Notes from Germany
I am an American expat living in Germany. It's a far away land on the other side of the ocean. It's interesting and often weird here. If you read this and want to comment then email me at blog(the at symbol)chillmost.com. If you find any spelling or grammar mistakes, you can keep them.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Bierdeckel Blues!
In the past 2 weeks, I can specifically recall 3 instances when I ordered a beer and didn't get a beer mat under my glass when it came to the table. I thought it was strange because, although it is not a travesty to go without a beer mat, it's considered "good form" for the wait staff to set one under the glass when bringing you your beer.
I wonder if it has anything to do with this...
But now the economic crisis is threatening the beer mat -- and unnerving its fans. The world's biggest beer mat company, Katz Group, has declared itself bankrupt. Tucked away in Weisenbach in the south-west of Germany, Katz Group, which was founded as a sawmill in 1716, had been in the beer mat business since 1903. Katz International Coasters controlled around two-thirds of the European market and 97 percent of the US market.
More at Der Spiegel.
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