Customer Reviews

When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do: The Clued-In Guide to German Life, Language, and Culture

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do"
Hyde Flippo
ISBN 0-8442-2553-3

Hyde Flippo has written another interesting book about German ways, for Americans planning to go to Germany. It is a good follow-up to "The German Way". Sometimes writers of travel books try to provide insights that turn out to be misleading. Mr. Flippo, however, is neither travel writer nor dilettante and seems to know Germany well.

The book begins with a series of questions to test one's knowledge of things German. Despite having once lived in Germany, having traveled there several times recently, and being particularly interested in the German language and culture, out of the first ten questions, I could answer only three correctly.

The German washing machine is a case in point. Any American who has ever tried to do laundry at a German laundromat has discovered differences in the process. For starters, there hardly are any German laundromats. Next, a German washing machine may have a two-hour wash cycle, it uses hotter water, since it heats its own, and it spins the laundry to a near dry state.

Regarding the German language, Mr. Flippo cites a number of English sounding words commonly in use that Germans think are English words, which are not. A couple of examples are "die Basecap" which means "baseball cap", and "der Talkmaster", which refers to a "talk show host".

Flippo touches on other "Germanisms" which I have encountered. One is the idea that drinking tap water is unhealthy and should be avoided. A waitress I encountered in Austria explained that although it was okay for Americans to drink tap water that it was not good for Germans and Austrians. Germans tend to drink bottled mineral water, and asking for tap water, "das Leitungswasser", will not uncommonly be regarded as fairly strange behavior.

Another useful thing to know is that credit cards are not as universally accepted as they are in the U.S. Flippo warns that is best to never assume that a restaurant will accept your credit card. The same is true for smaller hotels and accommodations. As evidence, Flippo points out that although France has a population of about 58 million and Germany 82 million, 250,000 less locations in Germany accept credit cards.

One of the most entertaining chapters in the book is about household garbage in Germany. One is not allowed to simply put anything in one's garbage can. There are strict local rules for the separation of the various types of waste. Glass waste is not to be mixed with biodegradable waste, for example. Break the rules, and your garbage does not get picked up. By the way, the garbage disposal is not to be found in Germany, and it is in fact illegal, due to pollution considerations.

Despite previous familiarity with Germany, I acquired new information from this book and very much enjoyed reading it. Hopefully, in the future, Hyde Flippo will tell me some more that I do not know about the German-speaking world.

I wish I could give this book a five start like the other reviewers, but I cannot due to my recent experience using this book in Germany.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a quick and entertaining introduction to German Life, Language, and Culture. But to someone who has already been to Germany, has an understanding of Deutsche Kultur, and/or is studying German I would recommend keeping an open mind to how limiting this book can be. Let me elaborate:

While the book does a superb job of starting with a quiz (and most Germans love quizes) and provides the quiz answers in the back, has supporting articles and web-sites throughout the book, and even has a map of the 16 Budesländer (federated States) it comes short of being Comprehensive or Authoritative.

What I had found when I used this book (quiz) with my friends and relatives in Germany is that:
a) Some answers may be debatable (section on 'Do As the Germans Do' and 'Know What the Germans Know').
b) Some statistics may have changed (section on 'Time,' 'Quantity' and 'Laws and Regulations') since the time Hyde Flippo wrote the respective articles.

In real life, Germans as a people are not as homogeneous as they come across when answering the quiz questions and reading the articles in this book. Many Germans identify first with the region (Bundesland) where they live in. Each region has their own traditions, festivals, and many time different public religious holidays (like the Catholic states in the southern part vs. the Protestant States central/northern Germany). As such, someone from Thüringen will answer some questions differently than someone from Berlin or someone from Hamburg. Nevertheless the sections on 'People,' 'Places' 'What's That?' are invaluable to anyone.

A companion book that I would recommend is Richard Lord's "Culture Shock - Germany, A Guide to Customes and Etiquette."

I have lived in Germany for more than 20 years and am currently residing in the United States.

I bought this book as a gift for a friend. Browsing through it myself I found that some things pointed out in the book are on-spot (for example the "Sie und Du" section on how to address people, or insights on dining out).

However, some things covered in the book describe a Germany of 100 years ago (the "Hauptmann von Koepenick" episode, while factually correct, fails to point out that today's Germany fortunately has little resemblance to the Prussian-style military culture of yore described here).

And the chapter on "Kehrwoche" - purportedly an institution of cleaning the hallway in front of one's apartment - is an urban legend to me. Visitors to the town of Stuttgart have told me that they heard of people subjected to such neighborhood rituals. But in all my years in Germany I have never had anybody confirm such facts to me so it is a regional oddity at best. And again the author fails to put this into proper context, thus making today's Germans seem like some cleanliness-and-orderliness-obsessed oddballs to a much greater degree than they deserve.

So while there is some truth in all hyperbole I encourage you to buy a book written by somebody who has seen more than one or two cities and who has been to Germany recently.

I truely had a lot of fun ready this book about Germans and German customs. I am myself German but I lived quite many years in foreign countries and read a lot of literature about other countries and there inhabitants. And I always wanted to read something about how others view the Germans. And I must say it was very amusing and the informations are realistic. And I recommended it to my friends, Germans and Non-Germans, as a good lecture. Everyone who can pass the test is really good prepared for staying in Germany. I must admit, that I could not answer everything correctly, but that way I even learned some interesting facts about my country, too.

Having lived in Germany for a year now, I decided to finally flip through this book, given to me as a parting gift in April 2005. As I read, I was appalled at Mr. Flippo's seeming dislike for Germans. The book is more of a warning for all the traveling American's to be on their guard rather than an informative guide. My favorite quote is, "This "pushy" behavior is not limited to Germans. It's a European thing" (p.31). This extraordinary generalization is quickly followed by the warning that you must either bring your own shopping bags or purchase one in a German grocery store and, as stated by Flippo, "to add insult to injury, you usually have to bag your own groceries". Gee, reducing waste by encouraging the reuse of shopping bags and keeping prices low by simply putting your Müsli in your own bag instead of hiring some prepubescent bag boy to do it for you is a pure abomination and should be henceforth considered "insult to injury" (I'm hoping you're noting my sarcasm). The book continues in this fashion, with hardly a bright comment to be had about this amazing culture. The only reason I'm giving this two stars instead on one is because the author does have a few nuggets of truth and interesting observations woven within his cleverly placed one-liner biases. If you still purchase this book, remember to read critically and differentiate opinion from facts.

This book presents short snippets of cultural information about Germany and Germans. Each topic covers a single page and is written in a brief newspaper article style. I found out a lot of interesting little things. For example, if they put rolls on the table, they aren't free. You pay for every roll that you eat. It's little tidbits like this that make for some very interesting reading.

It's a very light read, and you can probably finish it on the plane ride to Germany. The topics are mainly cultural in nature, so you won't find any hard travel advice in this book. I recommend it for those who would like to learn a little more about the people they will visit when they arrive in Germany.

Some of the things in this book are dated. I believe the publication was 1999, and in 10 years things have changed in Germany, especially with the adoption of the Euro. Having said this though, there are lessons to be gained, and I still would recommend this to expats to read.
The format is very good. Basically, the book is a set of written articles. I would think it would be very boring to read straight through, but the author did a very good thing by putting this little quiz in the front. Each question corresponds to an article in the book. Again, I enjoyed that very much.
Recommended for expats...just dont let it be your only guide to living in Germany because of some out of date information.

I had hoped this would be a sort of "Year in Provence" set in Germany, but it's more of a book of facts. Once I accepted that, I liked it a lot. It gives some German history and politics, but also covers things like dealing with recycling or what to call the "bathroom." Very useful.

This book is a fun read. I've enjoyed it very much. The book will give you a lot of inside information with a twist of humor. It makes you a more understanding person with German culture and will help you with patience in dealing with a group who you might not always understand. I do hope the publisher comes out with an updated copy as this book needs just a little updating but still is worth the price.
Enjoy

This book is a good reference for anyone planning on spending any time in German Europe. At the very beginning of the book there is quiz to test your knowledge, of which the answers are provides at the back of the book. Flippo uses culture and history to explain the German way of life. He covers all the main travel subjects such as entertainment, food and drink, language, and transportation. He also talks about other topics not often found in the common travel book; such as business and economy, health and fitness, and education.

Flippo makes it very easy to read. I would suggest reading the whole book because although some areas may not interest you, the articles are brief and provide a good cultural understanding of the German way of life. Due to the variety of topics discussed in this book, I would recommend it to anyone who plans on spending a little extra time submersed in the German culture. While the book is very enlightening and should be read by everyone traveling to Germany, it covers more than just the basic travel information.