Food Feature: Reunification pains

Few cities in Europe can match the history and significance of Berlin, Germany, the vibrant city in which we now find ourselves. It is also home to some very beloved crossing signals. But we’ll get to that in a moment. During the 40 years of the Cold War, Berlin was divided into capitalistic West Berlin, part of West Germany, and communist East Berlin, part of East Germany. The most tangible evidence of this division was, of course, the Berlin Wall. Erected in 1961 to prevent the escape of East Germans to the West, it stood as a barbaric symbol of oppression.

Then, suddenly in November 1989, the Berlin Wall “fell.” Who can forget the dramatic images of those days when jubilant Berliners gathered around and climbed upon the Wall? Reunification of Germany soon followed, as governmental leaders struggled with the difficult task of integrating East and West.

Yet of all the decisions and compromises that needed to be made as Berlin and Germany were reunified, few issues generated as much controversy as the fate of the “ampel männchen.”

Translated as the “little traffic light man” in English, the ampel mänchen is the illuminated crossing light that signals to pedestrians when it is safe to cross the street (the green ampel männchen) and when it is not (the red ampel männchen). As we walk the streets of Berlin, we are struck by how observantly these signals are obeyed, as pedestrians often sit silently by the side of empty streets waiting for the little green guy to tell them it is OK to cross.

So when the powers that be, in the interest of uniformity, began to replace the lively, character-filled, hat-wearing, ampel männchen of the East with the stiff, lifeless and noticeably hatless ones of the West (which look similar to the ones we see on the streets of Atlanta), East Berliners lost their minds. The replacement of the beloved East Berlin ampel männchen became a metaphor for the problems of reunification, as the East perceived it to be unfairly treated by the “arrogant” West, even when it came to mere crossing signals.

A “save the ampel männchen” movement grew quickly, as the little guy rapidly gained cult status in East and West alike. Posters, key rings, coffee mugs and other paraphernalia sprouted up all over Berlin, as suddenly everyone was keenly interested in the fate of their favorite urban symbol. Politicians soon realized that advocating anything other than saving the ampel männchen was political suicide, and the little guy was saved.

Thankfully it was so, because he really is a pleasant happy chap. Perhaps we need a “we want the ampel männchen” movement in Atlanta?

Follow Rich and Kelly Willis’ round- the-world adventures every month in Creative Loafing or visit their website at 2goglobal.com.