Last night my boyfriend and I went out for dinner. We had spent the day in the Hasenheide playing with my dog, and it’s a pretty great park. The other week we went swimming in the outdoor sömerbade Neukölln – at the other end of the Hasenheide – which was also amazing, but I’m going to save another post to talk about swimming in Berlin. The park itself is really large, with lots of forested areas, lots of drug dealers! and some open fields for playing or picnicking. When we were there amongst all the frisbee-playing I even saw a man calmly playing the sitar!

We had initially planned to go to my boyfriend’s favourite Reisschale opposite the Hasenheide, but all the outside seats were occupied, and when we went indoors the waiter told us we couldn’t go in with my dog. So we finally got seats on an outdoor bench. While we were looking at the menu, the man opposite us began speaking to us in German. I couldn’t understand what he said, but my boyfriend later explained to me that he had complained „in a very German way(!)“ (according to my boyfriend, who is a German) that he didn’t want my dog’s hair touching his legs while he ate! I was very hungry and irritable at this point. We just stood up and left the restaurant. We were pretty annoyed. That guy!

So we found ourselves at the Südstern Brauhaus seating on the back terrace overlooking the Hasenheide. It seemed like every person seated at the tables around us was speaking English, and some quite loudly, so I was happy to let my boyfriend order in German. I am always a bit annoyed to hear so much English spoken in Germany. I am somewhat enamoured with the idea of being „away“. It grates on this admittedly ridiculous dream to be confronted with so much that is familiar – such as a party loudly taking up auditory space in public. I think it also reminds me that my time spent in Berlin, and my decision to come here, is not so unique – that I am not even remotely the only North American in Berlin. To me there is something liberating about moving around a city without understanding people. I can tune out completely, and imagine that life here is not as banal or unimaginative as it is in a (North-American) English-speaking city. In my imaginary version of German and Germany, people might be speaking of things with great cultural importance ALL THE TIME! So, when people are speaking in a language I understand, it’s distracting, and annoying, because I have no barrier against listening to them. So people, if you want to avoid annoying me, only speak a language I do not understand! Also, of course, learning German will undo this artificial barrier.

Anyways, my boyfriend ordered the MOST GERMAN THINGS on the menu! so, as you can see in the attached photos, we ate kasseler and bier goulasch. And it was really good!