I've Become Germanized

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The walking, the groceries, and the taste buds are all interlinked.
Most Americans drive to get groceries. In fact, the number one question I get from Americans, when they find out our family doesn't own a car, is "but how do you buy groceries?!" This is because it's uncomfortable, impractical, or impossible to walk in many American cities, which is why most Americans don't walk much.
But driving to buy groceries kinda sucks and it takes a long time, so you don't want to do it often. I still get comments from Americans on my videos about grocery shopping, saying how they'd hate to "have to" buy groceries every day, because they don't understand how convenient and easy it is to pick up groceries around the corner from your house when you're already walking.
So American grocery trips are few and far between, but this means that the products need to last longer. And that changes what kind of products can be sold, and it results in Americans eating much less fresh food. I'm sure you've noticed that things like bread go stale way faster in Germany than they did in the US. Because the groceries and produce sold in Europe are often fresh and meant to be eaten within the next few days.
There are also foods (cheese curds are an example) that just cannot last long, and need to be consumed shortly after being made before they degrade significantly. Sure, you can buy a big vacuum-packed bag of anything you want at Costco, but the natural flavour has been destroyed by the time it gets to you (and certainly before you finish it), so sugar is added to make up the difference.
All of these things come together to mean that Americans very rarely walk, they buy huge amounts of groceries in bulk, and they eat much less fresh food that needs to have a lot of sugar, salt, and fats added to "make up" for the loss of taste.
And your taste buds definitely adjust to this. Many years ago, when I was poor and unemployed for a long time, I was making all my food fresh and home. I decided to go without any salt or sugar in anything I cooked, and after a few weeks I got used to it, and other flavours started becoming more noticeable. The day I got a job I "splurged" on a higher-end fast food burger that I was craving, and I couldn't finish it. It was gross. The bun tasted like candy and the patty was so salty I had to throw it out.

You know you became an adult when the monsters moved from under your bed into your post box

"you have to put signs up to make sure germans don't get naked all the time"
I laughed to hard at this 🤣

You explained the fear of the mailbox perfectly. That's the result of digitalisation. All the good news from friends, birthday cards, greating from vacations, letters from grandma are gone. It doesn't come by mail any more. So what's left is the news from authorities. The bad news.
No wonder people dislike their mail.

My theory is not that you're more easily pleased by simpler flavours, but rather that the nuance in less sweet-indulged and artificial stuff-packed is now easier to even pick up on in the first place. It's like buying a cucumber from the store and then trying one from grandma's garden. The quality disparity doesn't have to be big at all, but it still makes all the difference.

I swear to god the reusable bags under the sink is the most German thing ever

As a Canadian in Germany for the last ten years, I could really relate to all this…and how my Germanism has followed me back to Canada 😅😂

As an American expat living in Germany (5 Years), many of these things feel normal. I have been doing the Monthly money bit for 30 years now. I have spreadsheets detailing my large and fixed expenditures going 20 years. Never was a fan of small talk, get to the point etc. However, I do miss my BBQ and Mexican food! My wife, who is of German Heritage, chides me for being more German than her, Lol.

I feel like making a daily walk to the grocery store a highlight of your day just means you've adapted to the central European lifestyle.

I can very much relate to all of these. After having lived in Germany and come back to the USA I've found I've retained much of my germanization, but only the things I consider better -- bringing shopping bags or a backpack to grocery stores, biking to places whenever possible (in fact I don't own a car), buying fresh food more and shopping more often, separating trash and recycling, etc. I bought a condenser/heat pump dryer (Miele) and German toilet with dual flush, and am less weird about nudity and sexuality (although I try to be sensitive of americans' hang ups) I Don't go to the sauna, but speaking of towels, one thing I do NOT "do Deutsch" is buy 2mm thin towels and dry them on a Badheizkörper to the point they are essentially glorified scour pads! When I get out of the shower I want that fluffy soft 4cm thick american beach-towel! lol By the way, I use metric. English units are just... stupid. I totally agree about not needing sugary fatty american food, and German pastries and cakes are just way better anyway. Same with the bread, fruits and vegetables, chocolates, etc. I'd never say I'd adopt the German taste buds, though. When I eat thai, tex-mex, indian, pakistani, etc. I want the spiciness and full flavor. "Scharf" rarely if ever translates to "spicy."

The frequency of grocery shopping isn’t so much a cultural divide between the US and Europe, in my opinion, but depends heavily on the provided infrastructure. In a city, with many stores and smaller apartments and fridges, people shop more frequently, while in rural areas they buy groceries in big quantities and store them in their houses. So a New Yorker will shop frequently like a European, while a European from the countryside will take the car and buy groceries in bulk in the next town that has a store, like in the US.
The money measurement is interesting. I was shocked, when I first learned that the monthly measure of salaries and also the monthly payday is not a standard around the world. I just never questioned it, but it’s one of those things that you grew up with that make sense to you, and you can’t imagine it being any other way, but logically they don’t have to be universal.

To be a one Towel guy you just have to live by the german phrase "jemandem nichts weggucken / es wird dir schon niemand was weggucken" , in the end of the day a naked body is just a naked body

Thanks NALF for showing me that opening the mailbox is an official fear haha :) i thougt i am alone with it.
As a born german i can confirm - mail is definetely terrifying!!! Sometimes it gets even worse when they sent me riminders because i am too afraid to open the letters, or bills. And "Beamtendeutsch", the official writing sounds even for me as a german scary lol

Funny and well observed. A few remarks: Germans like things in writing - thus letters. Americans like to talk without a paper trail. After I moved to the US my first customer had a problem with me putting everything in writing. The CEO told me it's not how business works in the US - you go golfing, talk about things, shake hands and then when you get screwed over you have no proof. So I was like, ok, and after that golf trip I'd write a summary of what was talked about and agreed upon and sent that by email to everyone involved. Let's just say they didn't like that because I always had something in writing that would stand in court.
Nudity: one of the pet peeves. Americans are really super weird about that. It's a whole different culture. Nudity is bad and very often nudity in the US is mistaken for some kind of sexual activity. The later would be just as illegal or unwanted in Germany, where being nude is just being nude - nothing more. There are many Saunas that actually enforce nudity - because sure enough there's peeping toms in Germany too and they usually don't want to be nude which means they won't go to a Sauna that enforces nudity. Good approach in my book. I of course grew up in Germany and never had an issue with nudity but I can see that it's hard to grasp the concept when you grew up in puritan US.

I went to a Therme (kind of a mix up between a big public bath with thermal springs and a water park) with a large nude section for the first time this year. Went with my girlfriend, and being so comfortable around people completely naked freed my from decades of body related insecurities. No one was staring, or laughing, people were just chilling and enjoying the stay

I can very much relate to the one-towel aspect as I've been shocked in the opposite way.. As a Dutchie it was a very unique experience for me living in California, going into the sauna after my workout and sharing it with fully dressed ladies that not only kept their sports clothing on, but even kept stretching and doing exercise right there in that place that I thought is designed to relax in your very purest form ;-)

yes many gemans including me have anxiety or irrational fear of the mailbox for the reasons you mentioned. the fact that it takes weeks or months until fines or speeding tickets actually get to you means that you could be surprised by multiple ones you had no idea about that are from months ago.also speeding tickets are very intimidating because driving rules are extremely strict, and electronic speed measuring devices are frequent, and its quite easy to loose your license for a while, and everything around each step is just very expensive and quite unpredictable.

I am a one towel girl and I am often the most chubby girl in the room. Despite being ashamed, I always tell myself that I have the super power to make everyone else feel better about their rolls.

I love what you said about butter pretzels and your taste buds 🥨 I’ve been trying to eat less and less processed food by buying local and fresh produce as much as possible. I think it’s affected my taste buds too - I no longer crave overly sweet things 👌🏼

Hi, I saw a video "Only in Germany" in the Easy German channel on Clip-Share earlier and I want to say I have a strong feeling that you're learning to speak German way faster than me out in San Francisco where I'm from and still live in. Cheers!

As a German myself I haven't really heard that you go buy groceries everyday, maybe it's because of the fact that my mom always bought groceries for every week which might've been because of the fact that she works a lot and long but that's at least what I'm used to

I think a lot of Germans do a weekly grocery trip, but that depends where you live and if you have a car

So funny to hear HOW someone can become Germanized. I was sure the posession of a Multi-Funktions-Jacke would be a certain proof of "Germanization" 🤣 but being a one-towel-man sounds also quiet German!

Regarding the salary: In Germany it highly depends on your job. Some are include a lot of bonuses for shift, weekend or standby work. So it makes more sense to talk about the monthly income. If you are working in an area where your monthly income does not depend on these kind of things (or on your actual working hours) it is also more common to refer to your annual income.

My experience: In a spa full of one-towelers, the two-towel guy gets strange looks. It’s like, “Hey man, you okay? You got a problem there?” Also, thanks for explaining die Angst vor dem Briefkasten. I wondered what was going on with that. Nice video! BTW: Since you are sauna-certified, why not do a road trip to Baden-Baden? It's a fascinating, unique old town, not too far from you. Bring your cameras.

It IS an eye opener when family sees you (or even talks to you on the phone) after you’ve lived here for awhile. You don’t even notice the changes yourself until they point it out to you. Great video. Relatable!

I recognized my (German) fear of red traffiic lights in London. Even the tour guides said jay walking is usual! Back in Germany, it's so annoying for me to stand still and wait -even if no car is around. I need to re-Germanize 😁

Dude I actually developed mailphobia since I live in Germany! All of my problems start there. Thanks for informing me.

Obviously, Nick has never gotten one of my letters. I enjoy writing letters the old fashioned way with fountain pen on paper. I think my cursive handwriting is quite pretty and readable. I like to use different colored paper, and when I'm done, I decorate the outside of the envelope. Besides the to: and from: addresses, I like to put humorous tapes along the borders of the envelope and funny stickers that match the time of year like flowers for spring, colored leaves for fall, or Santa Claus and full Christmas decorations around Christmas time. Of course, the letter must have an attractive real postage stamp on it, no ugly Pitney Bowes printed stamp. Many of my pen-pals are older Germans who still appreciate a good letter and can write one themselves. They are very enthusiastic about my decorations and have even told me that their mailman/woman gets excited when they deliver my letters. "Herbert! Da ist wieder ein Brief aus Japan!" Meanwhile, my wife just looks at me decorating my envelopes and asks, "Are you a girl?"

Hi NALF, ty you for your content! I can relate to this so much. I also picked up several habits when I lived in Germany back in 2017. The Fanny pack, and I also brought back home some reusable Einkaufstache for my nephews here in California! Ich will züruck nach Deutschland 🇩🇪
Beste Wünsche aus Kalifornien! Prost 🍻

Haha had to laugh about the fear of mail. It's actually true for me it's usually either a bill or a speeding/ parking ticket😂

You‘ve been shown in my recommendations since I moved to Schwäbisch Hall last year and you became my favourite YT Channel since then! It‘s always a highlight, when I see that you uploaded a Video. It makes my evenings better because its feel good content!
Keep it up! You deserve much more views!

the tastebuds thing really shocked me, when i met 2 americans in Florence and they told me the spaghetti are better in the US, they taste bland in Italy.

Damn me as a german love to see how others seeing us and I like it how much you got germanized 😄

I'm actually a three towel guy. One small one to dry yourself after showering, one to sit/lay down on and one to leave on your lounger. This way the towels don't get overly wet and gross and if you attend a special "Aufguss" involving sticky creams and peelings like a honeycream for example you can swap out your big towels afterwards. Of course my visits to the sauna are usually a half-day thing...

i had the same experience with my hockey team in Germany. In the beginning I was super uncomfortable with them all walking around naked all the time and having beers in the shower together. Now I can't see why the US makes such a big deal out of it!

Germanized taste buds next level: Eating something with more chemicals without knowing it before or something for which the recepe was sneakly changed and thinking "Hey, this tastes so weird!"
And yes, the simple flavors are great sometimes. I love it when I am at my mom's place and she cooks some "Brägele" for me. (That's a dish similar to Swiss Rösti - no wonder, Switzerland is not that far-, but not quite the same. One day you cook potatoes, the next day you peel them, grate them and fry them with butter. Nothing else.)

On the whole walking thing. It's got to be a whole lot nicer in a place like Schwabishe Hall than it is in the suburbs of Detroit where I live. From the little clip included in that segment your town is beautiful, picturesque and quaint and I think anyone would find it easy to walk there regularly. The only thing I can compare it to would be when I've visited my Oma in Amsterdam where I loved walking everywhere pretty much every single day. Detroit? Not so much.

Still informative and interesting with a lot of observations that make me laugh. Especially when i recognize myself. Keep up the good work. Thank you!

If you are a northern European you will already be at least half Germanised because of the similarity in cultures. I have to go out and buy food at least three times a week because I can't get everything I want in the same store. I prefer fruit and vegetables not to be wrapped and if I want just one or two onions or lemons I have to go to a market or greengrocer otherwise they are in plastic net bags. Plus in Wales a plastic bag charge was brought in back in 2010 and in 2015 in England. It was years before in Ireland and Modbury in Devon was the first town in the UK to voluntarily ban it. Just before it had been brought I was collecting cloth bags (then I had too many and gave a few away) and once I started using them found it easier to carry home food in them than in plastic bags. I have always taken a small back pack to the supermarket or if on a bicycle panniers. I started refusing plastic bags a few years before the plastic bag charge was brought in except when buying clothes as the bags were stronger and to keep the clothes clean. There was automatic packing of goods into plastic carrier bags in some shops until customers objected. It wasn't until 2007 I found the courage to object by taking the goods out of the plastic bag and leaving it on the counter. Then till staff had to be trained to ask customers if they wanted one first.
I now find North American culture very strange. At one time the USA was a decade ahead of the UK. Then in the 90's this was reversed and not certain states in the Deep South and the North West seem to have regressed back to the 50's and before.

Wait. The fear of the Letterbox thing. Isn't it the same thing in the states? In Germany we all hoped for Mail while growing up. It just gets frightening when you are an adult. Btw. this fear multiplies by a dozen times when you are self-employed.

Great content Nalf, I've been living here also now for almost 13 years and love it. I love it so much so that I am hesitant to move back to the states if my wife and me decided to go back. Go Hawks!

One of the ultimate "am I Germanized" tests is: when you walk outside and someone is standing in the way, do you go around him, or do you let him know with your eyes or a few words that he/she is inefficient by standing where people walk

Thank you for this video: it is very interesting to learn aubout the differences between northern europeans(there are similarities to germany) and USAmericans. Always love to learn about human diversity in cultural and society aspects. Next time, when I'll go to sauna, I'll sure be wondering if "two towel guys" come from the states ;) :D

Oh yes! Looking into an empty mailbox is always a good feeling.

Oh man i feel you on the mailbox it’s literally one of the reasons to leave this country for me

Interesting to hear your perspective on some german habits. I use a big towel in the sauna to sit on, and another small towel to dry after a shower.

since they eliminated plastic bags in NY I also goto the store with like a dozen target canvas bags. Those things are extremely durable haha. I find it a little annoying that I need to bring my own bag but its something you get used to.
Also bread and butter is a very joyous eating experience for me haha.

You are so right with the mailbox! What a relief, if nothing is in it.

Oh man, you´ve got me with "...when you get a letter in germany, it´s usuallly something bad..." ha ha ha...that is so damn true. I know the good feeling when the letterbox is empty. THX

What I've learned from my friends over in the US regarding the shopping is, that the Shops are all far away that you have to get there by car. That's why they buy in bulk. Here in germany I've never walked longer than 15min to the next store.

See being German isn't so bad. Seems like the transfer is complete. Lol
Enjoy your videos.

So glad the immense relief i feel when the mailbox is empty isn't just me being immature and whiny lmao

I did not know that fear of mail was a thing, but now that you mention it i absolutely have it.

Funny you mentioned sauna, when I was in South Korea 20 years ago I got invited to a sauna/ bathhouse. Initially one of my weirdest experiences ever. I stripped in a locker room, then walked into the Sauna portion. 1st you must shower , not a turn on/off get wet but wash rags & soap are provided. Then a basic place has 3 hot tubs, each set hot to boiling, then they have dry sauna, steam room and a cool water pool. After you do a cycle 1-3 times, takes a hour feel great. But when you Initially walk in there maybe 50-80 naked other people, but it's a family event. Men on a floor, women on another & after a hour they give you shorts, shirts slippers so family's can meet on 3rd floor, but place has mats every where. So people will just be taking naps. Usually a house restaurant to order snacks like Ramon or dumping. Then many times people go back to the sauna floors for another circuit. I loved that about South Korea, it was always so relaxing.

I wouldn’t call pretzel simpler food when compared to sugar 😉

Your vids are so entertaining and informative, love it!

I've found myself reaching similar conclusions about walking, going to the grocery store, and food, after having spent a few months in Europe over the past several years. It's a much more European mindset. Can't say I agree on the butter pretzel issue, however.

Thanks a lot for the video. Really interesting to see how americans think about us germans!

After I got a massage in Vegas I was allowed to use the hot, warm, and cold tubs. I asked a staff member if people usually go nude in the tubs and she said yes. So I went nude. I was by myself for maybe five minutes and then three other ladies got into my hot tub wearing bathing suits. I felt super alkward! I just avoided eye contact and then left soon after.

I think there is something similar to Costco in germany: it is called Metro. There are 1 or 2 other companies that do the same, but Metro is the best known of them. Big packages and low prices. But you have to own a business to get access there - or find a workaround, as many germans do. Maybe ask, if the Unicorns have an account at Metro, that you could use.

Totally agree with the mail box thing. Since a while I only check the mail box once a week, on saturdays. Because, as you say, there is never anything pleasant in there anyway. Junk mail or bills, thats it. And that can wait.

I thought i was the only one with fear of the mailbox 😂😂😂! Thanks for the relief!

I‘m German and living in Stuttgart, I can totally relate to you 😂

going grocery in short periods is a great thing,allways the stuff is fresh and nothing gets bad

Better germanised than germinated. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I am German and you are absolutely 200% right about the mailbox letters. I never get friendly letters, it's always invoices and authorities. Or spam. Especially authorities are basically unable to communicate via email.. I run a compaany and when I receive invoices by email the German IRS requires me to print them out and store the paper for as long as 10 years. It's pathetic. Another point is credit cards, many many locations accept cash only. Having great cars and great beer doesn't make you the greatest country in the world, I guess

Only when you don't even think the word soccer are you germanized! The game was and will always be football all over the world (with the exception of the british colony USA).

Its not only salt and butter, Brezel has its own taste, atleast if you buy a good one.

😂 This was hilarious, so entertaining. "Mail in Germany is terrifying" that's maybe a little dramatic 😉

As always, so much fun to watch your videos! Thank you!
A suggestion for your new one towel habit: I love to be naked, in summer at the lake or river. It is just normal.
For holidays I love to go to Fuerteventura. Getting up in the morning, breakfast at the hotel, then a quick stop at the wee supermarket for breastplate, sodas, water, cheese and Mortadella (the one with the olives), parasol, beach mats and towels and heading down Esquinzo Playa walking, and the all day naked swimming in the ocean, body surfing the waves, sunbathing, reading a book, having lunch, more body surfing and so on until five-ish, back to the hotel, shower, sun-downer and dinner.
Espinoza playa feels like a deserted island, almost no people, just you, the beach, the ocean, the sun. It is so fundamentally liberating, like cleansing your soul.
When I get back to the daily hassles I feel like I am reborn.
The people that do walk by are also generally naked, and nobody cares. Just people, enjoying the moment.
Probably a nightmare for your team mates. They still have so much to learn! 🤣

The mail thing has legal reasons. Only mail and fax are considered to be reliable for a lot of official communication. Or the other way around - these are the only two methods which a judge will accept as proof that you actually sent something, and did so at a certain point in time (which, again, can be legally important).
Also: "keine Post, keine Schulden!" - no mail, no debt is a common saying 😁

You are so cool Nalf😂 I like your videos very much. I am from Germany and you are everytime welcome bro. I know that lucky feeling when the post box is empty. No bill in my post box😂

I realized I'd become German when I had a craving for Grünkohl and Bregenwurst as soon as the weather dropped to around 0°c. I am English, have been living in North Germany for 30 years.

The adage (from one American expat living in Germany to another) "it's a German thing, you wouldn't understand" comes to mind.

I actually think that all the things you mention are not particular german. We do the same thing in Denmark and the rest of scandinavia. And if you travel to latin america, everyone is carrying a fannybag :-)

A simple fresh baked Brezel from your favourite local bakery is enough to make your thoughts on moving a must! ^^

Walking is indeed awesome, especially if you don't live in Houston. Damn, that town laughs at pedestrians.

men what a joy to watch your videos... I never realized how much we have in common - fear of mail... yeaah... I am into it too... and Butterbrezn at breakfeast ... yeaaah.. every day.. on holiday get up go to the bakery and get a fresh coffee and a Breze.. perfect beginning

True about food taste, in Portugal in Aug we found most restaurant tables had no salt and pepper shakers but the food was seasoned just right and the natural flavors came through.

Hi Nalf ich wollte dir mal einen Herzlichen Dank für all deinen Content da lassen auch wenn ich nicht alles gesehen habe bisher aber wirklich great job so far... I don't know if you ever heard about this topic in the US but maybe you wanna do an own video about it... Public transport in the US and i found this guy who is from portland too like you and here is the link... clip-share.net/video/P2uv5QXm6-8/video.html Would be great to hear what you think about!!!

Your a funny guy, thanks for entertaining me on a saturday morning 😂

The problem is that if you get things which are unpleasant, Germans love to say that they never got the mail. And with e-mail, it is easy not to have gotten it - you just need not to have emptied your mail account. But letters... It is not that easy. Some letters even have to be given to you in person to make sure you received them.... Thanks for your video, though, it was funny as ever.

It is a good point regarding the tastebuds. Also in Canada Food tends to be excessively flavored. I still can’t eat potato chips.

At least you don't have to put up with receiving mail on Saturday in some European countries including Belgium. Also the recommended maximum level of daily salt intake is higher in Germany than in the UK. It is far too low in the UK. I love salt even more than I love sugar. Himalayan salt is mild tasting.

the real great foods are always simple. But good quality! And a Butterbretze... still warm.... i could die for it.

no better feeling when opening your mailbox and it is nothing in there - true !

The nakedness thing is so true lol
I was once attacked verbally because i took showers in underwear at the gym lmfao

"One towel guy" that one made me laugh 😃
Thank you for your insights

I’m not as mentally nimble as others here. So, I apologize for reviewing now the Nalf’s previous video, features of which I was too dull to grasp before.
There is a group of four images in that video that strike me as perfect captures of the Nalf’s football spirit. They are, furthermore, perfect on their own merits. I would be happy to have them in my memory forever.
I can summon up only a few of the thousand words each picture is worth. There is a group of three photos taken in the midst of the combat, starting at 6:22. First, we see the hero almost dripping blood from his exertions in the battle. Next comes the sight of the hungry eyes of the wolf, eager to rush in with his pack and drag yet another opponent down in the dust. Then, a look of warning…or is it pity…for his foes. Last, at 15:25 after the battle is won, the face of the warrior transported by the bliss of victory.
Art conquers all.
TSGO

I also think it`s great that we in Germany don`t use so much plastic bags anymore when i go shopping i always take the box with the returnable bottles in there i can then store my shopping there afterwards my husband is from Italy and already lives there thirty-two years in Germany when we were sometimes on vacation in Italy he always gets upset about the fact that the salespeople pack everything in plastic bags and that the drivers sometimes drive through the traffic light when the traffic light is red then he always says there are such chaotic people in there luckily not in Germany.😅🤣😂

So funny! Loved all your examples. 😂

Oh man I was laughing so hard when hearing the mailbox thing. I myself do not check it on fridays.. do NOT need the grief :)

Point two I feel so much, there was a time when I was really afraid to open the mailbox every time.

I guess I’m Germanized and I’ve never even been there. I do everything but the one towel lol. I walk everyday for fun, I bring my own recycle bags, shop multiple times a week and eat a whole food plant based simple diet. And I use a small Fanny bag. I guess it’s where you live in America that would determine how you live. If I lived in a rural area I’d shop at Costco and buy bulk.

Agreed... just 10 minutes ago I felt that relieve when the paper in my mailbox turned out as commercial.😅

The fear of post is a thing 😰 And I also walk a lot, it is a great habit!😄

Strange, as a German (ok: I live on the outskirts of a small city and while I could walk to the grocery store it'll take me at least 1.5 hours (walking there, doing the shoping and walking back) prefer not having to walk to the store...I take the car and truly load up so I'll last a week on the food I bought :)

When you wear it around your waist, it's a fanny pack.
When you wear it around your neck and shoulder, it's a cross-body bag.
They're a much better alternative to the back packs I see so many people using here in the States.