Meet The Germaniac Family

(My dad is born-and-raised German, and the only one of his siblings to be born after WWII. He is telling me about some of his family’s experiences in the war.)

Dad: “So while my dad was off fighting, my mom and three older siblings had to flee from invading Russian soldiers. Retreating Germans came through the town ahead of the Russians, warning everyone that they had roughly four hours to get out.”

Me: “So they packed up and left as quickly as possible, right? What did they take with them?”

Dad: “Well, it wasn’t that simple. I mean, they were in the middle of the family dinner.”

Me: “Oh, did they pack some of the food to take along?”

Dad: “No, that’s not what I meant. They… they finished dinner, and then washed, dried, and put away the dishes.”

Me: “WHAT?! You mean to tell me that, in the face of approaching enemy troops, in a house that could very well be burned down soon, your family did the DISHES?”

Dad: “I mean, they didn’t want the Russians saying that the Germans were slobs…”