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9:25 I think that's the difference: We don't perceive the silence as "painful" and "awkward". We perceive meaningless conversation as "painful" and "awkward". Ps: We Germans would make great conversation partners for the Finnish. When it comes to small talk they are like us, but dialed up to 11. Absolutely beautiful lol
@@gretahaase5509 I would find it painful and awkward to have to small talk when I'm sick and just waiting to see the doctor. Also, sometimes it's akward to have to listen to smalltalk when two neighbours meet in the waiting room. I would call it blissful silence. :) (Except of course when children are involved. They can talk as much or little as they want without me getting annoyed. Being sick and having to go the doctor bad enough as a kid, but having to sit in silence on top of that would be just cruel)
jaaa! die erfahrung mit Finnland hab ich auch gemacht. ich komm mir in deutschland recht zurückhaltend vor. aber in Helsinki komm ich mir auf ein mal laut vor. auch ohne worte. meine körpersprache kommt mir da, im vergleich zu den Finnen, laut vor....
@Martin, though many Germans throw out their chrismas tree right after new years or 3-kings-day ... I've heard it is still okay to keep it until Candlemas / Groundhog Day
Für mich als Deutschen ist es immer wieder spannend, wie Ihr als Amerikaner unser Land und uns Deutsche seht. Vielen Dank und herzliche Grüße an Euch beide aus dem Norden von Rheinland-Pfalz!
Christmas Eve is an official working day, but in reality it's like a semi-holiday, because everybody wants to be at home in the eving (besides necessary public services like police, hospitals, public transport etc.). Essentially only shops, supermarkets and other grocery stores are open. In principle, it is only half a working day. All shops are closed from 2 p.m. at latest. All other employers give half or a full day off. Therefore Christmas Days are 2,5 days long. The same applies to New Year's Eve.
Unfortunately there are employers in Gernany that count Christnas Eve as a normal workday, meaning you have to take a holiday if you don't want to work. (Yes, my employer does that. :-) )
The principle also applies to New Year's Eve. I still had to work on New Year's Eve for the first two years of my apprenticeship. (Under 18 years actually only until 2 p.m.; after that "officially" until the end of the day = 4.30 p.m.) However, the team leaders often let us go earlier. 2 or 3 years after the end of my apprenticeship, in addition to Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve became a public holiday for our industry. (unions pushed this through in collective bargaining)
@@nicolebrunzel6608 Much also depends on the industry and collective bargaining by unions. However, smaller companies often fall through the cracks. Sometimes you have to look closely at the employment contracts and a general reference to collective agreements (based on collective agreement xy...). In such cases, you can then look at the entire collective agreement and, if necessary, sue your employer for the rights/obligations laid down there.
The best part about greeting is actually on hikes. I always find it funny, but also heartwarming, when you are on a hike (especially in the mountains) and greet every passing group. And on sunny days that can be multiple times each minute.
Niedersachsen - it has mountains (Harz), coast (North Sea), planes and marshes (Norddeutsche Tiefebene und Sumpfgebiete), Forrests (Harz again, but also in cities like Hannover, which has a huge green heart), huge lakes and artificial lakes (Steinhuder Meer - artificial), huge farmed landscape, heather landscape (Lüneburger Heide) etc. etc.
Agreed, but i would recommend our small towns like Goslar, Duderstadt or Cuxhaven a lot over the big cities like Hannover or Brunswick were i live. The most neat big city in my opinion is Hildesheim.
24th is also kind of a holiday in Germany, since everyone finishes work earlier than usual (even grocery stores close at 2 pm) So it's like 2,5 days of holidays in total:)
@@PascalausEssen That is correct. At 12 o'clock, the Boss has to pay "Feiertagszuschläge". That is important for the industry, where many units running 24/7.
The greeting is also special in offices. Every employee who comes in in the morning greets everybody who is already there. The first one apparently greets no one but is greeted by everybody who comes in later than him even if it means to go into every single office on the particular hallway. When you leave it's the other way around: the one who came in first is usually also the first one to leave and so says good buy to everybody who is still there.
Wow! I didn't know about the culture of going to every single office to say hello and goodbye. That's super interesting and definitely takes it another step further! Thanks for sharing this with me 😊
This might apply to a small company with only a few offices around the hallway. Usually we greet those already sitting in the office room we are going to occupy ourselves. But this was in those days before the pandemic and now we have more home office than going to work, I currently just show up once a week at my employers rooms. And because always only a few colleages are to find there the greeting and leaving ritual develops more in the direction you described.
I work in one big room with all the other people. we have a lot of space, so I say a loud "Morgen" into the room when I come in. I would not go from room to room... but I do knock on my bosse's door to stick my head in and wave good bye when I leave and he is still there. we're a small company. and now I wonder if it's also a safety thing. because you subconciously register who is there and who has gone home. and if a fire should break out you would know who you still have to get out... because the people in one room are kind of responsible for looking out for eachother. the longer I think about it the more I would say that it's like a temporary pack...
I really like our culture about little ones eating of our plates. Even if it is not on the menu, you often still can do it. In our go to amusement park is a restaurant with a buffet. As I asked for noodles for my child the cook put a finger on her lips, looked to both sides and said "you do not need to buy the noodles extra if I can place them on your plate without falling." Then proceeded in doing so and smuggled a second plate under mine :D
Greeting and leaving. Note that it is always the person entering or leaving who starts to greet. You can enter or leave a shared space without saying anything, and no one will be bothered with that. It's just a polite habit, and habit also dictates that, IF you greet, you should be recognized and be greeted in return.
Even if the "Räuberteller" or "Piratenteller" isn't mentioned on the menu, you always can ask for it. Or just ask for a small extra plate. Sometimes you will also receive some kind of crayons and a picture for coloring for your child. And it's common for restaurants to have some kind of highchairs for smaller children. In some restaurants there are even small playgrounds outside the beergarden. :) And I love the forests in Berlin, they are mostly well maintained and great for a biking tour or even a small hike =D
Soetwas nennt man Familienplatte/-teller. Wer das Piraten- oder Räuberteller nennt, hat sich das mächtig aus den Fingern gesaugt. Leider ist das abosluter Blödsinn. In welcher Region wird das denn so verwendet ?
@@Yulo2000Leyje Also ich habe das schon in vielen Regionen in Deutschland gesehen, bzw. als Kind auch immer gerne bestellt. Klingt einfach einladender für Kinder. 😅
@@Yulo2000Leyje, ich wohne in Hessen und es ist in einigen Restaurants durchaus üblich. Habe es hier genauso gelesen wie in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Württemberg, Bayern etc.
I first met the term "Räuberteller" in Our holidays on Rügen. Never read this before on a menu in Bavaria. But you can get the extra plate wherever you ask. Love this tradition! I am from Bavaria and really love this region. But Baden-Württemberg is also very beautiful.
Ah! Well, schools and work are two different things for sure. I was coming at it from a perspective of actual federal/state public holidays and not school holidays. Schools may get off, but it isn't a public holiday. Most of the time in the US, schools are shut down at least a week or more before or after Christmas as well 😊
Great Video and it’s a real pleasure to listen to, because your english is so easy to understand for someone from Germany who’s not a native english speaker 😊
Thanks so much! Roughly ONLY 8-10% of those that watch my videos are native English speakers, so I definitely speak one way on camera to try and make it easier for everybody to understand and speak my more natural way off camera when I'm around family that may not be as easy to understand all the time 😅
A lot of people spend the time between christmas and new years eve on holiday too on paid leave. Some companies close. These are the so-called Brückentage. With a bit of luck, you have 14 days off work with taking only 6 days paid leave. Same is for easter.
You made me laugh out loud when you talked about every person in the room saying hello to you, but that's it. Germans really don't like small talk. I actually found myself in an awkward situation once, because I entered a doctor's office in the US and guess what I did? Without thinking and because it is a German habit I said "hello" to everyone🤣 Believe me that was a really awkward moment for everyone in that room 😁I wanted to leave so badly😅
no problem for me. I have been saying hi when entering doctors offices and breakrooms for almost 25 years now. I even learned how to do small talk. I still find it weird. but it is what people do and expect. In germany we only do small talk with people we know at least a little, or if we walk into an interesting conversation.
the part about greeting strangers in doctor's waiting spaces etc. is really just about acknowledging that you exist or that you arrived and instead of staring (which is something we're accused of often) you resort to politely greet. the silence afterwards isn't supposed to be awkward, because nobody expects you to go any further with the "conversation". it's probably just awkward if you're not used to it. in my opinion, and i'm sure i'm not the only one, it is far more awkward to step into a rather small space where people are already waiting and ignore everybody. if you have greeted people, it's easier to e.g. squeeze past them with an "excuse me" because you've already "introduced" yourself.
I think Germans greet more because it is - in a German cultural context - seen as the 'polite thing to do' It's about 'demonstrating manners' in public and so you teach children that greeting people this way is 'having manners', when evaluated by German standards and expectations. In the US, entering an office is just not the moment where certain specific manners have to be demonstrated, there are plenty of other places where that would be culturally relevant, but not here. When it comes to small talk, the aspect is more on recognizing the other person and/or establishing social contact, and so you do need a few words more to get something like that going. When entering an office though, you would not engage in a small talk fashion with a room full of people sitting in a waiting room. The small talk only starts when there is a one-on-one interaction (or at least a very small group). I have to say though, if there is a line, people in the US will very easily get into a conversation while waiting, small-talk - here we go, and in the end it helps pass the time. For Germans, that is just not a situation where they seek interaction, they rather want to have their undisturbed space. These are just cultural differences, no right or wrong here. It just is what it is. And I love both Bavaria and BW. Right now, BW interests me a bit more, but that is probably because I know it a bit less. Most of Germany has beautiful corners though, and landscapes change so quickly, it is hard to pick favorites.
Fun fact for the 24.12... We celebrate holy night at the 24. Usually in the afternoon/ealry evening. And therefore it is that we only work till 2pm or something like that. Late and nightshifts are usually canceled on this day. Ofc not for police, firefighters, etc. So often we have 3 days or 2.5 days off.
We DO have some kind of smalltalk - the topic is, however, wildly different to 'american' smalltalk. As germans LOVE to complain, german smalltalk mostly consists of two or more people grumbling about something, like the weather or the Deutsche Bahn 😄
Also mit einem Feiertag am Wochenende hab ich gar kein Problem. Naja, es ärgert mich eventuell 5 Sekunden, wenn ich es mitbekomme. Danach ist mir aber eh wieder klar, dass es die nächsten Jahre wieder anders ausschaut. Abgesehen von einem Schaltjahr ;.)
Another way of "communal greeting": when you join people already sitting around a table in a pub etc. you knock three times on the table and say hello instead of greeting every person individually. I think it's rarely used today because we tend not to greet people individually anymore. Bavaria - due to the Alps. Coming from Northern Germany, I just love mountains :)
Well, in my experience you're only greeting this way if you join your "Stammtisch" or if you know the people on the table, you never do that on strangers. Maybe if you sit down at the bar, but that's it. 😉 Greetings from Mannheim
If anything we tend to individually greet people more than before. Since for example knock three times on the desk is changed for a "modern" handshake at a bar (the meme with the white and black arm comes to mind) and greeting everybody as "Bro/Brother/Insert colloquial name for friend" individually (it's not even a youth thing anymore, people doing that are going straight for their 30s, myself included) When you enter the flat of a friend and there are several people there a normal greeting would be something along the lines of "What's up" called into the room and giving everyone a handshake.
To your question of the week: I live in NRW and I feel glad that I'm here and not in Bavaria and not in Baden-Württemberg. I know places in both of them, but I would not prefer one in favor of the other. If I must decide where to go for a one-week trip within Germany, I'd always prefer Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein or Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The Christmas bit without mentionignHeiligabend was weird, especially the part where you claimed everyone was at work on Dec 24 2021. That's a really massive oversight right there (although not everyone gets the actually most important day of Christmas off, granted, considering shops often are open until 2PM or so)
Indeed. One of those retail workers here. But it's still not 'business as usual' since we *do* close earlier than would otherwise have been the case. But yeah... 2022 was 'worse' timed than 2021. Cause in 2021 it was 25 and 26th that got hit. In 2022 it was the 24 and 25 which are the real ones.
About the greeting at locker rooms or waiting rooms... I guess theres a difference between small town and big city. Here in Berlin, nobody greets you in this places 😅
Haha, for sure there is that breakdown in the US as well! In my small village locker room, everybody greets and then JUST speaks in the local dialect that goes right over my head 😅😂
About greetings in shared spaces. It's about "destination" and "size". You greet in Offices and such if you all "work" together, this includes guests and co. At the doctors office everyone wants to get better, they all wait for the same thing. In a bank every one want to handle money. In the post office every want to send something, and so on. They are all temporally in your "group". But this goes way if the group get too big. You don't greet everyone in a club, supermarket or park.
Niederbayern, immer im Schatten von Oberbayern, ist eine der schönsten Gegenden, die ich hab lieben gelernt. Der Bayerwald mit seinen Höhen, das Donautal und das Flachland davor. Ein Traum! Natur und ruhige Orte, oft herrliches Sommerwetter bis Weinen den Herbst hinein. Und Schnee im Winter. Dazu noch wirklich freundliche Menschen. Das Mädel im Bäckerladen, welches immer ‚Grias di‘ ruft. Ich wandere viel mit den Hunden, und immer wieder überrascht mich die Landschaft mit wunderschönen Ausblicken. Ich mag hier nie wieder weg. Komme aus Süd-NRW. Aber hier ist jetzt mein Zuhause!
My family always celebrated Christmas on the 24th in Austria, though our daughter enjoyed it on the 25th as well having presents on a second day, but as an adult, only the 24th. The hellos and goobyes are normal as well here, but would also note that the Swedes are not into small talk either. LG aus VI
I think the Räuberteller is great idea, because it includes the child in the ordering process. It can order for themself and don't need the parent to do so.
And in my home village, the grannies were always offended if you didn't say hello as a child. I always walked around daydreaming and some grannies I hardly knew just didn't bother me. When I visited my grandmother, she would say sth like: "Why didn't you greet Mrs. Xyz?" and I would say"Huh?" 🤯😂But yes, that's typically German somehow. 😂
Haha, that is funny! I have had a hard time finding the balance of greeting on the street in Germany or not. Definitely in our small village people seem to greet a lot more on the street, like in the US, whereas in cities it doesn't seem to be the case 😅 But, I've never been called out for not greeting like you 😂
@@PassportTwo Yes, in my small town too, if you walk around in the evening sometimes people greet you, probably out of the sheer surprise of seeing someone else :D
Coming from a small town, I know that feeling. When my niece from Berlin was visiting her grandmother as a small child, she was always astonished when my mother greeted other persons. "Do you know all these people?"
The funniest thing about greeting people in Northern Germany for those not familiar with our ways might be the "Moin!"... It can be used at all times of day and night and for all occasions...
obviously :) this is because you are from the north. people are not raised properly up that way.... What it really shows is the grandma network is still working. If you do something stupid, somebody sees it, and then tells your grandma. Makes for people acting properly..... Here in the US this is completely missing. Nobody is outside, nobody sees anything. this leads to people being completely oblivious to the fact that we can still see them when they park directly in front of the grocery store in the fire lane, sprint inside (i will be right back....) often leaving the engine running....
the day of celebration is the 24th, Heilig Abend (holy eve). It is half a day off, in most comanies you have to take it, because they are closed. It usualy is like this: You celebrate Heilig Abend in your core family and meet the rest of the family (grandparents for example) on the 25th celebrating Weihnachten. The zweiter Weihnachstfeiertag is mostly just a day off. And YES i want the observed holiday in Germany! And Baden-Württemberg is of course the most beautiful
The silence in doctors room after hello is only if nobody know somebody else in the room, you better get ready for talking if you meet someone from your village or a aquantice.
One thing about the Christmas thing Depending on the Company you either have a free day or a half day off on New Years Eve and Christmas Eve (for the latter Companies you only need 1 Vacation day for both) And in germany Christmas Eve is almost as important as we get our presents on that day 😉
small talk: as a German dude i personally don't mind it, but only as a "foreplay" to a conversation with depth. like an ice breaker between strangers. for me, that is the only reason i will engage in a conversation about... the weather for example. a prequel to meaningful talk.
There is kind of small talk in Germany but it should have some reason to start this conversation. Like when I see somebody confused about a situation, when I feel like sharing this experience I would tell him that I was also confused (like when the vending machine didn't work as expected). There will be some little chit chat about this occurrence and everybody feels acknowledged about that. But when somebody starts to talk to you out of nowhere just for the purpose of having a conversation it feels forced and unnecessary for a German. For the example with the greeting when entering a room. There is a reason: Somebody is entering and we acknowledge it.
I believe its illegal to put salt on the sidewalk. Its only allowed on highways and some streets for environmental reasons. It changes the ph of the soil. Usually you use gravel at home. And only in front of your house, not like the whole street.
not wanting to brag, but in the UK both 25th and 26th are bank holidays (ie public holiday). If a bank holiday falls at the weekend get the day off. If 25th falls on a Saturday, we get the Monday off, 26th is the Sunday, so we get the Tuesday off. NYD will be a Saturday, so we get the Monday (3rd jan off). Many people just take annual leave for the wed - Friday, stop work on Christmas Eve and go back on 4th Jan. Honestly, no office work gets done over this period
The thing with greetings compared to small talk at least for me and those around me is both summarized in two points i guess. 1. Greeting and more so acknowledging people, that are in a room like a doctors waiting room or are office like you mentioned, is most often a show of respect maybe. Respect isn´t the right word depending on how strong you will make that. Its like the possibility exist that you may interact with each other so you greet them. Some older people would scold you otherwise by telling you how rude or uneducated you are otherwise. Meanwhile in an office setting if it is with colleagues you try to greet everyone just so they know you are working in case they need something or get asked about you. While Customers like in your "Rathaus" story most often feel acknowledged so they know someone will soon be with them and help them, even if those that are doing their work a that time will just save their work or quickly finish ist. 2. That kind of small talk often makes "Germans" feel like they aren´t talking to the person they are interacting with but with a fake persona that that person is putting on. A good example from a work place could be a customer that always attends something your company organizes but also has to complain about everything afterwards. In those cases most people would you use this way of talking about "nothing and everything". At least as long as being a bit rude to the caller would create more problems then that. All is just based on my own experience from my friends and Family or while working in the as an event organizer and later on level 1 till level 3 it support.
Yea, I think there are lots of people out there who are uncomfortable asking for any kind of "special treatment", like getting an extra plate, even if the restaurant would be happy to do this. Having it on the menu makes it very clear that this will not be a problem, as you can actually order it, and like some others mentioned it, it's fun for kid, getting permission to "be a pirate" and "steal" food from their parents.
@@iristinkerbell Yeah, and for me the piont is, that the kid can order something for itself, that is a "proper" dish from the menu. It can act like an adult in the time of ordering, not like a parasite. I know a lot kids that want to order the own dish no matter if they can read the menu or not. When the waiter comes, they want to behave like a real guest or customer.
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG!!!! I moved here 3 years ago and I spend every single minute outside with my bike and dog. The landscape is just way to beautiful. (Okay. Bavaria is of course pretty nice, too. But you asked for one of them. And I know Baden-Württemberg -or "The Länd" a lot more)
We will acknowledge each others existence and the need for a baselevel of interpersonal respect, especially in the face of our shared experiences, like the tediousness of bureaucratic appointments or the looming prospect of health problems, but we will not talk further about private things in the presence of complete strangers.
Although I'm German I do like a nice small talk. And being friendly, polite and warm is important to me. That's why I often feel kind of foreign here since this is not really a big part of our culture. Sadly. But there are very friendly and nice people here too of course.
For small talk go to the north, for example the north sea coast. If three meets one sais "moin" (greeting word 24h/day), the second one "moin". The third one who says "moin moin" is considered as a gabbler...... 😄
About the smalltalk versus greeting: We were raised to greet, when entering a room as it's considered polite to acknowledge the people around us. Sometimes, instead of greeting or saying good-bye, we would even just look at the people in the room and nod quickly or shortly lift a hand, keeping even that silent. At the same time, it would be considered impolite to constantly chitchat in spaces, where people would expect to have a calm environment, such as a doctor cabinet's waiting room or an office, for example. If everybody was just exchanging sentences nobody even cares about really (e.g. whether the sun is shining right now or not), the overall volumes would be up and the desired serenity would be destroyed. That's why we were raised to either be silent or keep the conversations to a bare minimum and whisper rather than speaking loudly in those surroundings.
I was looking for this comment. It’s because he’s from Oklahoma and Possibly don’t get as much snow so no one thought of it. Up here in Illinois you definitely need to shovel the sidewalk.
I think the „Räuberteller“-Thing is more like a winking joke or so. Cause of course you can always order an extra plate for your food but they just decide to put that option on the menu to communicate if portions are big - you are very much allowed to share them I guess 😄
As for the greeting upon arrival and departure (😂) one does not has to specifically greet everybody individually, but a general hello and good bye usually suffices. Individual greetings are usually reserved for close workmates, friends, etc or when first talking to a colleague directly. Also if the office is not generally open (for example open plan with cubicles) you usually just do the general greeting to your office and office/roommates and otherwise greet those you meet on the floors the first time that day, same for leaving, and that’s that
In Denmark we celebrate Christmas for three days. We start the celebration on the 24. which is the main celebration (in the evening), and the 25. and 26. is bonus usually dedicated to go see (other) family and have julefrokost (a relaxed dinner with many traditional dishes served in a specific order with lots of beer and snaps/brændevin). I'm pretty sure Germans celebrate Christmas on the 24. too, and not on the 25.!
Older native German here: To me it's Ba-Wü because they are more authentic. Sure Bavaria did have their King Ludwig castels but to be honest, they are all simply an acient looking Eifeltower. Weheras Ba+Wü did have the authentic staff. Like Oktober fest vs Cannstatter Vasen.
The greeting is acknowledging that there is a person. It is the same when you go hiking or to smaller town, not in cities though. You acknoledge some by nodding or a small greeting as you pass as well and go back to focus on what you were doing/where you were going. We also smile a lot less/less strongly and are less entusiastic in greeting someone in passing. I think often the classic small talk is boring. If I do talk to a stranger it is usually about something interesting and a bit more deeper and longer than just small talk, like when you sit next to each other on the train for hours. With regards to the holidays. Germany does have much better labour protection laws. So loosing the observed holiday isn't too bad, because we at least 20 usually 30 days of paid vacation (excluding sick days). Even if you get sick on your vaccation day you can claim it as sick day and get your vacation day back to use some other time.
Although I think that the US doesn’t need to adopt a term for something they already do to a certain degree, the word Räuberteller itself is so cute and also something that children can relate to! And Bavaria is not Germany, so Baden-Württemberg it is😜 Btw I just realized how good your videos look nowadays! Lighting, camera quality, funny and advanced cuts… It took a while to realize it, but I very much appreciate your effort! It’s amazing👌🏼
Lovely video! I think the Räuberteller thing is just a fun way to tell people that it is totally fine to get an extra plate for the child, you would see the same kind of language play being used for the entire children's section of the menu with a "Pinocchio" or "Pumuckl" dish :D. The question of the week is unanswerable to me as a half Bavarian and half-Swabian, though I have a slight preference for Bavaria (don't tell my family though :D)
Xmans eve is half a day holiday, which starts at noon-ish when shops and offices have to close. So basically we got 3 days of holidays for xmas. Months of hype for xmas and then just one measily day and then its instantly over, that was so weird when I lived in the US.
Baden-Württemberg or Bavaria: As a person from Northern-Germany I think that both states are beautiful, but the Bavarians appear less prissy/narrow- minded/shy with strangers. I always feel a warmer welcome in Bavaria, even though I also feel some arrogance towards people from Northern Germany, there.
Regarding cleaning the sidewalk of snow and ice - if you're renting, technically the landlord is responsible, but he/she might have delegated it to you in the contract - or to rotating renters. If you're lucky, the landlord instead hired a building manager (or at least one for several buildings) who will take care of things for you - though that's usually going to end up on your Nebenkostenabrechnung.
The "Räuberteller" just is there to encourage parents to ask for it. Otherwise, some parents would not ask for a "free" plate for the children, just for politeness. If you find the Räuberteller on the menu, it means that you are welcome to ask for it. Of course, you can ask for an extra plate even if it's not on the menu. Most of the time, you get it. But you never know. By the way, I'm just back from the US and I'm still annoyed from american waitresses not stopping bothering everybodyy "Is everything ok" "Do you want the bill". The last phrase translates for me to "Get out of my restaurant if you finished your meal".
FYI the second day of Christmas is not exclusively German: the British even have a name for it, it is Boxing Day. While I slightly envy the“replacement“ holidays you get in the US (and UK), I guess we do not do this in Germany because, in comparison, we have so MANY observed holidays anyway :)
We germans greet and say goodbye to everyone in waiting rooms etc., but that is it... No smalltalk, no chitchat... We just wanna be polite and i think it is nice.
Some medium-sized companies take company vacations over Christmas and in the summer, including the armaments factory where my father and brother worked. Even when it belonged to the Americans, Perkin & Elmer. 🤔
1st Christmas day is family only. 2nd christmas day we go or recieve relations or friends. If 25th falls on a thursday sometimes whole company close also on friday. But this day is taken from your amount of holidays you get for the year.
Hahaha the doctors situation - I've heard that often from other americans, they were so confused like you. When we are silent in a waiting room, it's nothing personal, it's just that most of us like dreaming and relaxing or thinking of our family and friends or what do to next. That's often the reason why don't like small talk that much, we just like dreaming and relaxing 😊
I think the Räuberteller may have originated from „creative“ kids menus where different options where named for random children‘s book or comic book characters - you might have a Mickey Mouse plate of nuggets and fries, a Little Mermaid option of fish finger or said Räuberteller (which may or may not have originated with the popular (and great!) children‘s book the Räuber Hotzenplotz)…
Persönlich finde ich Baden-Württemberg durch heisse quellen und dem schwarzwald deutlich schöner, außerdem ist man dort noch näher an den alpen, was ski-fahren erleichtert.
Räuberteller is less about having a specific name for a blank plate but rather a homorous take on the idea - especially, because it looks like the name of a dish on the menu.
Whenever I see a map of the US and find the state of Oklahoma I will always think of the State that looks like a tank ... My sister and I play Statele (don't, too easy for Americans, but not so much for us).
Haha, Oklahoma definitely is always said to look like a pot, but I don't think I've ever heard that it looks like a tank 😂 But you're definitely right! 😅
There is no need for retroactively granted holidays since you have guaranteed 4 weeks of law supported holidays and paid sick time and paid parental leave. Depending on the branche you work in Saturday is free by default followed by mandatory free sunday.... Compare this to the situation in the USA. Every observed holiday has so much more value there.
Ich persönlich lebe in Rheinland-Pfalz und finde es hier natürlich wunderschön, besonders den Westerwald, da ich dort geboren und aufgewachsen bin. Aber durch den besten Freund meines Mannes haben wir definitiv Sachsen-Anhalt für uns entdeckt, es gibt dort unendlich viel zu entdecken und oft fühlt man sich direkt ins Mittelalter zurück versetzt...besonders zu empfehlen sind Quedlinburg, Halberstadt und natürlich Magdeburg und nicht zu vergessen für Fans des gepflegten Heavy Metal das Rockharz Festival 🤘🤜💖...also wenn du nicht entscheiden willst, ob Bayern oder Baden-Württemberg, ab nach Sachsen-Anhalt 😁😁
I grew up in Bavaria and the "Räuberteller" was just a given, not necessary to mention on the menu. Usually you'd order and ask for an empty plate for your child. But often also the staff would ask if you want one automatically. I've not been to many Bundesländer as I left Germany when I was 20 and back in the days people didn't travel as much as nowadays (contrary to what people today like to claim, people weren't richer in the 70ies and 80ies, they had a lower living standard and consumed less). I don't think I can really judge, which one I prefer, but as my whole family lives in Bavaria and all my ancestors for generations lived there and as I love my Bavarian mother tongue and cuisine, I'll go with Bayern. About the greeting, it's a sign of respect and of being available in case of need. In Bavarian language we use "Grüß Gott" or "Servus" to greet someone. The first is the more formal one and means something like "may you be accompanied by God", while the second one literally means "I'm your servant". They are really ment to create trust between people who meet.
@Passport Two 7:10 if you don't get snow or ice away and put no sand on the pedestrians way and pedestrians hurt themselve you are in financial trouble and you have to pay for their doctor and following costs. And a lawyer will charge you as well because you didn't follow the law! The same happens in autumn if you don't care about falling leaves ...
We have in many restaurants in Germany the "Seniorenteller" Senior/retirement plate too! It´s a plate with not so much on it as a normal plate! It also cost less!
I think as a german that u should give a name to something like "robbers plate". Yes u can ask for something like that in america I guess but there is always a chance of a misunderstanding. And if u got a name stapeled to the concept there is less of a chance that something goes wrong. So yea, I would say give it a name because of clarification + Bayern. Got nice mountains good for hiking and cruising around is fun. In sommer u can bathe at lakes or "Freibäder" and winter the terrain is great for all kinds of activity
Mit dem Gutscheincode PASSPORTTWO sparst Du in Deutschland bis zu 90€ auf Deine ersten 4 Boxen von HelloFresh: bit.ly/PASSPORTTWO - Kostenlosen Versand für die 1. Box gibtʼs obendrauf dazu!
9:25
I think that's the difference: We don't perceive the silence as "painful" and "awkward". We perceive meaningless conversation as "painful" and "awkward".
Ps: We Germans would make great conversation partners for the Finnish. When it comes to small talk they are like us, but dialed up to 11. Absolutely beautiful lol
I enjoy the silence in the waiting room. I find it calming.
@@gretahaase5509 I would find it painful and awkward to have to small talk when I'm sick and just waiting to see the doctor.
Also, sometimes it's akward to have to listen to smalltalk when two neighbours meet in the waiting room.
I would call it blissful silence. :)
(Except of course when children are involved. They can talk as much or little as they want without me getting annoyed. Being sick and having to go the doctor bad enough as a kid, but having to sit in silence on top of that would be just cruel)
jaaa! die erfahrung mit Finnland hab ich auch gemacht. ich komm mir in deutschland recht zurückhaltend vor. aber in Helsinki komm ich mir auf ein mal laut vor. auch ohne worte. meine körpersprache kommt mir da, im vergleich zu den Finnen, laut vor....
The old fashioned German word for life hack is: Trick Siebzehn.
Ya, know? I actually remember learning that at one point but completely forgot about it! Thanks for the reminder 😊
Or: Trick Siebzehn mit Falle.
Trick 17 mit selbstüberlistung
haha
Der Ruhrpott sagt:
Trick 17 mit Selbstverarsche
I haven't heard that expression in about 15 years, thanks for reminding me!
The greeting and saying good bye is not small talk...it is a sign of respect for everybody in the room
Small talk is blah blah because you can't deal with the "bad" silence.
Saying Hello is respectful, and a conversation is what people actually want.
Technisch endet die Weihnachtszeit erst an Mariä Lichtmess im Februar.
Ok 😅 Vielleicht hast du recht! 😊
@@PassportTwo Groundhog Day 😬
@Martin, though many Germans throw out their chrismas tree right after new years or 3-kings-day ... I've heard it is still okay to keep it until Candlemas / Groundhog Day
Für mich als Deutschen ist es immer wieder spannend, wie Ihr als Amerikaner unser Land und uns Deutsche seht. Vielen Dank und herzliche Grüße an Euch beide aus dem Norden von Rheinland-Pfalz!
Vielen Dank, Martin! Freut mich, dass dir meine Videos gefallen 😊
interesting enough that passport two is just answering to positive vibrations for that channel
Christmas Eve is an official working day, but in reality it's like a semi-holiday, because everybody wants to be at home in the eving (besides necessary public services like police, hospitals, public transport etc.). Essentially only shops, supermarkets and other grocery stores are open. In principle, it is only half a working day. All shops are closed from 2 p.m. at latest. All other employers give half or a full day off. Therefore Christmas Days are 2,5 days long.
The same applies to New Year's Eve.
Unfortunately there are employers in Gernany that count Christnas Eve as a normal workday, meaning you have to take a holiday if you don't want to work. (Yes, my employer does that. :-) )
@@nicolebrunzel6608 ALL WE HAVE TO LOSE ARE OUR CHAINS
Sorry, wrong script.
But that really surprises me since I've never heard of that
The principle also applies to New Year's Eve.
I still had to work on New Year's Eve for the first two years of my apprenticeship. (Under 18 years actually only until 2 p.m.; after that "officially" until the end of the day = 4.30 p.m.) However, the team leaders often let us go earlier. 2 or 3 years after the end of my apprenticeship, in addition to Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve became a public holiday for our industry. (unions pushed this through in collective bargaining)
@@nicolebrunzel6608 Much also depends on the industry and collective bargaining by unions.
However, smaller companies often fall through the cracks.
Sometimes you have to look closely at the employment contracts and a general reference to collective agreements (based on collective agreement xy...). In such cases, you can then look at the entire collective agreement and, if necessary, sue your employer for the rights/obligations laid down there.
The best part about greeting is actually on hikes. I always find it funny, but also heartwarming, when you are on a hike (especially in the mountains) and greet every passing group. And on sunny days that can be multiple times each minute.
Niedersachsen - it has mountains (Harz), coast (North Sea), planes and marshes (Norddeutsche Tiefebene und Sumpfgebiete), Forrests (Harz again, but also in cities like Hannover, which has a huge green heart), huge lakes and artificial lakes (Steinhuder Meer - artificial), huge farmed landscape, heather landscape (Lüneburger Heide) etc. etc.
Although you make great points, that wasn't one of the options 😅😂
I was on your side until you mentioned Hanover when the topic was "beautiful" ;)
@@hypatian9093 Only our Eilenriede - not the town itself, Hypatia N
Agreed, but i would recommend our small towns like Goslar, Duderstadt or Cuxhaven a lot over the big cities like Hannover or Brunswick were i live. The most neat big city in my opinion is Hildesheim.
@@LumpiDSBM I did only mention Hannover in regards of the city forest - which is huge.
24th is also kind of a holiday in Germany, since everyone finishes work earlier than usual (even grocery stores close at 2 pm) So it's like 2,5 days of holidays in total:)
I made a note of that on the calendar in the video! 😅 But I was just talking about "official" holidays of course 😊
@@PassportTwo Christmas eve is a half Holiday. Offical, also New Year‘s Eve. That‘s why mongers has closed their Shops.
24th is for most workers holidays.For "Öffentlicher Dienst und Kirchenangestellte, Diakonie, Staats, Landesangestellte" etc its complete free.
@@PascalausEssen That is correct. At 12 o'clock, the Boss has to pay "Feiertagszuschläge". That is important for the industry, where many units running 24/7.
The greeting is also special in offices. Every employee who comes in in the morning greets everybody who is already there. The first one apparently greets no one but is greeted by everybody who comes in later than him even if it means to go into every single office on the particular hallway. When you leave it's the other way around: the one who came in first is usually also the first one to leave and so says good buy to everybody who is still there.
Wow! I didn't know about the culture of going to every single office to say hello and goodbye. That's super interesting and definitely takes it another step further! Thanks for sharing this with me 😊
This might apply to a small company with only a few offices around the hallway. Usually we greet those already sitting in the office room we are going to occupy ourselves. But this was in those days before the pandemic and now we have more home office than going to work, I currently just show up once a week at my employers rooms. And because always only a few colleages are to find there the greeting and leaving ritual develops more in the direction you described.
I work in one big room with all the other people. we have a lot of space, so I say a loud "Morgen" into the room when I come in. I would not go from room to room... but I do knock on my bosse's door to stick my head in and wave good bye when I leave and he is still there. we're a small company. and now I wonder if it's also a safety thing. because you subconciously register who is there and who has gone home. and if a fire should break out you would know who you still have to get out... because the people in one room are kind of responsible for looking out for eachother. the longer I think about it the more I would say that it's like a temporary pack...
I really like our culture about little ones eating of our plates. Even if it is not on the menu, you often still can do it. In our go to amusement park is a restaurant with a buffet. As I asked for noodles for my child the cook put a finger on her lips, looked to both sides and said "you do not need to buy the noodles extra if I can place them on your plate without falling." Then proceeded in doing so and smuggled a second plate under mine :D
Haha, I love it when people show some humanity like that 😅
Greeting and leaving. Note that it is always the person entering or leaving who starts to greet. You can enter or leave a shared space without saying anything, and no one will be bothered with that. It's just a polite habit, and habit also dictates that, IF you greet, you should be recognized and be greeted in return.
Even if the "Räuberteller" or "Piratenteller" isn't mentioned on the menu, you always can ask for it. Or just ask for a small extra plate. Sometimes you will also receive some kind of crayons and a picture for coloring for your child. And it's common for restaurants to have some kind of highchairs for smaller children. In some restaurants there are even small playgrounds outside the beergarden. :)
And I love the forests in Berlin, they are mostly well maintained and great for a biking tour or even a small hike =D
Soetwas nennt man Familienplatte/-teller. Wer das Piraten- oder Räuberteller nennt, hat sich das mächtig aus den Fingern gesaugt. Leider ist das abosluter Blödsinn. In welcher Region wird das denn so verwendet ?
@@Yulo2000Leyje Also ich habe das schon in vielen Regionen in Deutschland gesehen, bzw. als Kind auch immer gerne bestellt. Klingt einfach einladender für Kinder. 😅
@@Yulo2000Leyje, ich wohne in Hessen und es ist in einigen Restaurants durchaus üblich. Habe es hier genauso gelesen wie in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Württemberg, Bayern etc.
@@Yulo2000Leyje wo heißt das denn nicht Räuberteller? 😂
I first met the term "Räuberteller" in Our holidays on Rügen. Never read this before on a menu in Bavaria. But you can get the extra plate wherever you ask. Love this tradition!
I am from Bavaria and really love this region. But Baden-Württemberg is also very beautiful.
I cant remember EVER having to go to school on the 24th in Germany..... Heiligabend was always a holiday too...making it a 3 day holiday
Ah! Well, schools and work are two different things for sure. I was coming at it from a perspective of actual federal/state public holidays and not school holidays. Schools may get off, but it isn't a public holiday. Most of the time in the US, schools are shut down at least a week or more before or after Christmas as well 😊
Great Video and it’s a real pleasure to listen to, because your english is so easy to understand for someone from Germany who’s not a native english speaker 😊
Thanks so much! Roughly ONLY 8-10% of those that watch my videos are native English speakers, so I definitely speak one way on camera to try and make it easier for everybody to understand and speak my more natural way off camera when I'm around family that may not be as easy to understand all the time 😅
Same in UK we have Christmas day and day after is called boxing day
A lot of people spend the time between christmas and new years eve on holiday too on paid leave. Some companies close. These are the so-called Brückentage. With a bit of luck, you have 14 days off work with taking only 6 days paid leave.
Same is for easter.
You made me laugh out loud when you talked about every person in the room saying hello to you, but that's it. Germans really don't like small talk. I actually found myself in an awkward situation once, because I entered a doctor's office in the US and guess what I did? Without thinking and because it is a German habit I said "hello" to everyone🤣 Believe me that was a really awkward moment for everyone in that room 😁I wanted to leave so badly😅
no problem for me. I have been saying hi when entering doctors offices and breakrooms for almost 25 years now. I even learned how to do small talk. I still find it weird. but it is what people do and expect. In germany we only do small talk with people we know at least a little, or if we walk into an interesting conversation.
the part about greeting strangers in doctor's waiting spaces etc. is really just about acknowledging that you exist or that you arrived and instead of staring (which is something we're accused of often) you resort to politely greet. the silence afterwards isn't supposed to be awkward, because nobody expects you to go any further with the "conversation". it's probably just awkward if you're not used to it. in my opinion, and i'm sure i'm not the only one, it is far more awkward to step into a rather small space where people are already waiting and ignore everybody. if you have greeted people, it's easier to e.g. squeeze past them with an "excuse me" because you've already "introduced" yourself.
I think Germans greet more because it is - in a German cultural context - seen as the 'polite thing to do' It's about 'demonstrating manners' in public and so you teach children that greeting people this way is 'having manners', when evaluated by German standards and expectations.
In the US, entering an office is just not the moment where certain specific manners have to be demonstrated, there are plenty of other places where that would be culturally relevant, but not here.
When it comes to small talk, the aspect is more on recognizing the other person and/or establishing social contact, and so you do need a few words more to get something like that going. When entering an office though, you would not engage in a small talk fashion with a room full of people sitting in a waiting room. The small talk only starts when there is a one-on-one interaction (or at least a very small group). I have to say though, if there is a line, people in the US will very easily get into a conversation while waiting, small-talk - here we go, and in the end it helps pass the time. For Germans, that is just not a situation where they seek interaction, they rather want to have their undisturbed space.
These are just cultural differences, no right or wrong here. It just is what it is.
And I love both Bavaria and BW. Right now, BW interests me a bit more, but that is probably because I know it a bit less. Most of Germany has beautiful corners though, and landscapes change so quickly, it is hard to pick favorites.
Fun fact for the 24.12...
We celebrate holy night at the 24. Usually in the afternoon/ealry evening. And therefore it is that we only work till 2pm or something like that. Late and nightshifts are usually canceled on this day. Ofc not for police, firefighters, etc.
So often we have 3 days or 2.5 days off.
We DO have some kind of smalltalk - the topic is, however, wildly different to 'american' smalltalk. As germans LOVE to complain, german smalltalk mostly consists of two or more people grumbling about something, like the weather or the Deutsche Bahn 😄
Also mit einem Feiertag am Wochenende hab ich gar kein Problem. Naja, es ärgert mich eventuell 5 Sekunden, wenn ich es mitbekomme. Danach ist mir aber eh wieder klar, dass es die nächsten Jahre wieder anders ausschaut. Abgesehen von einem Schaltjahr ;.)
Another way of "communal greeting": when you join people already sitting around a table in a pub etc. you knock three times on the table and say hello instead of greeting every person individually. I think it's rarely used today because we tend not to greet people individually anymore.
Bavaria - due to the Alps. Coming from Northern Germany, I just love mountains :)
Well, in my experience you're only greeting this way if you join your "Stammtisch" or if you know the people on the table, you never do that on strangers. Maybe if you sit down at the bar, but that's it. 😉
Greetings from Mannheim
If anything we tend to individually greet people more than before. Since for example knock three times on the desk is changed for a "modern" handshake at a bar (the meme with the white and black arm comes to mind) and greeting everybody as "Bro/Brother/Insert colloquial name for friend" individually (it's not even a youth thing anymore, people doing that are going straight for their 30s, myself included)
When you enter the flat of a friend and there are several people there a normal greeting would be something along the lines of "What's up" called into the room and giving everyone a handshake.
To your question of the week: I live in NRW and I feel glad that I'm here and not in Bavaria and not in Baden-Württemberg. I know places in both of them, but I would not prefer one in favor of the other. If I must decide where to go for a one-week trip within Germany, I'd always prefer Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein or Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
In Sweden we celebrate 3 days of Christmas. 24-26th
In Germany too. 24 is actually the main celebration. But in the evening. The day is still a work day.
In most Restaurants, you can order a childrens plate, half of the food, but the same food, for children.
The Christmas bit without mentionignHeiligabend was weird, especially the part where you claimed everyone was at work on Dec 24 2021. That's a really massive oversight right there (although not everyone gets the actually most important day of Christmas off, granted, considering shops often are open until 2PM or so)
Indeed. One of those retail workers here. But it's still not 'business as usual' since we *do* close earlier than would otherwise have been the case. But yeah... 2022 was 'worse' timed than 2021. Cause in 2021 it was 25 and 26th that got hit. In 2022 it was the 24 and 25 which are the real ones.
About the greeting at locker rooms or waiting rooms... I guess theres a difference between small town and big city. Here in Berlin, nobody greets you in this places 😅
Haha, for sure there is that breakdown in the US as well! In my small village locker room, everybody greets and then JUST speaks in the local dialect that goes right over my head 😅😂
About greetings in shared spaces. It's about "destination" and "size". You greet in Offices and such if you all "work" together, this includes guests and co. At the doctors office everyone wants to get better, they all wait for the same thing. In a bank every one want to handle money. In the post office every want to send something, and so on. They are all temporally in your "group". But this goes way if the group get too big. You don't greet everyone in a club, supermarket or park.
Niederbayern, immer im Schatten von Oberbayern, ist eine der schönsten Gegenden, die ich hab lieben gelernt. Der Bayerwald mit seinen Höhen, das Donautal und das Flachland davor. Ein Traum! Natur und ruhige Orte, oft herrliches Sommerwetter bis Weinen den Herbst hinein. Und Schnee im Winter. Dazu noch wirklich freundliche Menschen. Das Mädel im Bäckerladen, welches immer ‚Grias di‘ ruft.
Ich wandere viel mit den Hunden, und immer wieder überrascht mich die Landschaft mit wunderschönen Ausblicken. Ich mag hier nie wieder weg. Komme aus Süd-NRW. Aber hier ist jetzt mein Zuhause!
My family always celebrated Christmas on the 24th in Austria, though our daughter enjoyed it on the 25th as well having presents on a second day, but as an adult, only the 24th. The hellos and goobyes are normal as well here, but would also note that the Swedes are not into small talk either. LG aus VI
Also here in Italy dec. 26th is a festive day, no work until 27th!
I think the Räuberteller is great idea, because it includes the child in the ordering process. It can order for themself and don't need the parent to do so.
And in my home village, the grannies were always offended if you didn't say hello as a child. I always walked around daydreaming and some grannies I hardly knew just didn't bother me. When I visited my grandmother, she would say sth like: "Why didn't you greet Mrs. Xyz?" and I would say"Huh?" 🤯😂But yes, that's typically German somehow. 😂
Haha, that is funny! I have had a hard time finding the balance of greeting on the street in Germany or not. Definitely in our small village people seem to greet a lot more on the street, like in the US, whereas in cities it doesn't seem to be the case 😅 But, I've never been called out for not greeting like you 😂
@@PassportTwo Yes, in my small town too, if you walk around in the evening sometimes people greet you, probably out of the sheer surprise of seeing someone else :D
Coming from a small town, I know that feeling. When my niece from Berlin was visiting her grandmother as a small child, she was always astonished when my mother greeted other persons. "Do you know all these people?"
The funniest thing about greeting people in Northern Germany for those not familiar with our ways might be the "Moin!"... It can be used at all times of day and night and for all occasions...
obviously :) this is because you are from the north. people are not raised properly up that way.... What it really shows is the grandma network is still working. If you do something stupid, somebody sees it, and then tells your grandma. Makes for people acting properly..... Here in the US this is completely missing. Nobody is outside, nobody sees anything. this leads to people being completely oblivious to the fact that we can still see them when they park directly in front of the grocery store in the fire lane, sprint inside (i will be right back....) often leaving the engine running....
the day of celebration is the 24th, Heilig Abend (holy eve). It is half a day off, in most comanies you have to take it, because they are closed. It usualy is like this: You celebrate Heilig Abend in your core family and meet the rest of the family (grandparents for example) on the 25th celebrating Weihnachten. The zweiter Weihnachstfeiertag is mostly just a day off.
And YES i want the observed holiday in Germany!
And Baden-Württemberg is of course the most beautiful
The silence in doctors room after hello is only if nobody know somebody else in the room, you better get ready for talking if you meet someone from your village or a aquantice.
One thing about the Christmas thing
Depending on the Company you either have a free day or a half day off on New Years Eve and Christmas Eve (for the latter Companies you only need 1 Vacation day for both)
And in germany Christmas Eve is almost as important as we get our presents on that day 😉
In Bavaria and Baden Württemberg the Räuberteller is called: Spätzle mit Soß' - koscht nix
small talk: as a German dude i personally don't mind it, but only as a "foreplay" to a conversation with depth. like an ice breaker between strangers. for me, that is the only reason i will engage in a conversation about... the weather for example. a prequel to meaningful talk.
yep, "hallo" and "tschüss" is the german equivalent of a lengthy american chit chat with a stranger at the grocery store ^^
There is kind of small talk in Germany but it should have some reason to start this conversation.
Like when I see somebody confused about a situation, when I feel like sharing this experience I would tell him that I was also confused (like when the vending machine didn't work as expected). There will be some little chit chat about this occurrence and everybody feels acknowledged about that.
But when somebody starts to talk to you out of nowhere just for the purpose of having a conversation it feels forced and unnecessary for a German.
For the example with the greeting when entering a room. There is a reason: Somebody is entering and we acknowledge it.
I believe its illegal to put salt on the sidewalk. Its only allowed on highways and some streets for environmental reasons. It changes the ph of the soil. Usually you use gravel at home. And only in front of your house, not like the whole street.
not wanting to brag, but in the UK both 25th and 26th are bank holidays (ie public holiday). If a bank holiday falls at the weekend get the day off. If 25th falls on a Saturday, we get the Monday off, 26th is the Sunday, so we get the Tuesday off. NYD will be a Saturday, so we get the Monday (3rd jan off). Many people just take annual leave for the wed - Friday, stop work on Christmas Eve and go back on 4th Jan. Honestly, no office work gets done over this period
The thing with greetings compared to small talk at least for me and those around me is both summarized in two points i guess.
1. Greeting and more so acknowledging people, that are in a room like a doctors waiting room or are office like you mentioned, is most often a show of respect maybe. Respect isn´t the right word depending on how strong you will make that. Its like the possibility exist that you may interact with each other so you greet them. Some older people would scold you otherwise by telling you how rude or uneducated you are otherwise.
Meanwhile in an office setting if it is with colleagues you try to greet everyone just so they know you are working in case they need something or get asked about you. While Customers like in your "Rathaus" story most often feel acknowledged so they know someone will soon be with them and help them, even if those that are doing their work a that time will just save their work or quickly finish ist.
2. That kind of small talk often makes "Germans" feel like they aren´t talking to the person they are interacting with but with a fake persona that that person is putting on. A good example from a work place could be a customer that always attends something your company organizes but also has to complain about everything afterwards. In those cases most people would you use this way of talking about "nothing and everything". At least as long as being a bit rude to the caller would create more problems then that.
All is just based on my own experience from my friends and Family or while working in the as an event organizer and later on level 1 till level 3 it support.
The robber's plate is great for the child, bekause it can order from the menu, not asking for a special service. That would give more fun!
Yea, I think there are lots of people out there who are uncomfortable asking for any kind of "special treatment", like getting an extra plate, even if the restaurant would be happy to do this. Having it on the menu makes it very clear that this will not be a problem, as you can actually order it, and like some others mentioned it, it's fun for kid, getting permission to "be a pirate" and "steal" food from their parents.
@@iristinkerbell Yeah, and for me the piont is, that the kid can order something for itself, that is a "proper" dish from the menu. It can act like an adult in the time of ordering, not like a parasite. I know a lot kids that want to order the own dish no matter if they can read the menu or not. When the waiter comes, they want to behave like a real guest or customer.
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG!!!!
I moved here 3 years ago and I spend every single minute outside with my bike and dog. The landscape is just way to beautiful.
(Okay. Bavaria is of course pretty nice, too. But you asked for one of them. And I know Baden-Württemberg -or "The Länd" a lot more)
Also German Countries the Christmas Holiday is on the Evening of 24th of December
Yes, but it’s not a public holiday which is what I was talking about 😊
We will acknowledge each others existence and the need for a baselevel of interpersonal respect, especially in the face of our shared experiences, like the tediousness of bureaucratic appointments or the looming prospect of health problems, but we will not talk further about private things in the presence of complete strangers.
Although I'm German I do like a nice small talk. And being friendly, polite and warm is important to me. That's why I often feel kind of foreign here since this is not really a big part of our culture. Sadly. But there are very friendly and nice people here too of course.
What a champ you are! The things you brought up are common in Europe as well as the rest of the world but the US!
For small talk go to the north, for example the north sea coast. If three meets one sais "moin" (greeting word 24h/day), the second one "moin". The third one who says "moin moin" is considered as a gabbler...... 😄
About the smalltalk versus greeting:
We were raised to greet, when entering a room as it's considered polite to acknowledge the people around us. Sometimes, instead of greeting or saying good-bye, we would even just look at the people in the room and nod quickly or shortly lift a hand, keeping even that silent.
At the same time, it would be considered impolite to constantly chitchat in spaces, where people would expect to have a calm environment, such as a doctor cabinet's waiting room or an office, for example. If everybody was just exchanging sentences nobody even cares about really (e.g. whether the sun is shining right now or not), the overall volumes would be up and the desired serenity would be destroyed. That's why we were raised to either be silent or keep the conversations to a bare minimum and whisper rather than speaking loudly in those surroundings.
Many towns in Northern US require snow to be removed from sidewalks and also not be slippery!
I was looking for this comment. It’s because he’s from Oklahoma and Possibly don’t get as much snow so no one thought of it. Up here in Illinois you definitely need to shovel the sidewalk.
Another thing that makes sense: Starting the week in a calendar with Monday 😀
I think the „Räuberteller“-Thing is more like a winking joke or so.
Cause of course you can always order an extra plate for your food but they just decide to put that option on the menu to communicate if portions are big - you are very much allowed to share them I guess 😄
As for the greeting upon arrival and departure (😂) one does not has to specifically greet everybody individually, but a general hello and good bye usually suffices. Individual greetings are usually reserved for close workmates, friends, etc or when first talking to a colleague directly.
Also if the office is not generally open (for example open plan with cubicles) you usually just do the general greeting to your office and office/roommates and otherwise greet those you meet on the floors the first time that day, same for leaving, and that’s that
In Denmark we celebrate Christmas for three days. We start the celebration on the 24. which is the main celebration (in the evening), and the 25. and 26. is bonus usually dedicated to go see (other) family and have julefrokost (a relaxed dinner with many traditional dishes served in a specific order with lots of beer and snaps/brændevin).
I'm pretty sure Germans celebrate Christmas on the 24. too, and not on the 25.!
Older native German here: To me it's Ba-Wü because they are more authentic. Sure Bavaria did have their King Ludwig castels but to be honest, they are all simply an acient looking Eifeltower. Weheras Ba+Wü did have the authentic staff. Like Oktober fest vs Cannstatter Vasen.
Strangely enough, I cannot remember ever hearing of a Räuberteller or noticing it on a menu, and I'm 63.
The greeting is acknowledging that there is a person. It is the same when you go hiking or to smaller town, not in cities though. You acknoledge some by nodding or a small greeting as you pass as well and go back to focus on what you were doing/where you were going. We also smile a lot less/less strongly and are less entusiastic in greeting someone in passing.
I think often the classic small talk is boring. If I do talk to a stranger it is usually about something interesting and a bit more deeper and longer than just small talk, like when you sit next to each other on the train for hours.
With regards to the holidays. Germany does have much better labour protection laws. So loosing the observed holiday isn't too bad, because we at least 20 usually 30 days of paid vacation (excluding sick days). Even if you get sick on your vaccation day you can claim it as sick day and get your vacation day back to use some other time.
Although I think that the US doesn’t need to adopt a term for something they already do to a certain degree, the word Räuberteller itself is so cute and also something that children can relate to!
And Bavaria is not Germany, so Baden-Württemberg it is😜
Btw I just realized how good your videos look nowadays! Lighting, camera quality, funny and advanced cuts… It took a while to realize it, but I very much appreciate your effort! It’s amazing👌🏼
Lovely video! I think the Räuberteller thing is just a fun way to tell people that it is totally fine to get an extra plate for the child, you would see the same kind of language play being used for the entire children's section of the menu with a "Pinocchio" or "Pumuckl" dish :D.
The question of the week is unanswerable to me as a half Bavarian and half-Swabian, though I have a slight preference for Bavaria (don't tell my family though :D)
Xmans eve is half a day holiday, which starts at noon-ish when shops and offices have to close. So basically we got 3 days of holidays for xmas.
Months of hype for xmas and then just one measily day and then its instantly over, that was so weird when I lived in the US.
Baden-Württemberg or Bavaria: As a person from Northern-Germany I think that both states are beautiful, but the Bavarians appear less prissy/narrow- minded/shy with strangers. I always feel a warmer welcome in Bavaria, even though I also feel some arrogance towards people from Northern Germany, there.
Baden-Württemberg with its huge forests and valleys
Regarding cleaning the sidewalk of snow and ice - if you're renting, technically the landlord is responsible, but he/she might have delegated it to you in the contract - or to rotating renters. If you're lucky, the landlord instead hired a building manager (or at least one for several buildings) who will take care of things for you - though that's usually going to end up on your Nebenkostenabrechnung.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
That wasn't an option 😉😂
The "Räuberteller" just is there to encourage parents to ask for it. Otherwise, some parents would not ask for a "free" plate for the children, just for politeness. If you find the Räuberteller on the menu, it means that you are welcome to ask for it. Of course, you can ask for an extra plate even if it's not on the menu. Most of the time, you get it. But you never know.
By the way, I'm just back from the US and I'm still annoyed from american waitresses not stopping bothering everybodyy "Is everything ok" "Do you want the bill". The last phrase translates for me to "Get out of my restaurant if you finished your meal".
Considering there are 6 public holidays in the USA and 10-13 (depending on state) having perceived holidays isn't such a priority.
FYI the second day of Christmas is not exclusively German: the British even have a name for it, it is Boxing Day. While I slightly envy the“replacement“ holidays you get in the US (and UK), I guess we do not do this in Germany because, in comparison, we have so MANY observed holidays anyway :)
We germans greet and say goodbye to everyone in waiting rooms etc., but that is it... No smalltalk, no chitchat... We just wanna be polite and i think it is nice.
Some medium-sized companies take company vacations over Christmas and in the summer, including the armaments factory where my father and brother worked. Even when it belonged to the Americans, Perkin & Elmer. 🤔
As a native Swabian I definitely say Würtemmberg (without Baden!) :D
1st Christmas day is family only. 2nd christmas day we go or recieve relations or friends. If 25th falls on a thursday sometimes whole company close also on friday. But this day is taken from your amount of holidays you get for the year.
Baden-Württemberg or Bavaria? Die Pfalz of course.
Most people don’t work on Heiligabend
Hahaha the doctors situation - I've heard that often from other americans, they were so confused like you. When we are silent in a waiting room, it's nothing personal, it's just that most of us like dreaming and relaxing or thinking of our family and friends or what do to next. That's often the reason why don't like small talk that much, we just like dreaming and relaxing 😊
Not to forget reading the colorful magazines laid out in the waiting room, that most people would never buy, but enjoy immensely on these occasions. 😅
I think the Räuberteller may have originated from „creative“ kids menus where different options where named for random children‘s book or comic book characters - you might have a Mickey Mouse plate of nuggets and fries, a Little Mermaid option of fish finger or said Räuberteller (which may or may not have originated with the popular (and great!) children‘s book the Räuber Hotzenplotz)…
Beide! I couldn't choose between Bavaria and Baden Wurtemburg
You can't just ask this random question! It will start a war😱
Genau 😉
Persönlich finde ich Baden-Württemberg durch heisse quellen und dem schwarzwald deutlich schöner, außerdem ist man dort noch näher an den alpen, was ski-fahren erleichtert.
A lot of people want it also the way that holidays are "redone" of it falls on a weekend But that's discussion!
It is so weird, to see a calender week start with a sunday.
Räuberteller is less about having a specific name for a blank plate but rather a homorous take on the idea - especially, because it looks like the name of a dish on the menu.
The 26th is actually a Christian holiday, St. Stefan's day.
Whenever I see a map of the US and find the state of Oklahoma I will always think of the State that looks like a tank ... My sister and I play Statele (don't, too easy for Americans, but not so much for us).
Haha, Oklahoma definitely is always said to look like a pot, but I don't think I've ever heard that it looks like a tank 😂 But you're definitely right! 😅
Norddeutschland. Never been down there 😂 i stay up north
There is no need for retroactively granted holidays since you have guaranteed 4 weeks of law supported holidays and paid sick time and paid parental leave. Depending on the branche you work in Saturday is free by default followed by mandatory free sunday....
Compare this to the situation in the USA. Every observed holiday has so much more value there.
Liebe Grüße aus Nordrhein-Westfalen 😎👍 tolles Video
Ich persönlich lebe in Rheinland-Pfalz und finde es hier natürlich wunderschön, besonders den Westerwald, da ich dort geboren und aufgewachsen bin. Aber durch den besten Freund meines Mannes haben wir definitiv Sachsen-Anhalt für uns entdeckt, es gibt dort unendlich viel zu entdecken und oft fühlt man sich direkt ins Mittelalter zurück versetzt...besonders zu empfehlen sind Quedlinburg, Halberstadt und natürlich Magdeburg und nicht zu vergessen für Fans des gepflegten Heavy Metal das Rockharz Festival 🤘🤜💖...also wenn du nicht entscheiden willst, ob Bayern oder Baden-Württemberg, ab nach Sachsen-Anhalt 😁😁
Spreading salt? Never! Rollsplitt is what to spread.
I grew up in Bavaria and the "Räuberteller" was just a given, not necessary to mention on the menu. Usually you'd order and ask for an empty plate for your child. But often also the staff would ask if you want one automatically.
I've not been to many Bundesländer as I left Germany when I was 20 and back in the days people didn't travel as much as nowadays (contrary to what people today like to claim, people weren't richer in the 70ies and 80ies, they had a lower living standard and consumed less). I don't think I can really judge, which one I prefer, but as my whole family lives in Bavaria and all my ancestors for generations lived there and as I love my Bavarian mother tongue and cuisine, I'll go with Bayern.
About the greeting, it's a sign of respect and of being available in case of need. In Bavarian language we use "Grüß Gott" or "Servus" to greet someone. The first is the more formal one and means something like "may you be accompanied by God", while the second one literally means "I'm your servant". They are really ment to create trust between people who meet.
The "Hallo" and "Tschüss" thing you mentioned is only the case in villages tho. If you do that in bigger city, you may get some weird looks.
@Passport Two 7:10 if you don't get snow or ice away and put no sand on the pedestrians way and pedestrians hurt themselve you are in financial trouble and you have to pay for their doctor and following costs. And a lawyer will charge you as well because you didn't follow the law! The same happens in autumn if you don't care about falling leaves ...
We have in many restaurants in Germany the "Seniorenteller" Senior/retirement plate too! It´s a plate with not so much on it as a normal plate! It also cost less!
I think as a german that u should give a name to something like "robbers plate". Yes u can ask for something like that in america I guess but there is always a chance of a misunderstanding. And if u got a name stapeled to the concept there is less of a chance that something goes wrong.
So yea, I would say give it a name because of clarification
+ Bayern. Got nice mountains good for hiking and cruising around is fun. In sommer u can bathe at lakes or "Freibäder" and winter the terrain is great for all kinds of activity
Amazing observations!