Märican Biere Bought and Drunk...

Maybe not cyclical so much, but at my age I can look back and say, "Oh yeah, now I understand what all of my peers were talking about." Trust me from my vantage point -- the day will come for you.

 

Thing is Steve, it happens whether you believe in it or not.

 

That has absolutely nothing to do with what I said, though. What I said is that I think due to the historical circumstances under which parts of my generation have grown up has made them more accustomed to rapidly changing landscapes. Particularly economic, educational and socio-political landscapes. A circumstance that has simply not been the case during the times when my parents grew up. Getting a basic education and some training was sufficient for making a good living - this is not the case anymore, you need to be able to adapt to changing circumstances and expand your education on regular basis if you want to keep up. This obviously doesn't apply to jobs that always required these traits, such as highly academic or organizational jobs in highly competetive business settings.

Little example: A lot of people of my parent's generation (that are non-academic and not from a higher socio-economic background) still believe the myth that Eurozone has "destroyed" the German economy and that everything has been better before, that immigration is bad for the economy or that "foreigners" are trying to take our jobs/benefits/take over the country. Let alone comprehend the principles and consequences of a comprehensive transnational and globalized economy.
Or how about another example I already mentioned? The economic adaptation of Eastern Germany that took decades and is still ongoing to this day.

I'm also not entirely clear on "what all of my peers were talking about" is supposed to mean. And I'm sorry, I don't trust ANYONE giving me predictions on my how life will be like in the future if they have no solid basis for such claims. "It happened to me, it's gonna happen to you!" (whatever that may mean) is not a universally valid claim and one that many a myopic views have been based upon. (unless it really is something "relatively obvious" that happens to most everyone without exception - but again, that would be irrelevant within the context of my statement)

Same thing goes for this. What specifically are we talking about? What is the basis of that statement? Where's the proof?

 

The beauty of youth is that one always believes that his/her generation is "different" and "exceptional", in some way better than the generation that came before. We've all though that...

But I think, perhaps, that you fail to give your parents' generation their fair due. They grew up in a world with typewriters, telephones and researching at a library using a card catalog. And they have adapted to a world with computers, the internet and video chats. I can assure you, watching my (somewhat older) parents, this is no small feat. It is an environmental upheaval of seismic proportions.

That your generation understands these facets of life implicitly leads to the belief that your generation is more flexible and adaptable. To be honest, nearly every generation thinks that as well. The only constant in the world is that the world constantly changes. Because of this constant upheaval, every generation is and has been flexible and adaptable in its own way in order to accommodate these (unexpected) changes.

Either way, I'm enjoying these discussions immensely. Much better than working. In the spirit of adaptation, I think I'll drink a homebrew... when I finally get home.

 

But that's not so very different from Heidelberg, right?

 

My point is that you will understand it in years to come. You'll remember something that was told to you or you heard all the time that you scoffed at or sniggered, and in the future you'll understand what was being said and you'll understand the people who said it.

Yes, it's a difficult concept at this point in life, but trust me -- you'll experience it, and that's what Einhorn was saying.

How about if I tell you I had a very similar outlook when I was 22? It's called experience. And we're not predicting how your life will turn out, just that one day you'll look back and understand a lot more about this time. We often say, "If I only knew then what I know now."

 

"The Grand Re-Adjustment is beginning..." Matt, I hesitate to bring up this word since some BAs 'react' to it but here we go: trading.

For the case of Schlenkerla beer you don't need to trade if you are anti-trading. What you can do is simply ask your brother to buy some Schlenkerla (maybe stop off at Pinocchio's) and jut mail them to you. Not drastically different from mail-order?

Good luck with your 're-adustment'.

Cheers!

P.S. Just keep remembering that America is the land of opportunity!
One more word for you: homebrewing.

 

...except that it's illegal.

 

All this life history discussion reminds me of a joke:

A young person who went away to college comes back and makes the observation that he could not believe how much smarter his parents have gotten over the past 4 years.

Cheers!

 

So is non-commerically brewing over 200 gallons of beer per year.

Ah, America is the land of opportunity!

 

I don't brew that much. Do you?

 

Again, I'm not saying my generation is "exceptional" - not by a long shot. I'm just saying due to the circumstances (at least some) of us are relatively good at adaption to rapid change.

I'm not saying that previous generation didn't have to adapt to change, I'm saying it may come easier to those who are accustomed to it. (again, this also applies to academic professions like doctors, teachers and the likes)
I already gave some pretty specific examples of what I was getting at.

Again, I'm not putting forward a notion of "exceptionalism" or generalized "these old geezers". I'm simply saying due to having grown up (i.e. having had our most crucial phases of brain development) in times of rapid change. (and computers have brought rapid change, as technological advances are now mostly exponential) that some of us may have an easier time adapting to said rapid change or change on a bigger scale. Again, I gave examples of this (in form of getting accustomed to economic changes and globalization).

Haha, don't let your boss read that!

Probably and probably not, it depends on the statement and the nature of the statement. Some things transcend time, others are products of their respective Zeitgeist. My stepfather always said we wouldn't need those "tomfooleries" like internet, they did without "back in his day" - turns out a few years later school would pretty much require the internet. Similarly, I've been told I shouldn't even attempt higher education and just start training in a trade or a craft. Both things I never had any skill for. I'm admittedly also not a big fan of the flair of condescending smugness with which some of these half-philsophical things are uttered by some people - which is why I think there needs to be differentiation. And this may be specific to our culture here but some of that stuff also seems overly pessimistic, something I do not think we need to pass on.

On the other hand, one of my headmasters once mentioned any non-civil conversation is not worth having and that you don't have to have a conversation at the exact time it comes up. Both of these have been true for me. So I'm already somewhat familiar with that concept. Similarly I've seen the value of what my teachers were talking about when it comes to the comprehensive and challenging higher education me and my former course mates have received. Oh, and the importance of math - god I should've known THAT sooner!

In some respects: probably. In other respects: Probably not. I'm very much into being an autodidact and learning from history and other people's mistakes so I don't have to repeat them - or just good old trial and error in which case everything's dandy if I've learned something from it.

Also, since somebody has mentioned Heidelberg. Does anybody have any recomnmendations for pubs, taverns or anything there to visit? It's relatively nearby but I'm not too familiar with what they've got in store, I only remember I once tried some fresh beer in a restaurant during a CCC meeting that was amazing.

 

Fair enough, I probably got you wrong earlier then.
I just know there are a lot of young people (also in my age, being ten years older than you) from "West Germany" who still foster prejudices against people from "East Germany" without knowing anything about it or them.

 

Leaving aside the rest of the discussion, this is actually an area about which I know something... You won't find anything too exotic in Heidelberg. There are two brewpubs: Vetters and Kulturbrauerei. Both can be slightly touristy on the wrong night (but that really covers all of Heidelberg Altstadt). Kulturbrauerei is larger, and a bit more formal feeling. The food is actually pretty good, though on the expensive side. Vetters is more low-key. You can sit and just eat warm pretzels and drink beer. The other food is decent as well. Both make pretty good beer, depending on what you get. They both make a seasonal offering as well. Vetters makes a very strong (13ish%) beer that is its calling card. It's worth trying, once. Some people like it, but I've always thought it was too "hot". Having said that, Vetters is my favorite of the two, just for the atmosphere. If I can steal a night out from the family, that is generally where I go.

As for other bars in town, there isn't much to distinguish them, beer-wise, since they are all tied to a brewery. Interesting non-local brewery pubs are few and far between. Löwenbrau has a pub on the Hauptstraße not far from the Uni-platz that has an excellent selection of their beers (including their doppelbock, which I quite like). And there is a cafe that serves Andechser on the Haupstraße as well, right next to the Psychologisches Institut. I don't like many Pils, but Andechser is one that I quite enjoy. For local beers, I'm partial to Dachsenfranzer - at the Dorfschenke across the river in Neuenheim. For general atmosphere, I like Gilbert's in Handschuhsheim (they also have Jever on tap, which many people on here quite like). That is about all I can remember off the top of my head. Sadly, given my lack of nightlife opportunities... I'm much more informed about the local Getränkemarkts. But if you have specific questions, I'm glad to help.

 

" ....and in PA you have to buy it by the case ..." That is not entirely true. You do need to purchase by the case if you buy from a beer distributor but in Southeastern PA there are other retailers (with differing licenses) which sell by the single bottle or 4/6 packs. I would be willing to bet your brother could buy single bottles of Schlenkerla Marzen at Pinocchio's for example. I have purchased Schlenkerla bottles at Whole Foods - Devon, PA. As regards the price, I paid $3.99 for my bottle at Whole Foods which I agree is not cheap.

Cheers!

 

Dang. SC's Whole Foods is more expensive than Philly. I pay $4.99.