Kapitel 1: "How German is American?"

I was not surprised to read that many German traditions have been adapted by Americans. One example is Oktoberfest. Like the Irish holiday of St. Patrick's Day, Americans have embraced Oktoberfest - at least for the entertainment purposes. Like St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo, Oktoberfest in America is more of a social event than cultural or religious. In immigrants' attempts to assimilate, much of their German identity has been muted. What emerges from these re-interpretations of German culture can often seem cliché, and like a caricature of German.

The article argues that German identity has disappeared from mainstream American culture, but this isn't 100% accurate. I don't think that German culture has disappeared from American culture; rather, German culture can be found under the surface of mainstream American culture. I think that there are many traces of German in American culture. One aspect of German culture that still exists in American culture is German-Jewish culture.

I have found traces of German culture in my grandparents' lives. They were born and raised in the U.S but their parents were German immigrants. My grandparents both grew up in Yiddish-speaking household and Yiddish became a part of their daily vernacular. My grandparents spoke a mixture of Yiddish and English when speaking to my brothers and I. If we looked confused, my grandparents would ask, "verstetsch?"