"Did that say what I think it said?"

When our plans to live in Germany were coming to fruition, one aspect of our stay was in the back of our minds and tantalizing our taste buds. This, of course, was the opportunity to eat Haribo Gummi Bears regularly. Haribo comes in six flavors in Deutschland: strawberry, apple, lemon, orange, pineapple, and raspberry. All of these are delicious. I enjoy the rainbow method of jamming multiple flavors into my mouth all at once. Although Haribo can be purchased in the States, the US version is made in Hungary. The original German version of this fruity treat is bouncier, gummier and simply better. It is my thought that the difference may be between the use of corn syrup in the US versus sugar in Germany, but I am not certain.

Recently, when looking to replenish my supply of these favorite snacks, I was horrified to find that although they were 10 euro-cents cheaper, the container held only 200 grams. This was 100 grams less than the 300 that had been offered previously. I refused to purchase this on principle, hoping to find the larger package in another location. I suppose it is another reminder of the capitalism that is spread across the world, not necessarily only in America.

Not everything, however, matches up perfectly when spreading ideas back and forth across the Atlantic. This is especially the case when English words or phrases are used. For instance one marquee we observed advertised eating at the restaurant to experience “The Spirit of Currywurst.” It is unclear what this entails, but it must be some magical sausage. Another is this photo of a tattoo parlor on the way to downtown Bad Oeynhausen.



Now, I have heard stereotypes that this may apply to Europeans in general, but have not found it to be accurate. I have not gone into the tattoo parlor, however.

Other types of phrases or pictures would not be seen in the US due to insensitivity. Is America too sensitive? I don’t know, I am used to the US’s standards and see the benefits of this sensitivity. I doubt, for instance, that there would be an establishment with this name.



I also doubt that this billboard, found in several train stations, would last long without complaints from several people. (This is an ad for a parenting edition of a magazine, with the girl saying "What now, dear parents!")



In the end, I will continue my search for Gummis in the original size. I did consider writing the company to complain and let them know that I was on to them, but I doubt that the company would offer me respite from my search. Instead I figure their response would look something like this.