Just how German are "German Christmas Markets"?

All the staff are bloody English! How am I meant to practice German if none of them bloody speak it?!

False advertising.

21 points · 31 comments · view on lemmy.world

31 Comments

Treczoks@feddit.uk · 9 pts · 2y (4 replies)

Wenn Du Deutsch üben willst, dann lass uns anfangen...

I've never been to a "German Christmas Market" in the UK, but I'll be there in December, so if you can point me to one round NEL, I could check how much "German" is there.

I had a "German Bratwurst" in the UK once. The Bratwurst was OK, but the roll was a soft roll, which would be a no-go in Germany, I assume the "German Christmas Market" is similar, trying to copy, and getting it right up to a certain level.

EinfachUnersetzlich@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 2y (3 replies)

What is NEL?

CptVimes@kbin.social · 2 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Not OP but I'd assume northeast London

snaprails@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 2y

Very close. Well, on a cosmic scale anyway 🙂 (I'd assumed London too until I saw the answer)

Treczoks@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 2y

North East Lincolnshire, our twinned city.

CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y (2 replies)

I complain loudly about this type of thing every time I go to Taco Bell.

TheGiantKorean@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y (1 reply)
[ removed ]
CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

That is ridiculous and hilarious!

theKalash@feddit.ch · 7 pts · 2y

You probably need to go to German Christmas Market in Germany. Though most of the staff will still speak English.

Z3k3@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y (19 replies)

What's a German Christmas Market?

Is that an England thing or just a long name for Christmas markets

cashews_best_nut@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y (3 replies)

Manchester and Brum have them round Xmas time selling 'German' Bratwurst and beer for £8 with lots of German flags waving.

People were buying tiny pots of baked beans with curry powder in them for silly money.

If they plan to charge me a tenner for a sausage I demand to be served in bloody German!

Treczoks@feddit.uk · 9 pts · 2y (2 replies)

OK, one thing I can tell you is that "baked beans with curry powder" is 100% NOT genuine for a German Christnas market.

RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de · 5 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Paying silly money for it IS however very genuine for a German Christmas market.

Treczoks@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 2y

Well, yes indeed!

Emperor@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 2y (1 reply)

What’s a German Christmas Market

They're quite common in most of the big cities (I've been to the one in Manchester quite a bit, that's been running since the 80s) you get to drink gluhwein, eat schnitzel, but wooden toys and get a bit cold and underwhelmed in the process.

Z3k3@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y

Edinburgh has a regular Christmas Market. Not a German in sight.

Although I will admit it is superbly underwhelming.

Never seen the personally in Glasgow but I'm not there as often as Edinburgh

Pistcow@lemm.ee · 3 pts · 2y (12 replies)

You drink weird tasting warmed wine and eat stale pretzels. Creepy European Santa is present. Also, pop-up shops and I didn't know dried horse meat was a thing in Frankfort.

KISSmyOS@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2y (4 replies)
[ removed ]
Pistcow@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y (2 replies)

But the horse meat!?

KISSmyOS@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y (1 reply)
[ removed ]
DarkThoughts@kbin.social · 3 pts · 2y

Horse schlong pretzels.

Kerb@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 2y
[ removed ]
Z3k3@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Sounds like a regular Christmas Market. Never heard of a German one though

DarkThoughts@kbin.social · 3 pts · 2y

They are from Germany, that's why some call them "German" Christmas Market.

Kusimulkku@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 2y (4 replies)

Glühwein is awesome. How does European Santa differ from I'm guessing British Santa?

Pistcow@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y (3 replies)
Kusimulkku@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Looks like regular Santa to me, not sure what's creepy about that. Is British Santa not the same as that?

Pistcow@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y (1 reply)

I'm used to Coca-Cola (capatilist) santa.

Kusimulkku@lemm.ee · 1 pts · 2y

I don't think "European Santa" is very far from that, with bunch of variations across Europe of course

TheGiantKorean@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y (3 replies)
[ removed ]
DarkThoughts@kbin.social · 8 pts · 2y (2 replies)

They are a German thing that does happen in Germany in pretty much most inner cities. At least for the bigger ones.

Christmas markets date to the Late Middle Ages in the German-speaking part of Europe and in many parts of the former Holy Roman Empire that included many eastern regions of France.[2] They became a popular Advent custom during the Reformation era.[1] Dresden's Striezelmarkt was first held in 1434 and one of the first true Christmas markets;[5] earlier markets of the season were "December markets".[5][6] Early mentions of these "December markets" can be found in Vienna (1298),[7] Munich (1310),[5] Bautzen (1384),[8] and Frankfurt (1393).[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_market

TheGiantKorean@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
[ removed ]
snaprails@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 2y

I went to one in Bonn but as it was so long ago that Bonn was still the capital of West Germany I don't remember it will enough to say how it compares to Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh etc. Also went to Cologne cathedral and there was some b*****d in a kilt standing outside playing the bagpipes

knatschus@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 2y (3 replies)

They are very german where i live

starchylemming@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y

are they in germany perhaps?

ken_cleanairsystems@lemmy.sdf.org · 2 pts · 2y (1 reply)

But you probably don't call them "German Christmas markets"...

DarkThoughts@kbin.social · 2 pts · 2y

We do, just without the "German" but of course in German and as a compound word: Weihnachtsmarkt