Central Texas Germans

[moongirlk]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., John Walton <john at w...> wrote:
> Now, all we need to do to get the vegetarians really retching is 
talk about
> black pudding -- yum!
> 
> --John

John, sweetie, it's not just the vegetarians who'll be retching!  

While I'm posting, the thread about central TX German festivals 
prompts me to compare them a little to central Missouri German 
festivals.  Quite a few German immigrants settled the banks of the 
Missouri river, supposedly because it reminded them of the Rhine 
valley.  They, however, mostly came from an immigrant group that 
initially settled in Pennsylvania, and are probably further removed 
from Germany by now than their Texan counterparts.  Still, there are 
towns with German names (including Rhineland, which was all but wiped 
out in the flood of '93) that retain a degree of German culture (not 
to mention some nice little wineries) all along that area.  I was 
reminded of them when I visited New Braunfels back in my college days 
in TX.  There are "German" festivals in this area as well, and I have 
to say that in part I agree with Dinah that they are a bit cliché, 
but some of that is an economic issue (which I'll get into in a 
minute), and despite the look of it, the people running them do still 
feel the tie to Germany, even if Germany wouldn't claim them.  

I did a research project in grad school about language and culture 
retention in immigrant enclaves in Missouri, and while the Italian-
inhabited Hill area of St. Louis has many more people who still speak 
Italian (and has an Italian-language newspaper, *many* Italian 
restaurants and bakeries, import shops, etc.) than the more rural 
German enclaves like Hermann, the adult generations in the Hermann 
area do still see themselves as being German in heritage/culture, and 
many do still speak the language.  

The problem with the festivals is that they are meant to generate 
money, and therefore are geared to appeal to outsiders.  Hermann's 
not exactly in the middle of a bustling thoroughfare, people have to 
decide to go there, so their festivals are all about the wineries, 
beer and brats and the most obvious bits of what is considered German 
culture by meltingpot midwestern USAmericans.  It may seem crass to a 
true German, but it's what brings in a good chunk of their livelihood 
each year.

I'm not sure what that adds to the discussion, but I thought I'd toss 
out that the festivals don't necessarily (at least in this case) 
reflect the true level of German culture that is present in the 
community.

kimberly
trying hard to distract herself from the thought of black pudding