Cynthia Barcomi

Barcomi came to Berlin as a dancer 20 years ago, but decided she'd rather roast coffee beans a few years later. "I was tired of people saying that America has no culture," she said and began baking cookies, cakes and muffins and hand-made bagels to convince Berliners otherwise. A mother of three, she now runs a coffee shop in the city's Kreuzberg district and a deli in Mitte district, employing 37 people.

DW-WORLD: How is Germany doing in your opinion?

Cynthia Barcomi: As an employer and a consumer, I just feel like the economy is so amazingly depressed. There's no consumer enthusiasm. As far as employees go, I am shocked at the work ethic of some people. I'm so sick and tired of the advantages of the welfare system being abused. Everybody pays for it, but most are not aware how much they do pay for it.

What needs to happen in Germany to help speed up the country's recovery?

I feel like it's a very complex problem. Morale has been down since the introduction of the euro. Businesses really took a dip, but have recovered since. Raising VAT is certainly not the answer. It's very difficult to change the menu every time something changes. There's also the theory that people still have a complex about World War II. But most countries don't have a clean slate and are still able to go on and have a health country.

Gerhard Schröder or Angela Merkel? Who is your personal choice for chancellor? Why?

I have always prided myself in being a Democrat. But if I were German and allowed to vote, I would find it very difficult to re-elect Schröder. I don't feel that he can make the economic changes needed to get the country back in gear. But I don't know if that means voting for Merkel.

What do you like about Germany?

I do like that people don't fall through the grid here. I think it's less commercial than the US. The mentality here was difficult for me to understand at first, there's a kind of neutrality that Americans do no have. People are more grounded here. I feel like you don't have huge discrepancy between those who have and those who have not. I appreciate that I can have my kids take the subway and ride on busses.

What do you dislike about Germany?

I think they could use better weather in the summertime. I definitely had a phase when I was more anti-German, but by and large I do really like Germany. I just feel like people here always want to stay on the safe side. I have gotten much less risky here.