February 7, 2011

Das ist Football

"Oh, that's the chick from Glee," I said at the opening song of Super Bowl XLV. However, if you were sitting between two guys in a dark bar in Munich, that did not make a great first impression. From that moment on, I was much more careful to make only "tough guy" comments. You know, stuff about sports, wishing one of the players' long hair was a mullet, and Jennifer Aniston.

My Super Bowl night in Munich was one to remember, although my brain was very hazy by the end of the game given the time zone difference. I actually arrived home at 5 a.m. for an hour of sleep before work. I watched the game at Naumann's Huttnwirt, which is a locals-only bar with a very welcoming bartender in her dirndl. I was meeting friends so she sat me at a big table with all the usual Super Bowl snacks - chips and salsa, beer, chicken wings, and marshmallows on a stick with a little kerosene burner for roasting. Oh, that and the confederate flag tablecloth made it just like EVERY OTHER Super Bowl party I've been to.

As we cozied up in our booth and watched the Packers jump to an early lead, I realized I was getting to see much more of the game than the average American. You see, the German channel had at least 2 booths at the stadium for their broadcast and never stopped airing the field. And all of the boring Super Bowl commercials you got to see did not make it onto the German station we were watching.  This struck me as strange because Ayelet and I watched the commercials tonight online - I think I saw at least 5 German car ads and even German words (Das Auto - VW). I guess most Germans already buy mainly German cars anyway so there's no need to advertise for them during the Super Bowl here.

Well, you all know how the game went and Wisconsin puts its mark back on the world stage for another 15 years. I'll leave you with some of the highlights I heard in the wee hours of the night.

"Rothesburger ist gesacked."
"Die Green Bay Peckers seben, Pittsboorgh Steelers null."
And my favorite.
"Die blah blah blah ist Trash Talking." *

* Yes, German sometimes still sounds like that last one to me.

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