CNN.com doesn't get Oktoberfest

This post has been sitting in the "to do" list for a while... and even though it's long past Oktoberfest 2012 it must be written.  CNN.com's coverage of Oktoberfest 2012 was sloppy.  To be precise, the photos were fine (some actually quite nice) but the captions were crap.  Some were outright misrepresentations, and some were just poor English -- but in every case you'd expect better.  (Schnitzelbahn's English isn't spotless by any means, but wouldn't CNN reach for a higher standard?  After all, we don't get paid for this!)

We're guessing that an unpaid intern wrote the captions after some Google searches!  Or maybe they just took content from German news agencies and used Google translate?  (It's almost certainly the latter, because a few photos showed German celebrities or soccer stars who don't mean much to a U.S. audience.)  Let's take a look at the issues:

First, notice the "featured" item in the lower half of CNN.com front page called "Photos: Oktoberfest beer festival is back".  This was the link to their series of photos on the CNN website.

To start, Oktoberfest is not technically a "beer festival".  Beer plays a central part (to be fair even Wikipedia calls it a "festival celebrating beer") but it is definitely NOT a beer festival.  There are no tastings or exhibits on brewing, no competitions, crowning Ms. Beer 2012, etc..  Just tents where lots of beer is served. The first Oktoberfest was in celebration of the crown prince's wedding, and for the greater part of its history Oktoberfest has been about agriculture and horse races, dancing and rides.  Are the summer fairs in the U.S. "cola festivals" because of how much is Coke and Pepsi is consumed?

The next photo described guys wearing "mock lederhosen".  Wrong.  The three pictured here are actual  lederhosen.  Wouldn't "mock" lederhosen be made from something other than leather?  These look legit to me.  To be pedantic:  traditional lederhosen are made from deer, so these may not be authentic to the extreme.  But by far, most lederhosen sold in German shops today are from goat, but they are still "real" lederhosen. 

The next photo describes "typical Oktoberfest badges".  These are not "typical" at all!  Lebkuchenherz are typical, but these are NOT lebkuchenherz (just made to look like it).  These are pins are sold in only one tent (Schottenhamel).  Schottenhamel waitresses used such pins as nametags, then Schottenhamel started selling versions to the public a couple of years ago.  So these pins are neither popular nor typical.  I think it's poor reporting to try and elevate a photo into something "typical" when it's not, when there are so many other traditional things to show.

The photo below says "police officers wait for the opening parade to begin".  This could technically be correct, but it's doubtful.  These policemen are standing at the entrance to the Wiesn (Oktoberfest grounds) where the opening parade will end.  And judging by the crowd, the parade has already started on Sonnenstrasse, and everyone is waiting for the parade to arrive at the fairgrounds.  Perhaps pointing this out is nitpicking, but we're seeing a consistently low quality of describing reality.

For the next photo, this may also be English-teacher type grading, but "Bavarian dressed man"???  What does that mean?  Bavarian men also wear Ralph Lauren khakis, suits and ties, Levi's jeans, and soccer jerseys.  Would a "Texas dressed man" be in cowboy boots?  What about jeans and a Cowboy's jersey?  It's just cheap journalism.

The next photo has more D- English.  The woman below is wearing a dirndl.  Or a traditional Bavarian dress.  But not a "Dirndl dress".  Are they also serving bier beer, bratwurst sausage, and playing fussball soccer?  I wonder what my friends who attended Medill would say.

OK, last example below.  The description says "waitresses of the Spaten brewery...".  This is incorrect on a number of accounts.  First, this is the parade cart for the Schottenhamel beer tent.  The people on the parade carts (usually horse-drawn) are mostly family members and friends of the family that owns the Schottenhamel tent.  Sure, they might invite waitresses to be on the cart, but the cart is about the proprietors of the tent.  Schottenhamel happens to have an agreement to serve Spaten beer -- Spaten itself does not have any waitresses, unless they have a restaurant at the brewery.  They brew the beer, and Schottenhamel serves it... and the waitresses are not the focus of the parade carts.  How many errors is that?

 

There was at least one other photo caption that used the phrase "Bavarian Dirndl dress".  (Sigh)  Oddly enough, a different photo said "a woman serves Hendl".  Hendl means chicken in German... but they didn't translate it, whereas they felt the need to say "Dirndl dress".  I wonder why?  (And they capitalized both German nouns... again, why?)

I much prefer positive posts, but this was necessary to show how reality and what you see/read are not always aligned.  It's a fun fair in any case, but be careful about what you read about it!

Friday Photo Favorite: Hippodrom

There's no escaping it, Oktoberfest has been in full swing in Munich!

A Schnitzelbahn History: all about Oktoberfest

We've received some feedback from readers that we should add "index" pages for specific content.
An index page is better than the Categories ("Navigation" on the right side of this page) because
you don't have to scroll through entries you've already seen -- instead, just go to the entry you want.

So, here is a brief index of our blog entries about Oktoberfest:

Preparing for the Party

- The most popular and important songs have associated hand movements to perform- learn them in this post.
- You should also practice the older, classic tunes that are certain to be played and sung in the beer tents.
- Many set lists of the bands will include songs you already know and can sing along with.
- Finally, be prepared for new "Wies'n Hits" that emerge each year. 

- Some time over the summer, the official beer price list will be released.  Budget accordingly.

- There are many alternatives to getting your own trachten to wear.
   Lederhosen and dirndls are available everywhere now, or you could make your own (posts 1, 2, 3...)
   Celebrities are donning dirndls and lederhosen too.

What to Expect

- The opening Saturday features a parade with the mayor, who then taps the first keg.

- On the second day (a Sunday) you can watch another parade with trachten from all over Europe.

- A typical day at Oktoberfest could include an outdoor concert, five hours in a beer tent, and fun games.

- The Wies'n lights up at night, when the carnival rides get even better.

- If you're especially lucky, you get an Oktoberfest experience like this.

If you can't wait until October...

- The Dauchauer Volksfest is a similar, smaller festival near Munich that is held in late August.

- The Auer Dult is another small festival in Munich that is staged three times a year.

- The Kocherlball is one day only, but has classic music and dancing in the English Garden.

We'll keep adding to this index page as more blog posts fall into this category...

 

Celebrities wearing trachten

Winter is ending, festivals are beginning...which means it's time for more trachten! I got to wear mine this weekend for a bachelorette party. Yes, somehow trachten has become typical bachelor(ette) party wear. 

For some fun, here are celebrities in trachten.

Hippodrome has its own web pages to document (mostly German) celebrities that were in the tent. Other sites have dedicated pages to famous ladies in a dirndl.

It wouldn't be a "celebrity" post without at least one Kardashian and one Hilton....

 

And then popular institution Wetten Dass... seems to often have beautiful foreign women on the show in dirndls. First, Katy Perry...

...and Salma Hayek (with Karl Lagerfeld). 

The pages of the celebrity magazines here will often have some of FC Bayern's stars in trachten. Here we have Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller with their partners. 

 

And the ladies' favorite, Mario Gomez at Paulaner Nockherberg

At Oktoberfest last year, Boris Becker opted for trachten on top and jeans on the bottom, while his wife Lilly chose a beautiful dirndl with flowers in bodice. (For those of you not living in Germany, Boris Becker is not just a tennis star from 20 years ago...he's a constant presence in the tabloids and society pages)

Only at the Hofbräuhaus in Vegas do they have Hugh Hefner's girlfriends tapping the keg... Not exactly the authentic type of dirndl, but hey, it is Vegas!

And of course Heidi Klum's Got Milk ad

The Best Oktoberfest Ever

Anyone who knows me knows I love Oktoberfest.  But since I love dressing up, silly songs, and carnivals, it should be no surprise. Only Bavaria can outdo the Texas State Fair!  (I still need to take Herr J to that...he's never been!)

Due to work travel committments, I was only able to go to Oktoberfest twice this year - we actually had to give up tickets we'd booked in the Kaiserschmarrn tent because I was out of town.  Fortunately, when I returned, we went with friends for a long Sunday and made the most of everything the Wies'n has to offer. 

On the last Friday of Oktoberfest 2011 we squeezed in a short visit, before heading out on an early Saturday morning flight to a week of vacation:  a Pyrennees hiking adventure.  Seeking refuge from the crowded tents, we instead had a lovely picnic dinner (Spanish ham and cheese, and of course German beer) on the hill overlooking the grounds, in front of the Bavaria statue.

And here, Herr J asked me to marry him.

Best. Oktoberfest. EVER.

Looking forward to many years of trachten with this wonderful man! 

Trachten goes mainstream

A decado ago, only real locals and diehards wore traditional dress.

Nowdays, trachten is chic and you'll see many young people wearing it - not only at Oktoberfest, but to beergartens, summer festivals, bachelor(ette) parties (polterabend), and FC Bayern games (lederhosen bottoms, no suspenders, and an FC Bayern jersey are the outfit for the cool Bavarian guys).

Even Ken and Barbie are in on the trend!

Vogue Germany ran a ten-page trachten special promotion spread by Munich department store Loden Frey in its magazine, covering more than just the normal dirndl and lederhosen wear (Frau A wants those boots and the red jacket!).

And if a good classic pair of deer-skin lederhosen aren't quite enough for you, there are some designer alternatives...Hugo Boss has lederhosen for the modern brand-conscious man.

"Only" 399 euros for the shorts and 499 euros for the dirndl...Of course you'll also need the shoes, which run almost the same price as the trachten.

Even Tommy Hilfiger has lederhosen, albeit for children.

For the more sporty, but still fashion-conscious man, Adidas offers Bayern Munich lederhosen! 

  

But it doesn't end with lederhosen and dirndls...These days there are trachten accessories - either to personalize your trachten, or to wear as a little bit of kitchy Bavarian fun (instead of the full costume).

Here are some typical acessories, which now also come in fashion versions for big prices.  We'll cover trachten trends in a separate post, but in addition to the standard 3 piece dirndl (dress, blouse, apron), dirndl shoes, dirndl purses, and dirndl jewelry are almost obligatory. That's even before we get into the super trendy hats, stockings, sweaters, and hairstyles!  (these beer mug ballerina flats are cute, but are going to cost you 170 euro! Frau A is thinking "craft project")

     

And what if you want to add some trachten to your casual style? well, luckily there are bathing suits! 

Finally, Austrian store Tu Felix Austria takes trachten-inspired casualwear to a new level, with men's underwear and sports lines (and funny, obviously photoshopped photos of models in the Alps).

  

And some pretty cute onesies to start the little ones off on the right foot!

Oktoberfest 2011 - second Sunday

On the second weekend of Oktoberfest, not only did Frau A's friends L & M visit, but my friend J from Buffalo!
We had tickets to the Schottenhamel beer tent - it's the oldest one, and where the Mayor taps the first keg.

Before arriving at the tent, we noticed a stage being set up for a television concert in front of the Bavaria statue:

A closer inspection shows Swiss alpine horns, and lots of men in lederhosen with brass instruments:

To open the concert, the alpine horns were played... but they forgot to turn on the speakers.
They did turn them on after 23 seconds though!  I captured a short video below:

Then they did another short performance:

Then a conductor got the entire band going...

...and tried to get the crowd to sing along too.

Here's a video of the brass band in concert:

The next act was a schlager singer - move video for those interested below:

From there we went to into the Schottenhamel beer tent.  Our table was reserved from 11am to 4pm.
To start, they provided brotzeit ("bread time"), which is a mix of traditional Bavarian finger food.  This includes sliced radish, obatzda (a cheese spread), bread with cream cheese & chives, and bread with pork fat & bacon.

Frau M thought it was funy that she was drinking her first mass faster than Herr L...

...but Herr L was saving room for the schweinehaxe (pork knuckle) - it's really quite good, but huge.

Frau A & I were tired but happy - she returned from a 2-week trip to New York, and I've been workin' late.

Frau M borrowed one of Frau A's dirndls and looked great, then tried a hat to go with it.
That's what happens when you're working on mass #2.  (The brewery is Spaten for those interested.)

Merchandisers swarm the tents selling hats, t-shirts, pins, and anything else you can think of.

This guy's t-shirt is homemade, and really funny.  Captures the spirit of Carnival more than Oktoberfest, though.

We had to wait until almost 12:30 until the band started playing.  This guy was impatient, already standing:

Eventually the band got going, we ordered a seconds mass, and taught our friends the Oktoberfest songs.

At 16:00 we left the tent to explore the rides and games.  Below is Frau A trying the soccer/kicking game.

It's cheesy, but one of our favorite games is where you try to launch a frog onto a flower with a hammer.
Below, Herr J has set his frog on the launch pad, and will strike the other side of the lever with the hammer...

...and the next shot is of Herr L who has just smashed the lever and sent the frog flying.  We won a few here!

On the way out we noticed a new show:  Monster Truck.  Yup, behind the screen is a small dirt pit.
We didn't try it, but were surprised because it's non-traditional.  What's Oktoberfest coming to?

Again, thank Herr L, Frau M, and Herr J for visiting.  Hope to get more friends next year!