Hence, we own it all!
I love doin that.
Did you know that more sushi is consumed per capita in Southern California than in Japan? In Japan, sushi was traditionally eaten in cold seasons when fresh fish can be transported without rotting. But we eat it year-round, thanks to refrigerated transport. We even invented California Rolls and Dynamite.
Hmmm - there are many things I love about America. I have a home there and I spend a fair proportion of my time there. I used to feel the same way about American restaurant food - so much choice. But as I get older I find the "choice" much more superficial, and most restaurants are so keen to cram as many flavours / ingredients into a dish as possible that it ends up being neither one thing not the other.
You can get faux-fancy food in many US restaurants, but just getting nice-tasting food, simply prepared, is so much more difficult.
I have to make an exception for a good-old American burger though. Nothing like them anywhere in the world
If you just want simple food, generally would agree that this is usually much better in Europe, you can't get much simpler than Italian food really. French food is the counter opposite though, well most of it is based on complex sauces. Most simple American food is not very good or good for you.
Agreed on the over-flavoring up of dishes at many restaurants in America. I love the variety of Roesti and Kaeseschnitte around here but I do miss being able to go out and buy a GOOD $5.00 burrito, or some GOOD cheap Thai food, or an excellent $30.00 steak. Just isn't possible here.
You're right - Swiss food ain't cheap!
They have them in the food department of Jelmoli.
Edit: not a fan, I just recognise them from when a US colleague used to bring them over for our office by the boxful when I lived in England as a "big treat". He was the only one that ate them...
Well some Americans may keep an unhealthy diet, but we kept our plates full of healthy, great tasting food while living there.
So, at Coop today, I was once again getting depressed with the same products we've been buying the past 6 months here in Swissyland. Even though we appreciate the freshness of the vegetables and fruit, I really miss the fresh corn tortillas (which we could easily find in Iowa), real maple syrup, Cheerios (or cheap store brands) that don't cost 9 CHF (plus shipping), and good Cheddar cheese. But what I miss the most are margaritas (made with Jarritos grapefruit soda) and Summit beer, those are irreplaceable! (Sorry for all the (()) )
Amen. I gave VaudBrit a mental half-groan for his comment. Swiss food? Yuck. Beam me back to the States, Scotty. JMHO. YMMV.
Edit - it's not just choice and availability, it's also pricing (I paid nearly 40 Swissies for a mediocre red Thai curry with steamed rice yesterday that would've been under 10 bucks in the States) and service (why should a waiter be nice when tips are useless and meaningless).
I'm dumbfounded when I hear locals say the food in America is not very good. When interrogated, they confess how they toured for a week or two of vacation. Obviously, they were tourists who had very little clue on where to go, or perhaps they travelled on the cheap.
It's true there is a low-end of the food spectrum. But generally, America is cornucopia. The grains and meats from the midwest are exported all over the world. The produce in California is hard to beat. Besides food production, the representation of every ethnicity in the world provide a diversity of flavor.
On the high-end, talented chefs from all over the world are lured by cash into the country. Also, the CIA is the world's premiere culinary college.
By the way, does anyone know of an "authentic" NY style deli in Switzerland?
Hug for Phos, because he deserves it.
Cheap Chinese food -- that's what I miss in the US.
Never seen "fresh corn tortillas" in Switzerland but you can get similar in most supermarkets.
Maple syrup is available in Migros and Coop (look near the baking aisles).
Cheerios are available in Coop.
Cheddar cheese is actually an English product, originally from Somerset (Cheddar Gorge) and "good" Cheddar cheese can be found in Migros cheese counter. Look for Cathedral City. Further varieties of Cheddar cheese (more/less mature) can be found in the food departments of Jelmoli and Globus.
I think that much of the American foods which are missed by expats in Switzerland just don't fit in with the European palate. This is why you don't find it available in mainstream supermarkets and you have to go to a specialist shop or one of the upmarket supermarkets to buy it.
You could argue it is the same in the US; we trawled around several different supermarket chains during our 7 week holiday looking for any cheese that wasn't Chedder, Mozzarella or something that was labelled "Swiss" . Produce like Brie, Parmesan and goat's cheese were often found in a tiny section of the refrigerated section away from the "mainstream" cheeses.
There is stuff I can't get that was readily available in the UK but you have to accept that you are in a different country and they might not have a big enough market for "Paxo stuffing", for example, so would be stupid to start stocking it in any great quantity.
Amen for that, I lived 5 months in the USA, and that was my same experieince. Mild Swiss, Old Swiss, Mature Swiss, etc,etc, I remember the choice were: sh!tty Kraft Parmesan or 8 USD for 100gr of Real Reggiano
Fresh corn and flour tortillas as well as very good corn tortilla chips are available from El Maiz in Zurich. It's on Josefstrasse near the Hbf.
Combining replies to various replies in one post...
Cheese:
I will say the varieties of cheese available in US markets is not as deep in the French and Swiss area, but all and all it really depends on what area you are from and where you shop. At the same time, you really can't find outstanding regional artisanal cheeses from the US in Switzerland. I Northern California, one can readily buy a wide variety of cheese at a supermarket chain, including all types of Italian, French and Swiss cheese (including emmental and Gruyere)... not to mention Greek, Mexican, English, etc. At more specialty markets like Trader Joes and Whole Foods, one can buy an even wider variety. And my corner deli, I was able buy speciality cheeses from France, but artisanal cheeses from areas from around the US. Cost is part of the disparity that you may be seeing; you can purchase higher levels of quality and diversity, you just (in general), have to pay a bit more.
Food and Produce
On the overall object of food, I find the quality of produce and meats in Switzerland excellent but limited in variety. Fruit is an exception, as the quality of fruit, even from farmer's stands, can't be matched with what is available in the US due to the advantage of weather and the diversity of geography. I can readily purchase any class of item (ingredient, not prepared food) I find in a Swiss supermarket in a major store in California, but I can't say the same in Switzerland. I think this is partly the nature of international trade, as due to the size of the US market, more exporters worldwide make their products available in the US.
Restaurant Food
On the subect of diversity of restaurants, because the US is a country of immigrants, it has created an availability of a wider variety of all types of cuisine, at a higher execution level, than in Switzerland. This also creates a market (and taste for) a wider variety of cuisine. The so-called "simple food" referred to earlier is readily available, at high levels of execution.
Prepared Foods
I agree that every person from every country probably has some sort of prepared food or brand of item they miss. This is an area where a Swiss market is relatively limited, due to the size of the market and the market dominance of a few players.
Some good points Pho...much of shopping is knowing where to shop and how to shop. If you live in the US, then you will have exposure to things that are not readily available to most tourists or those not willing to look around. This is also true of Switzerland! There are amazing foods available in Switzerland for those who are willing to make an effort...for many, it is simply inconvenient to look around.
As for your culinary school comment...well, as a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute , I would disagree with the title 'premiere'...
Jack
I lived in the suburbs of Fort Worth, Texas, certainly not a very internationally exposed region of the United States, and I was able to purchase quite a cheese variety at our local grocery stores (Kroger, Tom Thumb, Wal*Mart), and even more when I ventured to the "finer" places like World Market, Central Market, or Whole Foods.
I do not know where you lived and where you shopped, but I am unable to support your opinion.
What do I miss most about America? Days like today would be a great day to sit and watch America football all day. I am usually very active but today is a day tailor made to football, beer and America nachos. I have to wait until 7pm..... Even a shopping mall might be nice today.
sorry for being a bit off topic.
I'm going to sit around in my underwear this afternoon with a beer and watch Formula 1.
Wow...that was an elaborate conversation about tortillas. And just for those people trying to figure out exactly what I meant, here ya go. It is in fact not easy to find corn tortillas in Wollerau, CH. The corn tortillas I found were the pre-cooked crispy one that I hate. If I could find them, I'm sure they'd cost 10 times as much as in the US.
Secondly, I miss the variety of foods you can find here and the convenience of food here. I do agree that the quality of produce, meat, dairy (which I can't have) is better in Switz., but I'm still American and I love a good meal from home once in a while; BBQ, soul-food, California's mexican food, DELICIOUS FRESH FISH.
(And for those who will say " Switzerland has fresh fish "...I know, I've had it, but its hard to come by)