March 13, 2009
"Kalbskopf Culture Shock"
Contrary to the silly superstitions of Friday the 13th, I arrived in Zurich, Switzerland 30 minutes ahead of schedule, and without incident, at about 3:30pm (my plane did not crash for those of you that haven't heard from me yet). My seat had been a bit tight, but sitting next to me was a delightful Professor of Musicology and Medievel History named Nancy from Los Angeles, born to Dutch and German parents, having lived in Basel, Switzerland, and fluent in English, German, French, Swiss German or Schwyzertüüsch, and capable in Italian and probably Spanish as well. Our conversation, which moved back and forth between English and German, was a good prelude to my arrival in Switzerland. When I wasn't chatting with Nancy about our families, her travels, her summer house near the Italian-Swiss border, or learning some useful and curious Swiss German phrases, I slept. Not comfortably, but I slept. I woke up an hour or so before landing, ate a croissant with cream cheese and strawberry jam, drank some orange juice, tried to contain my excitement, and prepared myself to step on Swiss ground and begin my adventure.
My new boss, and friend, Urs Wehrli met me at the Zurich airport in the company limo, a snappy gray/black Mini Cooper covered with the company logos on both sides and the roof. He hadn't told me about the car, so he enjoyed seeing my surprise. But that wasn't the only surprise, as he took me around the back to load my luggage I saw on one door his company logo for System2 Informatik and on the other door an advertisement for Kenai Riverfront.com, very cool, showing how connected we two really are. Needless to say, it was a happy reunion as we sped through rush hour traffic from Zurich to Bern. Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to the food part. The mundane details will soon pass, there are just some solid first impressions that I want to impart in these first few entries before they evaporate into my collective memory.
We reached my new flat in Bern on Effingerstrasse, just a few minutes walk from the Capitol Building of Switzerland, before dark. As we entered the flat some movement caught my eye, making me think at first that we were in someone else's apartment, but I quickly recognised Urs' two darling daughters and his gracious wife Sandra. They were there to surprise me and when I spotted them the girls let out a squeal! It was so nice to arrive in this somewhat sterile Swiss apartment with laughter and friends and champagne and the beautiful Easter tree that Sandra and the girls had just decorated.
After some time visiting, Sandra took the girls home to tuck them in and Urs and I headed out into the city, Mini Cooper style. We toured around downtown a bit, then parked in old town on an ancient (over 800 year old) cobblestone street just around the corner from the Bundeshaus or Capitol Building, and next to a whole lot of big Swiss bank buildings, including the Swiss National Treasury. I was somewhat suprised that the buildings were so open and evidently unprotected by guards, or any sign of obvious security, and this would be the first of many times in the coming days that Urs would say: "Hey, this is Switzerland...". We walked down the cobblestone, then under the covered sidewalks that Bern is well known for, passing by shops and restaurants enroute to our destination, a small restaurant in an old guard tower on the Nydeggbrücke bridge over the river Aare next to the Bärengraben or Bear Gardens of Bern. Yes, that's "Bear Gardens" not "Beer Gardens" though I'm sure the latter will follow. Some call them the Bear Pits, but to me that doesn't sound as pleasant.
Okay, at last to the food part, an important meal, my first in Switzerland. It turns out, not to my surprise, that they really do like meat here, alot! Urs had made a reservation, so our walk from the "Old Town" of Bern, and crossing the bridge over the river Aare put us there right on time. The streets were surprisingly quiet for a Friday night, which Urs said was normal. The shops were all closed, just bars and restaurants remained open, and most had a good number of people dining and drinking.
We found our table in the back corner of this small restaurant called Brasserie Bärengraben and Urs took care of the ordering, chuckling a bit and enjoying knowing that I would be unfamiliar with the menu. I was just a little worried we'd be eating Bear personally! On the contrary, it turned out to be Kalbskopfe for him and a very nice Pepper Steak Fillet for me. I can't even say Kalbskopf out loud, so if you are really curious you can follow the link, but first try to guess at what it is from the photo below, and suffice it to say they don't waste much at the butcher shops here I guess. Turns out it was one of his childhood favorites, something he and his mother both enjoyed but his father didn't. Its something of a delicacy and isn't found at many restaurants, and with me being the new guy in town he had to order it.
The starters were delightful, some dried meat, like ham, but different, called Parma I think, slightly warmed and a fresh salad. We drank Gurten Beer, a local brew of course, and it had a very nice clean finish fit my palate perfectly. Urs' dinner was interesting, I was relieved he didn't order it for me, the one bite I tasted was like an old sponge, but I'm here for the cultural exposure, and Urs wasn't wasting any time. My meal was perfect, steak with a great sauce, just the right volume of peppercorn, and cooked perfectly with a nice crust. After dinner we stopped for one more beer, then I was done, ready to sleep a long night after two days travel and sleeping on planes in the night. Welcome to Switzerland, the other side of the world, where their national motto is Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (Latin) "One for all, all for one". So that's where it came from.
The Brasserie Bärengraben, my first meal in Switzerland!
