All tagged UK
With the Easter behind us, Dili and Nic catch each other up on a weekend of family dinners, spicy cakes, and whirlwind trips to the UK. We chat about Easter gifts, spoiled kids, and lethal leftovers. We ask why Germans are avoiding the UK, and we tackle the issue of why Germany seems so backward when it comes to the topic of abortion.
Easter is upon us, and we compare notes on recycling Christmas chocolate, rabbits with chicken pox, and the power of Creme-Eggs. After more than one listener request, we review the recent Royal visit to Germany by King Charles & Queen Camilla, and we finish the pod with the recent failed education summit called to find solutions to Germany’s many education problems.
After two weeks away from the pod, Simon is back in all his glory, but this isn’t the only thing we’re celebrating in this week’s episode. For the first time since we started the show, both Simon and Nic are in the same room for the first of two episodes recorded at our producer’s house in Bonn. Aside from being the home of our producer, there’s another good reason to be in Bonn: it’s the home of Haribo!
Simon very much enjoys the summer camp feel to this week’s show as Nic commandeers his niece and nephew’s bunk bed for the record. The new environment blends nicely with Nic’s new sultry deep voice, a hard won benefit after a weekend spent living in the 17th century with the Sealed Knot. What’s it like to come face to face with a musket block and live to tell the tale?
Nic is back in the UK, so enjoy some extra special audio from some passing seagulls and the full skinny on what’s happening in Britain. Nic has fallen in love with tiny North East breweries, but he’s far more excited that his daughter loves a traditional sausage roll just as much as he does. Simon and Nic talk about the state of the UK, why German news isn’t necessarily a refreshing change and sixties nostalgia.
After a weekend of adventures up north in Hamburg, Nic returns with tales of Disney musicals, art oggoling, and riding on Mississippi Riverboats. Simon has a lot of questions, most importantly of all, how was the fish? Moving on from holidays, Nic quizzes Simon’s knowledge of German ice cream, while Simon returns the favour with some curious ice cream flavours. Anyone for fried chicken ice cream?
After two long years, Nic is back in the UK! He’s been enjoying the chance to catch up with some of his favourite Geordie food, from steak bakes to stotties, we discuss a different kind of culinary adventure and how food culture is changing in the UK. We finish the show with a trip to Sheffield to experience a night at a German theme bar.
Simon is almost fully recovered from his brush with the Rona, but he crawls from his sick bed to join Nic for a discussion on surprise beard compliments and why the Germans aren’t as thirsty as the British for a pat on the back. After a week off, we collect our thoughts on the current crisis in Ukraine and we take some time to discuss the numerous changes occurring in German politics and society at large. Finally, Nic’s experience in the mountains has led him to wonder if German ski culture is the worst of all the sub-cultures.
We’re talking hobbies this week. Nic takes us through the differences between Germany and Britain when it comes to choosing a hobby and Simon makes some suggestions for British hobbies that could be more popular here. We finish up on some worrying UK statistics from the NHS that outline the dangers of taking on new hobbies, while Simon celebrates some unconventional uses for military ordinance.
We welcome Dilli Algama back to the show and just in time for Simon to reveal his mystery anniversary gift. We kick things off by discussing trips to the zoo, Simon introduces Dilli to the red panda and we marvel at the many places that sell beer in Germany. We also talk Zukunftsangst and we finish with a tour of the local Apotheke.
Nic learns that like many things in Germany, there are some important rules to remember when ordering a takeaway. Simon talks about his love of currywurst and defends his favourite comfort food from his co-hosts food cynicism. The lads celebrate the upcoming release of Sam Fender’s new album and take some time out from discussing the peculiarities of German life to discuss how mental health is a central part of the Geordie musicians work and why men, especially in the UK find it difficult to talk about their feelings. Finally, Simon and Nic ask if Germany has a class system similar to the UK and whether social class is obsessed over in the same way as their former home.
We’re back for a full episode baby! Nic has finished laying floor and painting walls in his new home and he’s not entirely sure if DIY is really his thing, does Simon have the DIY DNA or is he as equally underwhelmed? Nic and Simon ask whether there is any real need to buy a house, given that renting is so popular in Germany and we find out if Nic has managed to improve his German as well as his woodworking skills while he’s been away and since neither of the lads have been on holiday for a while, they finish the show by talking Stadtstrand or city beaches.
This week Simon & Nic discuss flags and national symbols as we look at different ideas on national flags coming out of Germany, the UK and the US. We discuss new flag rules in the UK, if the US has more rules than Germany when it comes to flag flying, whether flying the German national flag is still an issue in Germany and Nic tests Simon’s knowledge of the flags of the German states.
We’re finally taking our first steps back into the land of the normal as Simon joins a large group of foodies for a tour of Nürnberg, while Nic ventures out to visit the Augsburg Plärrer. We discuss the anniversary of the lowering of the German voting age in 1970 and take some time to celebrate the life of everyone’s favourite Chancellor, Willy Brandt. We discuss the curious case of the “Peppa Effect” a supposed shifting of accents seen in US children due to overexposure to the cartoon Peppa Pig. We question whether it’s true that “Everyone speaks English” in Germany and finally we look at how native English speakers differ between the UK and the US.
Simon returns from his sick bed and joins Nic to talk about some exciting changes to the podcast, There’s also the small matter of a football game to discuss. Simon and Nic commiserate over England’s loss and take some time to talk about the wider impact of a successful tournament on English culture and politics. We also go back to episode 13 to hear about some curious German superstitions and why saying ‘Prost’ with a pint of beer isn’t as easy as you might think.
Simon celebrates Sebastian Vettel’s birthday and explains why the F1 driver holds British humour in such high regard. Despite their best efforts, the lads we can’t avoid talking football especially with the England v Germany fixture. A new shop in Berlin proudly selling LSD to the masses attracts Simon’s attention and finally we discuss traditional German health remedies and why going to a homoeopathic practitioners conference might be more fun than you think.
Simons & Nic are increasingly optimistic as lockdown restrictions being to ease, Nic celebrates the end of the mask mandate in Augsburg by going on a one man pub crawl. Your hosts still find some parts of Germany a little strange, Simon bemoans the lack of mixer taps in British kitchens, while Nic explains why Germany is ready for the Zombie apocalypse. Simon introduces us to the world of Bernd das Brot, a depressed loaf of bread that has inexplicably become an award winning kids TV show character. To finish off the show, Simon & Nic look to a post-pandemic future and talk fests, Lederhosen and their favourite beer festival, the Erlangen Bergkirchweih.
Having finished moving house, Simon tells Nic all about it. Simon explains the differences between moving in the UK and Germany, is moving house harder in Germany? The lads discuss why painting before you leave is a double edged sword and why so many Germans seem to buy kitchens but not houses. Finally, we look at a DW.com article, Nic talks housing estates vs Plattenbau and Simon questions whether we should be putting our names on our houses.
We’re discussing romance and dating in Germany this week, Simon and Nic talk about how they met their wives and look at an article about the financial realities of online dating in Germany. We ask if the British are really as suave and sophisticated as they appear with a guide to dating in Britain. Finally, we welcome our first guest to the podcast as 40percentgerman.com guest contributor Dilini Algama joins us to talk about her experiences of German dating and using dating apps in Germany.
This week Simon & Nic discuss German food, specifically sandwiches, Kebabs and cake. We search for Danish bacon in Germany and ask why is it that German sandwiches leave so many people disappointed? Simon reminisces about drunken kebab adventures in Cardiff and campaigns forcefully for high quality lunch-time Kebabs. Finally we talk cake and what the German tradition of Kaffee und Kuchen has in common with the very English afternoon high tea.
