Spare Change and No Rush: Culture Shock in Germany
Now that I’ve been back in Boston for a few days, I’ve had some time to reflect on my trip, regaling my tales to family and friends – while simultaneously experiencing some reverse culture shock.
On my second night at home, my family went out to dinner with some friends. Our party of six waltzed into the restaurant and we were promptly seated. When the waitress came over to take our drink orders, I realized I wouldn’t be able to sip on a glass of red wine or a too-expensive cocktail while at dinner. Being under 21 didn’t matter while I was abroad, but here in the States, it took on a whole new meaning.
In Berlin, when we tried to go out to dinner on a busy Saturday night, we were told we would have to wait twenty minutes. This was no big deal, so we gave the host our name and turned away to walk around the block in the beautiful late-July night while we waited it out, but he called out to us to remind us we “could just wait at the bar.”
Basically, alcohol consumption in the birthplace of beer is no big deal, which was a huge aspect of our culture shock – and notably the biggest difference between Berlin and Boston.
While in this restaurant in Boston, I was trying not to fall asleep from my unavoidable jet-lag when the waitress promptly brought us our check. I was thankful my dad paid the bill quickly and we could pile back into the car and head home, but it was then I realized another difference between dining out at home and abroad. In Germany, the check won’t be brought to you until you ask your waiter for it – in Germany, they don’t want to rush you out. And as I watched my dad calculate the tip and add it to the total, I remembered another thing about Germany – there’s no need to tip, either.
But as I stopped in the bathroom before we headed out, I realized another cultural difference between the U.S. and Germany – this one, I was thankful for. In Germany, it’s common to have to pay a fee to use public bathrooms – usually ranging between 50 cents and 1.50 Euro. This is almost unheard of in the U.S.
How would one pay this bathroom fee? You better have coins. At home, I’m used to throwing my leftover dimes, nickels and pennies to the bottom of my bag and never dealing with them again. But in Germany, the coins are actually of value – you can buy a lot with that 2 Euro coin. And you’ll need it, because unlike home, where you can use your debit card to buy everything from a new car to a pack of chewing gum, there is often a minimum for debit card purchases in Germany, which can be very inconvenient.
The bottom line? In Germany, be prepared to save your pennies, but you can take your time to count them out while dining out because no one will rush you out of the restaurant.
