Disco Pogo: August 2012

You think with a title like that, I'm joking, but I'm not. The German speaking world (I'm only saying this because although most examples are from Germany, I have seen a bit in the German-speaking part of Switzerland) seems to be OBSESSED with Texas, at least from an outsider's standpoint. For some, that's one of their only impressions of American culture, and for others I've met, they know three places in America by heart: New York, California, and Texas (although many over here have seen the atrocity that is Jersey Shore...)

I have photographic evidence. Really.

Can someone please tell me what is so "Texas" in this canned yuckiness?

Saw this at a McDonalds here in Konstanz! I don't think Texans eat such sandwiches...

Saw this last year in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. The tagline says approx., "Texas -- much more than you expect."

Yes, Texas has its own tourism poster in a small Swiss town with a population of about 35,000.

It seems Germany in general is very fascinated with the whole "Wild West" concept, as seen by the many Western novels and films that both West and East Germany produced during a good chunk of the 20th century. Many of the films also showed a struggle between the white cowboys and the native "Indianer," and it's interesting to note that in the West German films, the cowboys were often the good guys, and in the East German films, the situation was reversed (as evidenced in the 1973 East German film, Apachen). And if you're going to go into Germans and Western novels, you need to begin with Karl May.

From the Wikipedia introduction for him, a line stands out for me: "May never visited the exotic places featured in his stories until late in life." For us Americans, looking at things such as the Texas-Salat or the Texas Nacho Chicken sandwich, we also wonder, "Have the people who made these EVER even BEEN to Texas, or at least SPOKEN to a real Texan?"

But think about it. Just about every German festival I've been to in America has featured three staple items: bratwurst, pretzels, and beer.

With the exception of the beer, that's most Bavarian fare, not a representation of German food as a whole. But this is what Americans think all Germans eat, and so that's what they sell at German cultural festivals. A quick look at this article on German cuisine will show you that there is MUCH, MUCH more than just pretzels and bratwurst...but unless people are in the know, would they know that based on what they see in American-organized German festivals or American-made films that have Germans in them?

So I guess the philosophical point is: many cultures see each other based on stereotypes or what they see in the movies, and everyone is guilty, and it makes for some pretty laughable faux-pas.

Although, Germany, the Texas Nacho Chicken sandwich? Really?

Hallo from Germany! So as you may know, the reason I'm here is to do my master's program in history. My intensive German-language course doesn't start until September, and actual classes don't start until October, but I came to Germany early to settle in and just enjoy the lovely town I'm in before I have to buckle down and get to work!

So on one of what will be many trips to the Uni (that's what everyone says to refer to the university) to sort out the dreaded German bureaucracy, I decided to take some pictures to give everyone a glimpse of where I'll be taking classes for the next two years.

Uni Konstanz was built during the 60s, and in many ways, it shows. It has many mod-artistic elements in its architecture, which makes for an interesting layout. The University of Richmond, where I went for undergrad, had an Ivy League-feel with a perfectly manicured landscape. Some students even said the buildings there resembled Hogwarts. Uni Konstanz is entirely different.