American reacts to 8 Things That Happen Only in Germany

[@borisweiler1915]

As a German, I would be ashamed to bring a store-bought salad to a party

[@Lancor84]

It's okay if you communicate that beforehand. Party isn't party.

[@realglutenfree]

For real. If I say I bring something a salad to a party, it sure wont be store bought.

[@Casanisl]

but that's not the point. They just wanted to show that "salad" might not be what a foreigner would expect.

[@harryhirsch3637]

@@CasanislYou're right. But since we're talking german habits, it's totally o.k. to say "Don't bring store bought salad to a party!".

[@tamaratamara3528]

@@Lancor84 If you can't or don't want to make a salad or a cake, it would be better to bring something to drink. To buy a bottle of wine is absolutely okay.

[@guenterh8885]

Ok, i'm german and I'm confused by the salad thing. If I'm invited to a party and asked to bring a salad, I'd never even think of buying one these disgusting mayo flooded cups from a store. To me it's implicit to bring a self made salad and I think that's quite common here in rural northern germany

[@Keksemann666]

I would feel insulted if one of my guests brings one of these.

[@galier2]

Absolutely.

[@aphextwin5712]

Maybe they just didn’t commit enough with the production of their sketch (ie, they only used store-bought salads to make the production cheaper). Though they just would have needed to put the store-bought salads into Tupperware to create the illusion of homemade salads.

[@fabianstriebeck8054]

Bring your home made salad and a tub of meat salad. ❤🎉

[@tamadesthi156]

yes, but even here in northern gemany its pretty common to bring a selfmade noodle salad or potatoe salad with mayo as far as I know

[@catonkybord7950]

They should've added that you use Mahlzeit as a greeting only during the time people are usually having their lunch breaks, so from about 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

[@lawa3295]

Yes, and that is also the reason why you only use it at the work place - because there you have a lunch break.

[@catonkybord7950]

@@lawa3295 Typically, yes. Although I've known people here in Austria who also use it at the doctor's office, auf dem Amt, and in all other kind of waiting room situations.

[@alphonsbretagne8468]

yes, very important footer!

[@lilg2300]

exactly.

[@alessandroespinosa8904]

wrong, in my region we use it all day

[@insulanerin7601]

Even kindergarten kids bring muffins or a cake for the whole group in Germany. Same in school. The birthday person is the host, the others are the guests.

[@user-cx6kt3ku2f]

Yeah basically. In my afterschool care the birthday child could choose a theme and the caretakers would organize a party (for the boys it was basically just StarWars, Football or the antique) but in every case, the child’s parents would take care of sweets for everyone and a cake. That’s how you could tell who had sucky parents because they would bring the worst snacks and cakes.

[@__-tp4tm]

​@@user-cx6kt3ku2fMy mother had to raise my brother and me despite being poor. Not everyone gets everything shafted into their fine lil butt. While expenses were never made easily, she tried her best to raise us to be open-minded and able to pursue goals we get ourselves. Not everyone gets to be treated like a lil princess, and money definitely does not make good people overall.

[@arnolsi]

How would it be for a kid if the others forgot the birthday? You don't forget your own birthday, but you can forget someone else's. At work all have to think about the other birthdays. In Germany you only have to bring one time the year a cake in other countries maybe 2 or 3 times a month.

[@DavidOtto82]

well, tbh i would say how we do it is mainly a way to ensure no birthdays are forgotten and that there is always cake in the office ;D

[@ankra12]

Same in Norway 😅

[@79Testarossi]

Potato salad is different in every area in germany, in the north with mayonnaise and in the south with vinegar and oil. Here in Austria 🇦🇹 potato salad is made with vinegar and oil, in vienna the taste is more sweet. In my area i made it warm with pumpkin seed oil 👍🏻

[@habi0187]

So you are from Styria?

[@Wokeundwehrhaft]

Passt!

[@Aaaareyoureadyyy]

Don't you forget the pickels that go with potato salad in nothern Germany!

[@SatieSatie]

Toasted pumpkin seed oil is a must!! An Austrian treasure from Styria.

[@79Testarossi]

@@habi0187 yes, from Graz and Lieboch 🍺😎🇦🇹

[@LaS195]

"There's nothing to complain about." is by far the greatest compliment that can come from a German, because he really tries with all his might to find something to complain about.

[@aphextwin5712]

Yup, it’s so perfect, there literally is nothing to complain about.

[@highks496]

Well if you think about it, when there's absolutely nothing to complain about, the logical conclusion is that it's perfect!

[@LeyCarnifex]

it's also the basis for a really silly joke about a German lawyer whose business is not going well, since the German word "klagen" means both "to complain" and "to file a lawsuit"

[@KingSteven26]

@@LeyCarnifex "Eine Stadt die einen Anwalt nicht ernähren kann, kann zwei ernähren..." 😀

[@hito1988]

@@highks496 not for an german. nothing to complain about is more a "its okay". example when eating at a resturant and the food is not bad but also not good, so nothing to complain about since you got your moneys worth. the opposite would be a resturant with really good service and awesome food = perfect. also the reason why a germans thinking twice giving a tip, if everything is perfect then we like to give a tip. if you have nothing to complain about you think twice giving a tip. if the resturant or service was really bad, we dont tip. conclusion, nothing to complain about is the middle between good and bad.

[@christophhanke6627]

The birthday thing also extends to the Party itself. You invite people, you Plan Out everything, you buy and decorate most of the things. You will get presents, but don't expect anyone to throw a Party for you unless its your parents when you're a kid^^

[@insulanerin7601]

I remember my four year old daughter threatening me with "I won't invite you to my birthday party!" when she was angry at me. WORST thing you could say to your friends in kindergarten!

[@michaela114]

... and because you can't invite all your colleagues to your birthday party, you bring somethink to work to celebrate with them - the easiest thing is a cake: you can easy prepare, bring to work and everybody is happy 😂

[@bens4506]

As a children's Birthday party host you also provide the guests with small gifts such as small toys and sweets for everyone.

[@McGhinch]

Potato salad in Germany: There is not _the_ potato salad. Yes, there are a couple of varieties that are more or less standard in the different areas in Germany. But then, when you meet at a potluck dinner, you might -- depending of then number of people attending -- encounter 15 or more varieties of potato salad. Here each and everybody has his/her own four or five standard recipes for it -- depending on the occasion or dish it has to be served with..

[@hartmutbohn]

My €0,02 from Southern Germany... Stoßlüften: After the 1970s "oil crisis" houses and apartments were built with hermetically closing windows and doors, which lead to increased humidity inside, causing moldy walls, if not aired out regularly. I unfortunately, had my own experience with that. Mayo: Popular in Northern Germany, especially in salads. Not so popular in the South. My Swabian mom never bought mayo, and Swabian potato salad (as well as Wurtsalat) doesn't contain mayo. "Nicht schlecht": There is an even ruder version in Swabia: "Dr Honger treibt's nei!" Literally "the hunger forces it down".

[@sabilein91]

that‘s the funniest way i‘ve seen someone use „my two cents“ 😂 i dunno why but this amuses me greatly 😂😂😂

[@margots.597]

...oder - " de'sch besser, wie a Gosch voller Glufa " ... (It's better than a mouthful of pins). 😂😂😂

[@DoctorNicolasGames]

Der Hunger treibts rein und der Geiz behälts drin :D (The hunger forces it in and the stinginess keeps it down)

[@cdmongirl7386]

Tja, des hat damit zu tun: net gschompfa isch gnug globt! (No offending is enough praise) Schwäbisches Understatement 🤣

[@batluckies]

@hartmutbohn, we say the same. Well, in an other dialect: "De Hunger dreibd's noi." (Mannheim in Baden) 😂 But here there you eat potatoe salad, noodle salad and sausage salad with or without Mayonnaise. It depends what you personally like more.

[@kerstinrossek]

I'm a wheelchair user and this is the perfect tool for opening beer bottles at least ten different ways 😀 Greetings from Hamburg

[@Schokelmei]

We had someone in our company, an older engineer, who had a list with the birthdays of all people in the office and he showed up on those dates to get a piece of the cake. He normally wasn't even working close to the office but in production, but he walked all the way over the company grounds for that piece of cake. He sadly is retired right now, but people at the office still talk about that. We even made a cake last year and delivered it to his home. Never saw an old guy that happy.

[@nebelland8355]

That‘s nice 🙂

[@GeneralGoodGames]

What "Mahlzeit" is work related? I use it all the time around midday. =D It's rather time related here where i live. From 11am to 1pm you can say "Mahlzeit!".

[@aphextwin5712]

Most people are at work around midday. And I don’t think, you say Mahlzeit at school (I never heard it there), university might be a bit more in the middle. I also don’t think, you’d say Mahlzeit to a bus driver or a shop clerk.

[@GeneralGoodGames]

@@aphextwin5712 In school okay. But if i go shopping around midday, i will greet the cashier with "Mahlzeit" and every cashier greets back with "Mahlzeit". Today I had to go to the physiotherapist at 1pm and even the therapist greets me with "Mahlzeit". I think its a regional thing. I live in the so called "Ruhrpott" NRW.

[@Wildcard71]

Literally, it means _meal time._

[@lilg2300]

i like that the person who celebrates birthday brings the cake, in this way everyone actually has to bring a cake only once a year. which is pretty great! if you had to bring one everytime someone else celebrates a birthday, it would be every week one cake.

[@emmasly123]

And the cake is a reminder to congratulate the birthday person.

[@CherubicLynx]

and if I don't want people to know that it's my birthday, I just don't bring any :P

[@bastik105]

True. Where i live its just a sign of hospitality to offer some Cake if you host a Birthday-Party. That doesnt mean its forbidden to expand the Options as a Guest and bring some Cake or "Salad" aswell. But i wouldnt say the Poeple where i live would ever expect you too bring something (they would ask you and maybe insist on paying for it). I would also feel bad if i recieve a Present from someone i invited and couldnt return the favor in such a meanor. I guess this behavior swapped over to our work environments.

[@sunday87]

The idea of impact ventilation is to quickly replace the air in the room to improve air quality and remove excess humidity while not losing too much heat. The recommended time depends on the season and ranges from 5 (winter) to 15 minutes (summer). By replacing the air but not allowing enough time for the walls and furniture to cool down, only the heat stored in the air is lost while the the heat stored in the walls and furniture is preserved. As air only stores little heat that is way more efficient than having the window open for longer periods at once. The same applies in summer, but in reverse. You only allow some amount of heat in by replacing the air, but do not allow a constant stream of warm air that will in turn heat up the walls and furniture. The 4 times a day only applies if someone is actually there, of course.

[@aphextwin5712]

The advice for winter is spot on, one even adjusts the opening time depending on the actual temperature. Something like -10° C -> 2 min, 0° C -> 5 min, 10° C -> 10 min. But in summer, the idea is rather that there is a temperature range where you can keep the windows open permanently (maybe 20 to 25° C) and a temperature range where you keep the windows open the whole night.

[@juliameyer10313]

Yes the mold and humidity is one reason but my grandpa used to say "Nur weils draußen kalt ist muss es drinnen ja nicht müffeln" and I think that's beautiful

[@sigmagic2874]

Schön erklärt 🥰

[@Krautrock007]

Yes, Lüften (airing) is a sience here. I guess 95% of our windows are completely sealed when closed to prevent the loss of heat and save energy costs. That not only results in a lack of oxygen in the rooms, much more important is the fact that together with moisture and not optimal temperatures, massiv and dangerous mold infestation is a result.

[@K__a__M__I]

"...our windows are completely sealed when closed..." Stinkwanze: _plays Mission Impossible theme_

[@insu_na]

Funnily enough it's never a lack of oxygen that's the problem. You can survive on the oxygen you have in your apartment for months, even if it was hermetically sealed. The problematic part is the CO2. Long before your oxygen runs out you'll have poisoned your brain with co2, which is why it's important to air out the apartment frequently. (I have a ~90m² apartment and I'm a single adult with 2 cats. Together we produce a bit over 100ppm of CO2 per hour. ~400 ppm is the outside air and permanent brain damage can set in above 20000ppm while temporary mental impairment can already set in at 700ppm)

[@m.h.6470]

@@insu_na I actually calculated it once for a 10x10x3 meter room for 2 persons. It would take roughly 30 days for the oxygen to reach a critically low level. The CO₂ on the other hand reached a critically HIGH level after only 9 days. So less than a third of the time.

[@Krautrock007]

@@insu_na You'r right but the mayority of people here just had oxygen in mind when they are talking about the wrong, unhealty mixure of gases we all call air. Sometimes I also fall for such falsifying simplifications.

[@BenjaminVestergaard]

Well, while Danish windows (like Velux) are also designed to avoid draft, the general recommendations are 1-2 times 30 minutes a day... it's not so much about oxygen or CO2, it's mostly about mold. Buildings are rarely hermetically sealed, even if you have a zerohaus, designed to preserve heat (or cold). But Ryan gets it a bit wrong about when to change air. In winter it makes most sense to "Lüften" during the warmest time of the day. While in summer it makes sense to do it during the coolest hours (usually right before sunrise, which can be a little tricky in DK when the sun rises at 4am in summer). Our homes are so well insulated, that you can keep the inside temperature stable for half of a day, without a heat pump (two-way A/C). Many individual houses have a wood stove/fireplace that can help on the coldest days of winter. Apartment complexes most often rely on city-wide heating which is quite affordable, as the heat is a waste product from generating electricity. Energy efficiency has been a thing in northern Europe since the 70s, while USAns have had cheap fossil fuel and nuclear power all along. So, it's not that difficult to rely on energy when it's cheap and virtually unlimited. I just don't understand why the US has so many wires above ground (as on poles above the street) when Europe has kinda figured out that the supply is more stable if it's delivered by an underground network of wires. Yes, it's easier to repair with overground wires... but if a tree falls, it's very unlikely (not theoretically impossible) to damage an underground wire in a tube that also carries Internet and what not. I can understand above ground in mountainous areas like Switzerland and Norway... Sorry, ended up in a rant... again.

[@Stinkbatz]

"Feeling bothered by noise because we all have the windows open...." I had to lough real hard, so accurate

[@lbergen001]

And did the neighbors complain?

[@tcyxicirzt3011]

The plus side of the birthday thing is that you have full control over how much fuss you want around your birthday. If you want, you can be completely stealth and not tell anyone it's your birthday. Or you can get a lot of attention by bringing a cake and telling all your coworkers "there's cake because it is my birthday". But if it's up to other people to organize something, you might experience negative surprises. People might forget about it and you could feel left out and neglected. Or people might get you a cake but you don't actually want all the attention.

[@lauratailineschmitt8441]

In franconia we would say "Passt scho." which means "It's ok." but this is actually the highest compliment you can receive.

[@kjul.]

bassd scho

[@MagicPQ]

11:30 running gag in my family: "I have eaten worse" - quote from my uncle. 14:30 your facial expression opening a bottle with a bottle - superb

[@stichhalbierer9329]

Our family when you cooked something new and it taste not good: „It’s taste good, but you mustn’t cook it again!“

[@ChrisTian-rm7zm]

@@stichhalbierer9329 Or: "It tastes interesting, It's something different!"

[@user-my5vo]

The creativity with opening bottles is endless. The 3 ways shown are amongst the most common, but I've seen people open bottles with next to everything. The most impressive one I saw was, when a friend of mine opened a bottle with a tightly folded tissue. I had no idea this was possible, but he pulled it off somehow.

[@Retroxyl]

Yóu wouldn't believe how strong paper becomes, if you fold it enought. Although pulling that of with a tissue is very impressive, even from a physics point of view.

[@LeyCarnifex]

my best friend wears a metal ring which he can open bottles with. he once convinced some drunk ppl he was using magic, bc it does kinda look like he just folds his hand over the bottle and then when he takes it away the bottles has opened by itself

[@SeriesNerd]

NOT to let in fresh air blows my German mind.😂 Even staying long years in countries with A/C, never even have I left my windows constantly closed, that feels like in prison. In the South we put rarely mayo in salads! Most Germans I know seldom eat it! Keeping a normal noise level is kind of respect towards others. Tell your neighbours that you will have a party in advane and most of them will be completely fine. And yes, I hate it to be run over on pedestrian streets when there is a special bike lane.

[@jochenlutz6524]

I would say "Mahlzeit" means when you are at work "enjoy your lunch break". When you are invited to a party people will never bring salads from a store. They would ask for the one that is desired or made a proposal and make it for themselves. Some years ago I played Tennis in a team and afterwards each hometeam made a meal for their guests. Approx. half of the hometeam had to bring a salad and it was really interesting which salads were made. Often we had a barbecue. The costs were shared of cause.

[@charis6311]

I think the birthday cake issue has two sources: 1) It's just practical, because how are the others at a work place to know when your birthday is? Same goes for students or e.g. members of a choir or something similar. So it's up to the Geburtstagskind to tell (and also it is their decision whether they want everybody to know or not). 2) It's an extension of the way you would celebrate your birthday at home, i.e. you would provide cake or drinks or whatever for your guests.

[@edsc8840]

Warmer Kartoffelsalat: 1,5 kg 3ib Kartoffeln kochen, pellen, in Scheiben schneiden. In einem großen Topf 1 kleine Zwiebel in Würfeln andünsten, 1 Hand voll Würfelspeck dazugeben und etwas braten. Mit 500 ml 2 cups Brühe aufgießen. Die Kartoffeln dazugeben, mit Salz,Pfeffer, Essig und Muskat abschmecken. Kann man warm und kalt genießen.

[@McGhinch]

Birthday: You bring the cake on or shortly after your birthday. This comes from the custom that you invite your friends to your birthday at home and they get something to eat. When you bring the cake, you just extend your birthday party to the workplace or sportsclub or... -- and you don't have the mess at home. Generally, it is not expected to have an all you can eat cake-pie-tart buffet, a box of chocolate candies, a simple cake (large enough so everyone can get a slice) is o.k. In short, nobody is offended if not invited to you party when you treat them a little at the workplace.

[@tramper42]

3:11 „Mahlzeit“ ~ mealtime … greeting around noon meal time… In MY PAST, we also used that as a private greeting , day and night… Also used Mahlzeit sarcastic at work between breakfast and lunch, if someone come WAY to late to work.. like it was really Mahlzeit.

[@partyjunglekonto]

imagine eating a cake you dont like on your birthday

[@alinadornieden8411]

good point. you bring your favorite

[@FrogeniusW.G.]

Also if it's your birthday, then you are the host & invite. 😊

[@Notmyname1593]

Also, you are celebrating your own birthday so makes sense if it is your cake.

[@Poffi]

It's nice that no one knows it's my birthday in three days' time. That way I don't have to bring a cake and worry about it. Birthdays are just annoying. 😇😅

[@nordwestbeiwest1899]

Ryan in Germany there is a North German potato salad that has mayo and a South German potato salad that has more herb vinegar.

[@freibier]

Think about the birthday cake this way: if you bring the cake on your birthday, you have to do that only once a year. If you bring stuff on the birthdays of your colleagues, you have to do that a dozen times per year, and you have to remember all the birthdays!

[@8Flokati8]

Ich mache nichts von beidem, weil ich keine Lust darauf habe. Es gibt Menschen die wirklih eine Erwartungshaltung haben, dass man etwas mitbringt zu seinem eigenen Geburtstag, es ist schon widerlich. Deshalb bringe ich nichts mit. Aber ich esse auch nicht von dem was andere mitbringen, denn dann hast du das Problem, dass sie sagen "Du hast aber von mir/uns/anderen gegessen, also bring gefälligst auch etwas mit!". Aus einer eigentlich gut gemeinten Sache in Form von einer kleinen Aufmerksamkeit und Anteilnahme am eigenen Geburtstag ist eine enorme Pflichtveranstaltung geworden auf die ich keine Lust habe. Also ziehe ich mich da vollständig raus.

[@Pehaba1961]

I live in the south of Germany, in Munich. Munich is at the same latitude as Seattle. The other large German cities are at the same latitude as Canada. Here it is more cold than too hot. That's why we only have a few air conditioning systems, but always heaters. For reasons of environmental protection and to save energy, many houses are very well insulated and sealed. To prevent mold from forming, the moist air must be removed from the houses through ventilation. The newest houses no longer need heating because they are so well insulated. These houses have a ventilation system so that there is always enough oxygen in the house to breathe.

[@hilpi75]

Mahlzeit is not only used in the Workplace, it is mostly only used around Lunchtime 👍

[@aphextwin5712]

If go into a shop around midday or enter a bus, would you say Mahlzeit? I don’t, I have not heard it in that context. Though of course, this might already be covered by the sub clause that you only say Mahlzeit to people you know in some form. I also never heard it at school, maybe another sub clause is that it is used only among adults (or rather adult contexts like work which thus includes apprentices).

[@hilpi75]

@@aphextwin5712 Well that's how we do it here in Rheinland Pfalz 🤷‍♂️ Don't know what to tell you 🤷‍♂️

[@dnocturn84]

@@aphextwin5712 We do that here in northern Thuringia too. Everywhere. But of course, only around lunch time. It's not just at a work place. Propably differs between regions.

[@Niki1A_]

I live near Frankfurt and had never heard "Mahlzeit" used as a greeting before I started working. Maybe using it outside of work is a rural or regional thing.

[@hilpi75]

@@Niki1A_ It's very common here in the Eifel 🤷‍♂️

[@EngelinZivilBO]

I guess you had a southern potato salad 😅 they prefer vinegar and Northern germans prefer to mayo

[@meinich5488]

Joghurt, Mayo is to fat.

[@EngelinZivilBO]

@@meinich5488 yeah. Some use Joghurt but I know it mainly with mayonnaise

[@SatieSatie]

Bavaria belongs to Austria. 😂

[@EngelinZivilBO]

@@SatieSatie meine reden 😅

[@lionmori]

@@SatieSatieAustria belonged to Bavaria!

[@nelson3878]

there ist a Book in Germany called 99 Arten eine Flasche Bier zu öffnen (99 ways to open a bottle of beer).

[@thorstenstuker9044]

You can even open a bottle with a sheet of paper if folded correctly

[@legrandehassias7965]

@@thorstenstuker9044 Please elaborate. How do I have to fold the bottle?

[@WoWHunterkari]

But please don’t use your teeth for it, thats how my fiance lost one 😅

[@m.m.6171]

A friend of mine once opened a bottle of beer with hin eye socket. It worked, but he got a black eye from it. @@WoWHunterkari

[@soewenue]

@@legrandehassias7965take a piece of paper, then fold it horizontally until u have only a ~2 cm piece left and then fold it vertically until the piece is ~2x5cm. Then just use the closed side as lever to open the bottle. Dont know if my explaination makes sense, but if not u also can google „bier mit papier öffnen“ there are ytb tutorials explaining it

[@begr_wiedererkennungswert]

"It's wonderful, it's amazing!" No, it means you're American.

[@reinhard8053]

Or a German who uses that all the time so that you don't mind his opinion anymore. I know a guy like that. Very strange.

[@MrThomashorst]

Nope ... I use it when its really the best thing I've ever had😉

[@michaela114]

If someone reacts so over the top, I would think he/she 's kidding me. Maybe it's good... but not over the top 😂 german logic

[@Barbarossa125]

Yeah, if you'd say something like that to a german, you better have eaten mostly moss and stones in your life. Otherwise you'd make fun of him and be very rude.

[@JochenHormes]

The important thing when opening a bottle cap with another bottle cap is to not use the underside of the other cap, but the side. Otherwise, like in the video, you might open the wrong bottle.

[@mm-yt8sf]

i remember being invited to a farm for thanksgiving and the first dishes they served were all sweet so i asked if dessert normally came first but they said no it's all salads (jello salad, fruit salad) but using salad for eggs is a strange thing we do in american english too "egg salad sandwich" might not have any lettuce in it at all. likewise we say "tuna salad" for a similar mixture. i guess i'm just used to ignoring the normal associations of veggies and salad with these exceptions

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

6:00 those "salads" are mayo-based mainly in the northern regions or if bought in some supermarket. Mayo is generally not as much a "staple food" in the South as in some northern regions. Potato salad dressing in southern Germany is mostly based on broth (bouillon), a bit of vinegar and a bit of mustard; noodle salad and "Fleischsalat" (actually made with slices of so called "Fleischwurst", a "scalded" mortadella-like sausage, actually a variant of what is in German known as "Lyoner" = "sausage Lyonese") are often rather made with yoghurt than with factory-made mayo. Instead of "Fleischsalat" often "Wurstsalat" is the preferred variant, made from the same sausage, but "dressed" with onions, vinegar and oil (there are also variants "Schweizer Wurstsalat" = Swiss sausage salad with about half of the sausage replaced with Swiss cheese, and "Swabian" Wurstsalat with about half of the sausage being slices of "Schwarzwurst" = black sausage, which is a kind of scalded and then dried blood sausage containing some bacon). The northern regions also introduced the herring salad in different variations; in supermarkets you'll find often "white" (mostly mayo-based) herring salad as well as "red" herring salad (containing red bedroot). Classic recipes for herring salad however contain mostly at least 4 times as much cream and yoghurt as (self-made) mayonnaise (if there is any mayo at all) and also at least one apple; the herring used is either Matjes or Bismarck herring. 8:20 Nobody will be upset if you don't bring some cake into the office at your birthday - they will simply assume that you are not interested in celebrating your birthday and be quiet about it. 10:35 The gesture with waving your hand before your face is also called "Mattscheibe" (ground glass or diffusing screen) and relates to the other's world view. 11:50 Germans love understatements. "Nicht schlecht" (= not bad) or "nicht übel" (not evil) means "better than good", "kann man essen" (is edible) is a hidden plead for "give me more". Different regions have even different variants of the (ironically used) saying "Nicht geschimpft ist gelobt genug" - not complained is praise enough. 13:30 Only (smaller) kids are allowed to bike on the sidewalk, except if there are traffic signs explicitly allowing it. Generally cyclists are expected to use the street if there is no dedicated bike path. Electric scooters are also not allowed to use the sidewalk.

[@dieSterbendeGiraffe]

So many of these are the same in Switzerland (at least in the German speaking part). We also bring a cake to work for our birthday, lüften is very important, we also say "en guete" (swiss German for "Mahlzeit") when someone leaves for lunch...

[@uinsel]

is that from guten appetit?

[@dieSterbendeGiraffe]

@@uinsel it is, we just usually drop the "Appetit"

[@groundloss]

I hate "Mahlzeit" and refused to ever use it. About the bicycle: generally they have to use the road except for kids up to a certain age. They may have designated lanes either on the road or pedestrian walk, or they even may share the pedestrian walk, but all of this depends on the situation as specifid by traffic signs. Also generally bikes are to drive in the SAME direction as the road traffic, even when there are designated lanes on or next to the pedestrian walk - which again may be different when a traffic sign allows them to go both directions. So there may be several rules broken, or none.

[@hardywoodaway9912]

don’t know what kind of people hate common phrases like that. must be a peer group thing…

[@EngelinZivilBO]

Nice also "Mahlzeit" 😊

[@user-cx6kt3ku2f]

Mahlzeit isn’t even that common here. "Lass es dir schmecke" is used regularly and I use it myself. At the dinner table it’s either the full "guten Appetit" or simply "guden“. There is also "guten hunger" but I think the people who use that also wear a helmet on a bike so I refuse to acknowledge that as a proper option.

[@powerviolentnightmare5026]

Mahlzeit sag ich auch nur wenn jemand was isst oder ich was esse.

[@emmasly123]

Same. I never say it.

[@McGhinch]

Airing the rooms: In the USA you don't know the concept because of your heating/AC system "forced air". We don't force 🙂 our air, we let it flow freely. In closed rooms it may get humid and de-oxygenized over time. So you open the window the let fresh air in, dry the air in the room and prevent mold.

[@steemlenn8797]

Where I lived before there was a woman... she did complain from time to time that we were banging the house door too much. Now, first thing, there is an automatic closing mechanism, so she complained we didn't wait for that slow thing to nearly close the door and then grabbed the handle again to close the door slowly and smoothly. Second that "Klatschtante" generally had her apartment door open a tiny bit during the day - I can only imagine to see when and who is coming and going. Needless to say I didn't care at all about her complaint.

[@Vaati1992]

Oh and regarding potato salad: there's the North German variant with a mayo dressing and the South German variant with vinegar dressing. Both may also contain chopped up bacon (or chopped up bits of ham), and the North German potato salad often also contains bits of pickles.

[@paulac6110]

Putting mayo in a salat is actually a bit more of a north german thing, like in south Germany you'd make a potato salad for example with vinegar and oil and like a broth (if that's the right word) and not with mayo

[@Robin-nh9nj]

Great video. Opening a bottle with a piece of paper is the most impressive method

[@skytraveler8274]

Would be funny if he sees a video about the different methods in the Future 😄

[@Zach2003]

I work in a tutoring school, and I air out the room between every lesson. I found it makes it easier for the students to concentrate, and that the lesson seems shorter for them, if they come into a cool room that keeps heating up the longer they're there. Many of my students have now started to take up this habit on their own. If I ever forget to air out the room between lessons, my students will open the window as soon as they come in 😂

[@8Flokati8]

I hate that in school... In Winter the windows is always open... while you sit next to it. But in the summer nobody wants it open... I hate it to sit in cold.

[@Zach2003]

@@8Flokati8 it's not that cold and most of my students arrive with their jackets on, already used to the temperature outside. As long as I don't keep the windows open for like an hour it doesn't get as cold as it is outside, lol 😂

[@nettcologne9186]

In the US people ask ´how you are´, even though no one cares. In Germany they say ´mealtime (Mahlzeit)´, even though nobody goes to lunch ;-)

[@marcgyver677]

Wrong, because Mahlzeit is only said during lunch break.

[@nettcologne9186]

@@marcgyver677 Nö, ich sag´ das schon als Morgengruß, wenn mal wieder einer zu spät zur Arbeit erscheint.

[@Kloetenhenne]

​@@nettcologne9186 der Klassiker 😂

[@mats7492]

@@marcgyver677 depends on the region.. here its used

[@marcgyver677]

@@nettcologne9186 Netter Versuch, aber das zählt nicht. Im Video ging's um den üblichen Gruß mit der entsprechenden Bedeutung, wie es erklärt wurde!

[@ImNotQualifiedToSayThisBut]

Love how he seemed genuinely upset about the birthday cake thing haha

[@Attirbful]

I use “Mahlzeit“ only ironically as we do not have fixed times to eat at my workplace and we do not have a cafeteria nearby to have meals. Most just bring a lunch and eat it in the office whenever. I feel like this is a thing mostly in blue collar jobs when they take official breaks or in large corporations with a cafeteria in the building when people between 12 and 1 p.m. take their break and they come by someone who already took hi/hers or is going to go to the cafeteria later…

[@schnetzelschwester]

In Germany the windows are very airtight. To avoid mould and let out bad smell and CO2 you must air out. Additional, most houses have no air condition, and in summer it keeps the house cool, if you air out in the early morning hours before sunrise, and then close the windows and the shutters for the day. If we have more than 40°C/100°F (I live in a wine-growing area in southwest Germany) I keep the shutters almost closed and the windows tilted to get a little draft all the time.

[@BlueFlash215]

I was just flabbergasted. I was so used to looking up English words in a dictionary (and even German words) back when there was no internet. It's just alphabetical

[@HelgaJanso-mt1ex]

2:18 This stoßlüften I do every morning at first. I like the fresh air. In the evening I do it again. It reduced the dampness in the rooms.

[@p.f.5718]

No not only in business - also when you are beginning to eat. It’s not only a greeting it’s also a saying - it is time to eat - I am going to have some meal. It also says I am coming back to work 😂 Love from Austria 🇦🇹

[@maryvofin9042]

13:30 if you are above a certain age (i think it is 10 years) you have to ride on the road and its forbidden to ride on the sidewalk. i think it makes sense as you keep the space where somone can walk free and unpredictable seperated from faster movements which should be regulated. short: just don't ride on the sidewalk if no traffic signs state this. it's not difficult to follow those rules.

[@pikkozoikum8523]

I was "stoßlüften", while watching the video xD

[@herbie1975]

For your birthday it is kind of the same here in Switzerland. You bring either a cake or something to your office. If you have the "breakfast-break" (Znüni) in your company you also might bring some sandwiches or whatever.

[@alphonsbretagne8468]

The word Salat used in non green terms origins in salt. To salt (corn) something was the way to cure food. The term is used that way in other languages e.g. French (salade) or Italian (insalata) as well.

[@timwinterberg2900]

15:36 you can also Open it with your Ring on the Finger or with a lighter, with a scale or with some pliers or with a piece of Paper if folded often enough

[@BennoWitter]

There isn't one German potato salad. Every family has a different recipe.

[@Keksemann666]

Basically this.

[@gwaptiva]

Among my friends, the term "you heated that well" is the highest form of culinary compliment

[@alexs21]

What did SHE did with the salad? NO one would bring this Salads. You would do a salad by your own. If I don't like someone, I buy self-made salads and bring them with me. Bringing store-bought salads to a party is a no-go.

[@vsmash2]

12:23 yup, exactly that, if something is amazing it is literally amazing, can not be repeated, a once in a lifetime thing.

[@berndhoffmann7703]

6:17 if one shows up with any salad that was bought in shop, they get thrown out immediately😂- rather bring nothing! And if it is a non salad required, one actually talks about Nudelsalat or Kartoffelsalat. I hate this Mahlzeit nonsense, I usually reply "Mealtime" 😅

[@ulrikesextro4187]

I hate those salads made with fake mayo (miracel whip or worse) too. That stuff is way too sour and contains lots of vinegar and superficial additives for the purpose of making it last for weeks and months. Homemade or real Mayonnaise on the other hand is something else and very delicious but not many people are doing it because they think it's too much work or it's too difficult to make.

[@jonasc3150]

8:00 yes sometimes there's gossip if you come into the office at your birthday without some cake.

[@8Flokati8]

Dann sollen sie sich selbst einen kaufen oder machen... Das ist so ätzend, ganz ehrlich. Ich kann von niemandem auf Arbeit irgendwas annehmen, weil ich immer denke, derjenige erwartet irgendwann etwas zurück, weil es nicht mehr möglich ist einfach selbstlos etwas zu tun um nett zu anderen zu sein und was gutes zu tun. Dem Druck beuge ich mich nicht länger, ist mir zu dumm.

[@thekosylife]

"If someone would complain to me like that, I would think about that for the redt of the day." Welcome to life in Germany 😂

[@Bioshyn]

A salad is a mix of things cut together in a bowl, usually with a dressing. You don't need lettuce to call something salad. There is fruit salad, noodle salad, tomato salad, cucumber salad, potato salad, meat salad, sausage salad, cabbage salad, fish salad, egg salad... whatever you want.

[@jozzetv]

You might even have some cable salad, but probably shouldn't eat that one :D

[@ChrisTian-rm7zm]

@@jozzetv Or a word salad, which even comes out of your mouth.

[@Otte74]

8:30 - well, it is once per year "your turn", when it's your birthday. Thinking about all the other countries: there are some people in the Office, caring about the cake nearly every time a colleague has something to celebrate. Meaning: with 20 colleagues, you care about 10 times about the cake. The German version is: banking a cake one time per year, and then I can eat 20 times when the others celebrate their birthday.

[@beyonderprime5020]

OK, on the subject of Germans loving their peace and quiet, you need to know the following. In Germany there are quiet times during which you are not allowed to make any noise. Noise is allowed from 7 a.m. in the morning until 1 p.m then there is a general lunchtime rest Children are not allowed to play in the playground either. this lasts until 3 p.m. From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. you can make noise again After 8 p.m., no drilling, hammer sawing, etc. is permitted From 10 p.m. onwards, the night is quiet and then music and TV can only be played at room volume.

[@sya2711]

4:35 its like when you are passing by your coworkers on your way to eat at noon. you say `mahlzeit` to your colleges. least thats what i got from it, working for a german company for a bit.

[@enemde3025]

In Europe we don't have bugs that will kill you !!

[@kisakisakura6663]

Sorry to disappoint you, but climate change brings mosquitos further and further north each year along the river systems; and with them viral diseases that have been known to kill people. Besides: not your typical bug, but ticks can lead to lyme disease which can have leathal complications. Sure the likelyhood of dying of an illness that was caused by an insect bite in Germany is incredibly low; but it's not zero.

[@akl9354]

@11:26 there are 2 types of potato salad in Germany. You probably get the south german "swabian" salad in the states, which is without mayonnaise, but only with vinegar, oil, onions and herbs. In north Germany it's with mayonese, gherkins and bacon cubes.

[@itsraining3000]

1 hour every day?! No! Blasphemy. 5 minutes at a time. Turn off the radiators during these 5 minutes. Do this 2-3 times a day. 5 minutes are just about enough to ventilate the whole room and won't let your furniture, floors and walls cool out. The original temperature will be restored in no time. Many of us have Hygrometers to monitor the humidity & temperature in our apartments. By the way, I watched another American KZbinr recently, who was visiting Germany. And he tried the most basic Mayonnaise at the canteen of Miniaturwunderland. He was so shaken by how different it was to US Mayonnaise and loved it. P. S. I suspect the 1.5 pages within her contract have large depictions/illustrations of what you're meant to do. You're not going to have two A4 pages full of text.

[@user-cx6kt3ku2f]

You people are just weak. One time Stoßlüften in the morning, than heating during the middle of the day. That heat is enough for the afternoon and evening. At night you put your windows on kipp and turn the heater off. Repeat that on a Sunday. On weekdays only minimal heating so the pipes don’t freeze up. Also don’t hear rooms you’re not in. No wonder everyone freezes outside and in the lecture halls and offices if you hear your homes like saunas!

[@user-cx6kt3ku2f]

Wait the Wunderland has a canteen? I don’t remember that. Is it new?

[@itsraining3000]

No, it's been there for ages and it's train themed, but I've been recently and I feel like those guys are not taking as much pride in their work anymore, as they used to. It feels quite worn down, and they should increase the amount of cleaning staff.@@user-cx6kt3ku2f

[@galier2]

In the same vein as Potatoe salad existing with mayo or vinagar, the same happens to Fleischsalat (meat salad). Generaly the store ought stuff is done with mayo. The home made stuff is generally made with vinegar and a little oil, pickles, diced tomatoes and all the wurst that remained in the fridge. As the Germans often eat bread with sliced sausage (Aufschnitt) for Abendbrot it happens often that you bought more sauasage than was eaten, you would do Wurstsalat with the still good leftovers. Being from Saarland there was also always the Lionerwurst (and Maggi) that was a base ingredient in the salad.

[@jrgptr935]

Wenn wir kein Maggi hätten, ich weiß gar nicht, was wir essen würden. Ich habe mal erlebt, wie sich jemand im Restaurant beschwert hat, daß das Essen "gar nicht richtig nach Maggi" geschmeckt habe (die Flasche mit dem gelb/roten Etikett vor sich auf dem Tisch muß sie übersehen haben). Ach mein Saarland. Ich verkneif mir jetzt mal das Ding mit dem saarländischen Adventskranz (obwohl, er reicht für "Salat" ...)

[@Locspocs2]

Why is "blessed lunchtime" so weird? In my opinion it isn"t worse than wishing someone a blessing when they vacate mucus from their nostrils via a sneeze.

[@strenter]

6:00 There is more than just one style of potato salad. I like the lukewarm variation where you add some vegetable soup, fine cut onions and pickles to it. You have to peel and cut the cooked potatoes while they are still hot. Ideally, there is not much of the soup left when this kind of potato salad had rested some. And if some of it is left over, you could just carefully fry it in a pan the next day, although it still tastes amazing eaten cold.

[@strenter]

On my birthday I like to bring some diy-Heringsbrötchen. Just the fish, bread rolls, butter, precut onions. This way everyone can do their favourite mix. 😊

[@MichaelPattiruhu]

Everything is the same in the Netherlands, except for the Mahlzeit-thing.

[@MarkHuger]

11:35 always remember the German phrase "Nicht geschimpft ist gelobt genug" ("If noone rants then you are commended enough")

[@MickeyStartraveller]

In Hungary we have a saying "everything is a beer opener". Maybe it has german origins?

[@rainerbernhardt6193]

Many hungarian phrases area one to one translation from german because of Austria-Hungarian Kingdom. I bet some hungarian phrases and Words made it to german vice versa.

[@nichderjeniche]

5:29 how they stand with the closed beer bottles in the background 😅

[@ARoo-]

Ich mag deine Videos. Aber: "Kann man essen" ist doch kein Kompliment. Deutsche werden oft seltsam dargestellt! Wir machen Salate selbst wenn wir etwas zu einer Feier mitbringen!!!

[@Gnaaaarrrr]

"Kann man essen." ist aber auch nicht negativ behaftet. Wenn ich etwas zum ersten mal koche, und das Urteil der Anderen lautet: "Kann man essen.", dann weiss ich, es geht besser, aber ausspucken wird es nun auch keiner.

[@Sven_H]

Absolutely, normally you bring only self made salads to an appointment. The meaning of "Kann man essen" or "nicht schlecht" is very dependent of the way you say it. Actually it can mean "yes, great" or "it's kinda okay but not really" just by the accentuation. At least in the northern region of germany, that is. So to say, the explanations of @EasyGerman are sometimes missing important details.

[@ARoo-]

​​@@Sven_H @EasyGerman finde ich auch nicht detailliert genug. Das führt zu einem falschen Eindruck. Es kommt ja auch darauf an in welcher Gegend man lebt.

[@simeon4758]

"Kann man essen" ist vermutlich Norddeutsch. Ich komme aus Schleswig-Holstein. Hier sagt man manchmal sogar "Kann man sehr gut essen" für "schmeckt sehr gut". Mein Vater aus Köln kennt das nicht.

[@Sven_H]

@@simeon4758 Das kann schon sein. Bei mir ist das so, dass ich das auch eher unter Freunden oder engen Bekannten so handhabe, wo ich schon einschätzen kann, dass sie verstehen, wie es gemeint ist. Ich würde z.B. nicht auf die Idee kommen, das zur Bedienung im Restaurant oder zu relativ "fremden" Personen zu sagen, wo ich auf einer Feier eingeladen bin oder so. Es sei denn, es war wirklich nur so halbwegs gut^^.

[@JayBee911]

Bringing a cake to work on your birthday is more loke throwing a little party at the office and colleagues are invited to join. of course they can also bring little presents or a birthday card or collect tips for you. But people here only do that if you really have a good relationship. people come visit you on your birthday at the office and have a piece of cake and a chat with you. mostly around lunchtime. but it does not have to be cake it could also be snacks or if you are very important (e.g. a boss) you sometimes order some catering food.

[@esrohm6460]

In my experience people are not upset that you don't bring something to your birthday but rather that if everyone else does it and you don't you kinda just leech of everyone without giving back

[@8Flokati8]

I just don't eat what they bring to work. 👍

[@SaithMasu12]

In my experience its enterily optional. People are happy if you bring a cake of course (who would not), but no one cares if you don't. If you like giving, you give. Thats the concept.

[@Buckfast76]

Deutsche Welle is a international Tv Station for all over the world. Its in English and German with English subtitles. In germany we don’t watch it. It has a mixture of all federal TV program. Potato-salad has many different recipes all over Europe. In south Germany we eat it sauer with oil and vinegar. Open Bottles most German know 3 ways to open it. Best is with a lighter, table or the other bottle. But the last one can cause a overflow of beer. The hand thing…means you are insane or crazy. Also called Scheibenwischer. Screen-wiper! Thanks was funny watching!

[@Schalalai]

I use "Mahlzeit" all the Time - It is not only work related.

[@Neescherful]

It's a regional thing probably. I guess you're from the north? Where I come from, it's pretty much exclusively used if you leave (work) for your lunch break. Or if you quote Werner, I guess.

[@nettcologne9186]

Ich benutze es gerne als Begrüßung, wenn jemand zu spät zur Arbeit erscheint :-)

[@boreas2909]

And you forgot the fabulous Wurstsalat. Swiss, normal and Lumpen oder Schwäbischen. By the way. Real good potatoesalade from Schwaben contains : Warm Potatoes in Sclices, Vinagre, Oil, Pepper, Salt and vegetable broth. That tastes good, Not that strange mixture with mayonnaise

[@piiinkDeluxe]

I'm German and would think about someone criticizing me also for the whole day lol

[@ArlosPA]

Well the vinegary potato salad is more from southern germany while northern germany eats the potato salad with mayo way more. As some have said Mahlzeit is used during Lunch Breaks. If the whole company takes their lunch break at the same time it may even be used to tell someone else it's break time. When you have birthday you don't always need to bring cake. It can be something else as well. For example some "Schnitten" which you can order at a bakery. Schnitten are just open sandwiches. So no second slice of bread on top.

[@user-cx6kt3ku2f]

Wait English dictionaries work on the same principles as German ones?!?

[@DJone4one]

But it is also partly due to the fact that the houses are additionally insulated, or old flats that have not been renovated contain a lot of moisture, also from breathing outside. There are special humidity measuring devices to measure the humidity in the room. If this is above 70 per cent, mould starts to grow. An ideal value is around 45 - 55 per cent. 5:43 The face when Ryan sees the meat salad. So shocked. It's delicious. But I also like the herring salad, or the egg salad with bacon or shrimp salad.

[@vic5861]

The best salad is sausage cut up with mayo and vinegar. Even better with some pickles and potatoes

[@user-cx6kt3ku2f]

No mayo. Vinegar and oil for life!!!

[@johnnaighley9252]

Yep. And spice up with Maggi ...@@user-cx6kt3ku2f

[@KarlKlochen]

If you have good friends or colleagues they'll still bake for you, even in Germany. But mostly it's in addition to your own cake. I appreciate this tradition for three major reasons: 1. There will always be your favorite cake! As a picky eater, I was often gifted cakes I wouldn't eat (whole fruit pieces, ughh!) and then felt bad because ppl put in so much effort (first year at uni: 5 fruit cakes by 5 people!) but never rly asked what I liked. 2. Even if people don't know your birthday, they'll be reminded when they see the cake. 100% chance for best wishes and hugs if you bring a cake. 3. If there's someone you HATE at work, just bring something they're allergic to or dislike. Fuck off Bertha from first floor, fuck the boss, I'll have a nice almond cake here and you can continue clipping your nails and chit-chatting in your offices.

[@RubenKelevra]

We also got a DIN-norm how to ventilate properly, actually. Well our houses have radiation heating and are just completely air tight. What you would describe as extremely efficient and well insulated home is basically the lower end here. So there's just no way any air exchange can happen if you don't ventilate by open a window, as home ventilation system are just not common. You do see them in passive homes, as they use passive and active heat exchangers to keep the heat or cold inside, while exchanging the air. What you do see often are over the stove exhaust hoods and sometimes ventilation fans inside the bathroom. But for both you have to open a window somewhere in your house to let fresh air in. Otherwise you might suck in air from the basement or something like this.

[@RubenKelevra]

The DIN-norm is number 1946-6, if you wanna read it - but it got more than 120 pages. 😂 There are also other parts for ventilation e.g. in the health care sector which is DIN 1946-4. The document is quite extensive overall and explains _everything_ you never wanted to know about ventilation 😏

[@xDasMottex]

"Mahlzeit" is used in the middle of the day and maybe afternoon. it follows as a greeting after "morning" and before "good evening" yes its mostly for office but not exclusive. its just a greeting for the lunchtime. like " have a good lunch!"

[@erunaraina]

16:14 Start trying by opening a beer bottle using a soda bottle with a plastic bottle cap. Pretty easy. Don't know if it works with american twist caps though... After that, you can try other things. Almost everything could be used, when you're thirsty. An average German can open a beer bottle with about 4711 different objects in a room. The room itself included. ;)

[@mickypescatore9656]

Hey, Ryan! "Stoßlüften" especially in winter time is extremly important to avoid mold formation! Yes, it is absolutely not practical to do it 4 times a day! It`s not realistic. Minute 9:41: The gesture with your hand in front of your head means that you think the other person is stupid and crazy. There are some different styles of potatosalad. It depends on the region in Germany. Some like it this way and others that way....

[@JP-uf9sh]

"Mahlzeit" is a greeting around midday when you are heading out to eat. It's a greeting as well as signaling to people that you are on your way to eat or you are wishing them a "good meal" while leaving to your lunch break. It is commonly used at work to let everyone know you are heading out but it can also be used as a "blessing" before starting to eat with your friends and family. Many traditional restaurants will also serve your meal and wish you "Mahlzeit". You get so used to "blessing" and wishing a "good meal" you start to miss it if you don't do it XD.

[@berndbrocher2271]

I like the way you are always surprised and shocked. You really try to understand it rationally. But some things are just the way they are.

[@graze2963]

you can make Potatosalad, Meatsalad, NudelSalad you also can make witout a lot of mayo and they will be amazing to 😁

[@felixccaa]

11:25 there are almost one gazillion different types of potatoe-salads here in Germany - almost every area has a special recipe, every grandma for sure has her own inherited one

[@biloaffe]

7:46 Bring the following to your own birthday. Cake, or you buy drinks, or you buy breakfast for your colleagues. All of this is done because a lot of people don't invite their colleagues home for their birthday or to party.

[@barborablaskova]

we have also so many mayonnaise salad, you can buy at groceries 10+ different, or make them at home, and also we eat at christmas eve potato salad or hermelin salad with schnitzel and fish...basic recipe for potato salad is boiled potatoes+hardboiled eggs+mayonnaise+salt and pepper(some people add onion or canned carrot and canned peas) and hermelin si the same but you add there hermelin(cheese) and don´t add onion, carrot and peas