American Reacts to 16 Things NOT to Do in GERMANY

Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to 16 Things NOT to Do in GERMANY. This was super interesting to learn the differences between the USA and Germany. Thanks for subscribing!

[dan_kay]

The dumbest thing an American has ever said to me deep down in Texas:

"Aldi? Screw Aldi. Never gonna go there again!"
"Huh, why not? You don't like chocolate with real nuts or juice without added sugar?"
"No, that's not it. But they make me pay a quarter for a shopping cart. Although I'm shopping there!"
"What? Since when does Aldi make you pay to use a shopping cart?"
"They are all locked with a chain and only a quarter will unlock them!"
"Have you ever tried to return the cart and to lock it again with the chain? As soon as you do that, your quarter gets pushed out of the slit."
"..."

[aphextwin]

The social taboo about jaywalking in Germany is based on the idea that one should never jaywalk if there are any children in sight in order to imprint safe behaviour onto the young.

[e.]

About asking for tap water: It's not about being posh, it's about not being a freeloader; it's about not taking away the restaurant's main source of revenue. In many parts of Europe, restaurants earn most of their revenue through their drinks. European restaurant culture is different than American: You can stay there for hours as long as you keep ordering drinks. The staff will stay in the background and not disturb a seated party deep in conversation. If you want free water, you're just being cheap and rude.

[fiprosha]

I lived in Wales for a year. And I was so freaked out when I went grocery shopping and the cashier suddenly started chatting to me, asking to me how I am and what my plans for the weekends were.

My brain was trying really hard to figure out who this person was, why they know me, and how come I don't know them. Because clearly they had to recognise me from somewhere! Then I realised that the cashier doesn't actually know half the people shopping there, they are just chatting with literally anyone.

[schroedingers_kotze]

17:57 It's actually very simple: if you go to a nude beach with your clothes on, it's no longer a nude beach.
Dressed and naked people next to each other result in a completely different social dynamic than if it were a purely nude beach. Even if just one visitor stayed clothed, an imbalance would be created. It only works relaxed and on an equal footing if everyone strips naked. That being said, there are more than enough other beaches where you can go clothed.

[niismo.]

2:10 As a German, there's few things more cursed to me than seeing a RedBull can, a banana peel and a sheet of paper all in the same bin. That's just painful to do.

[Blanschee]

I love the "Don't whish people a happy birthday in advance in Germany" because it is simply a random cultural thing and speaks letters about our mindset. You can see this in many other areas as well. For example I'm a nurse and at work we just don't say things like "Todays shift is going to be nice and easy". There are people who will get mad at you for doing so. "Oh THANKS, NOW shit will definitly hit the fan." I thing it has something to do with a "Memento mori" attitude. Basically you don't want to provoke the gods, devils, fairys or your 8th grade math teacher to crush your pride by showing you, that you're just a little human with no real power at all.

[gustavmeyrink_.]

6:20 Thing is there are no gates to hop. You can just walk onto public transport without showing your ticket to anyone.
As for quiet hours bear in mind that Sunday is a quiet day! No mowing of lawns or noisy diy.
No swimming trunks in German saunas. When they say naked they mean completely naked.

[katharinabittner]

When I (german) was a child (around the very early 2000nds), my family and I made a trip to france. In Strasbourg we stopped at a red light, while people around us were simply jaywalking nonchalantly. It was a very quiet street and it took the lights quite a long time to change, so us four stood there feeling like idiots. But we followed our german principles and only walked, when it finally turned green. 😂

[Jannyl]

You said "You shouldn't hop the gate" in public transportation (I think) and the thing is, that we don't have gates in Germany. There is no ticket barrier. You could enter most public transportation without a ticket. Especially in cities you could be lucky and use the underground for months without a ticket. But, if someone catches you without a ticket, the fee is pretty high. (20-30 times the price of a single bus ticket)

[kermit]

Hi, a short comment from a German ;) FKK is "free body culture" and the important word is "culture". That's why it is prohibited to wear clothes in a FKK area because so you show that you are part of this culture and the benefits of feeling really free but rather just want to examine naked Woman or Men. And in my personal opinion, it is just so natural to come out of the water and don't have wet piece of clothing on you. And Sauna in Germany is diffrent to sauna in the USA. Sauna takes half a day here its just a time to relax not a short 15 minute sweating after a workout. And so it is more hygienic without clothes ....🤷‍♂ BTW it is also very healthy to see real naked people and how humans look at a certain age to escape these unhealthy and unreal ideals from the media and the internet. Sorry it's a long time ago that I wrote something in English. I hope you can see what I mean. ;) Heartly greets from Germany 🤙😃

[tuijakantola]

Most of these points are also true for Sweden. The jaywalking, well our kids often get to school on their own, so you do not want to set a bad example. If kids are around ( does not matter who's kids ) you just do not jaywalk.

[wolsch]

It is not forbidden to sing "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (Germany, Germany over everything)! However, since this verse is misunderstood in Europe and also in Germany as an expression of the claim to power over the neighbouring countries, and also the geographical information: "From the Maas to the Memel, from the Adige to the Belt" are done for Germany, these lines did not become the official anthem of the Federal Republic. But the author of this Deutschlandlied had nothing like that in mind in 1841! He was only interested in a nation state that should include all 39 states of the German Confederation of 1815.

[meilstone]

They forgot to mention that in Germany, there are no gates before entering public transportation such as subway. So "do not hop the gate" doesn't apply there. Since everything is freely accessible without ticket checkpoints before getting on, it's much more tempting for people to take a ride without a ticket, at the risk of getting caught and fined.

[birdylove]

I can explain this "sauna thing" to you. All people are naked there and that is quite normal there. But they might feel uncomfortable if someone is sitting underneath them with their clothes on. You then have the feeling that the person is staring at the undressed people 👀, and then you no longer feel relaxed among like-minded people, but rather observed.

By the way, I personally think that being naked is not indecent 😇, but that you can be dressed very indecently! 😆😁

[tramper]

11:52 „are Germans thinking of people starting small talk to be rude?“ … not a yes/no … if you sit in a train that ride will take some hours, it was in past very polite to at least say hello.
You then CAN ASK if someone LIKE to have smalltalk or not… some people today read a book, listening music etc…
But smalltalk at grocerie stored line is not that normal all over Germany… in some smaller village where they know each other it happens more …
Im cities lesser to none.
That DOES NOT MEAN, you can not ASK ANYTIME someone in Germany, if you have a REAL question or need help… time, way directions, nearest bakery, doctor, pharmacist, etc….
We‘re happy to help, but mostly avoid smalltalk blabla… we leave that to our politicians.

[Flamebeard]

RE: 'Hopping the gate' - most public transportation doesn't have gates. It's accessible without barriers so you just could get on the train. But as Phil said: If caught, you'll get fined in the realm of 50-120 Euros plus the ticket price.

[astaen]

16:00 The thing about "forced" nudity is that no one can come in wearing pants and stare at all the nude people. It's simply the best solution to prevent peeping toms. Everyone is slightly embarrassed at first but feels free after some time and no-one is better or worse than the other - we're all equal.

[siene]

FIY: I was taught that these are the reasons for textile-free saunas:
1) If you're in a sauna, there will be a lot of sweat in the fabric. If you decide to have a cold shower after sauna, most of it will be gone. But if you're using these ice cold pools or regular cold pools, a lot of the sweat will remain in the clothes and not be wiped off beforehand which in turn means a lot of sweat in the pool water. So hygenic reasons. (btw, you're supposed to shower off any sweat but many people who don't do sauna a lot go directly for the cold pools)
2) Certain clothes that cover a lot of the body will make it difficult for your body to regulate the temperature because of the heat being trapped which can result in overheating. Especially if you wear a bathing suit, the fabric will hinder the sweat from evaporating properly, so there's no cooling effect.
3) Most bathing suits are made from synthetic textiles. When they become hot, they can release harmful substances into the air. In addition to that, if you went to the regular pool before, there will likely be traces of chlorine in the fabric which isn't the greatest in a hot room without air circulation.

[katygunther]

15:05 in germany we say; if someone says happy birthday before your birthday it gives bad luck.