Okay, disclaimer upfront: my opinion below is based on a *very\* small sample size and my unhealthy love for talking to strangers (yes, Reddit counts). But I’ve noticed a pattern and now I can’t unsee it…so I’m just curious how close this is to reality.
With Frankfurters, conversations feel like they operate in two extreme modes: (1) Either… nothing really happens. You get a polite nod (maybe a “Hallo!”) and everyone respectfully continues existing in their own bubble. OR (2) And this is my favourite, you somehow end up in a completely unexpected deep conversation where someone is sharing almost life-advice-level insights. Like you go from “Das ist mir Wurst” to “what actually makes a life meaningful” in a few minutesss! And the wildest part is it often feels very genuine. There’s a kind of genuine kindness there that sneaks up on you… and even grows when you think about it later.
London, on the other hand, feels different to me. It’s much easier to have light conversations…people are open/chatty (depending on the weather), sometimes even effortlessly funny. You can have multiple nice interactions even with the same people over time. But… and I can’t fully pin this down… it sometimes feels like there’s an unspoken boundary. The conversations are good but they tend to stay in that comfortable zone and don’t always tip into those unexpectedly real moments.
So, this is my very unqualified takeaway (based on limited experience). And just to be clear, I’m not trying to generalize entire cities. Both are huge, diverse and way too complex to fit into definite patterns. This is just a personal impression from a short time (and I’m sure context, circles and pure chance play a big role).
Still… While, I understand some people might prefer as little as possible interaction for the sake of civility (and I appreciate their preference). But I unfortunately love talking to people and hearing their life stories, so I can’t help noticing these vibes and wondering if anyone else has a similar impression or did I get lucky/unlucky with mine?
https://i.redd.it/jw76kv6svstg1.jpeg
Posted by Jazzlike-Reward-4379
7 Comments
> Pink vs. Blue.. different colors in my opinion
That’s UK Vs Germany for me, a German immigrant.
If you want to even more confused, visit Berlin, a true cosmopolitan. You will find both Frankfurt and London vibes here, depending purely on luck 😉
I agree, different strokes for different folks. Both approaches have positives and negatives – It’s very easy to just glide into a convo with Brits and they have legendary level banter whereas Germans are more genuine and honest.
This makes it easier to connect shallowly with people in Britain and hence finding people who you want to drill down on whereas in a German context you more or less need to either stay at it for a while or get lucky. I also found it easier to make friends in Britain but with Germans they feel more true.
It also feels more okay to not get along in Germany and choose not to hang out whereas Brits are more accommodating and finding a level where most or all are okay.
I heard that smalltalk culture is very big in the UK, taking that it makes sense that you get a lot of people going into chitchat mode. Not necessarily because they want to talk but because it is polite.
On the other hand that also hinders deeper conversations with people who are up for it because there are very defined boundries for the smalltalk and it would be weird to break out of that. And they dont know if you are just being polite or actually interested too.
Now Frankfurt, of course we have smalltalk, but not really with compleatly strangers, so people not intersested in talking are more likely to decline the offer, greet you and go on with their day.
If the person is interested tho, because the very loose rules around what is acceptable to talk about make it easier to go into more personal topics you’ll find yourself more often. Of course paired with the fact that you both know you most likely want to have this talk.
Those where just my two cents, I hope I could express myself well enough. +sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes i wont fix them
TL/DR: Andere Länder andere Sitten / Different countries, different customs… Duh
I mean… If I compare my left knee at random with a Bycicle…
Only, cause they both got the “Banking centre on global importance level”-thing, one of those city is a middle sized City, the other one is a capital and way larger. Ah… and they are in different coutries!
What weird post.
Absolutely, and it’s not limited to Frankfurt. There are Germans who do small talk, but it’s not that common.
I lived in both cities and would consider Frankfurt to live as I like quiet and structured life (currently living). London is very busy and expensive but it has its own vibe! (Lived in London for 3-4 years)