... and are always chic!
Well? WELL???
I bet that you thought: now dear Britta went totally gaga. German women? Chic??
May I try to look into your head when you hear the word "German"? Do I see Gretel with Zöpfen, Dirndl, munching Sauerkraut and Strudel??!? ("Sauerkraut", says husband and grins when I tell him of this post, "Sauerkraut makes slim!" True. Strudel not - but that's imported from Austria.)
Then why, I ask - WHY? - are a lot of women, millions of women, buying a book with the title "French Women don't get fat"?
I am often in France, have an ex-brother-in-law there - and let me tell you: the average French woman is short, practically dressed, and often a bit - stout. As she is in Italy. Or in England. Or Germany.
Of course I see in Paris exceptional beautiful women, very elegant and very chic. But I see them in New York, in in London, in Florence and in Munich too, and though I never have been to Brisbane I expect to find there also chic women.
The French have been very clever in building up an image. A cliché.
The same is true for the image of lovers - head up, Englishmen, no need to hide your light under a bushel! - err- purely (!) scientifically spoken, of course.
Clichés are nice, they give you a sort of orientation, but beware: you should not believe every fairy tale that dear old grandma is telling you.
Now I go to eat my Pretzel. With Kraut. Slims like mad - as does my daily dance of Schuhplattler. Hahaha.
12 comments:
I couldn't believe my eyes when this popped up in my dashboard.
Hurra for Britta!
Lots of German women are plump, especially over a certain age, but just as many are slim and elegantly dressed.
I used to play a game in London: spot the German tourist; most of them were, ahem, neat rather than elegant, but not nearly as dowdy and drab as the English are. I still have a reputation for dressing with care when I do anything else but walk the dog in the fields and I still stick out from English women at any social occasion.
As I said before, hurra for Britta. And German women.
Chic is for the chicks!! (Sorry, couldn't resist the word play!)
Here's to slick chicks in any country, any age...
Yes, yes! I learned a lot from German women, after 10 years of living in rural and urban Germany. The German women I knew were physically a lot like Canadian women - but they knew to buy quality, care for what they had and to dress for the occasion. I have never seen a German woman shopping in flip-flops a T-shirt and baggy capris.
That was extremely enjoyable.
Incidentally, is that really true about Englishmen? ;)
Ah sauerkraut, I bet it makes you slim. But schaum torte mit Himbeerin, now that makes you happy! (My grandfather whipped the eggs by hand for that, if you can imagine.) BTW, I never did buy the premise of that book, "French women don't get fat." Good for you for calling its bluff.
Hi Britta, I enjoyed your post, too.:) I think I bought that book....French Women Don't Get Fat. I don't really remember much of it and not sure where it disappeared to these days. Oh well....
All I know is that portions are getting a lot bigger these days. One meal at a restaurant can now feed two or even three.
Dear Britta,
this is really a funny post!
You are totally right about Englishmen. Every time I see German women, they are a little bit fat! Of course I see only women who comes in Italy as tourists, but rarely I see slim German women! The same is in Italy, many fat women but you have to go under Rome.
Bisou, Babi
You missed out 'hairy' when describing French women!!!
My current company is a French MNC. So I see many times such chic French women (and German) coming here :)
Hey, I'm half German. :) And not a bit French. ;) And I adore sauerkraut. So naturally, I also adore this post.
You are right. But about fashion...French and Italians are a bit obsessed with it, so it is natural to think everybody is elegant.
I'm Italian and people drop their jaw when I say: I don't drink wine, I don't eat cheese and I prefer rice to pasta.
Talk about stereotypes!
That's so funny...
Thank you all, dear friends!
I just came back from Munich, where I only could 'work' with an Internet stick - much too difficult. Now I can read all your comments and thank you all very, very much! (Instead of answering everybody individually, as I normally do, I will write another post (had to leave Munich earlier than intended because new good work is waiting, urgently)
Post a Comment