What are traditional German beverages consumed during meals?

 

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Studied Political Science & Sociology at Ruhr University Bochum

For breakfast, it is coffee. Some drink tea. Some add a glass of milk or juice.

For lunch, it is sparkling water (although the number of Germans drinking still water is increasing). Low-class people and many immigrants have sodas.

Germans like to have an afternoon meal of cake, especially on weekends. Of course, they drink coffee with it, some tea, a few hot chocolate.

With traditional German supper, herb tea is the standard. With a fancier dinner, people drink sparkling water, beer or wine.

In a restaurant, the most common beverage is sparkling water. The drivers (and some others) drink nothing else. Those who want get tipsy drink beer or wine. There are regional variations and also social differences; wine is generally considered more upscale than beer.

A German family-dinner table with cups with herb tea and glasses and a bottle with mineral water

Startup Cities in the Philippines

 Congratulations to the Top 5 Startup Cities in the Philippines according to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index!

1. Manila (#95)

2. Cebu (#468)

3. Cagayan de Oro (#661)

4. Naga (#904)

5. Davao (#951)

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Creamline, PLDT eye big win in AVC quarters

BY MARK REY MONTEJO

Apr 23, 2025 03:05 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Coming off a three-set loss to Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu in their final Pool A match, the Cool Smashers are ready to bounce back against Group D leader Thailand's Nakhon Rachasima Qmin C at 7 p.m.

Coming off a three-set loss to Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu in their final Pool A match, the Cool Smashers are ready to bounce back against Group D leader Thailand's Nakhon Rachasima Qmin C at 7 p.m.

Raising the curtain for the quarters action is a 4 p.m. showdown between the High Speed Hitters and Kazakh-based Zhetysu.

The victors of each match will earn semis berths.

Motivated to bounce back after its recent PVL finals defeat, Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses knew his wards will be able to prove themselves once again as they try to give the hometown fans some reasons to celebrate.

Russian reinforcements Anastasiya Kudryashova and Anastassiya Kolomoyets are expected to stand at Creamline’s frontline alongside mainstay Erica Staunton. 

Bannering the Filipina hitters are Jema Galanza, Bernadette Pons, Jeannette Panaga and Alyssa Valdez, who will be reunited with her former Ateneo teammate – under the tutelage of Roger Gorayeb – and now Nakhon’s manager and assistant coach Jang Bualee.

Nakhon, meanwhile, has Anyse Smith, Evangelia Chantava, and Thai volleyball superstar Onuma Sittirak.

PLDT, which came from a five-set defeat to Nakhon, is expected to go all out with imports Savannah Davison and Wilma Salas, and Filipina star Kianna Dy leading the charge.

The Kazakh side banks on its seasoned players in Karyna Denysova, Valeriya Yakutina and Tatyana Nikitina.

Meanwhile in other quarters brackets, PVL All-Filipino Conference champions Petro Gazz Angels battle the top seed Beijing Baic Motor Friday, April 25, at the same venue.

Taipei’s Kaohsiung Taipower, on the other hand, tussles with Vietnam’s VTV Binh Dien Long An.

Rekindling the reading habit in a scrolling world

BY PINKY CONCHA-COLMENARES

Apr 24, 2025 00:09 AM 

DRIVING THOUGHTS

 

In a world where attention spans are shrinking and screens dominate our leisure time, the quiet act of reading a book feels almost like a rebellion. When was the last time you, or someone you know, chose to read a book over Netflix or Facebook?

Once a treasured pastime, reading for pleasure is now competing with endless reels, bite-sized memes, and algorithm-fed distractions. Generations once grew up with bedtime stories and library visits, but today’s youth are growing up with TikTok trends and rapid-scroll consumption. The question is not whether reading has changed, but whether we are losing it altogether.

The decline of deep reading is not just anecdotal—it’s measurable. The 2023 National Readership Survey commissioned by the National Book Development Board in the Philippines showed that fewer than four in 10 Filipinos read books regularly, and the numbers are even lower among younger age groups. That’s 42 percent of adults and 47 percent of children reading regularly. This represents a significant drop from a 2017 peak where 80 percent of adults and 93 percent of children were regular readers.

Globally, similar patterns emerge: Traditional reading is declining, replaced by shorter, dopamine-driven content consumed in seconds. Social media, while a useful tool, often fragments our attention and shifts our preference toward instant gratification.

But reading still matters, perhaps even more than ever. Beyond being a source of entertainment, reading builds critical life skills. It enhances vocabulary, strengthens concentration, and fosters deeper cognitive processing. More importantly, sustained reading promotes empathy, allowing readers to experience lives and perspectives beyond their own. In a time when polarization and misinformation run rampant, the ability to think critically and understand others is not just valuable—it is vital. 

So why has reading taken a back seat? The barriers are real. Children grow up in overstimulated environments, often lacking strong reading role models at home or school. Digital fatigue from constant screen exposure makes sustained attention harder. And with so many options available online, books are easily overshadowed. And the cost of books have also been shown as a factor that keeps the young from reading books.

Still, hope is not lost. Rekindling the reading habit starts with collective effort. Parents and educators can take an active role by reading aloud to children, setting aside time for reading, and creating book-friendly environments. Schools can integrate reading challenges or silent reading periods. Libraries, both physical and digital, should be made accessible, welcoming, and engaging for all ages.

Technology itself doesn’t have to be the enemy of reading—it can be an ally. E-readers, audiobooks, and interactive storytelling platforms can attract tech-savvy readers. Listening to an audiobook during the drive home is entertaining as well as informative, it will take your mind off crawling traffic and bad drivers.

Just a thought: If influencers and public figures can promote reading, books can be “cool” again. And perhaps, book recommendations can trend on social media the same way dance challenges or viral recipes do.

Community-driven efforts also make a difference. Local book clubs, storytelling events, free book exchanges, and reading corners in barangays or malls can bring books back into everyday life. These don’t require massive budgets—just intention and creativity. You may be surprised at the number of people who will respond to book clubs and book exchanges.

Encouraging the reading habit is more than nostalgia for a simpler time. Reading isn’t just a hobby, it’s a necessity. 

I like to pass on these lines which I read in a book a long time ago: “In a distracted world, books offer stillness. In a noisy world, they offer reflection. And in a divided world, they offer understanding.”

Let us reclaim our focus. Let us slow down, turn the page, and rediscover the joy and power of reading—not just for ourselves, but for future generations who deserve more than just a scroll.

It’s time to make reading a revolution. Read a book. Encourage your children to read by having books around the house.  Around the dining table, talk about the stories you’ve read.