You know I can't let German Reunification Day go by without at least touching on it a little bit, right? Those of you who read this blog even semi-regularly must've expected some mention of this one. Although I posted this a day early, the actual date of commemoration is 3 October.
Not only is it a very important historical moment, but I have the day off tomorrow.
'Wait, you always have the day off. Are you even employed?', I hear you asking.
Definitely employed. I'm so gainfully employed that I'm already relishing the wild and limitless impending celebrations. Celebrations that every last German will be participating in with enthusiasm and fervour. Well, maybe not.
Actually not at all. Many Germans I talk to say they can't imagine a Germany still divided. But that doesn't mean these Germans are actually celebrating reunification. They're speechless when they hear surveys cited where some former East Germans even say that they wish they could go back to the time of the Berlin Wall.
The response to this from the people who've been paying a Solidaritätszuschlag, which is a tax levied on many West Germans to help ease the transition of East Germany to a modern economy, is that it'd be nice to let those unhappy with the present situation go back to the old ways (if you really want to know more about this Solidarity surcharge, look at this Wikipedia article on Taxation in Germany).
But I'm getting far too deep into history and/or politics for a teablog. My obvious question is:
What tea does one drink for German Reunification Day?
I refer you to my middle of the road blend post from the summer. The perfect tea for both East and West Germany is an Ostfriesen Blend. No matter what one thinks about the politics or the Solidarity surcharge, all can agree that this sort of blend is something Germans can be proud of.
What's included in an Osfriesen Blend? Sounds positively mensch.
ReplyDeleteI remember a long time ago, news sources were wondering if East Germans would even be welcomed into the fray after re-unification. Never heard if that fear was justified or not.
This question's going to take me down the Rabbit Hole Geoff, because I just discovered while looking for a concise answer to your question that there's an Ostfriesische Teezeremonie. More on that soon enough.
ReplyDeleteBut to your question...it's a mixture of strong black teas. Purportedly up to ten (10) in one blend. Mostly from Assam, but Ceylon, Africa, Java, Sumatra and even Darjeeling, as well. Although I doubt they use much Darjeeling in the ones I've tried.
I'll enjoy finding out more about this one.
I would be curious to go back to Germany; I was there twice, once in 1990, and a second time in...I think it was 1997...both in the summer. There was so much change, but in 1997 east and west were still like night and day...including to the point that, as a westerner, I was able to spot / identify people as east Germans vs. West Germans almost as easily as you can spot people of different races or skin colors. People talked about things a lot though...they seemed relatively open about all the issues that were going on and there was still a strong spirit of wanting to work together, in spite of any underlying frustrations or tensions.
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