- Professor Roland Marti über das abgekürzte Europa und die Saar-Uni
- Typisch Saarland: Schwenken ohne Ende
Samantha C. Derrick, australische Gaststudentin unserer Universität, hat als ein zentrales identitätsstiftendes Moment ihrer neuen Umgebung das Schwenken ausgemacht. Die Erfahrung, dass sich mit Schwenken offenbar mehr verbindet als mit dem in Australien sehr beliebten Barbecue hat die Journalistik-Studentin zu einem Artikel inspiriert.
Typisch Saarland: Schwenken ohne Ende
There are many obscurities that any international student may find peculiar when they first land in the Saar Country: "Und" to address someone, the weird almost pidgin sounding language, and the distinct Saarlandish accent. But nothing could mystify an international student more than the pride and enjoyment gathered from the tripod standing, meat cooking, social structure called the "Schwenker". Looking more like a post-modern sculpture of a flying saucer trapped in the Bermuda Triangle, the Schwenker plays an important role here in the Saarland. "The Schwenker is a cult, a ritual of the Saarlander. It is definitely one of the few Saarlandish identities" said Schorsch Seitz, Saarland Entertainer and author of Das saarländische Schwenker Buch. And everyone here loves to schwenk. But do they love to schwenk? Be the Schwenker? Eat the Schwenker or socialise by the Schwenker? Confusingly there are four different meanings for this one word! "I quite like being the Schwenker. Swinging the grill, it is very different from simply Barbecuing in Australia" said Australian law student Pouyan Afshar . Only recently arriving at the Saar three months ago, Afshar is already a fan of this Saarlandish custom.
Samantha C. Derricks Anregung für die Neuauflage von Georg Seitz Das Saarländische Schwenker Buch: Auch das Australische "House of Parliament" kann mit der Schwenker-Tradition in Verbindung gebracht werden.
Where did the Schwenker come from? The official story states that it actually originated from Rheinland- Pfalz. There, they called it a "Schaukelbraten". "Many people in Rheinland-Pfalz were working at the coal-mines in Saarland and they brought it to us" said Seitz. Saarland took to this social type of outdoor eating fast, renamed it the Schwenker and never talked about its origins again. Apparently, they all grill in Rheinland-Pfalz anyway.
The unofficial story, however, has much more interesting roots. From cavemen rock drawings to the peace symbol of the 60’s, the Schwenker has apparently influenced many of history’s greatest events and monuments. The Leaning Tower of Pisa tilted because it housed a giant Schwenker on one side. And the Eiffel Tower, with its triangle frame, was the perfect shape and size for a mass Schwenker. But it is the influence the Schwenker had on the first Olympic games that Saarlanders love the most. The discus that one of the famous Olympic throwing statue holds, is not really a discus but in fact a Schwenker. And the Olympic rings? Diogenes put five Saarlandish Lyonas on the Schwenker one day and their positions today have become an international symbol.
Das saarländische Schwenker Buch did however miss out on a couple of influences that the Schwenker had on the other side of the world. In Australia. Our parliament house with its tripod architecture looks suspiciously similar to the Schwenker. And the Harbour Bridge with all the criss-crossed steel patterns is appropriate to house an over-sized Schwenker. And from a distance the Opera House does represent the flames of a Schwenker fire. Considering this immense effect that the Saarlandish Schwenker has had historically on the world, wouldn’t it then be appropriate for the university to embrace this culture and identity? For example, changing the logo of the university into a giant Schwenker
Summer here has just begun. With the turn of the clocks, the late setting sun and the - for Germany - reasonably warm weather, a new season has started: The season of the Schwenker.
Samantha C. Derrick