My Life in English

Der Reiseschriftsteller und Abenteurer erzählt uns von seinem Lieblingsessen aus Großbritannien. Sein neustes Buch heißt „Rednecks radeln nicht“.

Travel writer Thomas Bauer

What makes English important to you?

How could a traveller and adventurer not think English is important?

When was your first English lesson, and what can you remember about it?

My first English lesson was in Cornwall when I was six years old. While on vacation with my parents, I went to the local bakery and asked for “little bread”, derived from the German word Brötchen. The baker replied: “That’s a bun.” So, I went to the bakery every morning and ordered bread and “a bun”.

Who is your favourite English-language musician?

I like the way Johnny Cash brought originality and seriousness to the music of his time. He combined blues, country and folk, and created his own style.

Which song could you sing a few lines of in English?

I can sing along to “Dream On” by Aerosmith. I’m still working on the screaming part at the end of the song, though.

What is your favourite food from the English-speaking world?

Definitely shortbread.

Which person (living or dead) from the English-speaking world would you most like to meet?

I’d love to meet Tom Hanks one day. I’m impressed by the complexity of the characters he plays, and I’m convinced that somebody who collects typewriters has to be tremendously interesting.

If you could be any place right now in the English-speaking world, where would it be?

I’d want to plunge into a megacity like Mumbai or Bangalore and get carried away by the stream of people and events.

What is your favourite city in the English-speaking world?

That question is rather risky to ask a travel-book author. There are so many: Vancouver, San Francisco or New Orleans. But my favourite city is Melbourne. It offers a high quality of life, especially for a European. We always need an old town district and a river. I like the combination of old and new buildings and the free summer events in Melbourne’s parks as well as the Melbourne Jazz Festival. Also, there is no comparable coastal highway to the Great Ocean Road.

Have you ever worked in an Englishspeaking environment?

I worked for a German newspaper, Die Woche in Australien, and was based in Sydney for two months. During that time, I slept at the local youth hostel and lived on bread and tinned food to save money. As a journalist, I was able to get some deep insights into Australia’s society and culture.

What was your best or funniest experience in English?

While I was travelling through America’s heartland in an unusual vehicle called a “velomobile”, I was stopped in a village in Arkansas by a wild-looking man. He had a gun in his hand and said: “Hear my gun, be dead! Real?” At least, that’s what I thought he said, because he was speaking with a Southern accent. Although I was shocked, I wasn’t sure why he added “real” at the end of his threat. It turned out that he had said: “Here’s my gun for that. Deal?” He wanted my bike in exchange for his weapon. I refused.

What is your favourite English word?

The sound and the meaning of “gorgeous”.

What would be your motto in English?

Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.