German reacts to Americas Misconceptions about German Culture 

I never heard of the chicken dance being German.

The chicken dance is,, in my mind, for drunk people at wedding receptions.

Didn’t expect to be over here doing the chicken dance in my living room at this hour 😭😂

The cheese sauce is an entirely American thing and we all know that. The thing we thought was German was the mustard for dipping. To be fair I have gotten a soft pretzel with mustard to dip it in while I was in Germany, but I was near an American Army garrison so they might have been selling the American stereotype.

I wonder how many foreigners are shocked to find that most Americans have never even thought of putting hot dogs on pizza.

No matter where it originated, German Chocolate Cake is wonderful!

Things I think of as being German are Beer, sausages, sauerkraut, and potato cakes. Germans also have a reputation of liking rules for things. And sporty cars that go fast on the highway. maybe industrial music? lol Silly stereotypes.

As an American of German descent I’ve long held the dream of retiring to the Black Forest, living in a treehouse and making cuckoo clocks. Maybe go looking for some gnomes, hunt for the gingerbread house of Bros. Grimm fame, and drinking lots and lots of bier! Maybe one day…

One of the largest German-American celebration takes place in Milwaukee Wisconsin in late July at Germanfest.

I’m American and have German ancestry, hence my last name is otto. I have never, until this video, heard of a Christmas pickle.

As someone from Tulsa, Oklahoma, I'm really not surprised that the whole duck/chicken mix up started here. Not having the appropriate duck costume and then saying, "Y'all don't got any duck outfits? Hell, those chicken outfits are close enough" is pretty on brand for an Okie.

My great-grandmother came to America in 1868. She brought many of the delicious recipes she learned at home. They included German ginger cake, shortened cookies, and homemade saurkraut.

13:37 Thanks for the German's Chocolate Cake lesson

Never heard of the Christmas Pickle. Never thought the Chicken dance was German.

Chicken dance= played of every wedding reception I've been to.

As a Californian who doesn't drink, I had no idea that adults ever did the chicken dance. Frankly, I thought it was obnoxious and infantilizing when my class was forced to do it in the 1st grade...

I'm not sure why she thinks the "Chicken Dance" is associated with Octoberfest. It is played and done often during it but also at many other parties and gatherings, especially if kids are included. You will here it most often here where community clubs (clubs like Slovak American Club as one example) have community picnics or gatherings then it is often played for the parents to get the kids up and dance to as well as a few other friendly kid songs during the day so the kid feel a part of things too. I've never heard anyone associate that with Germany specifically in any way before. The German Chocolate Cake thing cracks me up every time 😂 It's very true that most American's think that is from Germany... Thanks for leading me to learn about it's origin by the way, I knew it was American but no clue where from or how! As for what I think of as German= Pretzels, good engineering, good beer, Aldi and Trader Joe, and more I can't think of at the moment I'm sure... All things I like I notice.. but I am admittedly biased.

My family, German on one side and mostly German with a bit of Hungarian on the other, has always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. Sometime after dinner all the kids are rounded up into a separate room where one of the older kids is tasked with reading a Christmas story or keeping the rest of the kids entertained in some other way. With the kids distracted, the adults get all the presents out and place them under the tree. Once all the presents are out, one of the adults rings some sleigh bells as a signal for the kids to come out - a signal that Santa just dropped off the presents and left. The kids race into the living room all wide-eyed at the sudden avalanche of presents under the tree. I was always told that this is how it is done in Germany and I suppose if a German told me that's not true I would be a _little_ disappointed... But even if it isn't a strictly German tradition it's still a fun tradition that my family has always participated in and probably always will.

One of the biggest reasons I watch reaction channels talk about US culture is to learn more about THEIR cultures and how they differ from US culture, so I will greatly enjoy it if you talk more about German culture!

In Pennsylvania a marriage isn’t considered official until we dance the chicken dance. And speaking of things that people think belong to one culture but don’t… The Pennsylvania Polka is from California. We have adopted it, however, as our unofficial state anthem.

Queso (cheese) is the melted cheese sauce used on nachos, but Germans also have a strong influence in Mexico. German Americans have made major, MAJOR accomplishments and contributions to American culture, productivity, farming, cuisine, science, technology, engineering, art, music, etc.. Not to mention our good looks.

As a French Canadian, the duck dance is the right name, pretzels is not really a thing here (in my province) as german immigrants represented a minute proportion. As for a "traditional" German cake, the black Forest cake filled with cherry soaked in kirsch (+40% alcohol). What I find hilarious in the USA (as we have kept the artisanal sausage making (Bavarian, Polish, French (blood pudding, white pudding and all others), North African tradition alive), is how they unknowingly but wrongfully named bratwurst (brats for short) knockwurst. Pretty much all their hot-dog Weiner's are named brats even if their are generally made with pork and their spices tend to incorporate 2 or 3 spices (excluding salt and pepper😂).

😂 My question to you is this; in Germany, when someone sneezes, does one say to the one who sneezed, "gesund heit?" I believe a lieral translation is "Be healthy," in the preterit past tense. People of all backgrounds say "gesund heit." Vielen danke!

In Cincinnati we have one of the top 4 biggest Oktoberfest outside of Germany. And we love our Braunschweiger

👍🙂❤ Hey Howdy! from Memphis, Tennessee. Thanks for sharing your videos with us. 👍🙂❤

Tornadoes usually don't give more than a few minutes warning. They move at speeds anywhere from 30 to 80 KPH. One of the really dangerous things about them is that their path is unpredictable. A tornado can touch down, move in one direction and then suddenly turn and go another way. Or lift up and touch down somewhere else with no warning.

I’m mean…I think our Fauxthethnic of Germans is still closer than what people think of us because at least the pretzel and chicken dance are German things even if we get it a little wrong (unlike pizza with hotdog on it) . Most people know Hitler wasn’t originally German. Sure the German cake thing is off but I feel like that is a little understandable because of the name and I have never ever heard of the Christmas pickle so that seems more like a niche thing for Americans with heavy German heritage over the typical American belief in the Christmas pickle story.

We just don't have many things to put mustard on, burgers, hot dogs, mix it around in vinegar and make a dressing, cold cut sandwiches, and ... pretzels. That's it for mustard

As the former dance leader of a German Folk Dance group in the US, we were always asked to do the Chicken Dance...we refused.

Remember that any outlook about Americans has to be a generalization. Imagine thinking Berlin defines all countries that even speak German. We have a wide range of outlooks .

Iv watched a good number of her videos now and i take everything she says with a whole pile of salt. She always talks about american misconceptions about Germany. Then she takes her personal experience with a small number of americans in one area and explains how that is the way all americans are. I spent a couple years working at The Old German Beer Hall, or the Milwaukee Hofbrauhaus. I never heard any of these things! They did have Obatzter cheese spread made with beer but it wasnt runny. It was a thick spread and it was amazing. At their holiday parties i was told to try it on rye bread with raw beef and onions. I am glad i did because it was amazing!

I think The Chicken dance was mostly introduced to Americans by Polka bands mostly doing it at Weddings and it became really popular for awhile. My grandma made German Chocolate cake but she did not make it as a layer cake and usually put walnuts in the frosting. I thought it was made with German cocoa. I have a pickle ornament but I didn't learn about it until the 1990s.

Das Internet ermöglicht unseren Kulturen den freien Zugang, unsere Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede zu erkunden. Vielfalt ist die große Kraft Amerikas. 💕

The Bounty candy bar is not available in the USA. We have almond joy & mounds, but not bounty.

Chris I Love ❤. Watching your videos. We do have a Large of German's here where I Live. Chris I Hope someday you will come to America 🇺🇸. I Love and Care about you My Friend. 😉👍❤️❤️❤️🇺🇸

A lot of confusion is that Germans came to America and basically started their own "German" culture. German-American culture is such a unique thing.

My German American family values being on time. If you aren't a few minutes early, you are almost late. Also my dad's family celebrated St. Nicholas Day (Dec 6) by putting their shoes outside of the bedroom door and St. Nicholas would come and put an orange in one of them during the night and maybe a small gift or some candy.

Don't anybody get your lederhosen in a bunch!

Fun fact: Berner Würstel also have nothing to do with the Swiss city of Bern, but are named after the Austrian chef Erich Berner senior who invented them.

We have a Pfefferneuse family recipe that is purported to be brought over from Germany. We always bake them for Christmas. When I was visiting Germany in 2008, our guide purchased a bag. They were ok, but awful in comparison to homemade. I was glad to find out that they are actually considered a Christmas cookie.

My Catholic Grandfather was 13 when he fled Fulda, Hesse in 1932 to settle here in Cincinnati, Ohio. Our city is one of the most German influenced cities in the world. In fact the Oktoberfest here in Cincinnati is the largest Oktoberfest outside of Bavaria in the world. The city is filled with a ton of German influence. From the architecture of German style houses and buildings to the countless German restaurants like Kreimers Bier Haus and Hofbrauhaus. We also have a German school here that still teaches German to all of the children. I am a member of the Cincinnati Donauschwaben German American cultural society. One of countless German American Cultural Societies here in Cincinnati. Every year these organizations have events for everyone and anyone to come celebrate our City's proud German Heritage. Some events include Schutzenfest, Oktoberfest, and Chriskindlmarkt. I hope in the future we can send you German American foods to try on your channel. Foods created by German immigrants like Goetta and also more traditional German foods like our world famous sausages such as "Queen City" Bratwursts and Mettwursts. Cincinnati itself could supply you with countless content opportunities! Auf Wiedersehen, mein Freund!

Your reaction to Wenn wir alle Englein wären,was the most german thing I've ever seen.

I lived in Germany until I was 12, as a USAF kid. We never lived on base though, and our landlords must have loved the Chicken Dance the wife’s accordion-playing father played it at their parties all the time lol

Because post WW2 the American sector of occupied Germany was mostly Bavaria, Americans assumed a lot of Bavarian culture was German culture. It would be like only living in Texas and thinking Texas culture was the same as all American culture.

A fond memory from my childhood is that , for parties and the like, we would regularly make a German potato salad. It is a hot dish made with sliced potatoes, onions, garlic, vinegar and bacon. Now I wonder if this is actually a German thing or not.

The Austrian painter was naturalized in on February 25th, 1932. So he was 43 years old then … for the most part of his life, he held a passport of Austria(-Hungary).

Both my great-great-grandfather (born in Prussia) and my great-grandfather (born in Texas) had the middle name Adolph. My grandpa was very happy that they stopped that tradition for his generation. He got his mother's maiden name, Davis, as his middle name. BTW, you should definitely try German Chocolate Cake. It's delicious. I'm hungry for a soft pretzel now.

Some people think that JEANS (denim pants) are German, but Levi Strauss, the inventor born in Germany, invented them here in the USA after becoming an American citizen.

In school the only thing we were taught about Germany was the holocaust...so it's a stigma...love u bruh....

One thing I wish you could get here in the States is CURRYWURST!!! And a side of fries & mayo!🤤🤤

I never had the illusion that the chicken dance was German, but I do love that Germans say Ohrwurm just as I say earworm. Beer cheese is great, though. German chocolate cake is one of the only chocolate cakes I like, regardless of how German it isn't; incidentally, the other is Black Forest cake, which I think actually DOES come aus dem Schwarzwald.

In the US the "chicken dance" is popular at wedding receptions, after the guests have had a few drinks.

Bounty is actually British and Canadian, introduced at the same time in 1951. The parent company, Mars, is American. Don't worry, a lot of Americans think that we English learned a foreign language just to be able to speak to them...mind you, how they mangle it we probably have 🤣🤣🤣

I would love to know if what we call “German fried potatoes” which are leftover boiled potatoes pan fried in a little bacon fat until they’re crispy, usually with some onion added, is actually German. My dad grew up with it and he loves it. It’s one of his favorite foods. Also, all the German restaurants where I’m from sell a “cucumber salad” that is cucumbers mixed with sour cream, garlic, and dill. It’s absolutely delicious, but I don’t know if it’s actually German.

I believe "Bounty" is a British candy bar that's the equivalent of the American "Mounds."

My German-American family has a wedding tradition which I have been given to believe arrived in America with my Uhrgrosseltern around the 1890s; If someone gets married when they are younger than one or more of their unmarried siblings, those unmarried siblings are obliged to dance in a hog trough at the reception as a way of ridiculing them. It's light-hearted fun but can be dangerous (depending on the dancer's level of intoxication). My German wife says that, if it is of German origin, it must be a very regional thing or else it disappeared with my ancestors and Das Volk doesn't want it back!

Can confirm... NO ONE was doing the Chicken Dance when I was in Munich for Oktoberfest. It would have been hilarious but NOPE! Btw...I loved this video from a German prospective.

There is a dish that is common in the Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska area with a few different names, krautburger, bierock, or runza. It is typically fried hamburger and cabbage with black pepper, and some times onion, that is baked inside a soft yeast roll. This is a German dish, but not from Germany. It comes from the Volga Germans, who were relocated to Russia during the time of Catherine the Great who was a German princes who was married off to Czar Peter of Russia. These Germans never assimilated with the Russians and many of them emegrated to the U.S. after the death of Catherine.

Americans do not think of the Chicken Dance as German. I do not even think of it as European, but the accordion was brought here from Europe. (Why does she not have an accent. Everyone I know from Germany still has an accent, even 30 years later). The German Chocolate Cake, is German chocolate used in it. We do not think of it as being from Germany. I suppose more recently people who do not know the history might be clueless. I suspect only 2% of Americans know about the pickle. I don’t have one. My kids bought glass gummy bear ornaments in Germany.

Watching you enjoy the funky chicken makes me happy. I think you should react to German music on RU-vid, if such exists. I watch a lot of folks react to American songs, but I think it'd be cool to learn about your favorite German songs.

As someone from central Texas, I DO often order my pretzels with beer cheese, though just as often I opt for whipped butter instead, ESPECIALLY if I manage to get to the bakery/deli I get them from shortly after they've been baked. A fresh, warm pretzel with good butter is heaven itself.

I have german-russian heritage and I love german chocolate cake...zero cares where it's from. We traditionally make it as a sheet cake at home here in Nebraska. We also make Runza's and have a fast food Runza restaurant in our state. The main connection is somewhat cultural as they are a Bierock.

As an American with German and Austrian heritage, I wouldn't say Americans believe nacho cheese or the Chicken dance are German staples. We also learn that Hitler was Austrian, but ended up being Füher of Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, you don't get to wash your hands of Germany's biggest villain just because he was born a couple kilometers over the border, Feli. It's pretty well understood that many food items and traditions are not necessarily authentic as many of the items are simply inspired by things German immigrants bring with them and have taken on American twists over generations.

The most German/American thing I can think of that goes on in Western Maryland and PA is to have sauerkraut on Thanksgiving.

I grew up with the Christmas pickle. But oddly, it didn't come from the German side of the family but the Oglala/Welsh side. When my grandniece broke the ornament, we found an ancient paper price tag jammed down inside from the North Platte Woolworth's. I'm inclined to believe the Woolworth's marketing gimmick origin story. (A glass lampworker friend of mine made us a new much hardier pickle ornament.)

I like to get pretzels with cinnamon sugar on them.

Pinkelwurst & Kale's German. My Grandfather said his Grandfather said, his Grandfather said, his Grandfather said his Grandfather said it was eaten to help make less meat feel like more. We (the Nirdlingers) came to this country @ 1820ish. [1 of the 7 founding families of Nordlingen(the town made of Diamonds)] I speak little

I've heard of Black Forest cake. A dark chocolate cake. Always wondered if it had something to do with the Black Forest in Germany. (I'm sure not)

I enjoyed watching this video. There are many videos about misconceptions Europeans have about America. It is nice to see a video highlighting American misconceptions about a European country. I wasn't even aware a lot of Americans think the "Chicken Dance" song is from Germany😂 As the saying goes ..."you learn something everyday".

my only issue with the video is that, while yes, I've done the chicken dance at Oktoberfest and I always order mustard with my pretzel, I never for a moment believed this was a true German tradition

Another perceived German cake in the US that is popular is the Black Forest Cherry cake. Whether it is found in Germany I don't know.

Even the Hofbräuhaus here in Cincinnati servers beer cheese sauce with the pretzels because we Americans expect it. 😂

German Chocolate Cakes are amazing. If you like caramel and coconut with your chocolate cake.

a german american thing here in pennsylvania is to have sauerkraut and sausage for new years.

She also did a video reacting to the Germans in Texas and how strange a texan german accent is. I'd be interested in seeing you react and how you thing it sounds as well lol. Or maybe her video showcasing German in movies and how some actors get it wrong.

Haha thats hilarious. I live near Disney World and Epcot has a Germany area in the World Showcase and they sell pickle ornaments during Christmas and Disney Springs also has a Christmas shop that also has those ornaments all year round 😂.

Her understanding of american culture is very regional. I would take what she says what we think with a grain of salt.

I'm happy to hear about the Christmas Pickle. My family is almost completely German heritage (emigrated during the mid 19th century migration) and when I first started hearing of the German Christmas Pickle I was puzzled because we certainly had never heard of such a thing. So the pickle wasn't a tradition in Germany as of the mid 19th century at least.. No idea where it came from. Enjoy your reactions and particularly reactions to Feli. Very fun.

I was in Erlangen Germany from 1978-81s and they played it all the time at beer and Strawberry Fests

You are so cool!! 😊❤ 🇬🇧 ❤

The whole deal there with Corporal Numbnuts is why we like only having American citizens eligible to vote and only having naturalized American citizens, people born in the USA, eligible to run for President. Our Constitution is a wonderful thing.

I was in Highschool around 1990 and I thought that my teacher, Frau Dowling, taught us that Brezeln mit Senf was a German thing! I wonder if it's regional.

One of my grandparents supposedly have German ancestry. I grew up having certain cuisine such as hot German potato salad and bratwurst with sauerkraut on special occasions while visiting when I was a child. I really don't know if these were family recipes handed down through generations or if they were adopted through American marketing.

Correction Chris, the Bounty coconut chocolate bar is a British/Canadian chocolate bar and is not an American chocolate bar.

Americans definitely think Oktoberfest is a carnival. Also we think Bounty is a brand of paper towels. The big-brand candy bars with coconut in them are called "Mounds" and "Almond Joy".

Bounty is UK version of the mounds bar in America

While I agree they are good dry, I do highly recommend eating it with a good quality mustard. My sister got me some imported from Dusseldorf that was phenomenal.

my ancestors are Bavarian the problem she has when saying he's not German is that he is a Hun as are Bavarians. I understand the sensitivity to it, but he wasn't the first socialist a-hole to lead a country, he won't be the last.

Fun fact, Stalin wasnt Russian either he was Georgian.

Its pretty commonly known here that Hitler wasn't born in Germany. Never have i associated chicken dance as being german. Dipping sauces were never seen as being "German" thing, its just dipping sauce like how many other foods have sauces. I've noticed from watching other recators that have reacted to her, that many of her videos have A LOT of "facts" that are largelyher own assumption, and are definitely NOT across the board.

The more you dig into the "Melting Pot" that is American culture. Immigrants from other countries will invent something here and then attribute it back to their ancestral land. St Patrick's day is big here but barely recognized in Ireland, Many Italian foods and traditions have nothing to do with Italy, Mexican foods etc etc etc. Just like we do with our heritage. Your family may have been here for generations but you'll still be regarded as French, German, Italian, Scottish etc if that is where most of your family was from. This usually gets a funny response when you visit those countries and the locals are wondering why the American is claiming to be Irish etc.

Ive never heard of most of these. I thought the chicken damce was an American song made to sound vaguely European. I didn't even know pretzels were German when i was younger, and i already knew about Hitler. Everything else on the list I've never ever heard of.

Omg this is the content i drool for from you in my mind. Again great grandma was from nekarhousen ? I cant spell I apologize.

Great video! I had to pleasure of telling my 79 year old father that his favorite cake was not actually German, lol.

I tend to think that a lack of a good sense of humor is German. A lot of American comedians seem to make jokes about this perceived fact.

I’d love it if you and Felicia got to do a video together - maybe when she’s next visiting home?

My mom loved Braunschweiger. It was very popular in Baltimore, where we grew up, along with sour kraut. The tradition in Baltimore is to have sour kraut at your Thanksgiving table.

I thought the chicken dance was Polish...lol...we do it at every wedding! 😂

Woahh 1. Never considered the ‘Chicken Dance’ as German. Thought it was just annoying, honestly 2. I (falsely) assumed vinegary spicy mustard on top of soft pretzels to be German, but not cheese for some reason. I’m not from the Midwest, though 3. I have seen glass pickle ornaments before, but never thought much of them. They make ornaments to look like anything and everything 4. I think most Americans know Hitler was Austrian? That’s what I was taught

No the Chicken Dance is not famous in Germany. In the 80s people danced the Entendanz all over Europe . Nobody dance it now