When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do: The Clued-In Guide to German Life, Language, and Culture

On entering a restaurant, should you find your own table or wait to be seated? What is a suitable topic for small-talk with a stranger? In what circumstances might you ask to borrow ein Handy? All these answers and more can be found in When in Germany, Do As the Germans Do, a fun and intriguing book that teaches you about Germany's culture, language, and people.

It features 120 intriguing multiple-choice questions that are cross-referenced to fascinating articles on pop culture, customs, behavior, history, consumer trends, literature, tourist sights, business, language, and more. Also included are key terms and useful expressions, informative charts, and websites for further reference.

Hyde Flippo has written another interesting book about German ways, for Americans planning to go to Germany. It is a good follow-up to "The German Way". Sometimes writers of travel books try to provide insights that turn out to be misleading. Mr. Flippo, however, is neither travel writer nor dilettante and seems to know Germany well.

The book begins with a series of questions to test one's knowledge of things German. Despite having once lived in Germany, having traveled there several times recently, and being particularly interested in the German language and culture, out of the first ten questions, I could answer only three correctly.

The German washing machine is a case in point. Any American who has ever tried to do laundry at a German laundromat has discovered differences in the process. For starters, there hardly are any German laundromats. Next, a German washing machine may have a two-hour wash cycle, it uses hotter water, since it heats its own, and it spins the laundry to a near dry state.

Regarding the German language, Mr. Flippo cites a number of English sounding words commonly in use that Germans think are English words, which are not. A couple of examples are "die Basecap" which means "baseball cap", and "der Talkmaster", which refers to a "talk show host".

Flippo touches on other "Germanisms" which I have encountered. One is the idea that drinking tap water is unhealthy and should be avoided. A waitress I encountered in Austria explained that although it was okay for Americans to drink tap water that it was not good for Germans and Austrians. Germans tend to drink bottled mineral water, and asking for tap water, "das Leitungswasser", will not uncommonly be regarded as fairly strange behavior.

Another useful thing to know is that credit cards are not as universally accepted as they are in the U.S. Flippo warns that is best to never assume that a restaurant will accept your credit card. The same is true for smaller hotels and accommodations. As evidence, Flippo points out that although France has a population of about 58 million and Germany 82 million, 250,000 less locations in Germany accept credit cards.

One of the most entertaining chapters in the book is about household garbage in Germany. One is not allowed to simply put anything in one's garbage can. There are strict local rules for the separation of the various types of waste. Glass waste is not to be mixed with biodegradable waste, for example. Break the rules, and your garbage does not get picked up. By the way, the garbage disposal is not to be found in Germany, and it is in fact illegal, due to pollution considerations.

Despite previous familiarity with Germany, I acquired new information from this book and very much enjoyed reading it. Hopefully, in the future, Hyde Flippo will tell me some more that I do not know about the German-speaking world.


Funny book!   March 24, 2003
richter (Mexico City, Mexico)
32 out of 35 found this review helpful

I truely had a lot of fun ready this book about Germans and German customs. I am myself German but I lived quite many years in foreign countries and read a lot of literature about other countries and there inhabitants. And I always wanted to read something about how others view the Germans. And I must say it was very amusing and the informations are realistic. And I recommended it to my friends, Germans and Non-Germans, as a good lecture. Everyone who can pass the test is really good prepared for staying in Germany. I must admit, that I could not answer everything correctly, but that way I even learned some interesting facts about my country, too.


Brilliant!   January 10, 2006
Antony Witheyman (Classified)
2 out of 7 found this review helpful

Ideal for anybody who wishes to explore Germany without arousing suspicion among the local populace, or for Germans who like to conform.


Great Primer but NOT an Authoritative Guide to German Life   July 6, 2003
Gabriel E. Borlean (Odense, Denmark - birthtown of fairytale-writer H.C. Andersen)
89 out of 93 found this review helpful

I wish I could give this book a five start like the other reviewers, but I cannot due to my recent experience using this book in Germany.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a quick and entertaining introduction to German Life, Language, and Culture. But to someone who has already been to Germany, has an understanding of Deutsche Kultur, and/or is studying German I would recommend keeping an open mind to how limiting this book can be. Let me elaborate:

While the book does a superb job of starting with a quiz (and most Germans love quizes) and provides the quiz answers in the back, has supporting articles and web-sites throughout the book, and even has a map of the 16 Budesländer (federated States) it comes short of being Comprehensive or Authoritative.

What I had found when I used this book (quiz) with my friends and relatives in Germany is that:
a) Some answers may be debatable (section on 'Do As the Germans Do' and 'Know What the Germans Know').
b) Some statistics may have changed (section on 'Time,' 'Quantity' and 'Laws and Regulations') since the time Hyde Flippo wrote the respective articles.

In real life, Germans as a people are not as homogeneous as they come across when answering the quiz questions and reading the articles in this book. Many Germans identify first with the region (Bundesland) where they live in. Each region has their own traditions, festivals, and many time different public religious holidays (like the Catholic states in the southern part vs. the Protestant States central/northern Germany). As such, someone from Thüringen will answer some questions differently than someone from Berlin or someone from Hamburg. Nevertheless the sections on 'People,' 'Places' 'What's That?' are invaluable to anyone.

A companion book that I would recommend is Richard Lord's "Culture Shock - Germany, A Guide to Customes and Etiquette."


A Charming Little Book   January 27, 2006
T. Hooper (Osaka, Japan)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

This book presents short snippets of cultural information about Germany and Germans. Each topic covers a single page and is written in a brief newspaper article style. I found out a lot of interesting little things. For example, if they put rolls on the table, they aren't free. You pay for every roll that you eat. It's little tidbits like this that make for some very interesting reading.

It's a very light read, and you can probably finish it on the plane ride to Germany. The topics are mainly cultural in nature, so you won't find any hard travel advice in this book. I recommend it for those who would like to learn a little more about the people they will visit when they arrive in Germany.