Picture this: Thousands are gathered in traditional garb to enjoy giant pretzels, sausages, roasted chicken — and of course, beer.
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Thousands → picture → course
Children are squealing, friends are singing along to the brass band — and a man is tapping some white powder onto the back of his hand.
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man → squeal → hand
Don’t worry, it’s not what you think.
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you → worry → what
It’s actually a perfectly legal tradition Germans have been doing for centuries.
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Germans → ’ → centuries
The modern white powder is called Wiesn Koks — literally, Oktoberfest cocaine.
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powder → call → ?
Also known as Wiesn Pulver (Oktoberfest powder) and Bavarian cocaine, the white powder is literally just sugar and menthol.
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powder → know → Pulver
Huffing it will give you a minor sugar rush and an intense shot of menthol through your sinuses that’ll wake you up and refresh you.
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that → huff → you
Some say it a bit more strongly.
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Some → say → it
“Weisn Pulver hurts,” one Oktoberfest reveler told VICE.
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reveler → hurt → VICE
“It stings much more than cocaine.
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It → sting → cocaine
It’s like snorting horseradish, or one of those overly intense ads for mint gum.
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It → ’ → gum
But it clears out the sinuses and centers you.”
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it → clear → you
A rep from the original makers, Pöschl Tabak, told Vice that “in summer, it clears your head and in winter, it clears your nose.”
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it → tell → nose
While the substance itself is harmless, snorting anything up your nose can damage the mucous lining, and eventually, the cartilage of the nose.
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snorting → snort → nose
Some people report pain and nosebleeds, especially if you do too much.
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you → report → much
Plus, if it gets into the lungs, it could cause a coughing fit or difficulty breathing.
uncertain
it → get → fit
Part of the reason people do Wiesn Koks is that it’s a tobacco-free alternative to snuff.
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it → do → snuff
Snuff, the finely ground tobacco that’s sniffed through the nose or held in the mouth, is a specialty in the Bavarian region since the 1700s.
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that → grind → 1700s
People in the region have enjoyed snuff at festivals and parties for centuries— even partaking in snuff competitions.
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People → enjoy → competitions
Bavarians even have a special regional snuff called Schmalzler, which is traditionally moistened with clarified butter.
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which → have → butter
That’s why snuff became inseparable from Oktoberfest, which started in 1810 to celebrate a royal wedding.
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which → ’ → wedding
“There’s no other region in the world today where people take snuff so enthusiastically and extensively,” German newspaper Sùddeutsche Zietung wrote.
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Zietung → ’ → snuff
“The people here consider inhaling powdered tobacco to be part of their tradition and the very core of their being.
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inhaling → consider → being
Though the tobacco-free white powder has existed for over a century, it only became a craze in recent decades.
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it → exist → decades
Other than tradition, the appeal of the so-called white snuff is that it resembles cocaine, Sùddeutsche Zietung reports.
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Zietung → call → cocaine
It’s a gag that causes reports to police to jump during Oktoberfest.
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reports → ’ → Oktoberfest
Because it’s basically impossible to tell whether it’s white snuff or actual cocaine, tent owners and staff have been trying to crack down on sales and use of Wiesen Koks.
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owners → ’ → Koks
Even the original manufacturer is distancing the product (Schneeberg) from its “Oktoberfest cocaine” nickname.
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manufacturer → distance → nickname
At the festival, you’re often seated at huge tables with strangers, and Wiesen Koks is a fun ice breaker.
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Koks → seat → strangers
Plus, it functions like a palette cleanser for the beer and heavy food.
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it → function → beer
With all those perks, Sùddeutsche Zietung reports sales of the product jumps 400-500% over the two weeks.
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sales → report → weeks
The Aporia
