Kapitel 1, Elizabeth Shutty

I didn't know German was "the most widely spoken language in the European Union" (30). It seems strange that the classes weren't bigger in high school, it seems like it would have been more popular.
Reading the intro to "How German is American?" I see that this decrease in interest can be traced back to WWI. It's a shame that some German-Americans are no longer as vocal about their heritage as they used to be.
It says that in 2000, 7.2% of Americans labeled their heritage as "American American." I wonder if this number will increase as time goes on, and as people forget and stop caring about where their ancestors came from? This would fit with the idea of a "melting pot," although nowadays people like to picture America as a "tossed salad" (I'm not making that up) because they hope that people can retain their unique cultural heritage while still being part of America. As much as I like that image, fondue sounds a lot better than a salad, at least to me. No wonder I will never be "schlank."
I had never thought of the similarity between German food and the food people eat at baseball games. Beer, hot dogs and pretzels are commonly eaten while watching the American pastime of baseball.
Thomas Nast is so cool! I added one of his cartoons I found online. I can't believe how many common American ideas, like the elephant and donkey for political parties and the picture of Santa, came directly from him. He has had such a huge influence.