Friday, November 27, 2009

Mine/Thine

What can I say... this kind of thing wouldn't fly back in the old country... but I am currently in Switzerland, where people still juxtapose words like "Lebensraum" and "Heimat" quite innocuously - in the Migros supermarket.


Back in Germany, the store would be considered to have gotten off lightly if it was only subjected to a boycott and occasional firebombing. I guess I'm not in Kansas anymore. Incidentally, these plastic bars are known in German variously as
  • Transportbandwarentrennleiste
  • Kundenseperator
  • Warenabtrennhölzchen (according to Max Goldt)
  • NäKuBi (short for "nächster Kunde, bitte" - "next customer please")
  • Miendientje ("mine-thine-let", in East Frisia)