Achtung, baby

MANILA, Philippines - Get this. There’s German beer on the table  bottles of blonde and dark Paulaner wheat elixirs  a medley of German sausages for the brew to wash down. On the corner is a foosball table. Around me are great conversationalists, Nadine Fund and a blonde Bavarian looker named Melanie. There’s all-around good vibes at The Distillery in Taguig. The only thing missing is a Kraftwerk cover band, or music recorded at Hansa Studios (Bowie, Iggy and Lou). And yet this ain’t the party yet.

This is just a teaser of Mabuhay Germany 2012 to be held from Oct. 12 to 14 at Bonifacio Global City.

“Mabuhay Germany features German culture, German business and German food — an entire weekend of Germany,” describes Nadine Fund, business development manager of the Germany Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI). She adds that the organization wants to share with Filipinos how Germans celebrate life. How they let their hair down, trip the light fantastic, or — as Procol Harum decrees — skip the light fandango. 

The theme for Mabuhay Germany, which is now in its fifth year, is “Step Forward + Have Fun,” demonstrates the German community’s commitment to promote a better life and at the same time provide enjoyment for Filipinos through German opportunities, products, services, culture and influences.

Nadine Fund, business development manager of the Germany Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI)

German influences and practices are not only felt through business, trade and education — these have also been integrated into the Filipino culture by way of food and music, among others. The annual Mabuhay Germany festivities, organized by the GPCCI, allow the German community in the Philippines to showcase its businesses, products, and community building initiatives through a weekend celebration during the German month.

We get a lineup in this year’s German shebang.

Opening day features an opera performance by Frankie & Friends led by a singer who used to perform in Berlin. A resource person from the Goethe Institut will talk about “How German helps your career.” The third GPCCI Table Soccer Cup will be held. Many of us will be flocking to the “Groovy-Doovy German Party Night” featuring the Authority Band and German-Filipina DJ Badkiss. Sunday activities include the traditional Catholic Mass followed by a German brunch with live music entertainment, a Broadway performance by German school kids, a “Move to the German Groove” singing-and-dancing contest, and a “German Movie Night” featuring Kokowääh, a film directed by Til Schweiger about a writer who must deal with meeting his eight-year-old daughter from a one-night-stand in Stockholm.

Throughout the three-day event, kids will also be invited to several activities at the Hänsel and Gretel Haus. No, there are no witches lurking thereabouts.

For the foodies, German food prepared al fresco will be served, such as grilled sausages with potato salad, cabbage and Schnitzel with Bavarian beers, homemade desserts, cakes, and cookies.

Nadine shares this information with me over a saucerful of currywurst with ketchup and curry powder, bratwurst, some smoky Bavarian variants.

“We hold Mabuhay Germany to coincide with Oktoberfest,” she says. October being the German month. 

Concessionaires in this fifth annual event include the German Club, Giger’s, BrummsWein, Säntis Delicatessen and Dusit Thani Hotel. Two key players will also be present: Wursty-Wursty, a fast-growing and popular restaurant which serves authentic German food enjoyed by locals, and Booze On-Line, which brings to the country various German beers that Filipinos enjoy.

So, what do you say when you clink glasses of Paulaner?

Prost!

* * *

This year’s Mabuhay Germany exhibitors, which will showcase a comprehensive collection of German products, services, culture, and lifestyle in the Philippines, include Ayala Land Sales Inc., BASF Philippines Inc., Club Paradise Resort, Palawan, Continental, Doehle Shipmanagement Phils. Corp, The German Embassy Manila, German European School Manila, Lufthansa German Airlines, Deutsche Gesellschaftfuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Lufthansa Technik Philippines, MAN Automotive Concessionaires Corporation, MATEC MaschinenTechnik, Robert Bosch Inc., Schenker Philippines Inc., and Triple I Consulting Inc.

For information, visit www.gpcci.org.