My American Experience in Switzerland

When I met my Swiss husband I was living in Hawaii. He was very polite and besides his accent, I really couldn't pick up much difference in our cultures. One of the few things that caught my interest was his ability to eat an entire large pizza almost elegantly, with a fork and knife. I am used to sharing a pizza with other people, grabbing a couple slices and eating with my hands. It wouldn't be until I arrived in Switzerland that I would understand his technique. I wanted to share some of the differences I have experienced while living abroad.

Pizza: Forget the deep dish or stuffed crust pizza you would get from Pizza Hut. Being close to Italy, the Swiss have delicious traditional pizza. Everyone orders their own individual pizza you eat it like you would a plate of food and with a fork and knife. If you wish to share a pizza the cook will slice it down the center and it will be served to you as a half. Quite different from putting a pie in the center of the table for everyone to have a slice. There is no crushed red peppers or Parmesan cheese waiting to top the pizza but hot pepper oil can be used by request.

Restaurants: Seat yourself and water is not given out freely, you must order a bottle of water if you desire or a different beverage. Servers make a good salary and it is not necessary to tip but you are welcome to give a few franks for excellent service. This means that the server doesn't need to rush you out of your seat to turn tables and make more money, there is calm and patience at the restaurant and the bill is not delivered until you ask. Almost every restaurant I have been to has the same dessert menu: gelato, frappes, and a seasonal fruit pie. Oh and the pie is usually eaten with your hands while the pizza is eaten with cutlery. I've noted to keep both hands above the dinner table during a meal. I was told that is how you can tell I am American because I eat with one hand on my lap. I also try to eat each meal utilizing both the knife and the fork, but my 29 years of using the fork as a knife make this quite a challenge. Also aligning the silver wear in such a way to let my server know I am finished and neatly folding my napkin underneath them. I have become more conscious about the polite eating etiquette and it's quite fun to participate in. I reflect back on the many years of myself being a waitress and how it wasn't always easy to tell if a guest was finished or not. 

Coffee: You won't get a cup of drip coffee with unlimited refills here. You will get one cup of delicious creamy coffee with a little cookie on the side. Even for the caffeine addict, two cups is the maximum you need. Every household has a single cup coffee machine and it's very common to enjoy a cup after every meal.

Chocolate: Oh the Swiss chocolate, you find a man that has been eating Swiss chocolate his whole life, and you have found one spoiled man. You won't find or need Hershey's chocolate here just creamy, delicious, Swiss chocolate.

Dogs: I was quite surprised to see dogs almost everywhere here. At restaurants, clothing stores, pretty much anywhere that is other wised marked, you may bring your furry companion. Bring your dog to sit outside with you for dinner and the waiter brings him a bowl of water, yes your dog gets free water but you don't. Doggy trash bags can be found at almost every park or common area you would have your pet. This is to encourage cleanliness. Special green doggy bag trash cans can be found as well to collect what your pet leaves behind.

Garbage: You cannot buy a bulk of plastic garbage bags here and expect to throw away your trash in them. You must buy city specific garbage bags, about 15 CHF for a roll of 10 and discard them in specific collection bins. Recycling is highly promoted here also and you can find bins in every neighborhood.

Grocery Stores: Once you have squeezed your way in to a tiny parking stall in the parking garage, you grab yourself a shopping wagon which you must put a deposit in to free it from it's chain lock. Switzerland takes pride in sustainability and you will find an abundance of local food and products. You must weigh and label your own produce and either bring your own shopping bags or buy them. You won't find shelf after shelf of processed junk food, chips, or soda. Yes they do have these items but not in great quantities. Produce, Meat, Dairy, and fresh Bakery items maintain a majority of the stores.

Swiss made: Switzerland has high standards for food consumption and encourages local productivity. If they are selling a global brand, they try produce it with Swiss products. Even their McDonald's hamburgers consist of 100% Swiss beef, of course that means no dollar menu. Switzerland is a country of quality, everything is built to last. There aren't any super stores or dollar stores to buy the cheapest plastic items you can find. People live in there homes for decades and remodel when it is necessary.

Doors and windows: Every door has a key lock. Yes you have to use a key to enter as well as exit your front door. Most of the doors have handles instead of knobs. The windows don't slide up, you turn the handle half way and the window opens towards you, turn the handle all of the way, and the window cracks a bit. There aren't any screens on the windows and most have metal blinds on the outside.

Toilets: Although the bowls are similar, to flush you won't have to find a handle but push a button on the wall.

Round abouts: Most four way stop lights have been removed and replaced with a four entrance round about. This keeps the traffic continually moving. The person to the left has the "right of way."

Responsibility: The age for drinking beer and wine is 16 and 18 for spirits. The age for driving a car is 18 but one may drive a special moped from the age of 14.

People: I would describe the Swiss is hardworking, polite, and obedient. I was impressed during my recent visit to a water park. I worked as a lifeguard at a similar park in the States. Every slide was monitored and we wore whistles to keep children aware of the rules. I was surprised to see no life guards on the slides here. Everyone obeyed when the lights turned, they helped each other with the rafts, no one was pushy or trying to break the rules. Even the children unaccompanied by adults knew the proper way to play at this water park. It was calmness from the chaos that I usually whiteness at a water park. It was very refreshing.

Every day is a new experience here. Every day I have an inward journey as well as an outward one. I love to share my experiences and I will continue to add to this list. Thank you for reading my view of Switzerland.