In Germany, people put this plastic cover over the power socket, so that friends can’t charge their mobile phones while visiting.
And that’s all you need to know about Germany. 😞
Categories
- Abkhazia (6)
- Afghanistan (20)
- Albania (16)
- Antigua (2)
- Argentina (3)
- Armenia (9)
- Austria (18)
- Azerbaijan (8)
- Belarus (6)
- Belgium (12)
- Bolivia (118)
- Books (136)
- Bosnia–Herzegovina (1)
- Brazil (49)
- Canada (28)
- Chile (28)
- Easter Island (15)
- China (22)
- Cinema (136)
- Colombia (14)
- Croatia (3)
- Cuba (8)
- Czech Republic (10)
- Denmark (1)
- Economics (136)
- Ecuador (5)
- Egypt (12)
- Estonia (15)
- Europe (61)
- Finland (5)
- Food (53)
- France (24)
- Georgia (14)
- Germany (219)
- Greece (12)
- History (273)
- Cold War (26)
- Holocaust (44)
- World War I (13)
- World War II (66)
- Human Rights (82)
- Hungary (25)
- India (7)
- Iran (54)
- Israel (51)
- Italy (150)
- Apulia (25)
- Basilicata (1)
- Sardinia (12)
- Sicily (62)
- South Tyrol (1)
- Jordan (2)
- Language (101)
- Laos (1)
- Latvia (15)
- Law (180)
- Family Law (33)
- German Law (48)
- Immigration Law (30)
- Libya (7)
- Life (126)
- Lithuania (68)
- Love (43)
- Macedonia (16)
- Malaysia (1)
- Mali (1)
- Malta (38)
- Mexico (10)
- Military (118)
- Moldova (5)
- Montenegro (64)
- Morocco (2)
- Music (34)
- North Korea (13)
- Norway (3)
- Panama (3)
- Peru (29)
- Philosophy (89)
- Photography (690)
- Poland (26)
- Politics (382)
- Portugal (29)
- Religion (121)
- Islam (38)
- Romania (144)
- Russia (41)
- Saudi Arabia (9)
- Serbia (20)
- Singapore (1)
- Sint Maarten (2)
- Slovakia (9)
- Spain (57)
- Andalusia (42)
- Gran Canaria (3)
- Sports (67)
- Suriname (1)
- Sweden (10)
- Switzerland (3)
- Syria (27)
- Technology (114)
- Terrorism (45)
- Thailand (1)
- Time (29)
- Transnistria (9)
- Travel (915)
- UK (132)
- Ukraine (57)
- Uncategorized (5)
- USA (184)
- Venezuela (5)
- Video Blog (65)
- Vietnam (1)
-
The Happy Hermit 
Speaking as someone who has been part of a German family since the late 1970s this is a terrible misrepresentation. Those covers are to stop young children from electrocuting themselves by putting metal things in the Schuko socket.
The UK’s 13A plug was designed to prevent this, as it has automatic shutters (but is arguably worse design than Schuko connectors as the plug to fit it is a dangerous physical weapon to anyone who walks around the house in stockinged feet — as even British people do nowadays)
Why would young children want to electrocute themselves?
On Twitter, this has led to a veritable shit storm:
isn’t that a cover you can twizzle round ?
Netter Versuch, du alter Provokateur ;-)
Bei Twitter (siehe Link in einem vorherigen Kommentar) ist dieser harmlose Schabernack total eskaliert.
Mit mehr als 500 Kommentaren, Beschimpfungen, Beleidigungen und sogar einer offiziellen Gegendarstellung wegen angeblicher “Fake News”.
Wahrscheinlich kommt noch eine Abmahnung der Elektrikerinnung.
Wenn es um Haushaltsgegenstände geht, verstehen die Menschen anscheinend keinen Spaß.
krass! Vielleicht musst du einen Disclaimer anbringen ” Vorsicht, enthält Satire! Nur weiterlesen, wenn Grundkurs Humor bestanden wurde.”
Greetings and salutations , Andreas, Happy Easter my friend!!!!!
Hope life is better than that for you and a few other Germans. If “that is all you need to know about Germany” I am sure you are using such a sad metaphor to jest or create controversy which leads to goo dialogue.LOL>
I hope Katerina Witt is doing well as I always followed and admired her, especially years ago when she was the Figure Skating Gold Medalist, Queen of the Skating World!! She was so talented athletic beautiful and poised and when she came to our city, once, I got to see her skate live and sat very close to the place that she skated out of , so got to shake her hand and give her flowers n a nice kiss as well!! I felt like a little child.It was so magical. She was so beautiful talented and gracious!If u see her in your travels lad , say hello from me.Hahaha.LOL>
Europe has always appeared so sad to me, constantly rebuilding after wars, and the countries at each other’s throats.Mind you,I have had some great visits to France England and Italy in the last 20 years and enjoyed those places immensely.
I would like to go to Leipzig(I am a Bach fan), Cologne, and Dresden if I ever go.
Is Germany that bad or cheap??? and is East Germany still behind or has it caught up to West Germany??If u did go to Eastern Europe where would be your top choice??
I remember over here in Canada years ago some people were so cheap that they would change the bulbs in my house and take my 60/100 watt bulbs and replace with their old 25 watt bulbs when I left the room or went to the bath room. LOL>LOL>LOL>
Now that was cheap! The next time they came to my house, I poured them the inferior wine, and drank the best with good friends.
Take care enjoy your girlfriend and enjoy your Easter Ham turkey lamb or lobster and wine of course and veggies.
Best wishes,
Franklyn Hiscock.
Halifax
Nova Scotia
Canada.
Hello Franklyn,
it’s funny that you met Katerina Witt, because she used to live in Chemnitz – then known as Karl-Marx-Stadt -, which happens to be the city where I live now: https://andreasmoser.blog/2023/12/16/chemnitz/
So, you should include that city on your trip to Germany! It’s not far from either Dresden or Leipzig, anyway.
In Chemnitz, they just renamed the ice-skating rink after Jutta Müller, the coach of Katerina Witt. I am not so sure about that myself, because in my book, ice-skating coaches are always very strict and evil people. I probably got that from the James Bond film “For Your Eyes Only”.
And I really wouldn’t think of Europe as a sad place. Okay, maybe Finland in winter, but I am not sure if Yellowknife in winter is much of a cheerful place, either.
That thing about the light bulbs is really crazy! :D
Sadly, some people in Germany really are a bit cheap. Because you asked about Eastern Europe, people are much more hospitable, funnily enough. There is a noted difference in whether you will get treated to food when you show up at someone’s house, for example. In German and other Western European countries, people will postpone their dinner if they have guests, so they don’t need to share. In Eastern Europe, people will slaughter a pig, feed you for three days, and then give you food and drinks for your journey.
As to the differences between West and East Germany, you can spot them if you look for them. But generally, the differences between cities and countryside are much starker, in both halves of Germany.
For me, Eastern Europe is the more interesting and exciting part of Europe, also as a history buff. It’s almost impossible to start a list of places that I would recommend.
If you want to go for natural beauty and only have a short time, the somewhat smaller countries of Slovenia or Montenegro are perfect combinations of sea and mountains.
For a multi-cultured history and visible remnants of the Habsburg Empire, most of Romania is fascinating.
But you can almost go anywhere, and you will find unexpected beauty and stories. Just as one example, I went to a small town in Slovakia that I had never heard of, on a silly quest to find the center of Europe. And I was absolutely blown away: https://andreasmoser.blog/2023/02/27/kremnica/
Oh, and just to set the record straight: I do not have a girlfriend.
oh!! I hope that’s a joke and it’s really a safety device to stop little kids poking their fingers in the socket!!
It is a safety lock So kids will not stick their fingers in the socket .In all my years in Germany I have never heard of someone trying to prevent people from charging their phone!
People in Germany even put the food away when you come to visit. 😔
That’s terrible. I much prefer to let them charge their devices as much as they want, and then hit them with a bill when they leave.
I really know people like that. :/
They “invite” you to a party, and the end of the evening they say: “So, this cost approximately 180 euros, which would be 20 euros per person.”
Luckily, I don’t bow to social pressure much.
Andreas, U should lose people like this. They r cheap n pathetic.
Invite katerina Witt for supper n stay home!! LOL>
Because you are so interested in the private life of Katarina Witt, here is a High Court decision about her “bad luck with relationships”:
https://openjur.de/u/2482507.html
Shocking! 😂
Nooooo!
Andreas, why do you think this is happening? Because it is becoming very expensive to share those basic things? Or just people only focus on themselves. I would like to learn more why the no-share culture. Thanks
It’s not the prices, which after a short peak have come down anyway:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267541/germany-monthly-wholesale-electricity-price/
But sadly, German culture is very selfish and petty.
There are exceptions, of course (like myself), but some people will even hide their food when you come to visit.
Happy Easter 🐣, you are amongst other things very funny.
Greetings from Germany
😉🌸
This is amazing. How can you be German and make such a hilarious joke, not really a joke.. I never laughed so hard.
Also, why do you need a donation when you are a lawyer, you are already so rich ! ❤️
That’s a classical non sequitur.
Also, I don’t necessarily “need” a donation. But when people want a postcard from my next trip, then it’s much appreciated.
Haha, that’s quite the unique cultural quirk! I guess in Germany, it’s all about unplugging and focusing on good old-fashioned face-to-face interaction when friends come over. Who needs phone charging anyway when you’ve got great company and maybe a good old board game to enjoy, right? Thanks for the fun fact about Germany!
I wish it was like that!
But sadly, here too, some people believe they would die if they had to separate from their phone for more than a few minutes.
You know, it’s pretty common these days, right? Our phones practically feel like they’re part of us. I swear, sometimes it’s like we’re glued to them! I totally get it though. I can’t live without my phone either, especially since it’s my main way of staying in touch with my fiancé, who’s miles away.
I personally think it’s healthy for a relationship if people don’t see or talk to each other every day. ;-)
I respect your perspective! Relationships certainly vary in their dynamics, and what works for one couple might not work for another. While some thrive on constant communication and interaction, others find balance and independence equally vital. It’s all about finding what works best for the individuals involved and fostering a healthy dynamic.
If there is a set amount of love, affection and admiration, the relationship lasts longer if you don’t all use it up in one go.
Just like icecream.
Also, constant communication signals dependency, lack of a life of one’s own, and/or lack of trust.
Hmm, I see where you’re coming from, but I respectfully disagree. Relationships aren’t quite like scoops of ice cream; they’re more like a garden that thrives with nurturing over time. Sure, pacing affection and admiration can be wise, but love isn’t finite like dessert servings. And about communication, while too much can indeed be suffocating, isn’t consistent dialogue the bedrock of understanding and connection? It’s like tending to that garden together, each conversation a new seed of trust and growth.
Hello/Servus or Grüß Gott( whichever applies),
That has to be the funniest thing I’ve seen on a german blog post. My voyage on the interwebs set out to find some information about the new citizenship law and how to deal with long stressful processing times at foothills of the Tartarus also known as the Ausländerbehorde and I come upon something so hilarious and asinine that I actually laughed out loud .
Some parts of your statement definitely ring true and one anecdote that I always notice is the concept of sharing food. I grew up in a food sharing culture where food and water are tantamount to gifts of life where food is freely given at any gathering. Usually in workplaces as people congregate for lunch and bring out their tasty treats and in case a person didn’t have any food he/she would be offered a plate and people would pile pieces of food from their boxes so that no one would be left out or feel hungry. It seemed so natural and somewhat inherent as human beings that we would do something but once I started working for a german company and we would have lunch i’d notice these things which seemed so part and parcel of my home culture felt absurdly strange in this new one. Firstly the person without food wasn’t even given a morsel to taste even if he commented on the wonderful aroma stemming from their lunch box, so the hungry party would thus stare at those who ate around him. The next absurd thing is when I shared my food , I always did it not because I felt I owed someone something but as if it was a just a human thing to do , something that everybody did but I was absolutely wrong, even sharing comes with a cost. Usually sharing food is usually done at the beginning so that most people can eat together but if food was ever shared it was usually shared at the end where the person who brought the food had leftovers and was being narcissitically generous by providing the hungry person left overs, like it was necessary to satisfy ones needs before even considering the other. Dégoûtant!
One can argue about ethics and see different perspectives in cultures and the whole shebang and after 7 years of working at different germany companies and seeing that it wasn’t the exception but the rule I started behaving like this too.
Luckily I had the fortune to travel and going back home and to different countries all over the world I realized that it was the exeception and not the norm. Human beings were all over the world being human.
I am happy that you stayed on the blog and kept browsing from serious legal stuff to the lighter side of cultural differences.
As to food sharing, I remember hiking in Switzerland next to a river, with lots of people barbecuing. As I passed them by, I greeted each of them joyfully, commenting on the good smell of their lunch. (I was really hungry, because I always forget to pack food myself.) Not a single person offered anything.
When hiking in Montenegro, where I don’t even speak the language, random people whom I meet in the mountains stop me, ask me to sit down, pull out a bottle and two glasses to share a drink.
Hiking in groups is also an interesting experience: In Germany, everybody has their little lunchbox, only eats their own food, and the whole experience looks a bit obsessive and sad. In Iran or in Bolivia, people open their boxes and walk from one to one, offering – almost insisting – that you please try what they cooked. It’s almost like they forget that they need to eat themselves too. (I am the outsider in any culture, because I can’t cook, and I usually just bring cigars.)
The experience of coming to people’s homes is also quite different. While there are many absolutely hospitable people in Germany who will make you feel welcome immediately, sadly there is also the opposite. As a lawyer, I sometimes visit my clients at home. When we sit in the kitchen or the living room to discuss their case, they usually offer “a glass of water”. In that situation, I am sometimes rather bold and say: “I would also be happy about a cake.” And they look at me with shock and horror.
Come to think of it, I am not sure if I am very good at sharing food when people visit me. But that’s just because I often don’t think about food all day myself.
Moin Moin / Palim Palim (whichever seems quirky),
I left the whimsical comment without an afterthought of a reply but thanks for that. As I reread the comment I left and the reply you offer , I wondered the same thing a couple of years ago , is common courtesy and hospitality dead in the german culture or did these things never exist.
A couple of years ago when I was more in my ” Default to Good” [1] mode of experiencing new cultures I always wondered why people I met in germany are colder than the desolate ice that covers the ice-covered humanless continent when I came across the Stassi museum in Berlin. Inside that insidious non descript building that could pass off as another office building lies the greatest weapon it could conjure “Fear” and that was oh so powerful.
The fear of them vs us , the fear that your neighbour could be them and that at any point you could be converted or grabbed up. Friends , families and even bonds of blood and sweat could not guarantee that you were safe or you were ever far away from the fear that gripped you. Sharing thoughts emotions with any one would have been equal to signing away ones freedom.
I have never experienced any of it but if the halls of the museum hold any truth then it is a probably evolutionary to dive into a state of apathy. Perhaps thats the remnants I see in the culture. Perhaps its all rubbish and its just the cold weather and people are generally cold , perhaps it could also be the high taxes which makes people think (which at some point spread into my stupid way of thinking) ” I don’t need to help or share cause I gave my taxes and thats more than enough”.May be they can’t cook so their food is not so tasty. May be its a bit of this and a bit of that but at the end I realised I asked the wrong question.
I met a ton of wonderful people in germany who would shatter this norm. I feel that all the cultures in the worlds independently became human from the first moment in time they decided to share and help each other out. The same goes for people in germany. The few amazing people I met are to me a wonderful representation of the germany hospitality and generosity and from those amazing people I always got a slice of homemade cake/tarts , so perhaps instead of looking everywhere for people to share their stuff I just share my food and always got a slice of cake :)
Moral of the story : Be oneself , Be kind , share and get cake :)
Links
[1] Default to truth (I prefer good) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_to_Strangers
“Palim palim” is always a good way to demonstrate your knowledge of German culture. :-)
While I find it important to visit Stasi Archives – I have a report about the one in Chemnitz on my blog: https://andreasmoser.blog/2023/11/19/stasi-archive/ – and other memorials to all the ghastly things that have happened in German history, I don’t think they explain a lot of contemporary behavior. Not least because West Germans were totally unaffected by the Stasi, and anyone younger than 50 wasn’t affected at all. Also, I know a lot of people who lived in the GDR and who are super nice and friendly and welcoming.
Although I am studying history myself, I tend to put more emphasis on economic explanations. Not so much concerning the tax burden (which isn’t really very high, if you consider what you are getting for it), but the functioning state and welfare system. In Germany (as well as the Scandinavian countries, for example), you can absolutely succeed in life without having a supportive family, a circle of friends, or a network of connections. You can enter universities and find jobs and you get treatment at the hospitals without ever having to do a favor to anybody.
Maybe it’s this functioning state that makes people less interested in inter-personal connections.
I don’t think it’s the cold weather, either. First of all, it’s not really that cold. (I wish it were!) Second, people in the mountains of Albania who are totally snowed in for 3 months of the year are much more hospitable than people in Munich.
And as you say: There are a whole lot of nice people here. (It’s often the ones who have spent some time in other countries, though.) And in a country with 83 million people, if only 5% are nice, it’s still enough to get through life with a constant smile. (If you manage to find those 5%.)