Nic Houghton (@40PercentGerman) / X

Nic Houghton

41.4K posts

Nic Houghton

@40PercentGerman

Based in 🇩🇪. Wannabe Lederhosen wearer. Writing about German & British culture. Co-host of the @DecadesfromHome podcast.

Germany

Joined November 2012

Pinned
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Apr 24, 2021
Bavaria is a source of German stereotypes, while in #Germany its considered the least German of the Bundesländer. This makes it hard to describe to non-Germans. While some make comparisons with Texas, perhaps a better example can be found in the UK? bit.ly/3gBo2jG
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Oct 9, 2024
The funny thing is, most Europeans really don't care.
thin air
@the_thin_air_
Oct 8, 2024
The European mind cannot comprehend that I’m making this drive just to play 1 show and it’s a free house show.
5.2M
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Jul 7, 2025
Years ago, while teaching, I joked that Käsekuchen & Käsesahnetorte were the same. The room erupted in anger. A week later, everyone had baked cakes. I was told to test them. That's when I learned Germans are serious about cake, and my jokes might need some work.
525K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Dec 10, 2024
"An good way to learn German is to try reading children's books to familiarise yourself with basic grammar and vocabulary" German children's book:
793K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Aug 1, 2025
My first months in Germany, I asked my wife the name of these sweets. She replied "keine Ahnung" (no idea). Not speaking German, I assumed "keine Ahnung" was a brand. This led to some frustrating conversations: Me: Can you get some sweets? Wife: Which ones? Me: keine Ahnung.
554K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Aug 21, 2024
Living in Germany, I often forget the small but important differences that make the UK so quintessentially British…like carpet in the bathroom.
5.2M
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Nov 17, 2024
In Germany, sliding into DMs has a totally different meaning.
478K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Aug 2, 2024
It’s the general air of optimism that keeps me coming back to Deutsche Bahn.
621K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Jun 21, 2024
Years ago, while teaching, I joked that Käsekuchen & Käsesahnetorte were the same. The room erupted in anger. A week later, everyone had baked cakes. I was told to test them. That's when I learned Germans are serious about cake, and my jokes might need some work.
578K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Aug 23, 2024
Whenever I'm in the UK, and the topic of driving and the lack of German speed limits comes up, I like to show people this picture.
365K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
May 28, 2024
My first months in Germany, I asked my wife the name of these sweets. She replied "keine Ahnung" (no idea). Not speaking German, I assumed "keine Ahnung" was a brand. This led to some frustrating conversations: Me: Can you get some sweets? Wife: Which ones? Me: keine Ahnung.
568K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Jun 21, 2023
Before I moved to Germany, my wife would visit me in the UK. She only had one request: proper bread. I must have bought every possible type, but nothing seemed to impress her. I never understood her disappointment. Then I moved to Germany, and she bought me some tea bags...
GIF
2.6M
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
May 12, 2024
Took daughter to the Bäckerei, we stand in the queue. She asks for Krapfen, I say no, they’re not for breakfast. Before I know it, the people around us have assembled an adhoc legal team and are forcefully advocating for my daughter. And that’s why we had Krapfen for breakfast.
471K
Nic Houghton
@40PercentGerman
Feb 21, 2023
In 1997, Walmart tried to enter the German market, and became a case study in failure. My favourite story from this period was that staff were trained to be friendly to customers, which freaked out some shoppers, but made others think staff were hitting on them.
1.2M