Still More to Learn

Here’s installment number three in what is growing into becoming a long series of cultural differences between life in Germany and North America. This week’s entry is designated to the points I have previously forgotten…it’s important to be thorough!

At the Movies
27. When it’s your turn at the ticket window at the movie theater, it’s not as simple as purely saying which movie you’d like to see. You buy a ticket for a specific seat here, and they range in price too. The cost that is advertised is for the seats in the first ten rows of the theater, and if you don’t want to physically move your head back and forth to catch all the action you’re going to have to cough up another euro for the middle of the theater and two for the rear. Don’t you dare sit in a seat that’s not represented by the ticket you hold either—the German who bought that seat for the next couple hours will boot you out. And the law of diffusion totally does not apply here…if there is a whole theater of empty seats but the couple that just walked in is headed you way, don’t expect that they will necessarily sit a couple of chairs away. If they belong in the two seats exactly next to you they will end up there, despite the fact that you have never or will never see them again and can’t quite make out their facial features even now due to the dimmed lights. Rubbing elbows with a complete stranger in a completely empty theater IS as weird as it sounds.

28. About 96% of all Germans sit through the entirety of the credits following a movie. My guess is that they a) really want to get their money’s worth, or b) really want to see who the “2nd Unit’s Assistant Production Supervising Manager’s Caterer” is.

29. Also, it’s rare here in Dresden to see people leaving behind their popcorn and drink trash in the theater. Generally everyone makes the extra effort to deposit their own leftovers into the trash in the lobby.

Fast Food Joints
30. I forgot to mention earlier that the most confusing part of an American-style chain fast food restaurant is that most of the menu is in English but one is still expected to order in German. How I should have known to order my Subway sandwich as “Turkey, Ham, and Roast Beef mit Honey Mustard” but then say “Mayonnaise” the German way is beyond me. It’s even spelled the same way for Pete’s sake! As far as I’m concerned, all native English speakers are probably doomed to failure on this point.

More to come!