Kultur 3

For the culture reading, I read all of the Brennpunkt Kultur in Kapitel 3 of Vorsprung, and also the first two articles on the list: "An Obsession Explained: Beer, Brewskies and Liquid Bread", and "Capping the Bottle: Germany Looks to Tighten Up Public Drinking Rules". All of these readings were interesting, but "An Obsession Explained..." is my favorite for sure.


In the first article, the reader learns about the drinking habits of typical Germans, and also about German beer in general. I learned about Pils, Altbier, Kolsch, etc. The article goes through about 10 different types of beer made in Germany. Furthermore, it shows off a bit of drinking etiquette. The article explains the toast, and even the pouring of the beer. I found the article interesting because there was a few different subjects that were all related, and it went into detail where possible.


The second article was about banning public drinking in German cities. The article presents the issue in an unbiased way, and showcases both sides of the argument. Those who are pro-banning alcohol feel that way primarily to cut down on crime and public disturbance; both very reasonable things to consider. The other side is kind of like the people's voice. The pro-public drinking side thinks there is no reason to punish every drinker, even those who drink responsibly, in a blanket ban on the alcohol. In response to opposition of complete bans, some cities have made public drinking areas. One can bring wine or beer to these places and drink to their desire, and not have to be out in public possibly being a nuisance.


Brennpunkt Kultur always has little interesting facts. I think my favorite is the fact that there is sometimes a second breakfast in Germany, (dependant on the person). I thought this was very cool because it reminded me of Lord of The Rings, when Pippin is talking about all of the meals Hobbits eat, he comes across "second breakfast". It also talked about the use of the metric system, and that only in Germany, not Austria or Switzerland, the pound is sometimes used. Then there was the part about Heidelberg and Mannheim. Heidelberg had the remains of the oldest person in Europe, that is pretty cool.