The first article, Bargain Buys: No Frills Shopping German Style, sounds very similar to some American grocery stores. For instance, the article talks about "cheap supermarkets" that one goes to because they are billig meaning the expectations of the quality of food there should not be high. When the article speaks about the employees having to remove a pallet it sounds similar to something that happens at most WalMarts since the workers there also are responsible for moving the pallets and generally seem to not care about who is in their way when doing so. In regards to the picture on the article it was interesting to learn that Aldi is a German chain of supermarkets.
The second and third articles, Take it from a German and What Discipline, also share connections with American culture when describing the ungeduld of people, the importance of staying alert in line or on the road and to watch out for the alte Männer und Frauen when in line. These connections are present in both cultures when on the road or waiting in a line such as a ticket office weil oft Menschen werden be in a hurry or in a foul mood and disregard those around them. All in all, the articles were interessant und provided a look into the rougher side of German culture that the Brennpunkt Kultur does not give.

Kapitel 7 Kultur-Texte

Die Geschichte über das Fahren in Deutschland ist interessant. Die Deutsche fahre sehr schnell und sie haben sonderbar Regel. Meine Deutsch Freunde in China fahre eine Auto. Sie fahre auch sehr schnell, aber sie ist höflich wenn sie fahre in die Stadt. Ich muss sie diesen Artikel sagen.


Der Supermarkt ist auch interessant. Warum die Mitarbeiterin sehr unfreundlich sind? Ich will nach Deutschland im Sommer gehen und den Supermarkt besuchen. Ich will auch die Schlange sehen, zum Beispiel am Bahnhof. Stehen die Kinder in die Schlange?


Aber--das Oktoberfest in Deutschland ist sehr schön. Es ist ähnlich YuanXiao in China, wenn Menschen auf den Markt abends gehen. Sie essen sehr lecker Essen und trunken Saft mit ihre Familien. Es gibt auch Musik.

Kultur 1

While textbook Kultur Texte provides, as usuall, positive information about German life, the three articles are mainly about the rough part of living in Germany, the subtle Ordnung of driving、shopping and so on. I was a little intimidated by some of the stories, and I wonder if those are exaggerated facts (you get a ticket or you die!). It's kind of interesting to know that German people also have this terrible lining custom, since I lived in China for the past nineteen years and I just realized that maybe we're not the worst people standing in a line. I also wonders how come German drivers can drive as fast as 200kph, which to me is like flying.

Kapitel 7

The articles on German shopping, driving, and "waiting in line" make Germany sound so barbaric for a 1st world country! I guess every country, no matter the level of development, has some very uncivilized features in its civilization.
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When it comes bargain shopping, while the article made Germany seem very bad, I don't see the United States as that much worse. There was a store on the corner of South University and Forest that was mainly beer/wine/liquor and convenience stuff, but they also sold some groceries. Reading the description of German groceries instantly reminded me of this store's fruits and veggies. Moldy. Old. Contaminating. And very indifferent employees. The rest of the description of a German bargain store can definitely be found in American stores at various times. Dollar stores are similar eye-sores most of the time, the wrestling match for checking out is common in every Meijer I've been in, and the overall battle of the store is very Black Friday-esque.

I've been on some nasty roads, but nothing as bad as the Autobahn. Death was expressed as a possibility in EVERY scenario, and I've never been somewhere where the speed minimum was enforced greater than the speed limit. The Autobahn seems to be the epitome of the need to possess the German code of conduct, if you will, as acting "non-German" will get you killed by traffic (or at least heavily fined).

I enjoyed finding out that, while I hate waiting in line, it can get so much worse... in Germany. German lines are not lines, but crowds that taper into the width of one person. It is described as almost controlled chaos. Again, if you don't know how Germans operate, you are at a massive disadvantage.