As always in a strange place, when in Rome, do as the Romans. However, we are definitely not Romans! We are learning, however. We have discovered many interesting items and habits and thought we'd share them with you, just for some humor before returning to our "serious" lives in the next post.
"Austria - The Land of .... Sugar"
It's amazing when you go to the grocery store. Not only for the variety of new options, but looking at the labels is also an adventure. Almost everything has sugar in it, oftentimes in large amounts. You can't buy jam, peanut butter, salsa, cereal, etc. that don't have (usually large amounts of) added sugar. I think the main difference between Americans and Austrians is not so much what they eat, but that Austrians just don't eat as much. I think they are beginning the "fattening of the continent", the process that America has perfected. (But as far as I can tell, the diet is awful. However....it sure does taste good!) The most revolting thing we've found: sauerkraut juice.
And how about these??!! Eech.
Gallons of oil for the Wiener Schnitzel?!!
"Austria - The Land of .... Freud"
Yup, he got his start here. And you can tell. You are never beyond a stone's throw of a therapist, a psychotherapy office, or an analyst. And the Viennese seem to have enough neuroses to keep them all busy!
"This Place is Going to the Dogs"
People take their dogs everywhere. About the only place you won't find them is in the nicer restaurants. You see them on the buses and trains, stores and shops, walking anywhere. Surprisingly enough, you rarely hear them. Carissa is smitten by all the cute, little dogs which you see everywhere. Her campaign to join the crowd of dog owners is going nowhere, though.
It's definitely not going to the squirrels. I've never seen people taking pictures of them as though they are endangered animals, but we did here. The ones here are seen much less often, and seem to be smaller and usually reddish or black.
"Food on the Go"
Eating and drinking here are events to be enjoyed and to spend time doing. You will (almost) never see someone eating or drinking as they go, except for perhaps a sip of water. It would just be a dis-service to the enjoyment of the meal/snack.
"Skinny (and everything else) Jeans"
Skin tight pants and shirts are the norm among the under-25 crowd, and almost universal. It doesn't seem too bad since it is the fashion, except when seen on older ladies, who feel that tights qualify as pants. Generally people dress up more here when they are out. You would (almost) never see anyone in sweats. Despite doing a lot of walking, many ladies wear (very) high heels. Being more practical, this is not the style of the typical American, but practicality takes a backseat to fashion and tradition here. Have to admit that I like it.
"Smoke - Please"
As Americans, we've gotten very used to not seeing or smelling people smoking. Here, you have to get used to it again. You see people smoking everywhere in public and in restaurants and coffee shops. Luckily, it is not allowed on the mass transit.
"Parents Rule"
It sure seems that there is a different attitude to parenting here. I haven't seen this directly, so I am speculating. The adults continue living their lives and the kids are fit into it, instead of the current rule in America where the kids schedules dictate family life. I kind-of prefer what I see here. The kids have their own lives, are independent early, and the parents likely do not feel the loss of their own lives as much. Of course, families are smaller, kids are louder, but I think it leads to a healthy attitude among the kids that the parents have a good life too and they are just one part of it, instead of the center of it.
"Airing out"
Any time, during any weather, you will see windows wide open in most houses, often with blankets or duvets hanging out. There is a strong feeling that you need to air out a house several times a day to stay healthy. I imagine this is important when people are living in such close quarters but in winter? The windows allow for this; there are no screens and the windows are very large. They usually tip open at the top or swing wide open, well into the house.
Most yards and green spaces seem to be very lush and green and suffer from only "benign neglect". That is, you rarely see short, manicured gardens. Plants seem to be a bit overgrown, weeds are allowed to flourish, and no one seems to get worked up about any of it.
They also don't seem to get worked up about the HUGE SLUGS that make their appearance after or during rain. Soooo gross. And if you accidentally step on one.....don't ask.
"Signs, signs, everywhere a sign"
If I were Joe Boyle, I'd have awesome captions to go with these, or perhaps even make them a multiple choice questions! I'll leave that up to him while you see if you can figure these out. Answers in the next post if needed. You can add comments below if you have a good one!
Green thumb? NO! The green hand!
Seen one of these in the states recently?
They take credit/debit cards but they are still around everywhere!
How's this for a "calling card in your yard"? Can you tell what he does?
"I Want to Ride My Bicycle" or "Look Ma, No Pedals"
Have to admit, I've never seen adults riding scooters. Here...you can't miss 'em.
On the other hand, I love these "vehicles" below. Apparently, they have become very popular in the last few years. I think they are a great idea!
"Let's Just be Friends"
The Austrian people as a whole (and as a stereotype) are not as overtly friendly as Americans. They will rarely smile at you or seem to welcome overtures from strangers. However, they are willing to help, and once engaged, they offer advice and love to practice their English (while clearly stating that they know "very little").
"SOS....I mean SMS"
Cell phones are "handys". To send a text, you "send an sms". Seeing as the acronym 'sms' doesn't roll off the tongue, it's hard to get used to saying it instead of saying 'text'.
"Let's Play!"
There are a few things that you wouldn't see in a (litigious) American playground. There are others we'll send pictures of later.
"Wait a Minute Mr. Postman!"
They have to work hard here. Not only are we in a very hilly area, there are no motorized delivery vehicles.
"Things I Miss"
Garbage Disposal. "Normal" size refrigerator and washing machine. Clothes Dryer. Any kind of power is expensive (currently gasoline here is about $6/gallon) here so even the few with clothes dryers rarely use them. But who ever thought that drying your sheets on small, portable drying racks was a good idea??! I actually don't miss a car since driving here is nuts. Many intersections have no signs; whoever is on the right goes first; sometimes. There might be a right of way there. Or there might not. Not that you'd know. Sometimes you can drive on the lane where the trams run. There are endless numbers of one-way streets. The traffic lights are extreme: green, then blinking green, then yellow, then red. (A warning for a warning I guess.) You could get stopped for a train and sit for 10 minutes if another one is coming 5 or 6 minutes later. You just shut off the car and wait. In general, you don't see people rushing around in a great hurry. They appear to be more patient.
"Things I Like!"
Cheap cell phone plans! Recycling bins everywhere for everything! (I'm not sure how much the 'average' Austrian actually does this, though) BYOB!! (No, not beer/booze. That's plentiful and ubiquitous. 'bring your own bags' at the stores!) Great bread! Great cheese! Fabulous gluten-free pizza crusts! And shopping carts with all-wheel drive that can coast at angles down the aisles! And I love being in a bigger environment, where there is more diversity, clothes are louder, variety is everywhere, and you have more freedom to be who you are.
I hope your days are full of adventure too! Best wishes, Maria
This was an awesome post! Thanks!
ReplyDelete