Week 47: Fax, Fear of Change, and 20 Percent Berlin: How Internationals Read the City

00:00:00:

00:00:03: Welcome back and bienvenidos to plus forty nine.

00:00:06: My name is Irida Artega

00:00:08: and to be honest I'm freezing and I'm

00:00:11: probably guessing I'm not the only one because inevitable winter has arrived

00:00:18: and

00:00:19: in this part of Germany in Berlin it's already gray.

00:00:22: and honestly I think we all deserve a very good laugh.

00:00:27: So today, I'm bringing back one of the best interviews we did last year.

00:00:31: This was with a brilliant duo behind twenty percent Berlin.

00:00:35: Their wonderful, cynical, painfully accurate English language news quiz captures Berlin in all of its chaotic charm.

00:00:44: It's perfect for lifting the spirits as the cold sets in.

00:00:48: But first, we'll take a look at what's happening in German politics, especially the latest debates around the Rentenpaket.

00:00:57: We're also going to be taking a look at why the Christkind Post Office is officially open again and what this mysterious figure actually is.

00:01:07: In culture, we dive into the world of the Christmas markets.

00:01:11: their traditions, their meaning, and why they're open earlier every year.

00:01:17: And of course, we have Herman the German.

00:01:19: So, let's get started.

00:01:22: Something that might not be on your daily radar, but will impact every one of us eventually, is the Germany's Rentenpaket, the National Pension Reform.

00:01:34: The government wants to secure the current pension level of forty-eight percent until twenty thirty-one, meaning retirees should receive at least that percentage of their average wage.

00:01:48: Supporters argue it gives stability and protects older generations.

00:01:53: Critics, especially within the conservative parties, warn that keeping this level fixed could become extremely expensive for younger workers

00:02:02: in the long run.

00:02:03: The internal debate has become louder in recent

00:02:06: weeks,

00:02:07: with different factions pushing for changes, while the government insists the reforms need to be passed on soon.

00:02:15: On a much lighter note, the Christkind Post Office in Engelskirchen in Northern Westphalia

00:02:21: is officially

00:02:22: open for business again.

00:02:24: Children from around the world can send their letters and Christmas wishes directly to an Alndenkriskind, five one seven seven seven Engelskirchen.

00:02:36: Since the tradition began in nineteen eighty five,

00:02:39: more than

00:02:39: three million letters from all over sixty countries have arrived there.

00:02:45: Last year alone over a hundred and thirty thousand letters were processed all answered by a dedicated team of volunteers.

00:02:54: To receive a reply this year, families should make sure their letters arrive by December the twentieth.

00:03:01: And who is the Christkind anyway?

00:03:03: Not an angel, not a Santa, but a protestant era figure, creating during the Reformation.

00:03:09: Martin Luther introduced the Christkind as an alternative to St.

00:03:14: Nicholas, shifting the focus back to the child at the center of the Christmas story.

00:03:19: Today, the Christkind remains as one of the key Christmas characters in Germany, mysterious, unseen, and deeply loved by children who write their December letters.

00:03:31: And since we're already talking Christmas, and if you have lived in Germany for more than five minutes, you know that the unofficial start of winter, it is not the first frost, it is the moment Christmas markets open.

00:03:46: So maybe you love them, maybe you avoid them or just tolerate them, but for the sake of atmosphere and warm drinks, they are one of the country's most enduring cultural traditions.

00:03:59: The routes go back to the late Middle Ages, when marketers were organized so people could buy supplies before the cold months.

00:04:08: Over time, these tradition events involve into something far more festive.

00:04:13: Wood installs, hand crafter gifts, glowing lights, music, and the scent of roasted nuts

00:04:19: and

00:04:20: spices drifting through the air.

00:04:22: Just like a Christmas carol from Nadking

00:04:24: Kohl's.

00:04:25: Today, major markets like Nürnberg's Kristallkmarkt or Dresden's Strieselnmarkt attract visitors from all over the world and have become cultural icons.

00:04:37: But for many Germans, Christmas markets are not primarily about shopping.

00:04:42: They're about a ritual.

00:04:43: as everything in Germany.

00:04:45: You go out with colleagues, you complain about the cold, you warm your hands in a cup and you eat foods you would definitely not touch for the rest of the year.

00:04:56: Potato pancakes, dripping in oil, huge pretzels and gingerbread hearts that nobody ever finishes.

00:05:03: I'm almost betting

00:05:04: you also

00:05:04: have one of those gingerbread hearts somewhere in your house.

00:05:09: There is also another question, what is the difference between Glühwein or the Foyat zangsbole?

00:05:16: Well, Glühwein is a traditional market drink.

00:05:20: Hot red wine infused with spices like cinnamon, cloves, star anise, orange peel and sugar.

00:05:27: It's comforting, straightforward and it comes in endless variations, including white Glühwein and fruit versions.

00:05:35: On the other hand, Foyat zangsbole is Glühwein while cousin.

00:05:40: It starts with spiced wine, but a sugarcone, the zuccahut, is soaked in rum, placed over the pot and lit on fire.

00:05:49: As the rum soak sugar caramelizes and drips into the wine, it creates a deeper, richer, slidier, smoky sweetness with quite a bit of a kickback.

00:06:02: More stands prepared life and watching the flaming sugar melt into the pot is quite an experience.

00:06:08: Many cities also are working toward more sustainable markets, reusable cops, less plastic waste, more regional products and even organic glue vines.

00:06:20: At the same time, smaller neighborhood markets have become more popular.

00:06:24: Short weekend events that feel intimate and community-driven.

00:06:29: It is time to take a look at what's happening in Hannover.

00:06:32: And yes, it is a city that has always a lot of drizzle and trams.

00:06:37: First,

00:06:38: for anyone dreaming of turning their home into a jungle, the Grösse-Pflanzenfackel-Pflanzenfjallee is returning on Friday, November the first and Saturday, November the second.

00:06:51: At

00:06:51: half

00:06:52: of Copenhagen-Strasse

00:06:53: the

00:06:53: fourteenth.

00:06:54: This is Germany's largest plant sale.

00:06:57: Expect everything from tiny baby plants started at one euro and ninety-nine cents to an impressive range of indoor favorites, Monstera, Ficus, Fotos, Pilea and more than a hundred and fifty varieties.

00:07:14: You will also find pots, trendy decor, soil mixes and tools to keep help your new baby plants alive.

00:07:22: The event is wheelchair accessible.

00:07:25: This is very important.

00:07:26: Also, that dogs are welcome and payment is card only.

00:07:34: If your living room needs a little green boost for winter, this is your chance.

00:07:39: Looking quite ahead,

00:07:41: but

00:07:42: this is very important because on January the thirty-first Hanover will host the fifth job fair at the Heinz von Haydn Arena from ten to sixteen

00:07:52: hours.

00:07:53: Admission is free.

00:07:55: and it's one of the best opportunities in the region to explore apprenticeships, dual study programs, career changes, or entirely new paths.

00:08:05: You're going to be able to talk directly with employers, hand over your CV, ask real questions, and get answers that aren't really hidden behind online job portals.

00:08:17: To avoid long queues, it's a good idea to register in advance at jobmesse-anova.de.

00:08:25: A tip from us?

00:08:27: Prepare a short introduction about yourself, in English or in simple German, and bring a couple of printed CVs.

00:08:34: A few minutes of preparation, make the whole event smoother, and help you make meaningful connections.

00:08:40: And that's it for today's episode here at PLOS-Forty-Nine.

00:08:44: If you want your daily dose of clear, simple news every morning, don't forget to subscribe to our morning espresso at plus-forty-nine.de.

00:08:54: It is completely free.

00:08:56: And also follow us on Instagram at plus-minus-forty-nine.

00:09:01: And if you have any questions, stories, ideas,

00:09:04: or something that you would love

00:09:06: to hear on this show, your show, email us at infoatplusforty-nine.de.

00:09:14: I am Cedith, stay warm, stay curious, and see you next time at Class-Forty-Nine.

00:09:18: I'm gonna say it again.

00:09:19: We are with two institutions of Germany, of Berlin.

00:09:25: One of them is Maurice, and the other one is Andrew.

00:09:29: Why do I feel like you're saying we're old?

00:09:31: No, no.

00:09:32: Maybe we're a little bit old, but in Berlin, who's actually old in Berlin?

00:09:37: I don't know.

00:09:37: The other day I heard that it's easier to get into backhine if you're over fifty, so...

00:09:41: No, I totally believe that.

00:09:43: I think that's true.

00:09:44: Because I don't knock it in.

00:09:46: And I always feel like he remembers me from back in the day.

00:09:49: But then the other day, I thought, no, he just sees your gray hair.

00:09:51: And he's like, yeah, come on in, man.

00:09:54: OK, so back in the days before you had gray hair.

00:09:58: Yeah, it was actually called Auskut.

00:09:59: It wasn't even called Bagheim back.

00:10:00: It was in a different location.

00:10:02: And yeah, before I had gray hair.

00:10:05: When did you arrive from Berlin?

00:10:07: Two thousand, officially.

00:10:09: Officially.

00:10:10: So before that, you had a long lost affair with Berlin?

00:10:14: Well, I lived in Frankfurt on mine for two years.

00:10:16: I was coming here once a month on work from ninety eight from ninety eight.

00:10:20: And Berlin was exactly this amazing place everybody was talking about.

00:10:26: It was a lot fewer people.

00:10:28: Yeah, it was.

00:10:29: Yeah.

00:10:30: Because half of Berlin was pretty much an unwritten book at that point.

00:10:33: It was like it was like a book that hadn't been updated in forty years.

00:10:36: And so you could update it.

00:10:37: You could just add a couple of pages.

00:10:39: So at the moment we're talking with Andrew.

00:10:41: Andrew has been here over a couple more than twenty five years and we're also talking here with Maurice and both of them have something called twenty percent.

00:10:52: What is twenty percent?

00:10:54: Twenty percent?

00:10:54: Berlin is a newsletter that Andrew and I have been doing for three and a half years and it's also a podcast.

00:11:03: We started the podcast about six months ago.

00:11:06: And it's a newsletter in English for Berliners, basically, for anyone who can read English living in Berlin.

00:11:15: I think the idea is to give access to people who don't speak German, access to local news.

00:11:20: I kept meeting experts who didn't know who the mayor was or why a certain building was being built.

00:11:25: And I thought, yeah, it's because you can't read the newspapers.

00:11:27: I thought, that's our job.

00:11:28: I was a journalist anyway.

00:11:29: And I thought, we should give these people access.

00:11:33: I mean, what really happened was that Andrew and I were both working at Berliner Zeitung, where we did a sort of English edition for a couple of years, but it was in the middle of the pandemic.

00:11:43: And we started writing these pandemic updates every day and got a lot of built quite a fan base.

00:11:51: And then unfortunately, they decided that they didn't need us and they laid us off.

00:11:54: And the next day we started twenty percent Berlin on Substack.

00:11:58: And it's just been, you know, flourishing ever since

00:12:02: we discovered we didn't need them either.

00:12:04: What you cannot see at the moment is both of them have a fan base also because they're so good looking.

00:12:15: I'm

00:12:15: really saying that.

00:12:16: So take a look at twenty percent Berlin, where you can not only hear their podcast, but you can also see them on video.

00:12:24: And

00:12:25: you can.

00:12:26: Yes, you can.

00:12:27: No.

00:12:27: We

00:12:28: don't

00:12:29: have video podcasts.

00:12:30: You

00:12:30: can see Andrew on video.

00:12:31: He's all over TikTok and Instagram.

00:12:35: He's quite the TikTok star, actually.

00:12:40: He's also a stand-up comedian, so he's much more used to the spotlight when it comes to video.

00:12:47: That is right, but you have... a picture of both of you sitting on a couch.

00:12:52: Maybe that was kind of the idea that I've got.

00:12:55: But at the end of the day, you have a fan base, and now you've met a couple of more.

00:13:00: And before we get into that, let's get some music first.

00:13:08: We are back with twenty percent Berlin.

00:13:10: And twenty percent Berlin comes, I guess, that almost twenty percent of the people in Berlin have four inch roots.

00:13:18: Actually, let me let me correct you on that a little bit.

00:13:20: The name was Andrew's idea.

00:13:22: And I think it's quite genius.

00:13:23: It's actually twenty percent of people in Berlin who do not have a German passport.

00:13:30: Me included.

00:13:32: Right.

00:13:32: And actually, that that that number has gone up to twenty four percent in the last three years.

00:13:37: So people keep asking, are you going to change your name?

00:13:40: But it doesn't really make sense to change the name every time this number changes.

00:13:43: So we're keeping it twenty percent, maybe.

00:13:46: When we hit thirty percent, we'll change the name.

00:13:49: So we're going to stick on the twenty percent and the podcast.

00:13:53: And Andrew is also social media influencer, tech talker and stand up comedian.

00:13:59: And you also tried to explain to people what it's like to live in Germany.

00:14:04: I mean, that's what we were both journalists and that's what you do the whole time as a journalist, even if you're just talking about recent events, you're still trying to explain what happens in Germany.

00:14:12: And then just.

00:14:13: On the side, I was always making little jokes about how weird Germany is.

00:14:17: And then TikTok came and I made one video as a joke and it went viral.

00:14:21: And then I thought, oh, maybe I can do this.

00:14:23: So I've been doing that ever since.

00:14:25: But it's not, I'm not, you know, I don't have a hundred thousand followers.

00:14:27: But

00:14:28: you're humble bragging.

00:14:29: Look, you are like, he's like constantly touring Germany, doing comedy in English and German.

00:14:36: Yeah.

00:14:36: That's common.

00:14:37: That's not because of Instagram.

00:14:37: That's just comedy.

00:14:39: Right.

00:14:40: Because speaking German is actually a comedy.

00:14:45: I guess I should make more jokes about the German language.

00:14:47: I don't have any.

00:14:48: But Marie's actually a German.

00:14:50: Yeah, I have a German passport.

00:14:52: I have German parents.

00:14:54: Today I was at the Bugger Ampt getting a German passport for my six year old son.

00:14:59: And I think the officials there were a little bit confused because I was speaking English to them.

00:15:06: They don't really speak.

00:15:07: My children don't really speak German very well.

00:15:09: But

00:15:09: you're speaking German.

00:15:10: You're speaking English to your children.

00:15:12: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:15:12: That's what I

00:15:12: think you should

00:15:14: be.

00:15:14: I wasn't speaking English to the Berger people.

00:15:16: Dude, that's something you would do.

00:15:17: I could totally see you doing that.

00:15:18: Okay.

00:15:20: And one of the things is that you had to pay with an eight sec hat and you didn't have one.

00:15:25: It's because we're at the end in a place that where we can still use fax.

00:15:31: Yeah, I know, but it's wild, because last month I got a pass from my other son at the Burger Amt in Neukölln, and there you could pay with a credit card.

00:15:40: But the Burger Amt and Prenzlohe back didn't let me pay with a credit card, so then I had to go to a different Burger Amt and put cash into a machine so that it was paid.

00:15:50: It was all just a certain... I don't know, every little office has its own rules, and it's one of the strange things about German.

00:15:58: Germany.

00:15:59: this must be the only country on the planet where it's difficult to give people money where they make it difficult for you to give like.

00:16:05: I thought it was just in Berlin that restaurants are like.

00:16:07: you can only use cash.

00:16:08: but I was just in Heidelberg this weekend where my daughter's studying and there's restaurants that are like cash only too and you just think like bro I just want to give you some money.

00:16:15: why are you making it difficult?

00:16:17: you know

00:16:19: I have no answer there.

00:16:20: to be honest

00:16:21: and the thing is like a ec card.

00:16:23: nobody even accepts them that they even exist in Germany anymore.

00:16:26: like my bank will charge me if I want to have an ec card

00:16:29: I think they're being phased out in the summer.

00:16:31: Which means they'll be in use for fifteen more years in Germany.

00:16:36: You know, it's one more thing.

00:16:37: There's a next to my co-working space in Tempelhof.

00:16:40: There's one of those little sketchy casino places and there's a sign on the outside that says we take Deutschmarks.

00:16:46: Yeah.

00:16:47: Wow.

00:16:48: I think we would definitely need to do a show there and pay with Deutschmarks.

00:16:55: I think that's very important.

00:16:57: Did you live here when there were still Deutsche Marks?

00:16:59: Me?

00:17:00: No, I know you did.

00:17:01: Oh, yeah.

00:17:02: Are you asking me?

00:17:03: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:17:04: No, I'm fairly European.

00:17:07: Okay.

00:17:08: So Euro,

00:17:09: but

00:17:10: what we definitely have to do at the moment is we have to send a fax so we can hear the next song.

00:17:16: So wait one second before we do that.

00:17:18: And then when we come back, we go

00:17:19: to the last part

00:17:21: with you guys.

00:17:22: Fax the playlist to the DJ.

00:17:26: In the last Valheimet talks, there was a Paul Spees who was talking about German angst and he said something about a book.

00:17:38: The title is just so great.

00:17:39: It's called The German Burnout.

00:17:42: If I just say that word, what would be your idea of what comes to your mind with the German burnout, especially as... Of course, Maurice is not international, but you've been living very internationally.

00:17:57: So for someone who was not born here, what could be this German burnout?

00:18:04: I think what Germans are afraid of the most, what they fear the most is change.

00:18:08: They do not want any change.

00:18:10: And it was a big enough change when the wall came down.

00:18:15: ton of issues there, but that was enough.

00:18:17: stress for the normal, let's say Western, probably even the East Germans, was that was huge change.

00:18:21: Then we talked about technology before, it's all this change.

00:18:24: And now there's like a kind of a new, yeah, new geopolitics, like it used to be.

00:18:29: the West was strong, Asia was, was emerging, but hadn't emerged yet.

00:18:34: And you knew America was okay.

00:18:35: And like all of that is changing, like, and changing more rapidly than we expected.

00:18:41: And I think that's German burnout.

00:18:42: It's just like really what a German wants is how will it call to people in this consular?

00:18:46: And maybe even see us still have an East German as sort of a weird magnetic pole pulling Germany in a certain direction with keeping it there.

00:18:52: Just nothing.

00:18:53: We just would like to go back to about nineteen eighty six.

00:18:56: And they're just getting overwhelmed.

00:18:57: There's been too many changes since then.

00:18:59: Right.

00:19:00: Uber Ferdad is like the most German word you're always hear.

00:19:03: Like everything overwhelms people.

00:19:05: But I think also.

00:19:07: There's something, the way people, a lot of German people process things, it's very in a very methodical, in-depth way and so like they feel the full, the full impact of a lot of change, you know, and all its ramifications.

00:19:23: and without, it lacks a little lightness sometimes, the way they digest change and more of a half empty kind of people.

00:19:33: Glass half empty as opposed to a glass half full.

00:19:35: Wouldn't you say Andrew?

00:19:36: Yeah, totally.

00:19:37: I love.

00:19:37: what I like is I take a lot of trains and when all of a sudden the track gets changed or the bargain line, the train is facing the other way around the level of panic in people's faces.

00:19:48: And half the time I just want to stop them and say, what do you think is going to happen if you missed this?

00:19:51: What do you what exactly are you so afraid of?

00:19:54: It's just a train, man.

00:19:55: And so the worst thing is maybe you get on at the wrong end or you miss the train.

00:19:58: you have to take one an hour.

00:19:59: Like I don't.

00:20:00: Yeah, and it's just that suddenly, oh my god, the world, my tiny world for this fifteen minutes is different.

00:20:06: What do I do now?

00:20:07: I don't know who the politician was, but there was, maybe it was a CDU, like the slogan for a long time was no experiments.

00:20:16: And I feel like that's kind of ended us where we are now.

00:20:19: Like that's been happening for like thirty years.

00:20:22: So now we need some experiments, I think.

00:20:25: Coming back a little bit to what Andrew was saying is that this possibility of no change and like.

00:20:33: really we have seen a lot of Germans that have like an error system when something doesn't go the way they thought they would.

00:20:40: And this is exactly maybe the point where we, internationals, migrants can jump in because I mean most of us are a little bit more flexible than Germans and this is our opportunity to shine.

00:20:53: Oh you must be new here.

00:20:55: No, I've been here for fourteen years and to be honest I love being the Mexican here because I just get and change things.

00:21:05: very often.

00:21:06: And when, of course, yeah, well, maybe it's because I do a lot of with the killer shots.

00:21:11: And that's maybe why people like me.

00:21:12: But I still believe that it is international that we can help them during those times where things are changing and they do not know really what how to be that spontaneous.

00:21:27: It's

00:21:27: like the.

00:21:27: it's like the EC card thing at the burger.

00:21:29: I'm like, how you just want to look at.

00:21:31: all your German friends say, how is that okay?

00:21:33: Why are you accepting this?

00:21:34: Why is this okay?

00:21:36: Why are like and it just feel like?

00:21:37: every time you try to bring like a new idea or a little bit of change You run up against this huge wall that you just think like yeah, well there yeah, we can't change it like Yeah, give me another shot of tequila.

00:21:49: I can't.

00:21:50: I would love to change it.

00:21:51: I would love to make things more efficient.

00:21:52: I would be totally happy to bring a little bit some things American here.

00:21:55: try being nice.

00:21:56: try just saying greeting everybody you see on the street like Try being north northern Central American nice.

00:22:01: will that work?

00:22:03: Yeah, I mean sometimes sometimes I'm on that.

00:22:06: I'm actually very often on public transport with alone with my two very small children and people just stare at me.

00:22:14: The Germans stare.

00:22:17: Without a smile.

00:22:18: Maybe like one in twenty of them smiles and the others just kind of give me a blank stare.

00:22:23: I'm just wondering what is it?

00:22:24: Is it because he's a guy with two children?

00:22:28: Is it because he's tall?

00:22:29: Is it because he's speaking English?

00:22:31: Is it that combination?

00:22:32: I don't know.

00:22:34: It's really weird.

00:22:35: Maybe they are your fans and you didn't know.

00:22:40: Probably not, by the way, they look.

00:22:43: But the Germans say, yeah, why are you, what?

00:22:46: Like, why are you saying, actually, the day I was parking a car and this guy just stared at me the whole time I was parking my car.

00:22:50: And I finally got out and I just said, no, I'll just call.

00:22:53: And he just went, yeah.

00:22:56: It's the Germans there.

00:22:58: I mean, Herman the German, our gnome that normally answers this sort of things, has had a couple of answers regarding the Germans there.

00:23:07: So it's just kind of fun to just stare right back into their eyes and see who flinches first.

00:23:12: It is a game.

00:23:14: You have to see this as an opportunity to initiate a game.

00:23:18: Exactly.

00:23:19: Before we leave you, one thing on a positive tone.

00:23:24: Maurice has half German or he's German, but but Andrew's not.

00:23:29: what is this like German treat that you have Integrated in your life that you have come to and decide like oh, I am that German?

00:23:41: I mean, I love I love that everything's closed on Sunday.

00:23:44: I don't know I I love that.

00:23:47: it's so nice.

00:23:47: It's like a day that feels different like every other day feels the same.

00:23:50: Saturday feels a little different Especially because I live in covid.

00:23:53: so we have the mark covid spots and we have the market here.

00:23:55: So it feels but it's those like you.

00:23:57: just you're out there stressed you could go shopping and Sunday you wake up you cannot go shopping.

00:24:01: So just I love it.

00:24:03: I think it's fantastic.

00:24:04: I think everybody should have.

00:24:05: it's just.

00:24:05: it's a different day.

00:24:07: make it Wednesday.

00:24:07: I don't care what day of the week it is doesn't have to be Sunday But just one day where everything's closed.

00:24:12: I guess I mean I've become maybe a bit of a spa folks, you know, like like I love a good deal, you know I didn't used to be like that, but me, you know, cause you know, it's kids.

00:24:25: and the other day I had an opportunity to get like free detergent.

00:24:29: I had to go to the shop and then I had to take a picture of the receipt and then upload it onto a website.

00:24:33: And then three weeks later, I got seven euros.

00:24:35: You

00:24:35: just spent more money.

00:24:36: I'm so excited.

00:24:37: More

00:24:37: money of your time than you got back from the company.

00:24:41: Marlene, our producer is smiling and also nodding.

00:24:46: So Marlene, maybe you can tell us your own little German thing that you have found during this time with us, internationals, that you say like, yeah, I am that German.

00:24:57: Since we did this program, it's really been a lot of things that I noticed about myself.

00:25:01: Oh, I do this, and I do this too, and I do this too.

00:25:04: And one thing that always I remember is the Abendbrot.

00:25:10: I think it's both of our favorite thing and it's so German and I never thought about it but it's like.

00:25:15: I know what Abendbrot is and when I was younger I never liked it but now I do it my it's planned for this evening for me so I incorporated it into my own life and I never question it.

00:25:28: I just do it.

00:25:29: It's so but it's so.

00:25:31: it's so convenient.

00:25:31: like I make dinner.

00:25:33: I've always made dinner for the kids everything because my wife works late in your shop.

00:25:35: It's so nice, man.

00:25:36: You just open the fridge take out six jars put a loaf of bread and some butter on table and you're done.

00:25:41: My German wife goes nuts.

00:25:43: man like seriously if I want to do something special for my wife, I'm old She loves it.

00:25:47: I don't I don't do it.

00:25:48: I don't do oven pot.

00:25:49: You don't do marisi.

00:25:51: What do you do?

00:25:52: I cook dinner.

00:25:53: I don't know.

00:25:57: You see, this is what happens when you start being international.

00:26:01: Because he was raised in the UK.

00:26:03: Yeah.

00:26:04: Yeah.

00:26:04: Yeah.

00:26:04: I don't know.

00:26:05: I don't actually eat any bread.

00:26:08: Oh, my God.

00:26:09: I think ninety percent of your German self just died.

00:26:13: The other day he's I said I had two breaches for breakfast.

00:26:16: I thought that was too much.

00:26:17: And you said I always have two breaches.

00:26:19: So how can that be true?

00:26:20: No, but no,

00:26:20: no.

00:26:21: I stopped doing carbs like three weeks ago for

00:26:23: three weeks.

00:26:23: All right.

00:26:25: Guys, thank you so much for being with me today.

00:26:30: And of course, for everybody there, follow twenty percent Berlin.

00:26:35: Thank you so much for being with us.

00:26:43: We already faxed the playlist and we heard some great jazz.

00:26:48: So we were talking about faxing, of course, because this is Germany.

00:26:53: Why do you think that Germans are so behind technology?

00:26:58: or don't like technology that much?

00:27:01: It's weird because actually, you know, twenty-five years ago or so, they were ahead.

00:27:05: Like they love DSL lines, ISTN lines, DSL lines.

00:27:09: They had a lot of technology, Siemens technology company.

00:27:11: And then I think Dottonshoots, I think they took a left turn at Dottonshoots, a personal privacy.

00:27:16: And they just get distracted by it and think that if you have somebody's information, you can basically own them and control them.

00:27:25: And so they're just afraid of technology now because you might find something out about them and they're unique individuals.

00:27:31: I mean, this morning I had to sign a letter saying that, you know, like some kind of doctor is going to come to the kindergarten where my kid is and give him a checkup.

00:27:40: But I had to sign a letter that that doctor was allowed to send that information to some government health office.

00:27:46: That's like.

00:27:47: Are they somehow hoping like this data protection stuff?

00:27:50: They're somehow hoping that they're going to prevent like the secret police from rounding up my children or something.

00:27:56: I don't know.

00:27:57: It's really weird.

00:27:58: Like this data protection thing, it's all about like we want to prevent the next dictatorship

00:28:03: or something.

00:28:04: But that's not going to do it.

00:28:05: Because

00:28:05: the one place they're happy to give their information is registering your address.

00:28:09: So you're handing the government all of your information.

00:28:11: So then the rest of it doesn't.

00:28:13: If you're worried about the government, why are you telling the government where you live?

00:28:16: it's so illogical the whole thing.

00:28:18: it just doesn't.

00:28:18: it makes all of it makes no sense but it's just this thing of like.

00:28:22: you know don't take a picture of me in public.

00:28:24: you can't know anything about me

00:28:25: and your name is on your doorbell so you're easy to find.

00:28:28: or you can sit naked next to each other and see everything about your boss but that interests.

00:28:35: yeah i don't know who your boss is but i already i'm picturing her boss naked and i'm not liking it.

00:28:40: i don't know what this man looks like but

00:28:42: i've never done that with my boss.

00:28:43: have you kind of bossed you have?

00:28:46: I mean in general there's like this happy hour at some companies in Germany where you can actually go to the sauna for a specific amount of time and with very low prices and of course you can meet there your bosses.

00:29:03: All my comedy friends because we don't do anything comedians don't do anything or they they all go to Vibali this spa this place and basically every comedian male female in Berlin has seen every other comedian naked.

00:29:13: And they don't like it.

00:29:14: Nobody likes it.

00:29:15: I don't go there because I don't like spa.

00:29:16: But everybody else is like, oh my God, I know what Dave looks like naked.

00:29:20: Well, now they're banning people and visitors, especially tourists, to go to FKK places so that they will still be private and still be a very German thing to do.

00:29:32: and really.

00:29:33: Is that right?

00:29:34: Well, like FKK beaches?

00:29:36: Yes.

00:29:38: Tourists cannot longer go to FKK beaches.

00:29:41: How do they know you're a tourist?

00:29:43: Probably you're going to be speaking English.

00:29:46: Because of how slowly you get naked.

00:29:50: Because you want to play with credit cards?

00:29:52: Yeah,

00:29:52: yeah, yeah.

00:29:53: You didn't register with the facts.

00:29:54: So before we leave you, tell us the last or the most important part of twenty percent Berlin and how can we find you and how can we enjoy more?

00:30:08: Yeah, online twenty percent dot Berlin.

00:30:10: The most important thing is just that we twice a week we summarize the big news stories.

00:30:14: So we allow people who don't speak German access to Berlin news and we focus just on Berlin because I think there's enough news outlets for Germany generally.

00:30:22: Sometimes we probably get too complicated, too detailed into the politics and stuff.

00:30:26: But I think the most important thing is just giving non-German speakers access to Berlin news.

00:30:31: A friend of mine yesterday, he said, I think what you and Andrew do is basically satire, especially Andrew.

00:30:37: He tries to put in like a little bit of ha ha in every little story.

00:30:41: Well, it's just boring to read just normal news.

00:30:43: Like, and it's German news, man.

00:30:45: It's like double war

00:30:47: and German humor.

00:30:49: You might wonder, why do we live in this country?

00:30:51: And there's many things that we like about Berlin and every in our podcast, we have a feature called the bear's knees.

00:30:59: And it's about things that we like.

00:31:22: Thanks for having

00:31:25: us.

00:31:31: Do

00:31:34: you really like Tatort?

00:31:36: Like, really?

00:31:38: And why?

00:31:39: Like, it's not even remotely real.

00:31:41: You've never seen a police... I've never seen a police department that nice.

00:31:44: I just don't... What's... Why don't get it?

00:31:47: First off, I have to admit for younger generations like mine, Tatort may not be quite the Sunday night institution.

00:31:54: it was for our parents or grandparents.

00:31:57: But it still holds a certain charm.

00:31:59: It's more than just a crime show.

00:32:01: For many, it's a weekly ritual, something familiar and dependable that airs every Sunday evening at twenty fifteen.

00:32:10: I think part of its appeal is how deeply rooted it is in German culture.

00:32:14: The characters often stay the same for years, even decades, and viewers grow attached to them like old acquaintances.

00:32:22: Each episode is set in a different city, and regional broadcasters bring their own flavor.

00:32:27: Whether that's comedy in Münster, psychological drama in Kiel or gritty realism in Berlin and Dortmund.

00:32:34: You also get familiar patterns, inside jokes and sometimes even political notes.

00:32:40: And because the show reflects current affairs and because the show reflects current affairs, local dialects and social issues, it feels relevant while still being predictable enough to relax into.

00:32:52: It's this blend of tradition, variety and connection to real life that keeps people coming back.

00:32:58: Even if you only watch Tatard every now and then, you're stepping into a cultural moment that millions across Germany are sharing at the exact same time.

00:33:08: My question for Germans would be, okay, you know if you're driving a car and you're parking your car in Germany, why is it?

00:33:14: when you park your car there's always like one or two old men watching you park your car to make sure you don't touch the car behind you?

00:33:21: Because if you touch it, they're phoning the police.

00:33:24: Just touch it.

00:33:26: Why is that?

00:33:27: I think this phenomenon also falls under the infamous German stare, something that truly extends to all corners of everyday life.

00:33:36: Whether you're parking your car, standing in line or crossing the street two seconds too early, there's often at least one person watching closely.

00:33:45: When it comes to parking though, that gaze tends to intensify.

00:33:49: And while it might feel a little intimidating, it likely stems from a very German combination of a deep-rooted need for order and a love of rules.

00:33:58: Germans are raised to believe that rules keep society functioning smoothly.

00:34:02: So naturally, when someone's maneuvering into a tight spot, there is a keen interest in whether it's being done correctly.

00:34:10: And I think to that you can also add a dash of know-it-all energy.

00:34:14: I feel like sometimes these people are even hoping to catch someone's lip up.

00:34:18: Not necessarily to cause harm, but just to point it out.

00:34:22: It's not always meant unkindly, but rather as a way of maintaining the social order.

00:34:27: And let's be honest, if something does go wrong, they'll be the first to help, because they usually know what to do.

00:34:33: Or at least they're the first to tell you what you should have done differently.