Before Mardi Gras swallows us whole for the next seven days, I want to share a small cultural observation—one that caught me off guard recently and made me confront a bit of my own “cultural guilt.”
The German love of walking (indeed shared by many European countries) is well-
documented. We take walking seriously—not just for its health benefits, but because we see it as the best way to truly experience our surroundings. To connect. To simply pass the time. The message is clear: don’t rely too much on your car. You don’t want to be lazy!
The idea of taking a stroll (Spaziergang) with no particular purpose tends to baffle people in the US. The last time I walked two (!) blocks with my young child to get to a convenience store in an outskirt of Baton Rouge three (!!!) cars stopped to see if I was ok or needed help. Granted, there were no sidewalks and one rather hostile dog – but do people seriously prefer buckling in a wiggly 3-year-old than walking two blocks? Years ago, when I first came to the U.S., my now-husband took me on a "sightseeing tour" in a town we were visiting. I kept waiting for us to park the car so we could walk around. I didn’t realize that driving around was the tour!
Well, that was over ten years ago, and apparently, I’ve changed. A little.
Recently, we had unprecedented snowfall in New Orleans. It was unreal – and so much that the city quite literally came to a standstill! By the second day, cabin fever had set in, so we ventured out to nearby Magazine Street. In a little restaurant that was surprisingly open, I heard German behind us. I turned to see an older couple, maybe in their early 60s. My first thought: Oh, these poor tourists—here during a snowstorm. That’s not what they signed up for.
They looked every bit the German travel cliché - practical, unfashionable but sensibly dressed, fully prepared for the elements. Intrigued by their experience in our once-in-a-century snowstorm, I started a conversation that went something like this:
Me: “Oh, welcome to New Orleans! I’m so sorry you’re here during this freak snowstorm. Everything’s closed!”
Them: “Oh, it’s fine! We’re just glad we made it. We were on one of the last planes before everything shut down.”
Me: “That’s lucky! How long are you staying?”
Them: “We leave in two days.”
Me: “Oh, I’m really sorry you won’t get to experience the city without all this snow.”
At this point, their friendliness shifted slightly. They seemed almost… annoyed? Confused? Why would I even suggest that they wouldn’t be ready for this??
Them: “Oh, it’s no problem. We’re prepared. We are not cold.”
Me: “Okay… well, that’s good! Where are you staying?”
Them: “In the French Quarter.”
Me: (surprised) “How did you get here??”
(All public transit was down, barely any cars were on the road, and on a normal day, walking from the French Quarter to our stretch of Magazine Street would take at least 45 minutes. But this was no normal day—icy roads, dangerous sidewalks, freezing temperatures)
They both looked at me rather confused and frustrated.
Them: “We WALKED, of course.”
Then, the husband added, in a condescending tone: “We always walk when we travel. It’s the only way one should travel.”
And off he went—lecturing me on the benefits of walking and how Americans are so lazy.
Suddenly, some deep notion of right and wrong kicked into high gear and had me scrambling for excuses, not really processing why… I told them Of course, I usually walk everywhere too! It’s just too icy today! And my child—no, no, I don’t drive him everywhere! What was I thinking assuming they took a car? How inappropriate! My bad!
Outside, I had to collect myself, then I had to laugh. My British friend, who had witnessed the whole thing, asked, “What was that? Why did you get so uncomfortable?”
It took me a moment to figure it out but then I realized that it was because the couple had lectured me on walking and somehow managed to make me feel inferior and a failure because I was no longer living up to the cultural walking gold standard... not just that, I even assumed they didn't either! What an insult!
Their ‘Ve are alVays Valking everyVhere’ might have just gotten an eye-roll from others but for me, it struck a nerve. A core cultural norm—one I had gradually set aside in my daily American life—had just been jolted awake and thrown back in my face. Not intentionally, perhaps, but wow, did they get to me.
That said, I hope they enjoyed their walking vacation. As for me, I’ll make an effort to walk a little more—maybe not during a freak snowstorm, but you can bet I’ll be getting plenty of steps in during the upcoming parade week! And next time, dear fellow Germans— don’t forget your walking sticks—they might just come in handy for navigating our famously uneven, tree roots- and pothole-ridden sidewalks!
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