Wicked German for the Traveler

Book Description
From the sneakily successful travel series with over one million copies in print, here is the guide to help travelers gain a foothold in Deutschland. Learn to distinguish between Mettwurst, Fleischwurst, Blutwurst, Schinkenwurst, Touristenwurst, Pinkelwurst, and Zungenwurst. Praise beer like the cognoscenti: "This Malz has a strong oak flavor with a faint almond backwash" and "The tanner, curvaceous Rauchbier displays a fine set of bubbles." Critique Bavarian castles, torment skinheads, and discover all the accepted excuses for backing out of a polka evening.

From the finer points of cultural exchange, such as discussing the cinema ("Why must there be action of any kind in a film? Hollywood's insistence on plot is ridiculous") to making friends in the disco ("I love your black boots/pants/shirt/jacket/hat/lipstick"), this book will make sure no German puts one uber on you again. It's on the Mark. 114,000 copies in print.


Language Notes
Text: English, German


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
HISTORY IN BEER Germans make many things well, and beer is among their greatest achievements. Its exact origins have been lost among thousands of groggy mornings and sledgehammer headaches, but this is what scholars now believe about beer's history. c. 20,000 B.C. Og of Url eats a handful of yeast with his gruel and water. He is hailed as the Father of Beer and Life of the Party at his funeral the next day. c. 11,000 B.C. Herman of Villendorf drinks 12 steins of lager in 1.79 seconds, breaking the world record. His Subsequent belch also sets a record, killing 28. c. 6000 B.C. Henrik the Effete, the first beer connoisseur, invents the sip. He is banished to France. c. 1516 B.C. The German Purity Law is written to protect the quality of beer. Anyone caught drinking Coors is spanked to death by a 300-pound barmaid. 500 A.D. Huns descend on Germany looking for riches, virgins, pretzels, and a genuine fire-brewed beer with no aftertaste. 501-1870 Hun celebration 1871 Otto von Bismarck settles Germany's major dispute and unites the nation with his decree on Dinkel Acker Light: Tastes great and less filling. 1961 Berlin Wall erected. East German government bans every brand of beer except Harnburgh. The party appears to be over. 1990 East Germans, hearing rumors about the classic taste of ice-cold Spaten, knock down the Berlin Wall, party nonstop and run up a six-billion-dollar bar tab.


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It's the new, unified Germany, and to help all travelers and students gain a foothold in Deutschland comes "Wicked German". It's on the Mark.


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