Question for Germans

[jfiresto]

My friends and I make it something of a sport to spot how German companies feed the wish for "Made in Germany" without denying the reality, for example, by artfully including the national colors. Here is the box for an electric egg cooker I bought a few years back. First the top and then the bottom. Why is the explanation in English?

Because they hope to sell it to non-german speaking markets?...

To answer my own question, late in the day, the bottom explains and completes the statement on the top: "GERMAN QUALITY since ...." I am a bit sleep deprived today and probably should not have posted.

[Cerebus]

Because they hope to sell it to non-german speaking markets? English speakers worldwide: 1.3 biillion, German speakers worldwide: 132 million - a hundredfold difference. If you're rhetorically trying to suggest that it's to hide the true origin from German speakers I think that's untenable as an explanation - 56% of Germans also speak English (for comparison, only 38% of Britons are bilingual or better and only 25% of the USA).

If you juggle with numbers.... 1.3 billion divided by 132 million is about 10, not hundred.
Or the world has more humans than we know (13 billion) or there are only about 13 million German speaking humans, you are right. 

Yup, slip of the pen (and sadly I though I'd double checked it too  ). Tenfold is still enough to make English on packaging imperative if you intend to reach as big a market as possible.

[babysitter]

"Made in germany" formula is still in use today. Fun fact: The british demanded that marking for their "Merchandise Marks Act 1887" (so they can boycott it properly?

Meanwhile, there was a split into "MADE IN W. GERMANY" and afaik "MADE IN GDR" you know when.

The change from 4 digit to 5 digit Post code was in 1993, if you want to use that for dating german things.

[SparkFly]

I bought a new tube of Autosol metal polish paste last week, which has "Paste made in F.R. of Germany" written on it. Is Germany today technically the FR of Germany? Or just Germany?

[Fixpoint]

I specifically remember a story that to me has lot of significance: buying a 20kg transformer from a mechanical engineer in germany through ebay, the person in question demanded me to pay extra 15€ for packaging effort. Ok. When I received it I learned that only Homer Simpson could have done a similar packaging job.

Ya. There is a guy on eBay who happens to be a trained engineer who wants 15 EUR for shipping and does a bad packaging job. Meaning: German engineering is not what it used to be.

In fact, yes, German engineering is not what it used to be, in the same way as British engineering is not what it used to be. The reasons for that are changing conditions on a globalized market where customers expect Chinese prices from every manufacturer, also the local ones.

[Cerebus]

I bought a new tube of Autosol metal polish paste last week, which has "Paste made in F.R. of Germany" written on it. Is Germany today technically the FR of Germany? Or just Germany?

Yes, Germany is a federation of states: NRW, Bavaria, Hessen and so on. The formal title (in English) is the Federal Republic of Germany (Ger: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) but that's a bit of mouthful so in English most people just say 'Germany'. (cf 'Britain' versus 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland').

[bc888]

Germany reunited sometime in 1990, right? For how long did stuff say "Made In West Germany" after that?
I am thinking of prepared food packets and stuff like that.

I found some +-30 year old cake frosting at my Dad's place and I want to know how old it is.

The expiry date is written Aug 92. It says Made in West Germany.

Why are you going to eat 30 year old cake frosting? Hmmm. Sig Sauer had stamped a bunch of P220 W.Germany. They simply struck out the W. part and sold them until they were gone, also approx 1992. Regarding E. Germany mfg being crap I have 2 words in refutation: Carl Zeiss.

[GlennSprigg]

Not German, but I remember my Grandfather, 45 years ago, bought a load of boxes of WW2 Army rations.
They contained tins of what I think they called 'Bully-Beef', which is something like 'Spam'. 
I remember him actually eating them, and he didn't die!!   

[Nusa]

Not German, but I remember my Grandfather, 45 years ago, bought a load of boxes of WW2 Army rations.
They contained tins of what I think they called 'Bully-Beef', which is something like 'Spam'. 
I remember him actually eating them, and he didn't die!!   

Pretty sure bully-beef is just another name for corned beef.

[Cerebus]

Germany reunited sometime in 1990, right? For how long did stuff say "Made In West Germany" after that?
I am thinking of prepared food packets and stuff like that.

I found some +-30 year old cake frosting at my Dad's place and I want to know how old it is.

The expiry date is written Aug 92. It says Made in West Germany.

Why are you going to eat 30 year old cake frosting? Hmmm. Sig Sauer had stamped a bunch of P220 W.Germany. They simply struck out the W. part and sold them until they were gone, also approx 1992. Regarding E. Germany mfg being crap I have 2 words in refutation: Carl Zeiss.

If you want to cherry-pick manufacturers and have them stand for the whole, then I can refute your two word refutation in one word: Trabant. 

[chris_leyson]

Nothing to do with Germany but this brought a smile to my face, Gnomes Polokonzerva Rocket, thanks too Amanita Design

[jfiresto]

... Regarding E. Germany mfg being crap I have 2 words in refutation: Carl Zeiss.

If you want to cherry-pick manufacturers and have them stand for the whole, then I can refute your two word refutation in one word: Trabant. 

As long as we are cherry picking, those who owned an early example of a BMW E36 3-series, a Trabi's later, high-tech contemporary, can give you an earful about which one was more reliable.

[eti]

Germany reunited sometime in 1990, right? For how long did stuff say "Made In West Germany" after that?
I am thinking of prepared food packets and stuff like that.

I found some +-30 year old cake frosting at my Dad's place and I want to know how old it is.

The expiry date is written Aug 92. It says Made in West Germany.

I want to write this information down so when I eat it the coroner will have exact dates...

Send it to "Big Clive" or "Ashens", I'm sure they'd happily taste it for you.