted an all Andechs final. Remember, folks, this was all blind tasting (as best as we could), and involved many different groups of people throughout the tournament. And here we are:

As we had predicted, this final contest would come down to a matter of preference for beer type. While we do have a winner, it was another competition that came down to the last vote...5 to 4, for the Weissbier Hefetrüb.

Though the Weissbier wins the overall tournament, it could have been different with a different crowd. So, we'll just crown Andechs the winner of the First Schnitzelbahn Beer Tournament. (with my crown from Oktoberfest).
 

We do realize it was highly weighted toward Munich area beers, but it makes sense that we start with learning about the beers in our area. We have some plans for further tournaments, either having mini-tourneys, or branching out into non-German beers. We're always open to suggestions, volunteers, and if anyone wants to hold a US beer tournament, we'd love to hear about it!  

Here's the full final bracket (click on it to enlarge):

Choice: Less Is More

An expat's trip to the US is rarely a holiday or an opportunity to see somewhere new. It usually consists of (1) Visiting family and friends, and (2) shopping.

Each time I go home, my list of must-haves is smaller and smaller. In some cases, I've found reasonable substitutes here; in others, I've decided I just don't care so much anymore. Upon arriving home from 2 weeks in NY, I exclaimed to Herr J "But my bags were 8 kg below the limit...I could have fit so much more!" I guess this is a good sign...I've been working to deplete the stocks in my closet and I've realized there are only a few things I need from home.

Still on the list...

But what always strikes me is the sheer number of varieties of the same product. And I think it's gotten worse.

I have sensory overload when I go to CVS or Wallgreens (don't even get me started on Target!!). I just stand at the shelves with no idea what to buy because there are 28 different choices for each product, and I'm usually just thankful to find one of something where I understand what the product is! Now there are about 10 different varieties of Sudafed, plus an equal number of the store brand and 5 variations on how many pills in the box. Yet, they're pretty much the same - the good stuff behind the counter, or the weaker stuff on the shelf. Luckily I got to CVS an hour before closing.... I wanted to buy the classic St. Ive's Apricot Scrub, but now there are different formulations of it, plus the store brand. While of course I want to make my own decisions, I now see the space that advertising and magazines fill in trying to convince me what to buy!! If the marketing people weren't out there telling me how their product is differentiated from the others, how would I know what to buy?

The choice is just too much for me sometimes. And I'm realizing that a lot of things in life are like this.

For example, I've taken quite a few trips in the past month, and while I feel each time the packing is better, I still end up having packed things I never wear on a trip, and it's still a decision what to wear in the morning. I'm a pretty careful packer....I had a carryon and a half-empty small checked bag for a 2 week business trip. But still I had too much.

Our trip to Finland was an interesting experiment...Given that the temperature was mostly below freezing and the activities outdoors, the lodge provided clothing. Socks, boots, gloves, fleece, coats, hats - everything! All I packed for a 10 day trip was a couple of pairs of black leggings, 4 tops, underwear, a couple pairs of socks, a sweater, the boots I wore, and some warm long underwear. There was plenty of room left in my carry-on sized bag! The amazing thing was that I ended up with one shirt unworn. But even more amazing - getting dressed was so simple! With such a small range to choose from, life was much simpler.

A passage from Olivia Goldsmith's Fashionably Late struck me as quite true on many levels (including the impossible mission of returning anything in Europe!):

Karen had forumlated a few theories about why it was so hard for women to look comfortable and stylish. American women didn't know how to dress partly because they had too much. She remembered a French woman who had once visited Belle. Chic, elegant, and a Parisian attorney's wife, the woman had looked in Belle's closet with horror and asked: "But how can you dress well? You have too much to choose from!" As the brilliant shoe designer Manolo Blahnik had said, "It's all a question of selection, to choose less. That is something Americans do not understand. They think more is better."
Karen had observed that French women, even the middle-class ones, wore expensive clothes, but they had far fewer things than Americans and formulated their ensembles much more carefully. Of course, they learned the hard way not to make mistakes: it was next to impossible to return merchandise in Paris. Can you imagine the attitude?

The same happens here. It's changing with the advent of all the "disposable fashion" of H&M, Forever 21, and similar stores carrying low priced, trendy clothes. But in general, many Germans invest in a relatively small amount of quality clothing that will be wearable for many years. The German style is a little more classic (sometimes described as "boring") than the French (more feminine) or Italian (much more fitted, and on the flashier end of still being classic styling), but the attitude toward purchases is similar.

Even before this, I admit I have too much stuff. I have a bad habit of not wanting to throw out anything that is still functionable or wearable....though my definitions may be a bit skewed.... Also, I have almost 15 years of clothes suited to hot climates and driving everywhere. So realistically most of my clothes and almost ALL of my shoes were unsuitable for life in a cobblestoned city that has a long winter!

I've been trying to cut down and to also get rid of things that I don't or shouldn't wear. And to remember that when I replace something, I need to actually throw out the old one! I employed a new strategy during my trip to New York...I packed things that I really needed to throw out, and then I threw them out after wearing them. Socks with no elastic and small holes, too big underwear, and hair brushes that I had replaced because they were worn out (but still worked passably...). And throwing them out at the end cleared the way for chocolate chips and other goodies!

Munich Day Trip - hiking the Plumsjoch (Austria)

One of the "funnest" books I've found in Munich is called "Bergtouren für Langschläfer".  Translated, it means "Hiking Tours for those that sleep in"!  Müncheners take advantage of the near-by Alps year round - for hiking and skiing especially.  Since the mountains are so close, somebody wrote a book that tells people how to get good hikes in without having to wake up early on the weekend.  There is a similar book for skiing.

 
In this case, the hike is to the Plumsjoch.  The drive is about 1 hour and 45 minutes, so you reach the Tyrolean Alps but can get there, have fun, and get back in the same day.  Here is Plumsjoch in relation to Munich, courtesy Google Maps.  Almost directly south, just across the border into Austria.

A typical day-hike will take 1.5-3 hours to get to the destination, there will be at least one hut where you can get food and drink (proabaly stay an hour), and then last 1-2 hours back down.  That's a total of 3-6 hours.  Sometimes the hut is the destination, other times you go to the top of a small peak and visit the hut on the way up or down.  Add in a 1.5 hours each way, and you have a nice, full day (and will sleep well that evening!)

The Plumsjoch path starts at about 1000m of elevation.  Here's a photo about 20 minutes from the trailhead.  Starts out nice and green --  lots of groundwater available and below the timberline.

Now we're getting closer to the peaks.  You can seel the trail behind me - we've already covered much of the 600+ meter ascent to the hut.  The linear distance is probably 8 kilometeres, for a round trip of 16km or more.  It takes between 1.5 and 2 hours to get there, depending on the number and duration of stops along the way.  There is one stretch where thigs get a little steep, but it is mostly a nice, consistent slope.

Now we really get a view.  After rounding a corner of the trail we can see down into the valley below.  It's chilly, even in the summer at above 1800m, so I usually hike in a t-shirt and bring a fleece for when I stop moving.  Apfelschorle (apple juice mixed with sparkling water) and food at the hut is soooo close...

The trails in Austria are well marked - usually with a spray-painted Austrian flag!  They have a government service (as does Germany) that marks the trails, preserves/maintains them, and of course rescues people when needed!  At this point, I put a long sleeve shirt over the t-shirt.  Without the right combination of no-wind and sun, I wanted the extra layer.  It came off quickly again when the sun got brighter and I got moving.  The photo is not that great, but you can see some wildflowers popping out.  It's what makes the Alps so nice.

Finally, here we are.  The Plumsjochhütte.  It doesn't look like much, but it's pretty hard to build and keep a hut at 1630 meters!  Sun, snacks, and drinks, then ready to head back down.  (Or... you can stay overnight if you book ahead!  It is part of a longer hut-to-hut hiking trail that you can take for over a week.)  Notice that some people rode mountain bikes up.  Not all Alpine paths are bike accessible, but the Plumsjoch is wide and not-rocky enough to work well.  Very popular with that crowd.  Overall, it's a great hike for families, adventurous but not hard-core walkers, and of course late sleepers.

How to Write A Pop Hit

As we discovered from our David Hasselhoff concert outing (and schlagermusik and the Eurovision Song Contest....), one of the keys to music that the crowd enjoys is giving new words to familar tunes.

Australian comedy band Axis of Awesome has taken this a step further and offers entertaining proof to their hypothesis that the key to writing a pop hit is to use the same four chords.

These guys are truly awesome. I'm jealous of all of you in the US who have the chance to attend one of their 2011 tour dates. If they don't tour continental Europe, we might just have to hit the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.

Enjoy!

Back Home...

We're back home in Munich after a whirlwind month. After weekend trips to explore Viennese tortes, fine German automotive engineering, salt mines, medieval cities, and the former East-West border, I began a new job with 2 weeks working on Long Island. Even better, I was able to meet up with some good friends in NYC while there.

Those of you who know me well, know my history of horrendous luck with travels....72 hour trips home for Christmas, lost bags, volcanoes, snow storms, mechanical problems, and so on. This time, I knew I was tempting fate booking so many trips close together. So, with less than 24 hours home between a weekend trip, NY, and a trip to Japan, I had packed very carefully for all three trips. I had a few hours Friday to run home, swap suitcases, and get back to the airport in time to meet Herr J for our long-awaited trip to meet friends in Japan. What we hadn't counted on was the disaster in Japan....

Luckily we were able to cancel everything going to Japan, and Herr J quickly put together an amazing adventure for us in Northern Finland. Even more lucky, the "Is there a doctor on board?" announcement (my 3rd or 4th!) did not result in an emergency landing and I was able to get home, pack for a new trip, and make it back to the airport in time.

A week of winter sports in a national park, with homecooked meals and no TV or internet was the perfect break. And of course we tried some Finnish beers. Stay tuned!