Kultur10-Ian Baker

There aren't that many things that I like better than German beer. Unfortunately, however, there are MANY things that I prefer to closed shops on evenings and Sundays, and this sometimes awkward intersection is the subject of this chapter's cultural texts.

How exactly can a country so obsessed with beer and late night partying have no stores open late at nights? Berlin is now famous for its electronic disco clubs (and their strange entrance procedures, where prospective patrons can be turned down entrance for no reason at all) which rock until the wee hours of the morning. Drunk people need some food to sober them up, kill those late night munchies, and keep them from hurling when they wake up with a massive Kater in the morning. And drinking aside, Sundays are probably the best day to get shopping done. Everyone is enjoying the last day of the weekend; why not head to the grocery store and buy food? I'm not sure when I'll be expected to go to the grocery store or street markets in Germany this summer, but apparently it won't be on Sunday!!!

At least Germany's Father's Day celebrations sound more fun than its store closing hours. The idea of drunk old men stumbling around the streets, passing out against lightpoles, and generally engaging in alcohol-driven shenanigans sounds almost too good to be true. My dad likes to spend Father's Day watching sports and having a beer (or two or three), but I wouldn't describe his behavior as "drunken" the way that the article describes. I think that would be a really interesting event to see, even if the day is known for violence, bar fights, and neo-Nazi encounters.

Each culture text shows me a new aspect of German culture, and I'm trying to remember as many as I can so I don't make a total fool of myself this summer. If I forget and need to go somewhere less German, I've been told that Freiburg has a good Irish pub called "The Irish Pub" run by some Irish immigrants where all the young English speakers of the city go for a pint....