Proper etiquette dictates we say “bless you” (or in German, “Gesundheit,”) after someone sneezes. In return, they say “danke” (thank you). Did you know that practice is based on fear of The Plague?
To this day, we …
These days, sugar’s in everything.
But the first sugar refinery wasn’t built in Germany until 1573, so what did Germans do before that?
Well, they had to sweeten their food with other things, primarily fruit.
Consequently, German cuisine features …
Duck herding, extreme ironing or even Hikaru Dorodango (dirt polishing): you’ve probably never participated in any of these activities, but did you know they’re actual hobbies?
Yes, it’s true.
See, the great thing about hobbies is that it doesn’t really …
Hey, you! Congratulations!
Or, as they say in Germany, “Herzlichen Glückwunsch!”
That’s right, you deserve some congratulations.
I don’t know you, but I know it’s true.
Whoever and wherever you are, there’s a lot you’ve had to accomplish to get …
Imagine your furniture filling out a questionnaire that asked: “Are you male, female or neuter?”
Your chair would check the box next to “male.”
Meanwhile, the painting you have hanging above your fireplace would check “neuter.”
But the fireplace itself …
Turn off your iPads, put down your cellphone, close your laptop—
No, wait!
Before you do that, first order one of these amazing German grammar books.
That’s right. We said books.
Not the latest app, or the newest website.…
When I lived in Germany, I had a daily routine.
In the morning I’d learn a German word of the day on my phone over my bowl of müsli.
Then, I’d spend the day rolling the word around in my …
