Skip to main content

Filler Post #70 - Annoying Sign



As the company where I work becomes increasingly international, the amount of daily bitching from

1.) Germans lamenting the anglicization of the German language

and

2.) New expats to Germany fussing about the lack of English everywhere in Germany


has increased ten-fold. My empathy for both groups is super low. Personally, I think German is quite an extraordinarily expressive language and scarily (perhaps even obsessive-compulsively) accurate. But, in the immortal words of Sweet Brown, sometimes... "ain't nobody got time for that!"

And as for the expat situation...that should be pretty obvious. For better or worse, that's just how it is when you move to a different country in which the official language isn't English. Some amount of cowpersoning up and learning the language will be required, if you intend on fully interacting with your surroundings. Or at least come to terms that non-native English speakers will speak to you in less than perfect English.

You can't have it both ways. Ain't nobody got time for that? So I thought. The sign pictured above is proof. As psyched as I am to have a new coffee and pastry place right next to my preferred bus stop, I can't condone this abomination.

No.1 Coffee Fee

Coffee Fee (English pronunciation) = A fee for coffee

Kaffee Fee (German pronunciation, roughly "Kahfay Fay") = coffee fairy

Coffee (English pronunciation) + Fee (German pronunciation, roughly "Fay") = I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

My brain is already scrambled eggs. I literally do not have the time to sort this out in my mind grapes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best Taco Bell in Germany

 Last weekend, I crossed off a major item on my bucket list. I went to Taco Bell in Germany. "But Raven, shouldn't you aspire to better, healthier things that have a measurable positive impact on society?" I know that's what you're thinking, but I don't really give a crap... because you are not the boss of me.  I wanted Taco Bell, because it's probably the one thing from back at home that I crave the most. Say what you want about it (again, I don't give a crap), but get at me when you've spent years away from your homeland and are unable to acquire whatever nasty-ass comfort food is available wherever you're from. For me, my nasty-ass comfort food of choice is Taco Bell...with Sonic a close second. However, you can't even find Sonic all over the U.S. and I don't find myself craving burgers and hot dogs all the time (plus, those urges are a lot easier to satisfy than a craving for Mexican or Tex-mex).
3 comments
More crap »

The One Who Got Away (Part 6): PLOT TWIST

Quick Translation: This confirms that German citizenship will not be opposed, if within two years it can be verified that the aforementioned person no longer possesses citizenship for Trinidad and Tobago e   and/or has fulfilled the requirements for the loss of this citizenship and that nothing has happened in the meantime, which would forbid naturalization.  I almost forgot what it felt like to receive a industrial size dose of 100% homegrown German bureaucratic pedantry. Luckily, the German authorities will never leave you too long without a fix. You can count on that. As you can see from the picture above (and from my previous posts), Trinidad and Tobago e  had only been mentioned once in passing up until now, when I finalized my application and paid the fee. Mr. S: Your mother was naturalized in the U.S. after you were born? Me: Yes, but she never applied for Trinidadian citizenship for me, which would have had to have been done by my 18th birthday....
Post a Comment
More crap »
I’ve been fighting a huge craving for Taco Bell all day long. I don’t know how the idea got in my head, but I can’t seem to shake it. It’s not even so much that I want tacos or Mexican(-ish) food. In fact, I think if someone were to make a taco and put it right in front of me (ok, admittedly, I would eat it). However, there would be a part of my soul that would be entirely disappointed that it wasn’t Taco Bell. I found the Unofficial Taco Bell Blog this afternoon. I highly recommend it, especially if you (in their words) want to know more about the "seemingly endless wonders of Taco Bell". If you are jonesing for the Bell, however, this site will do nothing but compound the problem. Maybe part of the reason that I can’t stop thinking about it, is because Tunde is coming to Hamburg next Tuesday. And when I think Tunde , I think about the Air Force. When I think of the Air Force, I think about how the only Taco Bells in Germany are located on Air Force bases. These location...
7 comments
More crap »