mmmmm...stinky, melty, cheeeeese...

Along with glühwein and bratwurst, raclette stands are standard fare at all Christmas markets in Switzerland (and pretty much every single other outdoor or indoor event, festival or fair, for that matter). The blocks of cheese are heated, and the melty outer layer is scraped onto a flimsy paper plate and served with some potatoes or onions or pickles.

But you can't fully appreciate the raclette experience unless you catch a whiff of the stuff. If only the 'internets' came with some sort of 'smell-o-vision'...

fall

Fall is definitely here, and these pumpkins and gourds are beautifully displayed at the entrance to the café at the Kunsthaus Zürich, promoting its seasonal menu. Some of my favorite things about fall: kürbis suppe (pumpkin soup), heisse marroni (roasted chestnuts) stands everywhere, truffle pasta, and fall foliage/colors. ha ha...just realized that most of my fall favorites involve food! what do you like most about fall?

patriotic breakfast

As always, the first day of the month is Daily Photo Theme Day, and today's theme is "a typical breakfast" Though not necessarily your typical Swiss breakfast, this most certainly is a special occasion breakfast, as August 1st also happens to be Swiss National Day. So, I went out and picked up some patriotic goodies from the bakery. The bread in the foreground is a special edition of a buttery zopf (normally it's shaped like a braid; today the top is shaped like a Swiss cross), which is traditionally eaten on Sundays. The red pastry is a mandel tortli (almond tart), and in the back we have some cookies with jam.

To all the Swiss out there: Happy Switzerland Day!

To see what people in 100 cities around the world are enjoying for breakfast today, follow the links below.

En guete!*


Saint Paul (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - New York City (NY), USA - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hyde, UK - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Stockholm, Sweden - Paderborn, Germany - Singapore, Singapore - Haninge, Sweden - Nottingham, UK - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Manila, Philippines - Boston (MA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Singapore, Singapore - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Paris, France - Sequim (WA), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Boston (MA), USA - Chennai, India - Madison (WI), USA - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Toulouse, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - La Antigua, Guatemala - Selma (AL), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Lubbock (TX), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Sheki, Azerbaijan - Sydney, Australia - Mumbai, India - Seoul, South Korea - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - New Orleans (LA), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Villigen, Switzerland - Montréal (QC), Canada - Stayton (OR), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Moscow, Russia - Springfield (MO), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Arlington (VA), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Manila, Philippines - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Stavanger, Norway - Bastia, France - Hong Kong, China - Wailea (HI), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Sydney, Australia - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Kansas City (MO), USA - Grenoble, France - Paris, France - Evry, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Prague, Czech Republic - Cape Town, South Africa - Brookville (OH), USA - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Wellington, New Zealand - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Shanghai, China - Zurich, Switzerland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Lyon, France - Naples (FL), USA - Olympia (WA), USA

*'Bon appetite' in Swiss German

saftlade

This cheerful looking take-away stand called Saftlade serves up delicious freshly squeezed fruit juices, sandwiches, as well as a daily vegeterian menu option. I was initially drawn to this place by its brightly-painted facade and the food turned out to be quite good.

reithalle bar reflected

Pictured here is the bar of the Restaurant Reithalle, which was originally built as a stable for horses.

eat your veggies!

A few days ago I had dinner at Tibits, a popular vegetarian buffet-style restaurant in the trendy Seefeld district. The place is always packed and the food there is so tasty that even meat lovers like myself don't miss the meat.