Man at the Bar

Our host family runs a bar/restaurant/beer garden/rooms for rent. Needless to say, we get to meet a bunch of interesting characters while we spend time with our host family. Last night while eating more pork(that's all we seem to eat, but I'm getting used to it), a middle aged man in his 40's sat next to me and Allen at the bar. He introduced himself and as Dr. Wasser predicted was very interested in politics and about our thoughts about the upcoming election. We told him we were Republican and supported McCain over Obama and he continued with question after question. I felt I was learning a lot during this onslaught of questions because he was also very opinionated and let us know when he disagreed or agreed. It turns out he was a retired military man in the German army. He was fond of the U.S. army and its efforts to help keep peace in the world. Also, he did not seem to like the British army or its people very much. I'm sure this dislike stems back to World War II and the aftermath where Britain was harsh on Germany. I found it surprising that these feelings were still alive in some Germans. Everyday I seem to learn more and more about the likes and dislikes of average Germans. I even seem to follow the general conversation between our host family and its international guests even though the conversation is mostly in German.