Downtown

My husband frequently tells me that I'm too anti German on my blog...and he's probably right, today I thought I'd redress the balance slightly (don't fret, normal service will resume in further posts - I've got a stinker brewing...) today I thought I'd share a few observations about some fellow English speakers (although I'm using the term 'English' here in the loosest possible sense) - Americans, just because they amuse me;

- yesterday I früstücked with some girlie friends down at Enzo's (as we locals call it, Romeo's to tourists & visitors.) Two hours of latte macciatos, 4 types of bread, 3 lots of meat, 2 types of cheese and jam. Lunch definitely not required! We were our core früstück crew (me, Rebecca, Rachael & Princie) plus Princie's visiting sister, over to 'do Europe'. Princie (American, that's not her given name, but no-one calls her Marion) has been here in Germany about a year now and seems to enjoy hanging out with us Brits, putting up with our constant ribbing about her 'English'. She takes it all in good part, agreeing that Americans have taken what was a beautiful language and brutalised it, she even puts up with us telling her red neck jokes (she's from Alabama) and then tells us more. She and Mariglenn were going to hit the shops after breakfast with us, they were heading to 'Downtown Essen'.
Which had Rachael and I almost hysterical with laughter, downtown Essen? Does that mean there's an 'uptown Essen' too? We then had to explain that in English English you would merely say you were going to Essen (to the shops). Downtown indeed!

- on Monday evening it was Leslie's party. Leslie is the Texan co-owner of Lulu Bar, the local expat watering hole. Most of the guests were naturally German but there were 4 of us expats there (a couple more were invited but were off galivanting in Amsterdam and Paris - as you do on a long bank holiday weekend - especially when unencumbered with children). It was a lovely evening, a great evening altogether in fact, it's fun to turn up to a party where the host owns the bar and tells you it's self service (didn't go crazy as had to be at the gym at 9am the following day - bad plan I know.) We were all standing outside chatting when suddenly Leslie appeared next to us declaring she needed to come and talk to us expats as the others were taking the piss out of her German. To which I just laughed, "you really need Princie then, 'cos we'll only mock your English!" Cruel but true.

- for the Royal Wedding party back in April, Princie said right from the get go that she would bring the cucumber sandwiches...we Brits were shocked and surprised to put it mildly. Sandwiches were afterall invented by the English (the fourth Earl of Sandwich to be precise) and cucumber sandwiches are quintessentially English, as English as the game of cricket where they are traditionally served at tea time. And here we had a Yank wanting to make them. However we let her get away with it as no-one else wanted to and she did a damn fine job of it too (or so I'm told, I loathe and detest cucumber and the closest I get to them is either in a face pack or a Greek salad.)

- July 4th is Independence Day. I reminded Simon yesterday that we have an invitation to celebrate Independence Day (on July 2nd, we're clearly allowed to celebrate this early, unlike the Germans with birthdays) and wanted to make sure that he was actually in the country and not gadding around the world on 'work'. He looked at me for a moment and then straight faced asked "and who did they get independence from?" We've decided we'll celebrate letting them go and casting them off! There will be no fireworks though as the legalities involved are insurmountable!

Aahhh, Americans, I love 'em, but I couldn't eat a whole one!


Word of the day; the American - das Amerikaner