Sieglinde Föhringer has worked every one of the last twenty and more years in the “Winzerer Fähndl”, the marquee of traditional Munich brewery Paulaner at Munich’s October beer festival. It is her passion for the venerable celebration that drives her.
Munich, September 2013. – Even as a young girl, Munich native Sieglinde Föhringer worked as a waitress at the Oktoberfest. After twenty-three years in the job, she knows the Wiesn, as the locals traditionally call their public festival, like few other people. The enthusiasm appears to be catching as both her daughter and son have also been servers for many years in Paulaner’s Winzerer Fähndl marquee, which with seating for more than 8,000 is one of the largest and most popular venues at the festival.
Tough preparations for the “Paulas”
“Most of the waitresses are students and actually don’t come from Munich for the most part, but usually they are at least Bavarian,” says Föhringer. Many of them head to fitness studios weeks before the festival to start preparing. This hard work pays off because the waitresses earn money on every beer they serve, which is why they frequently bring ten of the heavy beer mugs to the tables at a time. This special achievement certainly turns heads, especially among the countless foreign visitors. “Being a waitress at the Oktoberfest requires passion and commitment around the clock,” reports Föhringer. “In principle I do everything that has to be done during those two weeks beforehand – just as if I were on another planet during the festival.”
The dirndl is part of it
Bavarian costumes are typical for the Oktoberfest. Men wear short lederhosen while the women sport a dirndl. Sieglinde Föhringer would not like to see this tradition disappear: “It’s what makes a genuine Wiesn waitress at the Oktoberfest. I proudly wear mine every year in the Winzerer Fähndl beer hall.” A few things have changed over the last twenty-three years, however. “In the past, the Winzerer Fähndl was a quieter, cosier marquee. Nowadays, it’s party all the time. The atmosphere is great, people dance on the benches and visitors from every corner of the world raise their glasses together.”
The world gathers in the marquee
On average around 20 per cent of the more than six million visitors to the Oktoberfest every year are from other countries. A fifth of them travel from Italy where the beer festival is particularly popular. “You can recognise the young Italians because they always wear sunglasses,” chuckles Föhringer. “Sometimes they have so much fun they forget to eat and the beer has an even stronger effect. The older Italians are generally quieter and there to enjoy Bavarian specialities in the main,” says the waitress. Many visitors also journey to the Bavarian capital from the US, Russia, France, China, Spain and Latin America. “We are delighted that foreign guests are able to join us in appreciating our traditions and our beer. The best-selling beer in the Winzerer Fähndl, by the way, is Paulaner’s Oktoberfest beer, one of our seasonal specialities.”
The Wiesn classic: a roast chicken and a litre of beer
Despite the many visitors to the tent, the cuisine is up-market. Gourmet cook Andreas Geitl has cooked for the king of Saudi Arabia in the past. During the Oktoberfest he treats guests in the Winzerer Fähndl to traditional Bavarian fare. “The food here is excellent. The most popular classic is the ‘hendl’, half a roast chicken,” says Föhringer, who is already looking forward to this year’s Oktoberfest.
The 2013 Oktoberfest will be held from 21 September to 6 October in Munich.
About Paulaner
Paulaner Brauerei was founded by monks in 1634. Originally the friars brewed beer exclusively for their own use. The company’s headquarters is still Munich, as it always has been. The company has a staff of roughly 670 employees. With over 2.9 million hectolitres of beer brewed, the Paulaner Brewery Group is a market leader in Germany and worldwide.