{"id":8397,"date":"2017-05-18T07:13:37","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T07:13:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=8397"},"modified":"2017-05-18T07:13:37","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T07:13:37","slug":"untranslatable-german-words-tante-emma-laden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/untranslatable-german-words-tante-emma-laden\/","title":{"rendered":"Untranslatable German Words: Tante-Emma-Laden"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all have this\u00a0Gro\u00dfmutter\u00a0<\/em>(grandmother),\u00a0Onkel\u00a0<\/em>(uncle) or\u00a0Tante\u00a0<\/em>(aunt) that complains that all the big Supermarktk<\/em>etten\u00a0<\/em>(supermarket chains) are taking over, and there is no space left on the market for the small shops,\u00a0wie es fr\u00fcher mal war\u00a0<\/em>(like it once was back in the day). So as a sign of resistance,\u00a0Tante Emma\u00a0<\/em>opened her own little grocery store. That is a\u00a0Tante-Emma-Laden<\/em>, right? No?<\/p>\n

What is a Tante-Emma-Laden<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>

A German Lebensmittelladen <\/em>in the 1950s (Image by Jty at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC BY 2.5)<\/p><\/div>\n

Simply put, a\u00a0Tante-Emma-Laden\u00a0<\/em>is a small\u00a0Lebensmittelladen\u00a0<\/em>(grocery store). It is a small corner store where you can buy Lebensmittel\u00a0<\/em>(groceries) and many other products you might need – you will be surprised by the variety of products offered at such a small store! It is much more personable than a large Supermarkt\u00a0<\/em>such as a German Aldi, Lidl or Rewe (comparable to American\u00a0Safeway, Walmart or\u00a0Albertsons).<\/p>\n

What does\u00a0Tante-Emma-Laden <\/em>mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"1217374210<\/a>

A Tante-Emma-Laden (Image by gravitat-OFF at Flickr.com under license CC BY 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

Literally,\u00a0Tante-Emma-Laden\u00a0<\/em>means “Aunt-Emma-Store”. Many of these small\u00a0Tante-Emma-L\u00e4den\u00a0<\/em>emerged after the Second World War, and were typically run and owned by families. The employees are more likely to help you find what you need. The word\u00a0Tante-Emma-Laden<\/em>, as these stores are called in everyday language, came from the women who often worked in such stores. During the 1950s,\u00a0Emma\u00a0<\/em>was a general term for a maid, or a person giving a helping hand. A\u00a0Tante\u00a0<\/em>(aunt) is often – or at least was, back in those days – someone trustworthy you knew. Because the\u00a0Tante-Emma-L\u00e4den <\/em>are usually\u00a0right in the neighborhood, many shoppers know the shop owner personally. In many cases the women working there fit this perfectly. Or they had many such traits: They were helpful, friendly, personable – just like your\u00a0aunt Emma!<\/p>\n

An English Alternative<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In English, one might call this a\u00a0“mom-and-pop-store” or simply “cornerstore”. In case of a “mom-and-pop-store”, there are the similar kinds of traits in play as in the\u00a0Tante-Emma-Laden<\/em>. Run by somebody trustworthy, helpful, friendly, personable!<\/p>\n

Decline<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, the amount of\u00a0Tante-Emma-L\u00e4den\u00a0<\/em>has been on the decline ever since large\u00a0Supermarktketten\u00a0<\/em>spread. However, there is a nostalgic push back to old times, and some new\u00a0Tante-Emma-L\u00e4den\u00a0<\/em>are opened, and others are preserved!<\/p>\n

Use<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The use is really simple. Colloquially, you can always use it, no matter the context. In a more formal manner, it makes more sense to refer to it as a\u00a0kleiner Lebensmittelgesch\u00e4ft\u00a0<\/em>(small grocery shop).<\/p>\n

Gedicht<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Norbert van Tiggelen made a\u00a0Gedicht\u00a0<\/em>(poem) about\u00a0Tante-Emma-L\u00e4den<\/em>, which you can read below. I made a translation further below!<\/p>\n

Keinen Kampf um Einkaufswagen,<\/em>
\n auch kein lautes Kindsgeschrei,<\/em>
\n Herzblut pochte in Regalen,<\/em>
\n vom Schnittbrot bis zum Bio-Ei.<\/em><\/p>\n

Auf dem kalten Tresen gl\u00e4nzten,<\/em>
\n Bonbongl\u00e4ser hoch poliert,<\/em>
\n fandest keinen launisch Kunden,<\/em>
\n der sich kalt im Gang verirrt\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ein St\u00fcck Fleischwurst an der Theke,<\/em>
\n reichte man in Kinderh\u00e4nde,<\/em>
\n sa\u00df das Geld nicht ganz so locker<\/em>
\n gab\u2019s Kredit bis Monatsende.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wie gern ging ich als kleiner Bub,<\/em>
\n in diese schmucken L\u00e4dchen rein,<\/em>
\n wo man immer lieb gefragt wurd\u2019,<\/em>
\n \u201eBittesch\u00f6n darf\u2019s noch was sein?\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n

Einkauf an der Stra\u00dfenecke,<\/em>
\n stressfrei und in Harmonie,<\/em>
\n dabei Plaudern mit dem Nachbarn<\/em>
\n das war pure Nostalgie.<\/em><\/p>\n

Translation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

No fight over a shopping cart,
\nAlso no children shouting loudly,
\nBlood sweat and tears in the shelves,
\nfrom the sliced bread to the organic egg.<\/p>\n

On the cold counter they shone,
\nwell-polished cookie jars,
\ncouldn’t find a moody customer,
\nWho found himself coldly in the wrong isle.<\/p>\n

A piece of sausage at the counter,
\nwas given into children’s hands,
\nIf there was no money left to spare,
\nyou got a credit until the month’s end.<\/p>\n

How much I liked to go as a small kid,
\ninto these wonderful little stores,
\nwhere I was always asked with a gentle voice,
\n“Would you like to have anything else?”<\/p>\n

Getting groceries at the street corner,
\nwithout stress and in harmony,
\nwhile chatting with the neighbor,
\nthat was nostalgia, purely.<\/p>\n

Thank you for reading! Are there such things as\u00a0Tante-Emma-L\u00e4den\u00a0<\/em>where you are from? How are they called there? Also, would you prefer to shop at a supermarket or a Tante-Emma-Laden<\/em>?\u00a0Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

We all have this\u00a0Gro\u00dfmutter\u00a0(grandmother),\u00a0Onkel\u00a0(uncle) or\u00a0Tante\u00a0(aunt) that complains that all the big Supermarktketten\u00a0(supermarket chains) are taking over, and there is no space left on the market for the small shops,\u00a0wie es fr\u00fcher mal war\u00a0(like it once was back in the day). So as a sign of resistance,\u00a0Tante Emma\u00a0opened her own little grocery store. That is a\u00a0Tante-Emma-Laden…<\/p>\n

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