The German public was always courteous and friendly toward me and my family when we were stationed in Germany. We made several German friends. My sons did have one incident that, upon reflection, is really humorous. They were walking down the street in Hanau eating Pomme Frites with their fingers and some elderly German gentleman took exception to their use of their fingers and slapped the bags out of their hands. They were more than a little upset as they had used their allowance money to purchase the french fries. We still all laugh about it. Back to the meaning of the thread.