For the last four years I have produced the travel TV show “Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations”, ran around the world, ate some funky things and ended up moving from New York City to Berlin, Germany….. I’m a TV Producer, Camera woman, Travel Journalist and now humble foreigner in a new city!
October 26, 2008
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Thirsty
Sometimes, though I try, translating directly from English to German doesn’t work. For example, last night I am standing in a great wine bar, just a stone throw from my house. After a few glasses of wine, I realize…gosh I’m thirsty. My tongue at this point looks like I licked a purple crayola marker and my precious saliva left 45 minutes ago. Since Germans living in Berlin have decided to RECOGNIZE European non smoking laws, but COMPLETELY ignore them, I am standing in a cloud of smoke underneath a no smoking sign. I feel like a dried prune. MUST HAVE WATER. I turn to the bartender and gently ask for a glass of wine to please be accompanied by a tall order of good old H20. Apparently this is like telling the milkman that would also like to order a sausage. After cries of outrage and hand gestures are thrown at me, he has the audacity to ask me WHY I want such a thing. Completely stressed out by the situation I realize I can’t even remember how to say that I am thirsty. It all seemed so simple.
So out comes my translation:
“Because I want to be wet…on my tongue. Isn’t that clear?”
This statement is then followed by 2 hours of fending off drunken men who would like me to translate other common American phrases.
