Swiss FOOD
OK; the traditional cuisine in Switzerland isn't all that
exciting, but they can do a lot of stuff with cheese! Of course, the
chocolate is great but in general the cuisine is fairly conventional
meat and potatoes fare-lots of potatoes....but it's gotten a lot
better in the past 20 years especially in terms of restaurant
choices.
Speaking of restaurants...Coming from
America where wait staff at restaurants don't get paid a decent wage
and rely on tips to make any money so give you good service, I was
somewhat taken aback by the somewhat...hmmmm... “lackadaisical”
service in many Swiss restaurants. I mean it seemed like they were
doing me a favor actually coming to take my order. And when I was
ready to leave it seemed like everyone had at that precise moment
decided to take their smoke break.....maybe it was my accent...
But more on the subject of food....the
Swiss take food everywhere!
Does any other
group of people take food everywhere they go?! Maybe it's a European
thing...maybe I just grew up in Fast-Food Land where there is either
a McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell etc on every corner and off
every highway exit.....but it took me years in Switzerland to
remember to pack food if we were going for a walk that would last
more than 15 minutes...everyone brings a picnic! But-oh my god-the
Swiss people feed their kids all the time! Breakfast, 9 O'clock
snack, hot lunch, 4 O'clock snack, dinner, bedtime snack-and CANDY!
My one son has his birthday in September and when he was younger all
his buddies brought sugar to his little party so he got a stash of
sugar that could have lasted through Christmas, BUT NO! The other
neighborhood kids started doing Halloween Trick or Treat a few years
ago so, not only did my son get a bunch of candy in September, he got
to add to it in October and again in December starting with St.
Niklaus day on the 6th. Later on in December the school
went Christmas caroling to all the old people in the village, a very
nice tradition, but they again got TONS of sweets!! Sometimes money
as well! (This is Switzerland after all.) Not to mention the cookies
and candy flung around hither and thither at Christmas time. So, by
now, his ongoing stash was topped up until at least Easter-when-guess
what? More sugar.....what's a mom to do?!
Speaking of being a mom here....