What happens when you're invited to dinner in Germany? From punctuality to pasta – Clare Trelawny-Gower’s wry take on a very German tradition.
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00:00Today, we're going to an average German dinner party.
00:05What do they cook for their guests?
00:07Are the guests as punctual as they seem?
00:10And are they honest if they don't like the food?
00:13We're visiting Michel Muller, an average German, to find out.
00:19More than 65% of Germans say that they like to invite friends over for dinner, and nearly
00:23half of them do it at least once a month.
00:28It's been four weeks since his last dinner party, so as an average German, tonight's
00:32the night for the next one.
00:40And luckily, like the majority of Germans, Michel likes to cook.
00:45Tonight, he's cooking the country's most popular dish, pasta.
00:55Well, that's one way to taste your pasta sauce.
01:15Germans love a beautiful table setting, and when it comes to decoration, they love flowers.
01:26Seems like Julia isn't a fan of Michel's design choices.
01:30Michel told his guests to come at 7pm, and since Germany is the land of punctuality...
01:44Like one in four Germans, Michel and Julia's friends, Katy and Jonas, have arrived early.
01:49A major faux pas, which is actually considered impolite.
01:53Ah, a bottle waiting to be popped, fantastic.
02:02When it comes to dinner parties, over half of Germans see them as a good excuse to drink
02:06wine.
02:08When toasting, make eye contact.
02:11German legend has it that avoiding eye contact means seven years bad sex.
02:15It's 7.28, and the final guest, Tommy, still hasn't arrived.
02:20An unexplained delay of 30 minutes is unthinkable for Germans.
02:35But when Tommy arrives with two bottles, it looks like all's forgiven.
02:47Michel's brought out his signature dish, Mediterranean tomato pasta.
02:52I wonder if they can tell it's from a jar.
03:02The guests offer to help clean up, but Michel and Julia insist they relax.
03:08For 90% of Germans, food is the most important part of a dinner party, and they aren't shy
03:16to give their feedback on the cooking.
03:19I hope they like the food, because I put a lot of love in it.
03:26Well, the food wasn't the best, actually.
03:29Yeah, it was definitely a little overcooked.
03:34Michel always says he's not a good cook, and you know what?
03:37He's right.
03:38Yeah, the food was okay.
03:40But at least the drinks are really good.
03:44I know he's not the greatest cook in the world, but he's trying.
03:48I would say three out of ten, yeah.
03:51What the hell is this?
03:53This is my show.
03:54You're on your own show.
03:55You should get your own show.
04:04Maybe we get a pizza next time.
04:09It's 11pm, and Michel wants to go to bed.
04:15Looks like they've taken the hint.
04:27And off they go.
04:36So what did you think of the average German dinner party?
04:38Was it as organised as you expected?