Are you going to the Berlinale? What are your favourite movies? Who are your favourite actors? Why has English taken the (originally) male only name for a profession to now apply to both sexes whilst German has gone overboard making obligate two versions of each. This was one of the topics of our last Stammtisch.
For me, Stammtisch was always a wonderful word for people getting together and making friends. There isn’t really a good English equivalent.
But someone mentioned that in German the word also has negative connotations — a bunch of loud alcoholics, probably right wingers. In the past, the alcohol part may not have been so wrong for our group. But last night more than half of us had none. I guess we all get a bit older.
Are you celebrating Fasching? It is celebrated differently in different parts of Germany. And it is celebrated more by Catholics than by Protestants. I guess you don’t need any particular religion to celebrate.
For Altweiberfasching on Fat Thursday, women may dress as witches and if they see a man wearing a tie, they take out their scissors and cut it off.
R. shared some wonderful cooking tips for parsnips. This delicious vegetable has unfortunately gone out of fashion. Somehow from there we also got to talking about ferry trips, but I’ve forgotten the connection.
Are you an American living in Germany? You know you can vote in federal elections (President, Congress) by requesting an absentee ballot. See Vote From Abroad for information.
Would you like to vote for the Democratic presidential candidate? You are in luck! Democrats living abroad count as an extra state for the Global Presidential Primary. There will be in-person voting in Berlin March 3rd and 8th (more information).
