2. Looking Fancy: People usually have a scarf and a nice coat on. The women wear tall boots, and the mean have nice shoes and briefcases. I'm not sure where all of these guys with briefcases are going, and I'm not sure if I've actually seen a Viennese person working (besides the ones who sell me food), but they're going somewhere. (Think Go, Dogs, Go!...perhaps there's a big party somewhere I'm missing...) I discovered there's a big banking and business district, so I think that's where the Viennese do a lot of their work.
3. Coffee and Pastries: I've noticed that I always find Vienna much more enjoyable when I'm at least mildly caffeinated. (This is where Red Bull was invented.) There are a lot of kinds of coffee and they all have their specific Viennese names (see #4); most of the names aren't difficult to figure out--a large black (ein grosser Schwarz) is self-explanitory.
The Viennese have a pretty good selection of bread available, but not as much as in Germany; however, they seem to have incredibly decadent and often over-decorated cakes and pastries everywhere. There are a lot of bakeries in the U-Bahn stations where it's easy to get an apple strudel for breakfast.
I once got a desert in the Mensa (University cafeteria) that looked like the top of a dipped ice cream cone and was about four inches high. I assumed it was a chocolate-covered piece of cake with a little cream or marmalade inside. When I broke it with my fork, it was pure whipped cream inside--nothing else. I could only eat a few bites before feeling like I was eating the most ridiculous dessert in my life. Needless to say, that's as far I got.
4. Making up their own names for things: Now I understand that a lot of the German developed independently here; the Austrians aren't just trying to be different, but people who are fluent in German still have trouble with the new names for basic foods. A potato is no longer a Kartoffel; it's an Erdapfel. Some people hope to taste something exotic when they order Paradiessalat, which seems like "Paradise Salad" but they find out it's just tomato salad.
My literature professor interrupted a presentation I was making (to other American students) to correct one of my words. It wasn't bad German; it's just that the Austrians had their own word; I guess I wasn't prepared with an Austrian translation. I had lost my train of thought, so I could only protest that the novella I was speaking about takes place in Germany. I don't think he was correcting me to fix my presentation, but I think there is some pride among Austrians in their version of German, and he just wanted to teach some more words.
5. Taking the Elevator: People in my Wohnheim take the elevator to avoid climbing two flights of stairs. I know this happens in America, but I guess spending two years in a 13-story dorm where anyone who took the elevator up to anything below 4 or 5 would get the Look of Death has changed my relationship with stairs.
6. Not standing in line: The Viennese will absolutely mob a coat check booth before a concert, so if you don't push your way to the front, you will wait until everyone else has checked their coats to get your chance. This same rule goes with waiting to get on an escalator in an U-Bahn station; if there's room at the entrance of the escalator, people will take it. It's perfectly acceptable to give people gentle (not forceful, like in Paris) pushes when they're standing to the left or blocking your way.
7. Painting anarchy signs everywhere: ...yet everyone seems so content here....
8. Overemphasizing their long "i"s: If you want to say a long i like a Viennese, first, you have to hear how hilarious it is. Then, take a word like "zwei"...put a strong accent on the first part of the "ei"; drop your jaw, then continue like you're smiling and let the sound end in your nose. Finally, practice this by reciting the long list of numbers along with the automated voice on the U-Bahn. The Viennese are used to seeing people do this.
6. Not standing in line: The Viennese will absolutely mob a coat check booth before a concert, so if you don't push your way to the front, you will wait until everyone else has checked their coats to get your chance. This same rule goes with waiting to get on an escalator in an U-Bahn station; if there's room at the entrance of the escalator, people will take it. It's perfectly acceptable to give people gentle (not forceful, like in Paris) pushes when they're standing to the left or blocking your way.
7. Painting anarchy signs everywhere: ...yet everyone seems so content here....
8. Overemphasizing their long "i"s: If you want to say a long i like a Viennese, first, you have to hear how hilarious it is. Then, take a word like "zwei"...put a strong accent on the first part of the "ei"; drop your jaw, then continue like you're smiling and let the sound end in your nose. Finally, practice this by reciting the long list of numbers along with the automated voice on the U-Bahn. The Viennese are used to seeing people do this.
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