The football World championship 2010 just started this week-end in South Africa and it is such a reminder of my start in Munich. I moved to Munich 4 years ago almost exactly (I celebrated my 4th anniversary this week-end) and the whole city was bubbling with football. The “WM” (Weltmeisterschaft) 2006 was taking place in Germany and it was a huge event all over the country. It was also a key point as it seems that Football is one of the only things that allow the Germans to be proud of being Germans and say it openly.
Back then the German team did actually really good – the German Sommermärchen - and was one of the championship surprises. They lost against the ones that later became the world champions, the Italians (damn them!).
Four years later, it is almost all back. The atmosphere, the excitement. Football is a big deal in Germany and the German team has the whole country behind them.
The moral did go down when the captain, Michael Ballack (hot, hot, hot) was hurt and had to forfeit his place in the championship. A lot of people thought that it meant no hope left for Germany. It actually was quite the drama here and a lot of people hated the guy that hurt him. You should have seen the “Bild” cover…
But unlike the French, who keep on bitching about the trainer (I bitch about the trainer too), about Henry’s hand, about the hotel that was chosen, about the ball and about basically anything they can, the Germans actually support their country in this championship. The Media have created a really positive vibe which is so refreshing when I compare it to what’s actually happening in France.
Here, people take days off to watch the games, organize big parties and every city has put in place the beloved “public viewing” system (in Beegarden, in Staidums, Pubs & bars). It is pretty cool. You might also notice the very very popular “Car flag” which is now equipping 1 car out of 2 here. This year Germany does believe that anything is possible and god, it is just nice to be caught in a positive wave.
My favourite way to watch a game is, I think, the most German way to do it. I call it BFF (barbecue, friends and football). It is a simple and “gemütlich” barbecue in the garden of somebody, where a lot of people/friends gather and use this as an opportunity to have a good time together.
So here are some basics (un-written, un-said) rules to enjoy this time with your friends, be a good host or a good guest:
1. The host provides the beer
Beer is to the Germans what water is to the rest of Europe. It is just a BASIC. It is also very cheap here and let’s face it, tastes much much better here than anywhere else in the world. It is therefore the host responsibility. Basically, any German has at least one “Kasse” beer in his Garage /kitchen, at any time. Barbecue time means stocking up so if you are hosting don’t be shy and bring it on.
2. The host provides the barbecue but the guests each bring their own meat / salad / bread, etc.
It can seem a little strange for non Germans, I’d say especially to French people who barely let the guest bring dessert but it is very common in Germany. The Germans LOVE to grill. It is like a national sport or something and the best fun is when you get a maximum of people together. As providing so much meat for so many people would be insanely expensive and that it would mean also that people don’t do it that often, the Germans’ compromise is pretty smart. Everybody brings his/her own food and therefore you are not limited in your choice of guests by the costs. It just allows everybody to have a good time, all together and it is not too much to ask for the host. Each guest can also bring whatever he wants, share it with others and everybody s happy with what is in their plate. I love this system.
3. The shoes go off
Anytime you have to set a foot in the house, the shoes go off. It is making me absolutely insane and it generally results in pile of shoes blocking the door access but it is just a basic in Germany. Keeping your shoes on if not expressly allowed by the host is really rude. So if you need to pick up a fork or the salt in the kitchen, you need to take them off and on every time. And they do it. Every damn time. I am sure you will particularly enjoy the cleaning time when you go out and in and out to bring the stuffs back inside… but if you respect that, they might let you come back so don’t be rude and suck it up.
4. There is never too much beer
Yes the host is the beer-provider but there is never too much of it. People always appreciate a Kasse Augustiner and if you don’t want to carry that much, you can think of the ladies and bring a 6-pack of Becks lemon, it is always a crowd pleaser.
I have been often asked if I wanted to take the empty bottles with me. It can seem a strange request but the bottles have “Pfand” on it, which means that you get 0,15€ per empty bottle you return. As your host does not want to make money “on you”, they usually offer you to take the bottles back with you. It is up to you to decide if you do it or not. If you are looking for other popular stuffs to bring, paprika chips or huge boxes of Haribo always work.
5. Be equipped
If you are hosting the barbecue, remember that Germans love barbecue and they are good at it. They all have beer benches and beer tables, most of them also even have some tent for bad weather… they have some barbecue tools kits and making the fire is no peanuts business. If you are hosting, be prepared, it is mostly also seen as a “Männersache”, a guy’s thing and failing at making a barbecue is not going to wear off easily.
6. Be a man
Ladies, you will probably notice that as soon as the barbecue is on all men gather around it for some guys version of chit chat. Maybe it is the fire, maybe it is the “responsibility” but German guys just love to stand there and get all stinky and red-eyed from the smoke. Don’t ask me. That’s unfortunately also where the fun conversations take place so I’d say, don’t put your prettiest jacket on and go stand there with the guys; it is way funnier than making the salad dressing in the kitchen with the other girls and fighting over which oil to use.
7. Get some info. And update your German Wortschatz
If you want to follow these evenings, you should definitely learn a couple of stuffs before, especially the German word like Elf meter, Faul, Schiedsrichter, Tor, etc. It is also useful to know who is the captain (Lahm for Germany), the trainer (Löw), the goal keeper (Neuer), and some main players (Klose, Schweinsteiger and Podolski), etc.
8. Man, it is FOOTBALL, not soccer
Yes, it is called football. My blog might feature some Americanized English but I will not call it soccer and the Germans won’t either. Football is a European game, and all nations all over the world call it Football so it must be the Frenchie in me talking, but I will not give in on this one and you should not either.
9. Dress up
Like everywhere in the world, it is not mandatory but it is really cool to dress up to the colors of the team you’re supporting. Apart from this annoying Vuvuzelas-crap, having a German t-shirt, official or not, or some make-up, really shows up who you are for and gives a stronger I-belong-here feeling. I think it is especially nice to see the Germans wearing their colors (black, gold and red) proudly because it does not happen that often and I am always so happy to be a part of it.
10. Sing & Cheer
it is good to know the German national anthem but most people actually barely sing it. Yesterday’s game was pretty awesome for that, because the players held each other by the shoulders and sang during the national anthem.
Finally, the cheering rules are the same than in any other countries: CHEER HARD AND LOUD!
It worked yesterday, Germany kicked Australia’s ass 4-0.
Go Germany!
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