WHEN I saw German Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Michael Hasper at the launch of Oktoberfest in Sofitel, Bruno, the movie, immediately came to my mind.
I do not think that Hasper, someone whom I have very high respect, can be as flamboyant and loud as Bruno, the movie character like in this episode of The Late Show with David Letterman—https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-jGFPJFokQ.
Still, check out what they are wearing and see the similarities. Except for the lack of traditional alpine hat and the exaggerated cut of Bruno’s clothes and its color, the two are practically wearing the same attire.
From the traditional Bavarian trachten shirt, lederhosen, knee socks and haferlschuh, Hasper, along with officials from the German Club and some of the officials of Sofitel, were wearing the same clothes as Bruno.
For those unfamiliar, trachten shirt is a plain or checkered polo, while a lederhosen is a breech made of leather that are mostly knee length and usually worn with suspenders. On the other hand, a haferlschuh is a pair of leather shoes that were initially worn for the alpine terrain.
I have forgotten most of what I learned in my history classes, but I believe Germany and Austria have a long history together and share a lot of similarities in their culture and way of life.
When I spoke with Hasper at the sidelines of the Oktoberfest launch, he told me in a very humble way that the event serves as a way to further strengthen German-Philippine relations.
He said it is about bringing people closer together by partying with Germans in a very German way.
Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Germany only dates back 60 years ago, but Hasper has nothing but praises for the country and our national hero Jose Rizal, whom for a time lived in Germany.
Hasper specifically talked about how Rizal, from what he has seen, had the ability to write in the native German language without any mistake. He said Filipinos today can also easily learn their language, as well. It will be an advantage especially now that they are opening up their doors to registered nurses from our country.
Hasper said Filipino nurses are the best in the world and they would love for them to work in their hospitals or take care of their elderly citizens. Now that is really good news for the thousands of unemployed and underemployed nurses in the country.
Anyway, with Rizal spending time in Germany in 1886 and diplomatic relations between the two countries starting in 1954, would you guys believe that Oktoberfest first started happening in the Philippines back in 1938?
As German Club Membership Committee Director Michael Scheile, who is better known as Mr. Oktoberfest, said Filipinos and Germans first started partying before becoming serious in their relationship.
And partying is what everyone will do on October 7 and 8 at Sofitel, when, for the eighth year, they will host the biggest Oktoberfest celebration in the country. They are even bringing in a 12-man band from Munich to provide the music during the celebration.
Now Oktoberfest will not be complete without the beer and this year, Sofitel is expecting more than 7,500 liters of it will be consumed by at least 3,300 guests.
If you are keeping count, that is at least 2 liters of beer per person. If you cannot visualize it, think 1.5 liters and another 500 milliliter bottle of soft drinks. If you were a car, those 2 liters would translate to at least 18 kilometers of road on the odometer.
Now, I am not really a drinking person. I hardly drink. But I definitely will go to Sofitel and celebrate Oktoberfest because of the food that will be served and the people I can meet.
You see, guests over the two-day celebration are expected to easily consume at least 1,300 kilos of sausages and that would include the Ring Bratwurst, Cheese Sausage, Cervelat Sausages, Münchner Weisswurst, Münchner Bratwurst and Hungarian Sausage.
I really do not know what some of those sausages are, but pronouncing them alone, they already sound so sexy and yummy.
Oh, and get this: Aside from sausages, there will be more than 500 kilos of pork knuckles that will be served. Think of it as the German version of our very own crispy pata. There will also be 700 kilos of chicken cooked in various ways and 600 kilos of sauerkraut made available.
Now that is a great recipe for a perfect party evening—beer, succulent food and fun live music. From what Scheile said, what happens in Oktoberfest stays in Oktoberfest. But here is a hint. Do expect people dancing all night, even on top of the dining tables.
And for the guys out there, before I forget, please do know that there are also hints in the way women will be dressed on those two nights.
When a knot is tied on the woman’s left side, it indicates that she is single. When a knot is tied on the right, it means that she is taken, either married or engaged. When a knot is tied in the front this means that she is a virgin. When a knot is tied at the back this shows that the woman is widowed.
I do not know how accurate the data is, but people are saying that male-female ratio these days is something like 1:10. Now translate that to how many women will be present during the event and see the possibilities.
Nah. What I do know, and it is not just a possibility, is that everyone will be walking out of Sofitel those two nights with adrenalin still high and remembering them as some of the best times they had in their life.
I believe that we, beer drinkers or not, should all be thanking Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig, later known as King Ludwig I of Bavaria, for starting the first Oktoberfest on October 12, 1810.
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Image credits: Rodel Alzona