Kaffeeklatsch: A Taste of Germany

This afternoon, I attended a Kaffeeklatsch (social get together with refreshments) with a group of German-speaking seniors, who’ve known each other for several years. We gathered at the suburban home of an elderly woman named Marie-Luise who was born before World War Two in the eastern part of Germany which is now Poland. She invited us to partake in German coffee, several kinds of cake, pastries, and whipped cream. There were about nine of us who have been gathering for several years to speak German, share experiences, and socialize. Most of the people present were either born in Germany, or had lived there. Several were high school or college teachers of German. One gentleman was a neurosurgeon who had lived in Germany while serving in the U.S. army in the early 1960s.

Before Marie-Luise served us refreshments, she regaled us with the story of the original meaning of Kaffeeklatsch, a word, that she told us, is no longer commonly used in Germany. The word klatschen now usually translates as to clap. However, it was originally used in the Middle Ages to mean to beat clothes against rocks in order to dry them on a riverbank. She added that the expression later came to mean a group of mostly women who met to have coffee and pastries. In contrast, men would often meet at a Stammtisch for beer, wine, and Wurst. The meaning of Kaffeeklatsch underwent a transformation with the establishment of coffeehouses in Europe in the 18th century.

Marie-Luise was a fine hostess who made us all feel welcome. The ambience throughout the afternoon was very congenial, or as the Germans like to say: gemuetlich. We traded stories about our travels in Germany and other European countries, teaching experiences, favorite books, recipes, and various German delicacies. However, before people left to go home, Marie-Luise handed each of us a scroll written in German entitled Die grosse Woge (the big wave) which contained some philosophical and artistic musings related to the Yin and Yang of life.

I had a very enjoyable time and look forward to such gatherings in the future.