Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

For good or for ill, Germany has reputation for steely seriousness, but if we’ve learned anything living here for as long as we have, it’s that reputation means nothing. Honestly, how serious can any country be if they don’t even make escaping from prison illegal? Luckily, Simon’s on hand to explain why jailbreaks are only human. A few weeks ago we learned of attempts to bring Volksdöner back to Germany in the form of a €3.99 kebap, but apparently some didn’t get the memo. A “24 carat gold “Dubai Döner” has gone on sale, much to our disgust. We discuss why putting gold in food is a terrible idea, and wonder if kebaps are bigger and better if you eat in rather than takeaway. Finally, we bring proceedings to a close by finding out Germany’s safest cities, and which are your hosts favourite cities in Germany. A few weeks ago we learned of attempts to bring a truly Volksdöner back to Germany in the form of a €3.99 kebap, but apparently some didn’t get the memo. A “24 carat gold “Dubai Döner” has gone on sale, much to our disgust. We discuss why putting gold in food is a terrible idea, and wonder if kebaps are bigger and better if you eat in rather than takeaway. Finally, we bring proceedings to a close by finding out Germany’s safest cities, and which are your hosts favourite cities in Germany.

It might feel like stating the obvious, but it’s been fairly warm this week in Germany, which means a little more of the weird and wonderful than usual. In this case, the wonderful came in the form of a Dorffest, and the weird was large amounts of Greek condiments on offer, much to Simon’s annoyance. The primo weather wasn’t just great for dorffests, it was also Christopher Street Day. With pride events happening across the country, it seemed an odd time for Bundestag President Julia Klöckner to decide not to allow a Rainbow flag to fly atop the Reichstag. Was the decision all about political neutrality as Klöckner claims or for other more performative reasons? We finish off proceedings with some tattoos, not on us, but on the Bayern Munich team mates of English footballer Georgia Stanway who volunteered themselves to be the canvas for Stanway before she heads off to Euro 2025 in Switzerland. We talk about tattoo choices, and the kick-off of a summer of football. Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß [https://fortypercentgerman.squarespace.com/decades-from-home/2024/12/5/Klo%C3%9F%20mit%20So%C3%9F]

This is usually a podcast about Germany, but after a trip to Strasbourg, Nic’s a hare’s breadth from trying to turn this podcast all French with his general love of one of Europe’s most delightful destinations. Was it the architecture, the boulangeries, or the sexy gargoyles? Whatever it was, we find out. While Nic was out of town, Simon found himself enjoying more German pursuits, or at least more German TV in the form of the Rosins Restaurants, a Kitchen Nightmares inspired look at some of the more terrible places to eat across the country. We finish things off with some flora and fauna, well, more fauna as a story about moose hiding in the forests of New Zealand leads us to wonder whether Germany has any hidden beasts lurking out there. Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß [https://fortypercentgerman.squarespace.com/decades-from-home/2024/12/5/Klo%C3%9F%20mit%20So%C3%9F]

Known for his formidable producing powers, the aptly named Producer Simon is also something of a travel expert, or at least he’s gone on holiday a lot recently. It does mean he has some interesting stories to tell though, especially what it was like travelling through Europe in an electric car. We can’t all save the world like Producer Simon, but we can answer listener questions, or at least Nic & Simon can at least. Last week it was “Mahlzeit” this week it’s “Feierabend” as we try to explain one of the best words in the German language. To finish things off, we discuss why berets and the Bundestag don’t mix well, and ponder whether “ACAB” or “Eat the Rich” are serious statements to make in the seat of German government. Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß [https://fortypercentgerman.squarespace.com/decades-from-home/2024/12/5/Klo%C3%9F%20mit%20So%C3%9F]

In order to ensure our darling Producer Simon made it on his holiday, we recorded a number of episodes back to back, but we may have forgottten when they needed to be released…perhaps this is why we begin this week by celebrating co-host Simon’s beloved Spurs winning the Europa League a month ago…how can we complain though, Simon is so bloody happy, and isn’t that worth an opening segment? Moving on from football success and surprise German spurs fans, Nic and Simon tackle a listener question on the topic of the tricky German word “Mahlzeit!”, which is frequently uttered in the corridors of companies across the country as lunchtime approaches. We discuss the right way to celebrate mealtimes in Germany, as well as regional ways to say hello. Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß [https://fortypercentgerman.squarespace.com/decades-from-home/2024/12/5/Klo%C3%9F%20mit%20So%C3%9F]