Gerhard Richter Painting

Art is one of the strongest, transcontinental languages. Paintings travel across the world and miraculously enjoyed by vastly different cultures. The German documentary, Gerhard Richter Painting, directed by Corina Belz, follows the internationally renowned artist, Gerhard Richter through his late artistic career and daily studio and gallery life. 

Gerhard Richter was born in Dresden, Saxony, leaving school after the 10th grade to apprentice as a stage set painter before attending the Dresden Academy of fine arts. Two months before the building of the Berlin Wall, Richter escaped from East to West Germany. After his escape he began studying at the Kunst Akadamie Dusseldorf where he discovered Capitalistic Realism, an art form he utilized as an anti-style of art, "appropriating the political shorthand of advertising." Richter now lives and works out of Cologne. 

Richter's works generally depict "illusionistic space." His earliest works created during the early 60's and 70's are called photo-paintings, taken from newspapers, personal photos or books. In the late 60's early 70's his works turned along a more abstract path with his "Grey paintings." The film begins by giving a scroll by of his earlier works (photo-realistic), preceded by an early interview with him after his move out of the east, and finally shows Richter painting two different human sized abstract paintings. We watch his cheerful little minions cleaning up for him, and purifying his paint. Ah this is how real artists work (good to know, as an art student).

This documentary on the influential artist, Gerhard Richter, moves along at a slow, real-life pace. I would recommend the documentary if you are interested in German culture, art, and the workings of the mind of an artist. Despite the 10 minute waiting period, the beginning scene in which Richter paints on two canvases at once is highly interesting for the sake of watching an abstract artist's process. I think it is common for people, even artists, to walk into a museum and automatically disregard an abstract work as silly. However simply through watching the process and the artist in action that opinion could drastically alter, as mine has. Even though the movie progresses extremely slowly, I felt as if I couldn't look away for fear of missing an important scene of "art action." You can watch this documentary on Netflix.

Dorothy

The Last Supper: Bier!

Haaaaaalllllllloooooo!!!

How is everyone doing? This will be the last blog for German Food & Culture. So, naturally I saved the best for last: German Beer. The Germans have perfected the tasty drink and Germany is constantly associated with great beer. The Germans even have a 16 day festival dedicated to drinking beer and socializing. This famous festival is known as Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest is a 16 day festival held from late September to the first week of October. It is a celebration of beer and the coming of Fall. It is held in Bavaria in the major city of Munich.  Historically, it started as a festival to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. Oktoberfest has very strict rules regarding the Beer. The beer MUST be brewed within the city limits of Munich. The beer must be brewed to certain and very specific expectations.
These are the breweries that can produce Oktoberfest Beer:

-Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu
-Augustiner-Bräu
-Löwenbräu 
-Paulaner-Bräu
-Spatenbräu
-Staatliches Hofbräu-München

However, these breweries and delicious beer can only be found in Munich. But you can still get delicious imported beer here in Seattle! Located in Pike Place right next to the original Starbucks, is a wonderful Bavarian market. This market is appropriately called "Bavarian Meat Delicatessen". There are great Hefeweizen's, Weissbeir, Pilsner, Dunkles, and Altbier!

So check it out!!

The world is obsessed with German beer, especially the United States. I mean, being able to drink at 16 in Germany?!! What?!?! That's awesome!! So in many parts of the world, one can find a nice German beer and one sip will make you feel like you're on top of the mountain tops overlooking Munich, or maybe laughing and talking with some strangers you just met at Oktoberfest.

Overall, there is one thing that is constantly true about beer:

Beer makes the world go 'round!

The UW Germanics Department: A Brief History on Denny Hall

The very first thing people learn on their freshman campus tour at University of Washington in Seattle is that Denny Hall is the oldest building on UW soil.

Denny Hall is my favorite building on the university's campus; and I'm not just saying that because I am a Germanics major. When I first set foot on UW ground, Denny Hall was the first building that caught my eye. I marveled at its bavarian style architecture. During the three years I have attended UW, Denny has been like a miniature portal to my old German world. When I am around it or in it, I feel like I am back in Oldenburg. Denny Hall has become a significant part of my college experience.

Construction on Denny Hall began on the fourth of July of 1894 when a crowd of 1000 people gathered at the University of Washington's new campus for the cornerstone laying of the site's first structure.

With the help of architect Charles W. Saunders, the four stories of Denny hall were constructed within a year. It was  made ouf of Enumclaw cornerstone and pressed brick with terra cotta details.

By September 1895, its 35 rooms were opened to student body of little more than 200 people. It was first called the Administration building and housed six of the university's laboratories, a library with 50 chairs, a museum, and faculty rooms.

Today this building hosts the Germanics and Anthropology department at the University of Washington.

Hilary

New EURO Setup?

German national football team players Bastian Schweinsteiger (left) and
Phillip Lahm (right). Image obtained from Google.

UEFA EURO tournaments.  Don't know what I'm talking about?  Here's a bit of background to get you up to speed about.

Think of the UEFA EURO tournament as being just like the FIFA World Cup that's hosted every 4 years, except that participating national teams may only come from European countries.  Now I won't dwell on this issue but it's interesting to look at the countries that participate regularly and compare that with EU members.    Turkey participated in EURO 2008 but has had its EU ascension hopes waitlisted for decades.  Ponder that thought; maybe do some personal research but I'm leaving this point alone now.

Anyways, EURO.  Okay so it's reminiscent of a European-style World Cup and, personally, I think it's more interesting to watch than the World Cup because I like European football teams.

The tournament structure of EURO has always been like that of the World Cup; a host nation is chosen and all of the tournament matches are played at venues around the host country.  Well this might not be the case for EURO 2020.  I've stumbled upon article that suggests that the UEFA President Michel Platini is considering changing the layout for this particular tournament and having it be played at stadiums around the CONTINENT.  Sacrebleu!  What is this madness?!?  Below I will outline Mr. Platini's rationale and then state why I think he's a little off his rocker...

Platini states that by having 12 different countries host matches across Europe, the costs of the tournament would not be a burden on a single (or sometimes pair) host country.  Alright, I concede that this is a decent reason for suggesting this new tournament format.  Afterall, Europe has failed to recover from the economic crisis to the extent that the United States has and, looking to the future, it seems logical that hosting a tournament of this magnitude risks a host country's economic recovery.  But I'd like to make one point.  Countries vie to host a EURO tournament for the glory.  They don't do something like this because it will be fiscally profitable in the short run.  If a country can host a good tournament, then they can hope for increased tourist revenue in the years to come and the title of EURO host city long into the future.

This is almost like the head of the Olympic committee to suggest that the Olympics should be held AROUND THE WORLD, instead of in one lucky country.

Now I recognize that if EURO 2020 were to be held in this new layout as is currently being discussed, it would shine the spotlight on cities all around Europe simultaneously.  And perhaps it would reinforce the idea of a "shared European identity" that the EU is pushing so hard to create.  But this tournament is not designed to bring neighboring countries closer together.  National teams train to win, not to make friends.

As a football fan living in America, I think that this is a poor choice in the spirit of EURO competitions, even if it is a fiscally-responsible one for Europe.

Sarah

Winnetou

Karl May's novels of the fictional Native American hero, Winnetou gave lasting impressions of America to unexposed German population and became a collection of stories required in classes in Germany and beloved by many. May, having never traveled to America, based his stories off of the impressions received from other travelers. He wrote his stories between 1875 and 1910. The stories were so beloved in Nazi Germany that they were not banned, like many books were. They cling to romantic ideas where man is close to nature, and May sympathizes with the native population who have not yet found the time or need for ideas such as industrial growth or worldly expansion. These stories, and the film adaptations present the intrigue for internationalism, desire to understand varying cultures, and give insight into the challenges encountered in multicultural societies. In these stories we observe cultures clashing due to different ideologies, interests and cultural understandings.

The movie adaptations of the book, first released in 1963 and directed by Harald Reinl, consist of an international cast including the German actor Mario Adorf, American actor Lex Barker and the French actor Pierre Brice. The movie takes the audience through a world of tragedy, strugle, love, and brotherhood. Watch Winnetou I on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zklMom_5cp0

Germans in your own home?

For those travelers who wish to see the world on a budget and meet locals along the way couchsurfing remains a very promising option.  If you're not familiar http://www.couchsurfing.org/ is a website that enables hosts and travelers to find people they feel they'd get along with to stay with for a period of time on travels in almost any country and any major city on earth.  While this may sound sketchy to the unknown the website has had very few issues regarding safety, feedback left by other surfers allows people to have an idea of what staying with someone might be like and if they seem trustworthy.  If you would like to meet travelers and make new friends offering up your couch to surfers is a great way to do so.  In my time of offering my couch up on couchsurfing I have met many interesting and friendly people, a majority of which were Germans.


Germans are known for their love of travel and general respect for the countries they visit, and every German person I have hosted has been respectable and a joy to hang out with.  Many German visitors I have had wished to spend time with me and my friends doing what we normally do for fun, and have been great company and provided a great outlet for me to practice my German with a native speaker.  Lots of these German travelers came from work and travel adventures in Canada to see the United States, some of them spent their first day in the US with me and I was always very happy to show them around and provide them with a great experience in Seattle.




















Germans are not the only people you will meet if you offer up your couch of course.  I have hosted all sorts of travelers, from Hong Kong to Uzbekistan I have met and made great friends from all over the world.  If you are trusting in the general good of human beings and want to meet fellow world explorers than I cannot think of a better outlet than offering up your couch for them.
Steven

Time for Leavenworth!

Guten Tag!!

It is Autumn and the evenings tend to get chilly quickly. It is the season for eating tantalizing Bavarian food and listening to happy German Christmas music!! Spending Winter in Germany would be an amazing experience, but not everyone can afford for it. However, if you can experience an incredible get-away or want to feel as you have gone to Germany, you can do that in Washington state. Do you want to enjoy a little Germany adventure here in Washington? I am going to introduce you a day trip to the town called Leavenworth, two hours car ride from Seattle, also known as “German Village”.

Leavenworth, is a fascinating Bavarian village in Washington. If you want to take a break from the blue, cold, and wet weather of Seattle, take a beautiful two hours drive towards east through the mountains to Leavenworth. This German Village located between mountains has nicer weather than Seattle. In this town, you do not even feel you are in the U.S. 

There are a lot of pastry and bakeries along with many German restaurants and beer gardens. There is the one authentic German bakery called Bavarian Bakery. This bakery is run by German owner who is also known as a great baker. There is always a big line of people who want to try real German bread.  During Christmas time, their Christmas tree is decorated with their original pretzels. This bakery is also doing delivery service, therefore, many people in Seattle area can enjoy real German taste.

Bis Dann!

Randy

Blood is Thicker than Water

The German Men's National Football team played a friendly today against the Netherlands today.  Given the nature of this type of match (where the result doesn't impact future tournaments), the only thing on the line was pride (which is still a lot for footballers).  If you're dying to know the result, it ended 0-0.  German fans, like myself, will attribute this to the fact that Germany was fielding a team of rookies since many of their starting players were injured or sick.  Dutch fans will say this points to a new resurgence for the national team but I wouldn't necessarily bet on that one.  The Dutch squad has had it chances in recent tournaments but just can't seem to put the pieces together...sort of like the German squad (but you didn't hear that from me).

What I'd like to mention is that the headline from an article I read here declares the game between Germany and the Netherlands as "An Old Rivalry."  At this moment, my inner soccer fan was booted aside by my inner political scientist because I'd just learned about types of ethnic conflicts and my mind immediately jumped to the term Primordialism.  Now, to be clear I do not want to suggest that rivarly between German and Dutch fans mimics the conflict, for example, between Sunnis and Shias.  My mind simply started to mull over the origins of football rivalries and the ferocity with which they are often played out.

According to the article mention above, the rivalry between these two teams started when West Germany beat the Netherlands in the '74 World Cup final.  Hostilities have flared since then and no doubt resurfaced in today's friendly.

I'll go ahead and reference Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World because it really is and awesome book and it really does explain a lot of things in our world.  But many of the chapters discuss passionate rivalries in particular countries around the world, some with better-explained origins than others.

The rivalry between Germany and the Netherlands is a relatively mild one (in the grand scheme of things) but it's a rivalry nonetheless; the winners will be jubilant and the losers will hang their heads and be grateful that it was just a friendly.

Rivalries big or small transform the game and it's important to give them their due attention rather than passing them off as a tool of hooligans or as something that you could never possibly understand.  We have plenty of sports rivalries here in the United States.  Think of your favorite team and the second thing that you'll think of is their #1 rival.

Mull that one over for a bit, then get back to me and let me know what you think of rivalries in football and in general.

Bis bald!

Sarah

It's Spaetzle Time!

Guten Abend!

I hope everyone has been enjoying their week with Potato Pancakes! Now it's time to change things up!

Noodles are one of those food items that can be found in some shape or form all around the world. In Japan they have Soba and they have capitalized on Ramen. In Vietnam there is Pho (UW students know much about this). Of course in Italy there are hundreds of different pastas that all taste great with some kind tomato sauce! And Germany has its own special noodle too! This noodle is Spaetzle!

It is a delicious egg based noodle that is usually served with Sunday dinners. My dad grew up with Spaetzle on his Sunday dinner right next to his burnt steak that my grandfather cooked! My grandfather and grandmother were both from Bavaria and every Sunday growing up in New Jersey my father and his brothers and sister would all have to sit at the table and eat (poorly) cooked food! Auch so, my family now has special Sunday dinners that sometimes include Spaetzle!

However, I have no idea how to make it because my mom and dad were the ones who do the cooking! But! I have found a pretty good recipe that I think will meet standards in Spaetzle cooking!

The ingredients include:

14 oz of Fine Flour
1 cup of Water
3-4 eggs
1 teaspoon of salt
and some parsley

The recipe can be found at this link:  http://www.bavariankitchen.com/sides/spaetzle.aspx

I have used this recipe before and it was pretty good! Spaetzle is a noodle that can be a little heavy depending on how much butter you decide to serve it with, but it does have a fresh taste that I think most everyone would enjoy!

Now, in our German class we have been discussing different aspects of globalization and cultural integration. I don't think Spaetzle is as popular as other German foods are in America, however, lots of people can see it at a local grocery store. So it has integrated into American life. I hope people enjoy the deliciousness of Spaetzle and give a try sometime!


Looks great, right?!



Randy

TRANSATLANTIC ZOMBIES!

Zombies have taken over Berlin! The intrigue of zombie movies has become transcontinental, seeing as how this is an inevitability we must all prepare for and unite over. This was intended on being a post-Halloween post, a little late maybe, but none-the-less relevant. We should all be well versed as to how Americans handle our not-so-friendly undead friends: machine guns, flamethrowers (everyone has these), chopping off of heads, and driving around in hummers. Americans are well aware of the perils of having open wounds, untrustworthy friends, and leaving one's house alone during a zombie apocalypse. So how would Germans handle such a terrifying situation?

The 2010 German zombie film Rammbock deals with the outbreak of an uncontrollable zombie virus in Berlin. Hoping to surprise his ex-girlfriend, Gabi, with the keys to her apartment and conclude a relationship, Michael unexpectedly becomes trapped in her apartment with Gabi nowhere to be found, and zombies on the loose allover Berlin. Also trapped in her apartment is a young handyman, Harper. They communicate with the neighbors through the windows of their apartments overlooking the a courtyard. The communication between the neighbors does little to remedy any situation, or provide any sort of camaraderie because they have to yell to hear each other, and we all know zombies love loud noises nor have they learned that zombies die when you chop off their heads or hit them in the skull with an axe, as we have learned from movies like Zombie Land, and TV shows like The Waking Dead.  As the apartment complex becomes infiltrated with zombies they learn that the progression of the virus can be delayed by taking heavy sedatives. The movie gains speed as a fellow neighbor across the way ask for Michael's help to find more sedatives for his pre-zombified wife. During the fight against the zombies to find and deliver more sedatives, Michael and Harper learn several things: Gabi is alive living with her new lover in the attic (a total bummer for Michael), and that zombies are afraid of quickly flashing lights (like those from a camera flash). And with this I leave you to watch the movie, which you can find for instant play on Netflix. 

From this movie we can observe that Germans and Americans react fairly similarly during a zombie apocalypse. There is a common sense of concern for loved ones, camaraderie, and in the end, every man for himself. Germans just need to learn how to kill zombies, and they'll be OK.







Dorothy

It Takes All Kinds

Photo by Rick Bowmer, AP

The Seattle Sounders have one of the most ardent groups of supporters that I've ever experienced.  For the record, there was never a professional soccer team in my hometown of San Diego and our other sports teams are routinely below par.  Perhaps there are other MLS teams with equally enthusiastic fans but, nonetheless, I'm always impressed at the sight of a sea of blue and green on game days.
In Germany last week, a riot broke out at a DFB Cup match between Hannover 96 and Dynamo Dresden. This is the latest in a series of fan aggression in the last two decades. The following is from Deutsche Welle's report on the incident:

"Violence initially broke out before the match began when around 1,400 Dresden fans pressed against the gates at a section of the ground. Some 300 supporters then overran security officials and broke into the AWD Arena, clashing with police and delaying play for 15 minutes.

Dresden went on to lose the game 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of play. After the loss, Dresden fans stormed the pitch, requiring police intervention. The violence left nine people injured and 18 fans were taken into custody."

I've done previous research on football hooliganism, such as the violence in Dresden, and I find it interesting that there are regions in Eastern Europe, South America, etc where football violence is extremely common.  But to my limited knowledge of MLS, this kind of occurrence is rare.  I asked some knowledgeable Sounders fan about fan violence before I went about drawing my own conclusions.

Point 1
There is little fan violence in the MLS as a whole.  Having spent a great deal of time in Seattle these past few years, I can vouch for the existence of fierce rivalries such as the one between the Sounders and the Portland timbers.  Rival fans will shout (often vulgar) chants at one another before, during, and after matches.  This is completely normal for the league and, some might argue, enhances the competitive environment.  But physical acts of violence don't seem to be tolerated.  In fact, my sources tell me that even the hardcore supporters' groups fpr the Sounders have a zero-tolerance policy.  This is in stark contrast to places in Eastern Europe for example where football hooligans have created a mafia-like system in places. (see Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World for more on this)

Point 2
It's only fair that I make a differentiation between everyday fans of a soccer team and the die-hards (or hooligans, fanatics  whatever you would like to call them).  I love my team, FC Bayern Munich.  LOVE.  But I cannot imagine inflicting violence on another Bundesliga team or vandalizing the stadium after a particularly merciless defeat.  I'm a rational human being and this is not something I would probably ever be inclined to do.  So, please note, hooligans are a special breed.  Please don't be scared to attend your local MLS match after reading this.

Point 3
The following observation is just an observation from someone who's grown up in middle-class suburbia in Southern California.  Please don't take it as the opinion of an expert and make of it what you like.  Football is different around the world than it is here in the US.  On so many levels.  It just is.  Here it's a middle-class form of entertainment in a way.  In places in Eastern Europe, it's the working man's way of releasing whatever tensions have built up over the course of a week.  There are more academic ways of saying this but the point I'm trying to convey is that the people that follow soccer here are not necessarily the same types of people who follow Dynamo Dresden.



To conclude, soccer/football is THE beautiful game.  There will always be people who act out and threaten to ruin it for the rest of us.  And if you really want, we could have a seriously intellectual discussion on football in Europe and its numerous impacts.  I'd be down for it.  From this piece however, I hope you take away just a few things.  First of all, all sorts of people consider themselves to be fans, in  one form or another.  Hooligans are fans; they're just really extreme fans.  Second,  American soccer ≠ European football.  Third, the next time you catch a match on TV, whether it's MLS or Premier League or any other league, please watch it for more than 30 seconds.  Try and look beyond the 0-0 scoreline.  And then maybe you'll become a fan too.


My many thanks to Peter Dwersteg, Andy Fulton, and Josh Larkin for providing me with more insight into this matter than I could have ever possibly hoped for.

Bis bald!

What is it like being a German American? (Part 2)

Last Spring, My German Drama Class brought Goethe’s Stella to life on Stage. Victoria was casted as the main character Stella. Victoria, who is a Drama and Communications major at the University of Washington, is a German-American who has grown up in the Seattle area her whole life. Her bubbly personality compliments her amazing acting abilities. I will apply a youtube video of one of Victoria's monologues at the end of this interview. 

I asked to interview Victoria because I was curious what it was like growing up in a German Household in Seattle your whole life.  Unlike Jan (see my previous post), her only recollection of German culture is through her family life and occasional travel in Germany. 

Me: Where in Germany is your family from and why did they come to the United States?

Victoria: My family is from Schweinfurt, Germany. My mom is German, but my dad is American.  My mom came here because she married an American soldier (my dad).  My sister was born in Schweinfurt, but I was born here in Seattle.

Me: Do you speak German or English in your Household?

Victoria:  I speak both, for sure. I think mostly English though, but my family often mixes the two languages together. It’s weird because our German conversations start randomly. It’s fun knowing two other languages when you want talk about things in public and you don’t want anybody to overhear! (laughs)

Me: If you had a choice, would you live in Germany or the United States?

Victoria: Oh my god! Such a hard question! I think I would choose Germany. I love the cafes and the culture there.

Me: What would you say the difference is between living in a German-American household and a typical American household?

Victoria: The difference? I would say my mom makes me amazing food. She brough a lot of culture into our household. My mom always sang German tunes!

Me: Does your family celebrate any typical german traditions or holidays?

Victoria: We celebrated Fasching. Sometimes we have Fasching parties at my house. And of course we always celebrated St. Niklaus Tag. Then we would make lanterns from Lanternen Tag (Lantern Day).

Me: I asked Jan the same question, now it is your turn to answer: Was ist für dich Heimat?

Victoria: Hmm…well, home for me is being greeted by animals everyday. I have always grown up with dogs. Heimat for me is also eating food with my family and animals around. Spending times with my family and friends and being where I feel comfortable. Geez, what IS Heimat? That is such a difficult question.

____________________________________________

Here is a snippit of Victoria in Goethe's "Stella".  We applied a comedic and an american twist to this Romeo and Juliet tragedy.