Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Dave Goes to the Oktoberfest

My fellow geeky Midwestern Americans will understand me when I say that the Oktoberfest sort of reminds me of Cedar Point plus Renaissance Fair plus beer. I was surprised by the number of permanent rides and beir hauses, the sheer magnitude of the event, the physical size of the grounds, the huge throngs of people. I was not surprised that a slightly but noticeably higher percentage of these people were obviously drunk compared to the typical crowd you might run into at any non-beer-centric event. That is not because I grew up with hard drinking people of German decent, but because Oktoberfest is, after all, a beer festival. Red faced, glassy eyed, staggering patrons here and there amidst an otherwise apparently sober crowd. You gotta love breakfast. My temporary friend, Peter, told me the first person taken to the hospital this year was a woman who drank herself seriously ill. It was 30 minutes after the park opened for the 2013 season. I don't want to give the wrong impression; it wasn't like a zombie attack of drunkards. The vast majority of the celebrants were sober and civilized (or hid it well).


Just in case you thought, like I once did, that the Asparagus Festival in Kalamazoo is the world’s largest festival, let me correct you now. World wide, Oktoberfest is the largest annual festival. The Munich Oktoberfest began as a wedding party for the crowned prince Ludwig I, and evolved into a celebration of the harvest (and beer). Now it co-celebrates the anniversary of the German reunification of 1990. The Oktoberfest started almost two hundred years ago in 1810. More than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. The festival is held annually at TheresienwieseTheresienwiese is the name of the fairgrounds. Literally it means Therese’s meadow.Therese was Ludwig’s bride. The locals simply call the festival Wiesn. I’m glad I looked it up before going to the train. I asked a local where he was headed, and he answered “Wiesn.” I asked if I could follow him. That’s how Peter and his wife, Marget, became my friends for about two hours. 

I don't know where the German stereotype of an uptight and humorless personality came from, but it certainly was NOT Bavaria. With my rudimentary German I have been able talk with many people, some with no English, and some with English far better than my German. People here are very hospitable, friendly, and warm. Peter and Marget were one of many examples. We hung out for about two hours. They own a spice wholesaling business started by his grandfather. After the train, the three of us bought a bicycle-rickshaw ride for a very circuitous route through the city to the Oktoberfest. Peter was actually very funny, we talked about our lives and laughed a lot. They gave me a tour of the highlights, including the grassy knoll where overly enthusiastic beerophiles can be found sleeping it off.

After Peter and Marget and I parted ways, I ventured into a bier hall where I made friends at the table with a couple, John and June. John spoke no English at all, and June’s was rudimentary, as is my German. We managed to talk and laugh for about 90 minutes together. She is a geriatric home health care nurse, so we had careers in medicine in common. 

They were drinking out of huge beer steins, about a liter in size. The picture I took belies the size of the mug. I should have put an American penny next to it for perspective. I only wanted one small beer; I was not up for a liter. I did not want to wake up the next morning on a dew-soaked lawn. John insisted on buying me two more. There was lots of singing and dancing in the hall, and occasional group dancing on the table. 

The Oktoberfest sets high standards for their beer, and only six breweries are allowed to serve. They include Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spatebräu, and Staalisches Hofbräu. They all have at least 6% alcohol by volume.  I have never liked beer. I grew up with a beer drinking dad, and beer drinking friends from beer drinking families in a rural beer drinking county.  There was an unspoken expectation that if I were going to be a man, then I would like beer, damn it. I have tried to like it for years, but it just does not come naturally. There are a few beers I will enjoy when I am in a rare mood and with the right food, like tacos or pizza. I had a small glass (well, three small glasses thanks to John) of Augustiner. For the first time in my life, I sipped a beer that instantly tasted good. I didn't have to pretend to like it; it genuinely tasted good to me.



It may seem odd that I spent the time and money to go to a beer festival when I am not a beer drinker. I came to Germany primarily to meet family, and the time and location offered me the opportunity to come to this world even on the way to meet Bavarian cousins in person for the first time. I have no regrets about coming. My first venture into world travel has been enlightening and rewarding, the Oktoberfest was a hoot, Bavarians are fun, and I now own what every red-blooded American male yearns for; my own lederhosen.


No comments:

Post a Comment