Xenophobe's Guide to the Austrians

Xenophobe's Guide to the Austrians PDF Author: Louis James
Publisher: Xenophobe's Guide
ISBN: 9781906042219
Category : Austria
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A guide to understanding the Austrians that delves into the cultural curiosities and peculiar characteristics of this land-locked nation"""""The Austrian needs lots of persuading to have his traditions tampered with in the name of modernization and efficiency. He is attached to his sausage, his insipid beer, and the young white wine that tastes so remarkably like iron filings. He prefers the familiar, tried, and tested to the novelty, the latter almost certainly being an attempt by persons unknown to make money at his expense.""""""""Home life for the Austrians is a never-ending quest for Gemutlichkeit or coziness, which is achieved by accumulating objects that run the gamut from the pleasingly aesthetic to the mind-blowingly kitsch.""""""""In Austria detonating pretension is a national pastime. It has to do with attitudes to power that date back to an absolutist form of government and with the self-irony developed by people who were (or thought they were) more talented than the authority to which they had to defer.""""""""The paradoxical character of the Austrian mingles profoundly conservative attitudes with a flair for innovation and invention. This creative tension usually takes the form of official obstructionism to good ideas, but sometimes the other way round. For example, the population were outraged by Josef II's attempt to make them adopt reusable coffins with flaps on the underside for dropping out the corpses. (The Emperor was forced to retreat, grumbling as he did so about the people's wasteful attitude.)""""

Xenophobe's Guide to the Austrians

Xenophobe's Guide to the Austrians PDF Author: Louis James
Publisher: Xenophobe's Guide
ISBN: 9781906042219
Category : Austria
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
A guide to understanding the Austrians that delves into the cultural curiosities and peculiar characteristics of this land-locked nation"""""The Austrian needs lots of persuading to have his traditions tampered with in the name of modernization and efficiency. He is attached to his sausage, his insipid beer, and the young white wine that tastes so remarkably like iron filings. He prefers the familiar, tried, and tested to the novelty, the latter almost certainly being an attempt by persons unknown to make money at his expense.""""""""Home life for the Austrians is a never-ending quest for Gemutlichkeit or coziness, which is achieved by accumulating objects that run the gamut from the pleasingly aesthetic to the mind-blowingly kitsch.""""""""In Austria detonating pretension is a national pastime. It has to do with attitudes to power that date back to an absolutist form of government and with the self-irony developed by people who were (or thought they were) more talented than the authority to which they had to defer.""""""""The paradoxical character of the Austrian mingles profoundly conservative attitudes with a flair for innovation and invention. This creative tension usually takes the form of official obstructionism to good ideas, but sometimes the other way round. For example, the population were outraged by Josef II's attempt to make them adopt reusable coffins with flaps on the underside for dropping out the corpses. (The Emperor was forced to retreat, grumbling as he did so about the people's wasteful attitude.)""""

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Danes

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Danes PDF Author: Helen Dyrbye
Publisher: Oval Projects
ISBN: 190812024X
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 89

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Book Description
A guide to understanding the Danes that highlights their character and behaviour with warmth and wit.

Xenophobe's Guide to the Germans

Xenophobe's Guide to the Germans PDF Author: Stefan Zeidenitz
Publisher: Xenophobe's Guides
ISBN: 9781906042332
Category : Germans
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Highlights the unique character and behavior of the nation. Frank, irreverent, funny--almost guaranteed to cure Xenophobia.

Vienna

Vienna PDF Author: Nicholas Parsons
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780199704545
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
From border garrison of the Roman Empire to magnificent Baroque seat of the Hapsburgs, Vienna's fortunes swung between survival and expansion. By the late nineteenth century it had become the western capital of the sprawling Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, but the twentieth century saw it degraded to a 'hydrocephalus' cut off from its former economic hinterland. After the inglorious Nazi interlude, Vienna began the long climb back to the prosperous and cultivated city of 1.7 million inhabitants that it is today. Subjected to constant infusions of new, Vienna has both assimilated and resisted cultural influences from outside, creating its own sui generis culture.

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Finns

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Finns PDF Author: Tarja Moles
Publisher: Oval Projects
ISBN: 1908120363
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 92

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Book Description
A guide to understanding the Finns that explores their national characteristics with humour and style.

Xenophobe's Guide to the Japanese

Xenophobe's Guide to the Japanese PDF Author: Sahoko Kaji
Publisher: Oval Projects Ltd
ISBN: 9781906042400
Category : National characteristics, Japanese
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"The quintessence of unspoken mutual understanding is to be found in the word yoroshiku: 'You have understood what I want you to do. I have understood that you have understood what I want you to do. Therefore I leave it up to you to finish the task and I expect it to be done in the way I want it to be done. And I thank you for understanding me and agreeing to take the trouble to do the task.' All this in four syllables." "For all the apparent worship of the way of the warrior, being yasashii, which means being gentle, tender, caring, yielding and considerate, is very important in Japan. Asked what a Japanese values most in a potential spouse, both sexes tend to put being being yasashii at the top of their list of desirable virtues. The concept is even applied to the inanimate. For instance, a car or shampoo can be yasashii to you, to the eye, and to the environment."

Xenophobe's Guide to the Aussies

Xenophobe's Guide to the Aussies PDF Author: Ken Hunt
Publisher: Xenophobe's Guides
ISBN: 9781906042202
Category : Australia
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Appearances are deceptive Never make the error of underestimating the Aussies. They love to portray a casual disregard for everything around them, but no-one accidentally achieves a lifestyle as relaxed as theirs. Logic down under Aussies will twist any statistics to their own ends. One statistic doing the rounds was that 40% of drivers in accidents had been drinking. Since this left 60% of drivers who hadn't had a drop, but who still had accidents, it must obviously be safer to drink and drive. Let's talk "strine" The Aussies are not subtle and neither is their language. They will say what they mean. The problem is that the words they use don't always mean what they say. For example: bluey--someone who has red hair; you're orright--you are absolutely super; itsa bit warm-- it is probably 120F in the water bag (water bags are always hung in the shade); that'd be right--I don't believe it either. Out in the outback Nature is the biggest single influence on the Aussie attitude. And a very harsh and unforgiving influence it is. Reality, totally uncontrollable, is never far outside the suburban limits.

Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss

Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss PDF Author: Paul Bilton
Publisher: Xenophobe's Guide
ISBN: 9781906042509
Category : National characteristics, Swiss
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Highlights the unique character and behavior of the nation. Frank, irreverent, funny--almost guaranteed to cure Xenophobia.

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Italians

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Italians PDF Author: Martin Solly
Publisher: Oval Projects
ISBN: 1908120606
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 79

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Book Description
A guide to understanding the Italians which reveals their cultural curiosities and defining characteristics.

Xenophobe's Guide to the Belgians

Xenophobe's Guide to the Belgians PDF Author: Antony Mason
Publisher: Oval Projects Ltd
ISBN: 9781906042226
Category : Belgians
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Belgians like above all to be practical, solid. They stand square and conduct conversation from the base of the neck. Courteous behaviour is expected: it is the natural product of right-mindedness. It is also practical: that is how you get on in the world. Belgians would be very happy indeed if all the world knew them to be good-natured, tolerant, individualistic, self-assertive, modest, moderate, and the embodiment of European ideals. This is a long-term project. Meanwhile being placed somewhere on the map of Europe will do.