In Germany We Don't Say

August 24, 2023 1:23 PM

Liam Carps makes Youtube Shorts about living in Germany.
posted by backseatpilot (17 comments total)

I've enjoyed some of Liam's videos.

I've also greatly enjoyed Jordan Prince's videos on the same subject.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 1:38 PM on August 24, 2023 [5 favorites]

The Hoff phone screen was gold. Panning down to socks in sandals would have been priceless.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:39 PM on August 24, 2023 [1 favorite]

I think this is the proper link. You've just linked to a single video. All the shorts under that one are different people.
posted by dobbs at 3:06 PM on August 24, 2023 [2 favorites]

OMFG the "hello" thing. One of my best friends is German, and so is his wife. We used to be next door neighbors. So one day I was walking home and she was walking the opposite direction on the other side of the street, and apparently she said hello to me, and I didn't hear her, and so didn't respond. And she was extremely upset about it, but never told me! And then just generally gave me the cold shoulder. I was extremely confused when he explained what had happened.
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:29 PM on August 24, 2023 [2 favorites]

That kids book they mention was also printed in English. My Dad had that book when he was a kid (We are talking like 80 years ago. I have the book now). Yes, they cut off a kids fingers, and several other horrible things in the various 'life lessons' stories. The disturbing thing is that German book looks new, like it was recently printed .
posted by eye of newt at 5:04 PM on August 24, 2023 [2 favorites]

eye of newt - *I* had a book with the Struwwelpeter story in it when I was a kid, in English! I am definitely younger than your dad. That's one of those things that you just don't ever forget (shiver.)
posted by 41swans at 6:39 PM on August 24, 2023 [3 favorites]

I had a roommate who was from Norway who was kinda similar to this guy.

He was extremely punctual.

He orienteered competitively, and really liked maps.

He trained on a very strict schedule.

He used a scale to measure out a whole number of box-recommended servings of dry pasta before cooking it.

He offered to help prepare for a party by washing all the doorknobs.

As a child, he once turned down an offer of chocolate, because he had already had some chocolate that day.

That last story I know because his family (also Norwegian) told it at his wedding, so I gather they found it notable and consider it idiosyncratic to him rather than being typically Norwegian.

posted by aubilenon at 7:24 PM on August 24, 2023 [4 favorites]

Today I learned that Mark Twain wrote a rather free translation of Struwwelpeter.
posted by larrybob at 10:11 PM on August 24, 2023

The disturbing thing is that German book looks new, like it was recently printed .

You can buy the book new on Amazon as I write these lines. And I'm confident that I could walk down to the local book store and pick up a copy. (But I probably have my own copy still around here somewhere. Yes, I live in Germany.)
posted by _Lasar at 3:41 AM on August 25, 2023

The whole non-German moved to Germany and is flabbergasted is quite a genre, especially on Tiktok. Uyen Ninh (YT) even made it onto German television with her videos.
posted by dominik at 4:41 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

So it turns out that maybe I'm German?
posted by uncleozzy at 4:43 AM on August 25, 2023

> He offered to help prepare for a party by washing all the doorknobs.

This is my favourite thing today
posted by Probabilitics at 5:49 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

schport!
posted by PussKillian at 6:21 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

The guy is such an expatriate that there is a German Wikipedia article on him but not an English one .
posted by larrybob at 9:32 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Some month ago I vocalised (yes with words) the wish for my social media feed to be less us centric and more Europe centric (as I am and live in Europe)
Without fail the phone listened and now my social media is all expats to Germany and French people cooking. I like it

Liam is a good egg
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 10:06 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Before I looked up who Liam Carps was, I was convinced that this would be about the guy who made this pretty much perfect video about the different ways that Irish and German folks make, and respond to, an offer of a slice of cake.

It's clearly not. But this video is still worth watching, and I don't say that lightly.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:24 PM on August 26, 2023 [3 favorites]

I had a hunch this was the guy Instagram has been putting in my algorithm and sure enough it is. He is pretty funny, gotta admit.
posted by maggiemaggie at 6:56 PM on August 26, 2023 [1 favorite]