Guten Tag!!
Just wanted to share some of my insights about Bavaria (and Munich) with all my audience. After all I have been staying here away from family and friends for the last 4 weeks and I am still cheerful (sometimes forlorn!!! ;) this statement is just so that “some people” don’t think I had too much fun here and didn’t miss them!!!!!!! :) ) but most of the time in good spirits….!!!!!! Tra la la la la!!!!!!
Now the word spirit is a significant word here in Bavaria…. Whether you use it in the context of just their attitude and outlook to life OR whether you use it in the context of Beer!! Well, what I have discovered is that they know how to live and live it in the right spirit… which they refer to as Gemuetlichkeit. Someone who has been to Goa, India could probably approximate this to the word “Sussegad”, a term often used to describe the relaxed Goan lifestyle :).
For someone who is a teetotaler like me, it’s almost a pity that you cannot partake of this important aspect of their culture. Beer is so central to their culture here that it is infact taxed as basic food … and it’s a spectacle to watch the Bavarians drinking Beer. Beer is served here in a gigantic 1 liter stein … and I wonder sometimes whether the expression “drink like a fish” would be an understatement really to describe this indulgence of theirs. But whatever the case, I am totally amazed at the way people drink Beer here, old or young… guy or girl… no exceptions to the rule at all!!!
I had an experience with a 70 year old man who was still “young” at heart. After SEVEN liters of beer and a few schnapps he was literally in a state of euphoria…. And “_I_ ”had the good fortune of sitting right next to him. At one point of his elevated state, he put his arm around me and said … “Well girl, I am a 70 year old man … but I still young enough for you “, Me mouth wide open, struck with disbelief – told him “I am sorry sir but my dad is not even close to 70” and fled for my life!!!!!!!! :O
The beer bars (not like the ones we have back home in India, if you know what I am talking about !!!!!???!!!) here are called Bier Gartens (beer gardens) and the reason for that I presume is that these places are really huge gardens. Seating like hundreds and thousands of people. That itself might render a picture of the importance of Beer in the Bavarian culture… !!!
Legend holds that the concept of these beer gardens started somewhere in the 16th century when a law was passed that there would be no beer brewed in the summer time between April to September, since there was no system in place to preserve the beer during that season. So to circumvent this problem (well you can imagine that the beer thirsty Germans would have found a way out of this – “there is nothing that will come in the way of me and muh beer!!”), they started brewing something called “March Beer”, a less perishable version. To be able to store this in a cool place they planted huge chestnut trees and stored beer barrels underground in these chestnut gardens. So that was how and where these Beer gardens originated. To appreciate the significance of these gardens you have to come and visit one of them. For people who stay away from alcohol they have what is called Apfel Schorle, which almost looks like beer, but is just sparkling apple juice.
Well a word of advice to people who look for water in the restaurants here … If you ask for water you will only get, what they call, “Bubbling water” aka soda aka sparkling water. So if you really really mean plain water …. You better tell them in advance that you want water with no bubbles!!! I had to learn this the hard way round :)
Anyways back to beer… if you do want to be a part of the true Bavarian culture then you must visit Munich around the end of September during the famous Oktoberfest. This is the culmination of the beer drinking season and here they say you will really experience a true Bavarian Rhapsody!!!!!!! :)
Just wanted to share some of my insights about Bavaria (and Munich) with all my audience. After all I have been staying here away from family and friends for the last 4 weeks and I am still cheerful (sometimes forlorn!!! ;) this statement is just so that “some people” don’t think I had too much fun here and didn’t miss them!!!!!!! :) ) but most of the time in good spirits….!!!!!! Tra la la la la!!!!!!
Now the word spirit is a significant word here in Bavaria…. Whether you use it in the context of just their attitude and outlook to life OR whether you use it in the context of Beer!! Well, what I have discovered is that they know how to live and live it in the right spirit… which they refer to as Gemuetlichkeit. Someone who has been to Goa, India could probably approximate this to the word “Sussegad”, a term often used to describe the relaxed Goan lifestyle :).
For someone who is a teetotaler like me, it’s almost a pity that you cannot partake of this important aspect of their culture. Beer is so central to their culture here that it is infact taxed as basic food … and it’s a spectacle to watch the Bavarians drinking Beer. Beer is served here in a gigantic 1 liter stein … and I wonder sometimes whether the expression “drink like a fish” would be an understatement really to describe this indulgence of theirs. But whatever the case, I am totally amazed at the way people drink Beer here, old or young… guy or girl… no exceptions to the rule at all!!!
I had an experience with a 70 year old man who was still “young” at heart. After SEVEN liters of beer and a few schnapps he was literally in a state of euphoria…. And “_I_ ”had the good fortune of sitting right next to him. At one point of his elevated state, he put his arm around me and said … “Well girl, I am a 70 year old man … but I still young enough for you “, Me mouth wide open, struck with disbelief – told him “I am sorry sir but my dad is not even close to 70” and fled for my life!!!!!!!! :O
The beer bars (not like the ones we have back home in India, if you know what I am talking about !!!!!???!!!) here are called Bier Gartens (beer gardens) and the reason for that I presume is that these places are really huge gardens. Seating like hundreds and thousands of people. That itself might render a picture of the importance of Beer in the Bavarian culture… !!!
Legend holds that the concept of these beer gardens started somewhere in the 16th century when a law was passed that there would be no beer brewed in the summer time between April to September, since there was no system in place to preserve the beer during that season. So to circumvent this problem (well you can imagine that the beer thirsty Germans would have found a way out of this – “there is nothing that will come in the way of me and muh beer!!”), they started brewing something called “March Beer”, a less perishable version. To be able to store this in a cool place they planted huge chestnut trees and stored beer barrels underground in these chestnut gardens. So that was how and where these Beer gardens originated. To appreciate the significance of these gardens you have to come and visit one of them. For people who stay away from alcohol they have what is called Apfel Schorle, which almost looks like beer, but is just sparkling apple juice.
Well a word of advice to people who look for water in the restaurants here … If you ask for water you will only get, what they call, “Bubbling water” aka soda aka sparkling water. So if you really really mean plain water …. You better tell them in advance that you want water with no bubbles!!! I had to learn this the hard way round :)
Anyways back to beer… if you do want to be a part of the true Bavarian culture then you must visit Munich around the end of September during the famous Oktoberfest. This is the culmination of the beer drinking season and here they say you will really experience a true Bavarian Rhapsody!!!!!!! :)
1 comment:
Salman : "Well you gotta wait and watch!!"
Aparna : Thanks dear!! How are things going on with you and the new house and everything!!! Hope you both are having fun ....!!!
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