Friday's Five - 5 Swiss French Words (Related to Food) You Should Know

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Some years ago, when I was working in Zürich, I was overwhelmed with swiss german. Although I considered by german relatively fluent, I didn't understand a word of swiss german. After 3 months, I could know when my work colleagues were talking about the weather, some recent news or the upcoming weekend. But as you can see, I spent most of my time there guessing the lunch topic of the day. I usually had a poor soul sitting next to me who's job was it to translate whenever I had a clueless look on my face. 

Before moving to the french part, I thought that at least this time, the french would be the same as in France. At least some of the (very few) words I had learned in University would find their use. I was right, kind of. French in Switzerland isn't that different from the french from France, but there are, in fact, some words that will be confusing for other french speakers. 

1. Cornet. You go to the supermarket to buy some fruits and the cashier asks you if you want a cornet. Why would the cashier want you to take a music instrument similar to the trumpet after buying some fruits? Turns out, cornet is the swiss french word for sac de plastique (plastic bag). 
2. Services. Whenever I buy a quick take away salad, the kind waitress asks if I want service. The first time I thought: better decline any service, whatever it is, it will probably have an extra cost.  I then took a plastic fork and knife and went back to work. Soon afterwards I found out that service is the swiss french word for couverts (cutlery). I can picture the cashiers' puzzled look when I kindly declined and then took it anyway!
3. Déjeuner. Yes, you know this one. But, as confusing as it may be, déjeuner in Switzerland is not having lunch, but having breakfast - what in France is called petit déjeuner. 
4. Dîner. 1:30pm on a saturday. I went to have lunch on a terrace. The waiter comes to take my order by asking "Quest-ce que vous voulez pour dînez?". "Dinner?" I thought "who wants to have dinner at 1:30pm?". What school had taught me to be dinner in french seems to be lunch in Switzerland. 
5. Souper. So, if breakfast is lunch and lunch is dinner... what the heck is dinner? Souper, as in supper!

All these words are related to ordering food and going food shopping, which is as far as I can get with my limited french. 

Do you know about any words that are used differently in another country? 

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PS: Just a quick note on my april blog cleaning challenge - I'm probably going to make the move to Wordpress this sunday! I realized that many design options can't really be seen correctly unless you've already got posts in it, so... wish me luck! 

Paris Photo Essay (by a Frustrated Architect)

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Did I ever tell you that, when I was a kind, I wanted to be an architect? This career fixation started at the earliest of my memories and lasted until I turned 20. Yes, 20. I studied to become an architect. I spent those 2 years facing each paper submission alone and realized that, although I can spend hours looking at constructions like this one, I wanted (and needed!) something more social and interactive. I wanted to work with people, not to stand on my own at all times. 

But then, admiring the Eiffel Tower, makes me wonder if I took the right decision. I might had been the next Gustave Eiffel, right?

Anyway, I'll leave you with a couple of fun facts of this Masterpiece:

1. It helps you to find your way in Paris as its 4 pillars are aligned to the points of the compass
2. With extremely strong stormy wind, it can move 13 cm
3. On a clear day, you can see up to 67 km away from the upper part of the Tower
4. During winter, the Tower shrinks 15 cm
5. During summer, the Tower leans very slightly, as one side is heated by the sun and expands up to 8cm

I Eat Paris.

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It was saturday morning and I had made my way to the one place that had never dissapointed me in this city - Marais. I remembered it colorful and full of life. I got out of the cab at Rue de Bretagne, and walked along this street until I reached the marché des Enfants Rouges. This is not any food market, no. Besides from having a broad selection of fish and vegetables (as any other local market), it has stands offering all kind of culinary creations from all over the World. I was particulary impressed by the moroccan corner - people were even queuing to order one of their tajines with couscous, chicken and vegetables! It was still too early for me to have lunch (my internal clock still ticks on spanish times), I only queued for one of their sweet delights (funny they call them delights - what's so light about them?).

The moroccan "delights"

 Le marché des Enfants Rouges, from the inside

Just a couples of steps from the market, there was a traditional cheese shop. A real one. I thought the swiss knew how to make cheese, but you know what? The french know better. There you go, 11:30am and I was already complimenting the french. But I wasn't going to be that easy to conquire. There had to be something else than well, cheese, to win me back ( of course, I couldn't resist, and bought a smelly cheese before leaving the shop).

The traditional cheese shop 

You think this is a lot of variety? This was only the "on sale" section...

After doing some shopping (more on that coming soon), I found this little cafe called Rose Bakery in Rue Debelleyme, in with people were queuing to get a table and I thought if the french are queuing for it, it must be really worth it. Well, turns out it wasn't very french, as Rose Bakery is a british bakery with a couple of branches around Paris, London and Seoul (which explains why the waiters spoke perfect english). It might have not been the oh-so-french-cafe I had thought, but the 10 minutes queuing were still worth it. I ordered a fresh pressed apple juice and a roasted vegetables quiche accompanied by an organic salad, which I really recommend to anyone looking for fresh and handmade quality food. A very healthy place, if you manage to ignore their multiple cupcakes and brownies, that is.

Notice the basket full of oranges!

I started walking out of Marais, hoping to arrive to the Eiffel Tower just on time for sunset. This seemend to be a total achievable goal of mine, if it wasn't because I got caught up in a tunisian demonstration. A couple of long minutes later, I got out of the wave of people right into Rue Saint-Martin, where a tiny cute shop caught my attention - Le Boutique du Macaron. Now how was I going to leave Paris without macarons? That would be like leaving Turkey without baklawa, right? Le Boutique du Macaron has a surprisingly unusual set of salty macarons - chocolate with foie, tomato with basilic and truffles are some of their exotic flavors (which I bought, of course).

When I realized that I wasn't going to make it before sunset, and felt exhausted of carrying cheese, macarons, and a couple of impulsive sales purchases, I walked into Adam's, in Rue Danielle Casanova - in theory, I only wanted to have a cup of tea... But couldn't resist their lemon cake and ended up having both (I know... what's wrong with me?). Some time around 8pm, Adam's closed, and they gave a piece of galette to each of us last stranded customers (which I had for breakfast today!). 

Anyway, out of all places and foods I tasted this weekend, I've left the best for the my last lunch. My train was leaving at 4pm, so I still had half a day to enjoy the city (noticed that I'm using terms like "enjoy" when talking about Paris...?). I walked around Notre Dame and Louvre (you see? I also do some sightseeing!) and decided to walk back to this rather hidden square I fell in love with a long time ago - Place Dauphine.

Place Dauphine, Paris

Although there are quite a few cafes surrounding the square, don't expect many of them to be open on a sunday. I tried my luck and asked for a table at La Rose de France, a charming local cafe with a mouthwatering menu, with starters being 12.30 € main course 18.80 € and desserts 8.60 €, which, although it cannot be considered budget, is quite acceptable for the area and quality of both food and service.  

La Rose de France, Place Dauphine

Mille-feuille of duck breast and pineapples 

with gratin potatoes and honey sauce 

My verdict? In terms of food - Paris has got me. I can't resist to a city with such a broad variety and good quality of food. In my opinion, as long as you escape from the tourist traps, you're in a safe haven in almost any corner shop of the city. However, this, I already knew. France (and the french) enjoy food - it's not the material that fills you up when you are hungry, it's cultural. The french eat in groups, they'll have a glass of wine (or two or three), they'll talk (main subjects being the food and the wine) and have a good time. In this aspect, they are very much similar to the spanish, which is why I like it. What concerned me most was the service. As you might have read previously, I was treated like shit in bars and restaurants all over France (and specially in Paris), and I was expecting the same this time, being the only difference that this time I would know what the waiter was complaining about. 

Turns out, I was wrong. In each place I've had a lunch, coffee, dinner, I was always treated with respect and, in some occasions even with kind words and wide smiles! One waiter recommended me not to take a plate because "it's too expensive for the quality", many of them asked me where I was from and told me that I could also order in english if I preferred (which I didn't - I wanted to practice!). 

If you have been in Paris in the last couple of years, what are your impressions on this? Do you feel the service sector more.... service oriented than before? 

And more generally, have you ever ruled out a country / city because of a bad experience? 

The Day I Planned the Unplanned.

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Last night we arrived in Paris.

Paris and me, we have this kind of love-hate relationship. I've had great times with my friends, spending the nights in a spanish bar in Marais (which we later on discovered turned into a hype gay bar during the weekends), or dining in the strangest places, like a restaurant where you order a surprise menu in the dark and can'thelp it to wonder if the chefs are having a blast serving dead worms and telling you (afterwards) that it was aubergines. Even today, I'm not totally convinced of that days menu.

But then, there have been many times that this city has simply slapped me in the face. I was followed by an angry man who wanted to break my bones until I hid in a pharmacy, I got treated like shit in too many of those charming cafes, I got insulted on the streets and laughed at in a shop (probably because I just spoke to people in spanish with a french accent, and believed they would understand me this way). This has certainly kept me away from Paris in the last, er, 4 years and, if I had to be true, I hadn't felt the urge to come back.

Driving across the city last night, watching it's shiny lights and beautiful buildings made me look at it in a different way. I shouldn't punish a city for the bad experience I had during a few visits (after all, I had spent good times here, too). So this morning I decided to do the unthinkable - to give Paris a second chance.

This weekend promises to be challenging: I've started the weekend with black heels and a black suit (as I hadn't planned on staying over the weekend). This only lasted for 2 hours - the time that took me to shower and go to Galeries Lafayette and take part in one of the cities most famous traditions - the winter soldes! With a parisian flowery dress, flat boots and a chic black umbrella, I'm now ready to face my rival.

All I want for Christmas is Cheese

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Borough Market, London

Maybe it's the cold weather, the snow, that makes me want to wrap into a warm blanket and fish pieces of bread out of a fondue. Or maybe the Christmas market that I cross every evening after work, with it's shiny big menus announcing fondue and raclettes for 5 CHF. Perhaps the street market stands, that have such a broad variety that, even if you examine each one carefully, you can be sure that the next week there will be at least one you will have never seen before. For one reason or another, I'm thinking about cheese during an alarmingly high amount of time a day. 

Since we are close to Christmas (and I'm still craving for cheese), I'm sharing 5 Christmas gifts for cheese lovers (yes, I'm crossing my fingers that someone will surprise me with of the below). 

1. Raclette Machine

Having a raclette machine at home is one of my wildest fantasies (geez am I weird). For those of you who don't know the raclette - it's a type of cheese, originally from Switzerland, that is used for melting and is accompanied by small potatoes, pickled onions and gherkins as well as tradition swiss dried meat. 

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2. Mouse Cheese Grater / Serving Bowl

This little mouse grates cheese and stores it inside itself. You can easily detach the mouse from the grater and turn it into a serving bowl. Why having a traditional grater? This one is so cute!

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3. Fondue Set

Fondue is a traditional swiss / french dish of melted cheese that is eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese mix. The difference with the raclette (besides from the serving) is that the fondue is made of a specific mix of cheeses (that varies between France and Switzerland) and is usually added some wine and seasoning. It's the ideal apres-ski meal. And I want it, too. 

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4. Natural Slate Cheeseboard

I just love this cheeseboard - Have you noticed the chili shaped handgrips? The board is protected with acrylic resin to reduce chipping and prevent from staining - making it a perfect board to cut and serve the cheese. You can feel at home like at the finest french restaurant - having your own plateau de fromages. 

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5. Set of Cheese Knifes

Anyone spending enough money on buying cheese should have a set of proper cheese knifes. I fell in love with the minimalistic designer set below, which offers one to cut parmesan, general cheese and soft cheese (from left to right).

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Needless to say, all this cheese chit chat has whetted my appetite.

Do you think this cheese obsession has to do with living in Switzerland / France? Or can it hit anyone anywhere? Do you also fantasize of crackers with cheese?

To Bise or Not To Bise?

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You might ask yourself what these bises are and why I'm so concerned about them, anyways. In France, as well as in the Suisse Romande to fair la bise is a synonym for cheek-kissing, a mainly European custom that gets very complicated when someone french is involved. 

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To fair la bise generally involves touching cheeks while kissing the air with an audible smack of the lips. That's the easy part. Now the real question is: 

Who to kiss and who not to kiss? And then again, how many of these bises shall you give? 

There are no written rules - which will lead to many awkward situations. While in Paris people give 2 bises, in some suburbs it's 4 and in other areas in France 3 (the same as in Switzerland). This can already lead to a lot of confusion - if a swiss and a parisian meet: how much kissing would there be involved? I've often landed in this kind of situation - the last time last week at a meeting with a parisian banker I had been talking on the phone with for months, but had never met before personally. Since I felt as if I knew him forever, I leaned up to faire la bise, and noticed how he was confused about the situation, but followed my spontaneity to avoid by total embarrassment. 

Commonly, women can kiss each other in almost any circumstance (it get's tricky if you greet elderly people for the first time or if it's a business meeting - oops!). Men, otherwise, only will kiss other men if they are related or are two best friends who haven't seen each other in centuries. An exception to this is New Year's Eve - where everybody seems to get loose (probably a consequence of the all the vin rouge). 

As a general guideline, I would say - wait until you are approached instead of jumping into it, like I did - and still do... got to change that one. 

Have you ever been in one of these awkward situations? How do you know when and whom to kiss?

What Do (All) Frenchmen have in Common?

I've always had this thing for frenchmen. They are mysterious and have this particular attitude - so confident and arrogant. After a few years of experience with the french, I can proudly say that I can recognize them in a crowded bar, in the streets of Hong Kong or even among the swiss-french, which I thought were similar, but this last year has proven me wrong. There's something about them:

1. Frenchmen drink wine instead of beer - it's much more classy

2. And are slightly obsessed (not always in a good way) with fine food and cuisine

3. They know how to be polite and rude at the same time

4. They believe they're right even when they know they're wrong

5. Me

In the last years, I've had a few relationships with frenchmen (most of them characterized more or less by the points above). Obviously, each of these relationships failed, which, I guess, has made me somewhat like immune to french charm. But even when I avoid the french (if you're french, don't take this personally - it's a life stage I'm going through), they come to me, as if I am continuously sending out some signals that only the french can decode.

Last weekend, I was in Brick Lane with my friends. From the whole packed bar, only one guy came to talk to me - he was french (afterwards, I learned that he was chatting up every 3rd girl in the bar, so let's leave it as a coincidence). Today, while I was checking out the skaters performing (they were quite pro I must admit!) somebody sat next to me. I didn't care, there were a lot of people watching the performance anyways. However, this guy suddenly started speaking to me (in french):

French Guy: "I assume you are not swiss - you are french, right?"

Me thinking: "is it my dress? my shoes? my hair? my sun glasses? what gives me away, huh?"

Me: "Not really - I'm spanish and don't speak french, actually. Sorry - english?"

After a short 5 min conversation, he grabbed my back, leaned into me and said "you are so beautiful".

Me thinking: "there we go again...."

Dude, thanks - but no thanks. This was far from being the best way of me getting over my french ban. Does anyone actually fall into that?

I'm seriously worried. This has been going on for years now. Are all frenchmen following the same pattern? Am I the pattern? Or am I still the one responsible for all this? Does my mind and body reject my french ban?

I shall investigate more, definitely.

A Day in Annecy, France

Last Weekend we drove to Annecy, a little town in France with only around 50.000 habitants (which probably doubles during summer time). Even though we knew we were in France, we could feel a certain swiss-italian air around us - the lake, the Alps, the numerous restaurants and cafes, the unending ice cream offer... and most of all, the canals - I could have said we were in Venice!

Just as its italian version, Annecy is fully booked over summer - there were probably as many tourists (aside from us) as locals. Or maybe even more? However, this should not be considered as a problem, but just a harmless warning.

To start, the best thing to be done is to make yourself with a map of the city center. It's far simpler than Venice (where I got lost several times and, even with a map, ended in a complete different direction). I found this map on the internet - unfortunately a little too late to make use of it, but it seems to be quite practical to get a first overview. From then on, the trick is in being curious - there are a lot of very small passages that lead to enchanted hidden paths and I doubt that you'll find all of them on the maps, such as Chemin des Remparts or L'impasse du Trippoz. There's a hidden corner near the Chateau when walking down the Chemin des Remparts and turning left. It's a viewpoint from which you can see the towns roof tops.

When continuing the same little road, you'll get to see lovely town houses and will be lead to another passage that then guides you to one of the main streets in the vieux ville, Rue Perrière.

Every last saturday of the month, these streets are crowded with people attracted by the vintage flea market and an art market (which mainly takes place on Vicenza Quay) going on from 8am to 5pm. There's definitely something for everyone - I fell in love with these vintage ice-skates!

The town center is big enough to spend a good day exploring its corners. Of course, the main touristic streets are also a must - anything around the Thiou is a bit more expensive, but it's definitely worth a walk. I also recommend walking taking a walk around Notre Dame and, if you have time, take a walk in the Chateau (doors close at 5pm during summer on a saturday!).

If you decide to spend some sunny days in Annecy, you can't escape from spending some hours on the shores of the cleanest lake in Europe. There are a few so-called beaches - remember, you're talking with an island girl here, a beach is not really a beach without waves and sand. Ok, being more permissive - there's one beach I would certainly recommend, which is the Plage d'Angon Talloires. It's simply and naturally beautiful. However, you do need a car to get to this spot, as its almost across Annecy, on the other edge of the Lake (about a 30 minutes drive).

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Unfortunately summer seems to be over in Switzerland (and so does in Annecy...). But I'll surely check again during winter - I heard it also has a good christmas market!

Around the World III

Morges, Switzerland

Morges, Switzerland

Morges, Switzerland

Annecy, France

Annecy, France

Annecy, France