Saturday, December 31, 2005

Lied der Schwaben

There's a German pub just around the corner from Dave's apartment.

There are, I'm told, many German pubs in Chicago. Last night, as we sat for three hours drinking German draught and snacking on Landjager, the cognitive dissonance of listening to a broad Bears accent à la John Goodman on Saturday Night Live issuing from the bar stool beside you, a row of taps featuring Warsteiner and Heffe Weizen in front of you, and walls densely decorated with Bierdeckeln and slices of walnut trees with bark intact, varnished and painted with German homilies, was overwhelming.

And then I saw this, on a plate hanging on the wall near the end of the bar:
Kennst Du das Land wo jeder lacht
wo man aus weizen Spätzle macht,
wo jeder zweite Fritzle heißt
wo man noch über Balken scheißt,
wo jede Bank ein Bänkle ist
und jeder Zug ein Zügle
wo man den Zweibelkuchen frißt
und Moscht saust aus dem Krügle
wo "doube Sau," leck mich am Arsch
in keinem Satz darf fehlen,
wo sich die Menschen pausenlos
mit ihrer Arbeit quälen,
wo jeder auf sein Häsle spart
hat er auch nichte zu kauen
und wenn er 40, 50 ist,
dann fängt er an zu bauen!
Doch wenn er endlich fertig ist,
Schnappt ihm das Arshloch zu!
O Schwabenland, gelobtes Land,
wie wunderbar bist Du.
Today, if I can find a bakery that makes Laugenwecken, I may just have to move here.

* * *

Next, Postmodern Sass rings in the New Year Hogmanay style in Chicago.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sass,
i've been reading your blog for several months now. I usually dont waste my time reading virtual stories, but my recent divorce is allowing me to have some liberties and is inviting me to get a different perspective of things. To quickly get to the best blogs, i stumbled upon deutsche welle and yours came up among the top. It helped that there were German words in your blog since i have German in my background.
I would have to say that your ongoing virtual novel has gotten my attention... you are a sort of guide for my new "singleness". Thank you.
Not to be picky or anything, but isnt it "Zwiebelkucken", not "Zweibelkuchen" (now you really know that i have German background, Bavarian no less!) Since you probably have a wide audience, it is important to at least get this most insufferable, teary vegetable right.
I enjoy your stories, and the German or 'viking' hehehe references interest me even more.
Keep up the good work (yes, i'm a teacher too!)

12/31/2005  
Blogger Postmodern Sass said...

Anon, I suspect die wirkliche Schwaben sagen "kucken" — but it's spelled with an h. And though I'm terribly flattered that you enjoy my stories, and I'd be very happy if one or two might make you laugh, I hope you don't take them as any sort of guide. Unless you aspire to dorkdom, that is. :-)

1/02/2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just so you know: the word is Zwiebelkuchen and not kucken. Zwiebelkuchen or onioncake is a local dish from that region. The word kucken means to look. I am half Schwabin( Baden Wuerttemberg/ Aalen) and the words are here at our home, my grandma used to make the dish herself. A real Bavarian should know that!

6/11/2008  

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