Ask around and the pithy picture that most non-Germans will paint of their friends from Deutschland is that of a rather dour, fussy, but reliable sausage-eating race. Well, not necessarily in that order, but there is no denying the German punctuality, frugality, love for sausage, love for football and love for their cars — notice that women don’t rank high on this list. It is often said that catching a German flirting is like spotting the Javan rhino, a definite rarity.
But the first order of things is order itself — Germans make no bones about how they like their world and life to be meticulous, orderly and definitely devoid of unexpected bumps. Michael Dehn, Group Exhibitions Director, Epoc Messe Frankfurt GmbH, who has been in the UAE for more than a decade, admits to liking things done right and paying a great deal of attention to detail, something that his team will corroborate wholeheartedly. After all, being organised is half the battle, Germans like to say.
On the other hand, 26-year-old model Verena Sichert thinks that Germans can be as funny as the rest of the bunch and doesn’t prescribe to the notion that “we are a serious lot”.
Florian Eck, a property consultant with Hamptons International, doesn’t know why the world thinks Germans don’t have a sense of humour. “We definitely know how to laugh, even at ourselves,” says Eck.
Resting that case, Sichert feels the need to add that a funny bone notwithstanding, Germans can be a finicky lot. “I have to say that I am critical of many things and try to look behind a situation. I don’t easily believe what is said and rather form my own opinion.”
If by now you are inclined to believe that their way of life can be a little lacklustre, all you need to do is get German men talking about their cars. So passionate are they about their wheels that if given a choice they would prefer to have their fine-tuned machines parked in the bedroom and have the wife in the garage.
Washing the car by hand
“The habit of personally washing the car by hand every Saturday is not a myth; it is rather widespread in Germany. I drive a Murano and a Touareg and look forward to the ultimate ride one day in a Mercedes G-Class,” says a wistful Dehn.
Eck sees things a little differently, “As a Bavarian, I would say that good ale comes first, followed closely by cars and football. I currently drive a Chevrolet Lumina Sport and I enjoy driving it, but yes, as a German, my dream set of wheels would be a car made in my hometown — a BMW M3,” he says.
Common ground
One would believe that these Teutonic descendants would be hard-pressed to find common ground with the Emirati way of life. But surprisingly, while not obvious, there are some similarities. Take, for instance, the love for cars. Dehn believes that the Germanic pride in their vehicles is something shared by people of this part of the world who appreciate a good machine.
For Eck, the emphasis on family is something that he finds fairly similar between the two cultures. “Like us Germans, the Emiratis too prefer to spend weekends and holidays with family, especially when one has children.”
A thought shared by chef Uwe Micheel, President of The Emirates Culinary Guild and Director of Kitchens Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek, who has been in the UAE for more than two decades. While he loves the Emirates he misses the “forest, the green countryside and the rain” of his home that is just outside the Black Forest on the French border.
Roland Stumpf, Deputy Director, Goethe-Institut, who moved to Abu Dhabi last year from Vietnam and comes from the Black Forest area in Germany, sees a lot of commonality between the UAE and Germany. “There is a sense of orderliness here, the cities are very neat and clean with good roads and a preference for quality and of course there is the same fight to find parking spots,” says Stumpf.
Serious about schnitzel
The one thing that is not up for debate is the German love for food. They take their schnitzel seriously.
Eck recommends Der Keller at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel for some authentic homelike schnitzel. Another place to grab some German grub is at The Butcher Shop and Grill.
