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When Wurst Meets Taboule... Finding Intimate Similarities.

                                              


http://pamel
ageller.com/2016/03/german
-cafes-stop-
selling-pork-sausages-
to-spare-muslim
-the-feelings-of-muslim-refugees.html/









The Lebanese and German culture might look completely different. However, the similarities between the two are highly ubiquitous yet subtle.

The typical Lebanese quintessential would be a generous citizen who wakes up before sunset just to have a sip of café Najjar. He/she is a humorous individual who likes to blame the government for all his/her problems including acne. Most of us are gamely people who communicate through humor. Our majority respects each other's religions and beliefs despite living in a sectarian warzone.
www.cafenajjar.com
Our grannies are probably fighting neck and neck over the fresh parsley found at the local grocery purveyor, or castigating our mothers for the bad keshek they made. Our elderly are polite seniors who toured the world back in the days. They have forayed into the unknown and came back to this country which we will return to inevitably. Most of the Lebanese people I know cant wait to get their passport to  start a new life. Sadly, most of us believe that the "good" in life happens outside the 10452km^2 which our ancestors have brutally fought for.
                                                                                   
Bechara el Khoury-Wikipedia
Riad Al solh-Wikipedia
So what is the relation between the efficient machine-like Germans and laid back Lebanese?
Most Germans speak French and English which makes them trilingual as well. We are lexically somewhat-equivalent to the Germans. It doesn't matter if most of us studied English in school and learned French from old women commuting around ashrafieh, or have taken rigorous training in schools teaching the three languages equally. As long as we read and write it, we're good to go.

Culinary wise,  both the Germans and Lebanese love to  enjoy a great meal. The German staple food includes every kind of wurst(sausages), a myriad of beer types, and a never ending variety of bread. Germans value their meal times. Having been to Germany myself, I can say that Germans would do try to optimize every possible task except for enjoying their meal. We Lebanese value our meals as well. Our culture adopts family gatherings and spending long nights in the wild listening to some classic instruments such as the famous ooud.


So how can the somewhat clubby Germans blend with the outgoing Lebanese?
Most Germans are not amenable into change. They would not talk to a stranger out of the blue. However, that shouldn't balk the Lebanese/ German communication entirely. I believe we should show the Germans that we value their culture by showing them some familiarity in our country. Whether German tourists experience the savory smell of fresh sausages, or take a sip of their own beer in Lebanon, they can feel close to home. Then, they would know that we value their habits and start accepting us more. We can also strike up a conversation with Germans if the topic involves football. Most Lebanese people watch the Bundesliga and can effortlessly chat about interesting games with German natives.




The more they accept us, the more likely they will try to experience the world from our perspective. After spending a fair amount of time in Lebanon, the tourists will slowly integrate into the Lebanese society and open up to people. They will eventually become more social with others and open up to new experiences.
Maybe they might even try dabke or persuade us into visiting their annual Oktoberfest?
                                                                                                              
                                                                         http://www.lebanon
                                                                     expats.org/how-to-
                                                                     understand
                                                                          -lebanese-behavior/

http://www.muenchen.de/int/en
/events/oktoberfest.html




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