OPINION

I just came walking down the stairs when somebody ran upstairs, throwing a quick “How are ya doing?” in my direction. Being the polite girl my parents raised me to be, I stopped and answered honestly, “Well, actually today was not such a great day for me…”

The guy looked at me like I was out of my mind and kept on walking. I could not believe how rude this person was. Why would somebody ask me how I was doing, if they were not interested in hearing the answer?

Right, I forgot, he was American. For him, a question like this was just a way of saying ‘hello,’ and long, explanatory answers were neither expected nor wanted.

Why was this so surprising to me? Here is a quick introduction: “I’m Stefanie and I am German.” I moved from Frankfurt, Germany to Lubbock some seven weeks ago. This is not my first time in the United States. Therefore, I did not experience a culture shock. But I am still getting used to life in Texas.

Germans will not ask how you are unless they want an answer. And ‘fine’ would not be considered an answer. ‘Fine’ just would be rude. We do not greet every stranger on the street. We may smile, but that would be it. This is not just a German custom, but it is mainly the same all over the western part of Europe.

American tourists often get the feeling we are the unfriendliest people out there. Do not take it wrong or personal. This is just how we do it. If you should go on vacation or just spend some time in Germany, and somebody asks how you are, take the time to stop and answer him or her. We want an answer. That is why we ask in the first place. I would say this is the German mentality in general. If we say something, we mean it. If we do not fully mean something, we will not say it. Well, an exception to this rule would be politicians.

Other countries have different customs, which can lead to quite some amusing situations.
 

The first time my fiancé Bryce and I had a nice candle light dinner, we experienced one of those situations. Bryce is American, and here we were some five years ago having a candle light dinner. We basically just stared at each other. No, the starring did not occur because we had such a huge crush on each other, even though I have to admit the butterflies were definitely going crazy. But this was not the reason for confusion. When I sat there at the table, I could not believe what I saw. Did this guy have any table manners at all? At least he did not leave his mouth open while chewing. To tell you right away, Bryce’s thoughts went along the same line.
 

I sat, my arms nicely placed on the edge of the table, while his left arm lay in his lap! Having your hands underneath the table is considered a very rude and unsophisticated behavior in Germany. Bryce finally asked: “Did your parents not teach you to keep your arms off the table?” We had quite a few laughs afterward.

Americans do not just eat differently; they also eat different things.
 

What is this thing with skim milk? How yucky! Cows produce perfectly fine, healthy, delicious milk. Why would you take the fat, and therefore the flavor, out of milk?
And who invented cheese in a can? A block of cheese is great. It is real, and does not come in an environment-polluting spray can!
 

This is actually something I have a real problem with. I have seen and been to quite a few other countries. Compared to all of them, I have to say that Americans have the worse throw- away mentality I have come across. Apparently ‘recycling” is a word that people here have not heard of much.
 

Every time I am at a supermarket, friendly ladies try to put my groceries into a gazillion of plastic bags. And every time I tell them I would not need those, that I have my own cotton grocery bag, they stare at me and sometimes ask more than once if I am sure about this. Yes, I am sure. I like America, but sometimes I can just shake my head about some things.
 

The thing I have missed the most since I’ve been in the States is bread. Real bread. Germans eat a lot of it, and I am not talking about that toast stuff. I mean dark, real wheat, full corn bread without sugar! Why is sugar an ingredient of American bread?

Well, I solved the problem last Thursday when I went to a store and bought a bread machine.
 

Other than bread, I miss driving on German streets. Our highways are called ‘Autobahn.’
On the ‘Autobahn,’ driving 90 to 110 miles per hour is considered normal. There are no speed limits! If you want, you may drive slower, but never less than 50, because this would obviously be dangerous for other drivers around you.

Does this not sound like paradise?