Berlin politician decries Swabian influx

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BERLIN, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The former president of the lower house of Germany's legislature said he is upset with Swabian influence on Berlin culture.

Wolfgang Thierse, a longtime Berlin resident and former president of the Bundestag, said Swabians moving from southwestern Germany to the big city should adapt to the culture of Berlin, The Local.de reported Monday.

"I would hope that the Swabians finally get that they are in Berlin now and no longer in their small town," Thierse said.

Thierse said newcomers are initially attracted to city life but then decide they want it "just as it was back home" in Baden-Wurttemberg.

He said he gets angry when bakers offer "Wecken," the Swabians' word for rolls, instead of the Berlin slang, "Schrippen."

"I say: In Berlin you say Schrippen. Even the Swabians can get used to that," he said.

Thierse said he is also upset when he is offered "Pflumendatschi," the Swabian word for plum cake.

"What is that supposed to mean? In Berlin it's called Plaumenkuchen," the politician said.