Just for fun....
1. Your son goes to a German kindergarten. He will need:
a) a pair of wet weather pants.
b) gum boots.
c) house shoes.
d) a small packet of tissues on his person.
e) All of the above.
2. You are planning a BBQ at your home. What piece of equipment is considered most essential for this event?
a) a pair of tongs.
b) a hairdryer.
c) a bucket of water.
d) kitchen scales.
3. Pumpkin soup is generally considered:
a) very exotic.
b) with great skepticism.
c) nutritious and life affirming.
4. Most illnesses, if not actually caused by, are sure to be greatly aggravated by:
a) not washing one’s hands thoroughly.
b) having cold feet.
c) using public transport.
d) All of the above.
5. A woman knocks you over as you’re alighting from a tram she’s wanting to board. You can expect her to:
a) apologize profusely.
b) ignore you completely.
c) shoot you a highly indignant look.
d) help you up, assist with picking up your scattered bags, and offer to buy you a stiff drink.
e) B or C.
Answers:
1.e.
And that's just for starters!
2. b.
It's used to help get the fire started. There's even a song about this. (No locals could understand my amazement when I first witnessed it.)
3. b.
Pumpkins are considered (by most) to be primarily Halloween decorations or for feeding livestock. This assumption is not helped by the fact that it is still somewhat difficult to find the yummy (not stringy) varieties.
4. b.
So, that should help explain the stereo-typical German fondness for socks with sandals.
5. e.
(a & d will NEVER happen. And if they ever do – you can be sure that the woman is not German or has spent considerable years living elsewhere.)
Your score explained:
0: Oh, dear.
Where to start? Um.... Germany. It is a very large country in the middle of Europe. It spent much of the earlier part of the 20th Century trying to get bigger by invading its neighbours. (It believes its 21st Century approach [the EU] is working much better.) You can read all about it here.
1-3: Obviously you’ve read/heard a lot about Deutschland. Maybe you’ve even visited.
4: So I guess you live (have lived?) here, huh?
5: Sie sind ein Deutscher? Oder?
;)
über me!
- pyjamamel
- Düsseldorf, NRW, Germany
- Of antipodean origin, currently living in Germany with the "Ger-Man", not-nearly-as-little-as-he used-to-be "Caspi-Man" , "The Cheeky Monkey", and four-legged "Banjo". Dream is to have a permanent place in both hemispheres and the means to travel betweeen. Am lucky to have family & friends in far-flung corners of the globe but, where ever I am, I'm missing someone terribly. Prone to procrastination and to wearing pajamas and animal ears - I often find myself outside my comfort zone...life seems to be a continually- vertical learning curve...
4 comments:
The pumpking thing must be regional. We have pumpkin soup here in Ba-Wü and it's also pretty common in season in Styria(Au). It's also here in jars stored in vinegar or some such nonsense.
Now deserts with pumpkin - breads, cakes, etc. Those fall into the exotic and threatening category.
Wow - pickled pumpkin! (Sounds good actually). And yummmm - pumpkin bread. (Queensland is actually famous for pumpkin scones).
I must admit - I have once seen pumpkin & ginger soup on the menu of a cafe here. But it would certainly only be the young &/or daring that'd try it!
I share your experience re: pumpkin. It is rare that I see it anywhere except at Halloween. I miss pumpkin.
I loved your pop quiz - too funny.
PS - I passed! didn't know about the hairdryer/bbq connection.
Congrats Helen! Reckon that makes you almost a local (& now you'll be more prepared than I was the first time you encounter the blow-dried BBQ. I honestly thought they were playing a practical joke on me.)
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