What would make my life cooler?

December 9, 2008 11:54 PM

is there anything special I need to bring back from Berlin to Canada for myself?

It seems that somethings over here are great, and some are not. I have yet to find the perfect city, but I would say Berlin at the moment is the closest I have found.

Because of the Euro / Canadian dollar exchange rate, most consumer goods are more pricey here. So is there anything, that would be really cool for me to have, or technology that they have here in Germany that I am somehow missing, and could get for cheap and bring it back and it would work in Canada?

A mobile phone? A special hat? a super book? anything that I would be just insane not to pick up?

posted by miles1972 to shopping (17 comments total)

a piece of the Berlin wall?
posted by barrakuda at 12:08 AM on December 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

david hasselhoff albums
posted by complience at 1:09 AM on December 10, 2008

Curry-wurst. And that may be about it. I got a friend an "Ampleman" (the cross-walk guy) bottle opener that was neat. Otherwise, Berlin seems like it's a city whose upside is largely a product of the people it is attracting.
posted by From Bklyn at 1:11 AM on December 10, 2008

Fassbrause.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:29 AM on December 10, 2008

a full range of haribo gummy things!
posted by jedrek at 1:34 AM on December 10, 2008

This cheese is amazing, and not sold in Canada. My parents always bring back lots. Of course, you're not allowed to bring soft cheeses into the country, so it's risky. Dangerous cheese!!!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:45 AM on December 10, 2008

Ampelmannchen.

You can buy lots of stuff with Ampelmann on them. These pretty uniquely say "Berlin" on them. We even found gummies, jedrek!

I love the word Ostalgie, found in the above Wikipedia article.
posted by sagwalla at 2:08 AM on December 10, 2008

Well cheese does kill people. Ham, too. Canadians are a bit touchy about listeria lately, and customs officers will not be amused.

I framed a couple of small pieces of the Berlin wall I got in 1990, when it was being demolished. I don't imagine it's easy or cheap to get the real thing now. I also have a nice German pen. Why not buy a high quality pen or knife or tool that you may not be able to buy here in Canada? Germans make good stuff. It may not be cheap, but you'll still be using it in twenty or thirty years. That's worth something.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:10 AM on December 10, 2008

Nothing says "I recently went to Berlin" like an ampelmannchen t-shirt.
posted by Baud at 2:40 AM on December 10, 2008

Do you read German literature?
Those little yellow Reklam books are really cool, and cheap as hell.
posted by dunkadunc at 4:31 AM on December 10, 2008

Chocolate.
posted by rokusan at 4:47 AM on December 10, 2008

Absinthe.
posted by kaudio at 7:10 AM on December 10, 2008

All the chocolate you can carry.
posted by dobie at 7:20 AM on December 10, 2008

I just saw the coolest shoes on someone, and when I asked her where she got them, she said Germany.

I think there's a "German" design sense that you may want to explore. Not a specific product, but rather a way of creating things such that, thought the items themselves are not hard to find elsewhere, you won't find them _like that_.

I'd look for a high-end housewares store, gift shops, or even clothing stores. Shoes sounds good to me.
posted by amtho at 9:50 AM on December 10, 2008

I brought back to Australia 4 boxes of Choco-Leibniz biscuits.

Told customs about them but they didn't seem to care.
posted by robotot at 1:05 PM on December 10, 2008

Some thoughts:

* A flour mill or sourdough starter (If you're into bread baking.)
* A grain flattener (quetscher) (If you're into museli.)
* biking gear (e.g. Last year I saw a great pannier that doubled as a chic shoulder bag)
* stationary (pens, binders, paper, etc. Lots of office stuff you can't get in Canada.)
* chocolate (a regular supermarket has loads of good (dark) stuff. One variety has wee bits of crunchy cacao nibs. Lecker!)
* cheese (No need to get exotic, the standard Gouda at the supermarket is tastier and far more affordable than what the Canadian dairy cartel allows.)
posted by kamelhoecker at 1:30 PM on December 10, 2008

Art supplies. A fountain pen. I bought a Pelikan one and I use it every day and I love it. I also bought tons of those Stabilo pens that everybody in my Gymnasium has, and they are wonderful. Oh, and three or four Pelikan Inky pens, which are like a cross between a ballpoint pen and a fountain pen and are awesome. I'm going to bring back many, many sets of colored pencils and pens when I go back to America.
posted by comfortinsound at 3:38 AM on January 18