In order to know who you are, you need to know where you come from. In my case, I’m German, French, and Romanian. The French part is boring; almost everybody is part of that heritage. So that leaves the other two, which are both pretty interesting. For example, if I lived in Romania, I would be considered to be somewhat evil and having something to do with the devil, simply because I’m left handed. But I settled on Germany, because in my natural state I look like the typical German girl.
My maternal grandmother is a first generation American; both of her parents came here from Germany. My grandma does not look out of the ordinary. In fact, there’s nothing odd about her appearance at all. She is easily identified as German because of her general appearance (hair, eyes, etc.) but she also looks like an American. A few days ago I sat down with her in her kitchen while she made, ironically, sauerkraut and kielbasa for lunch (very common in my family) and told me what she knew of German immigration. The earliest immigration of Germans to America began around 1700. They fled not only to America, but also other European countries and Australia. Unlike most immigrants who came to America for religion and politics, the Germans came to escape violence, robbery, and arson in their villages. I discovered online that by 1745, there were 45,000 Germans in Pennsylvania. Beginning in the 1800s, Germans immigrated because to look for work. Also, by that time it was cheaper and quicker to get here than it had been before, using trains and shorter boat rides. Back in the 1700s, they had to come here solely by boat, which normally took an average of six months. My grandmother recalls her mother telling her how crowded the ships were and how scared she got watching people on the ship die of typhus, although the disease was a lot less common by the time she came to the States. (I’m not entirely sure as to why her parents came by ship, as they immigrated at the time when trains were more popular.) The majority of the immigrants settled on the east coast, but select few went out west.
By the mid to late 1800s, Germans had set up small communities, much like the modern day Chinatown, with churches, schools, and even newspapers. Unbeknownst to most, it was German immigrants who started the Socialist party in the United States. There were also quite a few who were anarchists. My grandma recalls reading the letters her mother had written and told me that her parents came here with no money and did not speak a word of English. All they had was each other, as well as a large amount of hope.
There are many stereotypes associated with Germans, some true and some not, just like any other subculture. They are supposedly heavy beer drinkers, meat eaters, very serious with no sense of humor, and always on time. I myself am always on time. I’m not sure if its because I’m German or because I always hated that my mother was always late. The men are overweight, with scruffy facial hair and wear leather shorts and overalls. The women are extremely beautiful with porcelain skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. That is probably the most popular stereotype; the look of the Aryan race. This is a trait that myself, my mother, and my grandmother all possess. There is also a stereotype that says German’s are rigid, very organized, and efficient. This comes from Frederick the Great and the Prussian army. I see a lot of these stereotypes present in myself, but I can’t say whether its because I’m German or because that’s just my personality.
After going to visit my grandmother, my boyfriend and I decided to observe a German club a few blocks away from where we live, which I did not know existed until beginning to research the subculture. It is on a side street, away from traffic, and is actually pretty hidden; there were no signs on the door and looked like just a regular building. Inside, the lights were somewhat low and it smelled slightly like cigarettes, as if the staff smoked in the building after closing at night. The majority of the place was a bar, with only four tables where you could sit and eat. The tables were empty but there were a few people sitting at the bar, most of them men. There were “oldies” songs playing and keno on the TV. Most of the customers were older and had gray hair so I couldn’t tell whether or not they were blonde, but I only saw one customer that did not have blue eyes. None of the men, however, were wearing leather shorts.
The bartender and an older couple were speaking German, but everyone else was speaking English. Since I am underage, Kevin and I decided to sit down at one of the tables and eat dinner while we observed from a distance. There were a few different meat and potato pot roast options, including pork, venison, and lamb. There was also sauerkraut, kielbasa, sausage, cabbage, and stew. Most of the meals came with a type of German noodles called Spatzle. The beer list was not quite as ethnic as I had thought it would be: Budweiser, Sam Adams, Oktoberfest, Guinness, Blue Moon, etc. However, they did have EKU 28 and an organic beer on the menu called Wiesen Edel-Weisse. Kevin ordered the organic one since it sounded the most German and I had a sip. I’ve never really had a taste for beer so I didn’t enjoy it much, but Kevin said it was pretty good-for being organic.
After eating and eavesdropping on the extremely normal conversation inside (the weather for the coming weekend, declining jobs, a new niece in the family, and selling a Harley), Kevin and I stepped outside to have a cigarette before we left. There was a man outside smoking who introduced himself as Luke and mentioned that he’d never seen us here before and wondered if we were German or just stopping in for dinner. I told him I was German and Kevin was Portuguese. We started with small talk, discussing mine and Kevin’s new son, and the reason that we ended up at the club. Luke told me his grandparents immigrated here in the 1720s from Stuttgart, which is right outside Frankfurt. I asked if he knew any details of the trip and why they came here, but he said he really didn’t know much other than that they settled in New York. We finished smoking and Luke went inside while Kevin and I got in our car and drove home.
After talking to my grandma, Luke, and observing the social club, I realized that most of the Germans in America today are completely Americanized. They still keep some parts of their culture, mainly the food, just like most other subcultures. All in all they’re just a bunch of people proud of where they come from and trying to keep their heritage alive.
