Adventures in cooking and baking

Hanna and I made tortillas this week for our fish tacos. It's quite easy and definitely more economical than the 6 tortillas for 5 chf in the grocery store. We also took some pictures of the kitchen and appliances. The counter space is limited, but works well for most projects. The oven and dishwasher are several inches narrower and shorter than their equivalents in the U.S. The fridge looks like it's half the size- and the freezer is minute. I can fit an ice cream container and just a couple more items in it. I was worried at first that we would run out of space, but since most items are also smaller, like milk containers, eggs, juice, etc, it fits quite well. Travis and I have been enjoying the Birnenbrot, a bread filled with dried fruit and nuts (pears, figs, raisins and more). We went to brunch at a family's house yesterday (brunch is not a Swiss tradition but the food was). They had bread, cheese, Italian meats, yogurt, and soft-boiled eggs. This is a typical breakfast and then the lunch is often the biggest of the day, cooked at home and usually a hot meal. This is maybe why they send the kids home from school so they can eat together as a family. Many workers also have the 1.5 hours off for lunch. The grocery store near our apartment closes from 12:15- 1:45 and so does the drugstore/post office. In the evening they might eat sandwiches or a light meal of bread and cheese. Travis learned that the Italian food influence appeared in the 1950s and 60s and they haven't looked back since. It was much more interesting than the meat with brown sauce and potatoes that was typically eaten as a meal. Each region has it's own sauce, although I'm not sure we could tell the difference. There is a small section of 'ethnic' foods in the grocery store with asian and mexican items, but it's still so limited (and expensive) I haven't found it very useful. We are embracing the foods that they do well here. Eggs are fresh and with bright orange yolks, milk is fresher tasting and varies depending on the farm where it was produced. You can even buy non-pasturized milk at the farm stands. The bread is bought daily and is fresh baked without preservatives. They have everything from dark wheat, grainy nut-filled bread, to white braided loaves. Croissants (buttergipfels) are a popular snack sold everywhere. Mache (called Nussisalat), a lettuce almost impossible to find until recently in the U.S., is one of their favorites for salads. The farmer's market at Schwamendingerplatz sells a great variety of apples and pears, and also local cheeses and smoked meats. And we're finding lots of great oranges and clemetines from Spain.

From Food/Cooking