American Reacts to 5 THINGS GERMANY HAS that AMERICA DOESN'T

Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to 5 Things Germany has that American's have never seen. Thank you for subscribing!

[ingevonschneider]

I know a drink store called "Saftladen" (only German speaker will understand the joke)

[marie-thereswelte]

we actually change our shoes. many gyms even require it. you are also often not allowed to wear shoes with dark soles in certain gyms, because otherwise you will have black stripes on the floor. it is fundamentally very important to us germans not to bring dirt into rooms. sounds exaggerated, but if you think about it more closely, it just makes a lot of sense

[Chuulip]

This shoe changing topic is probably my biggest culture shock as a german who learns about America. Like... I've heard it all before, but THIS is so shocking to me. Why would you go inside a gym with dirty shoes... where people sit on the floor and work out?

[ninjaunicorn]

Yes. The ID card and Driving license say different things.

The driving license has:
your full name, birthday, the issuing date, Expiry Date, were it was issued, the number of your license, what car types you are allowed to drive and if you have any requirements like wearing glasses.

Your ID has a lot more personal information:
Your full name, Birthday, Nationality, Place of birth, date of expiry, eye color, hight, where it was issued, address, if you have any stage names or titles and your ID number.

Hope that helps.

[violam_orca]

The last point with the chalk on the door I only know that the "Sternsinger" = star singer come to every house which are dressed up as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar and sing a song and you can give them some money for the church. They have this chalk and will write the letters/numbers on every door on January 6th. I never heard that people write it themselves. It is something religious but people will just open the door and let them write it on. Doesn't really matter if they are religious, at least in my village.

[antjeschroeder]

These strawberry huts stand on the edge of strawberry fields. You can pick your strawberries in the field yourself, and then go to the hut
where they are weighed and you pay for them. You pay a little less because you do the work yourself, but they are very fresh and you can eat as many strawberries as you want while you pick, for free. If you don't feel like picking them yourself, you can also buy some at the hut.
The reason why we in Germany value such seasonal fruits and vegetables is because they taste much better, they are more aromatic and certainly healthier than if they were artificially grown. This is because the plant has had the opportunity to produce the fruits in the necessary time and under the necessary conditions that are needed for vitamins and flavours to develop.
And yes, there are also apple huts and this year I even saw an asparagus hut. But no bananas, because of course they don't grow here.

[panther]

The thing is that Germany is not as car-centric as the US, so fewer people have a drivers license in the first place (although Germany is still one of the most car-centric countries in Europe). You can use you drivers license to buy alcohol etc., but usually its use is restricted to, well, proving that you have the ability to drive. IDs on the other hand can be and have to be aquired by everyone. Also, the ID is more secure.

[panther]

Of course you can buy strawberries and other types of fruits and vegetables all year round in supermarkets, but outside of their season, they usually come from Spain (especially Almería, the "Sea of Plastic") or more distant places. They are usually not as good as the regional variants, are more expensive and way more harmful to the environment. Many Germans are conscious about the environment and don't want to support that.

[ChrisRedfield--]

The National identification card also entitles the holder to travel throughout the European Union as well as Switzerland, Monaco, Andorra, Turkey, Norway, Iceland, Georgia (Country) and then some.
A drivers license will not be accepted as Valid ID when in a other member EU state.

[thirstwithoutborders]

Yes, German and generally European men also change during the day. One of the sure signs that your friendship is close or your relationship has hit the next stage is when they bring over "home clothes", i.e. leggings, "lounge-wear", tracksuit trousers, hoodies and their own fluffy socks for an overnight stay. Because once we know we are home for the day, we not only change our shoes, but also change into more comfortable clothing. Among girls who have approximately have the same size, we offer our own clothes to visitors, as a sign of friendship.

[Frohds]

In gyms and tennis halls you are not even allowed to wear any sneakers, but you have to wear light-soled ones, otherwise there will be black rubber stripes on the floors.
I think the change of shoes is absolutely reasonable. Apart from hygiene (e.g. dog poop), small stones in the soles can destroy a treadmill, block equipment or even cause injuries because you slip. Sure, in the US you wait for something like that because you can then sue the gym operator, but not in Germany, instead you protect each other.

[panther]

The normal german outfit for people "on the street" is very distinct from the casual sportswear outfit most Americans use. We usually just wear sport clothes...well, when we do sports. In normal circumstances, most of us wear jeans, (or cargo shorts etc. during the summer), and some sort of "overclothing" over our T-Shirts. That can be a sweater, a jacket, a hoodie, a coat or a "normal" shirt. Leggins and sport pants worn "on the street" are usually seen as bad taste or a sign of low social status. They are not really respectable. The same is true for shoes - there is a clear distinction between functional sport shoes and everyday shoes. Only very few people would wear the typical white tennis shoes that are so common in the US. There are sneakers and such, but they are distinct from sport shoes.

[rapatti]

Same thing using shoes goes also here in Finland, you are not allowed to use same sneakers in gym you are using outside. Also if you visit some body’s home, it is really unpolite to keep shoes on.

[qwstrfgqwstrfg]

something she didn't mention: the door markings on the houses are not something that people write themselves. there is a big tradition connected to it: every year around january 6, children in catholic areas will dress up as the 3 wise men (c+m+b) and go from door to door.

there they will do multiple things: they will sing a song/do a short play/say some poem or something at every house, then they will collect money for a good cause, and they will often receive candy, and then they will write this thing on people's door (if they want to have it).

so in some way it's similar to halloween for these kids (dressing up going from house to house getting candy), while also benefiting a good cause by collecting money for charity. and of course it is tied to religion, as they give blessings to each house. the priest usually blesses the chalk they use to write this. it is also pre-planned and organized by the church, so that every house will get exactly one visit.

[iris-christina]

The problem about shoes you were outside is not only dirt, it's especially the small pebbles which can destroy the surface you are walking on. (Especially wood flooring)
And you don't want mud or dirt on your carpet - have fun cleaning

[voyanceelle]

hahaha you being so surprised about the several pairs of shoes made me laugh!!!! Of course one does not simply wear the same running shoes inside the gym as outside in the park. Of course we have house shoes and of course when I forget something and I have to go back inside the house I take of my shoes for that xD It never ocurred to me that this could be weird to someone.

[broetchenahoi]

I live in Germany's second largest city (Hamburg) and we have strawberry huts all over the city during the season in summer; often at metro train stations, outside supermarkets, etc. They usually sell strawberrys, somtimes raspberrys, juices, etc. Love these huts - the fresh seasonal fruit so yumm yumm yumm!

[Purpledream.]

In Europe we usually move around with our ID and driver cards in the wallet. We also travel within the countries in the European Union with our ID card only, the passport is needed if we only travel to some of the countries that are not in the EU or we need to pass trough them.
I don’t know about USA, but in Europe you need to bring /have a gym shoes. It’s not acceptable to work out with the shoes you just came in with 😅

[hackbyte]

4:37 In germany, as hayley says, you are obliged to have _some_ _sort_ of id. Usually even before the police, you can get away with your drivers license alone. But you are required to _have_ at least a ID card, or a official passport in case you are asked for it. But you are not obliged to carry that aroud with you at all times. If you're driving, you have to carry your licence with you .. so that's why in usual legere controls you can get trough with just it.

But if some cops really wanna see it, they might have the right to drive you home and give you time to collect your actual ID or Passport to verify your identity. ;)

[julianachilles]

Every German above the age of 16 is legally required to have a Personalausweis (Personal-ID).

It contains your adress, the drivers licence doesnt. Some people may accept it for example if they want to have your age proved (supermarket, cinema etc.) but its technically no ID and will be declined in most official situations if youre asked specifically for an ID.