My friend has this blue shirt. She’s described it to me twice. Both times, after our discussion, I’ve wanted to go out and find one for myself. She says it’s just a regular shirt that she bought at WorkWear World. I think she said it’s made from material like Helly Hansen long underwear. Long sleeves. …
Ma vie en Suisse
Becoming a better writer
On March 16th, I asked my readers what I should write about while I was over here in Switzerland. I had a few ideas and a few of you pitched me some more in the comments. I started thinking if I were going to be researching and writing about life in Switzerland, I might find …
Just peanuts in my peanut butter please
My sister read the recipe on turkey in spicy peanut sauce and knows how much I like peanut butter–with just peanuts. AND SHE SENT ME SOME!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU BIG SIS! THANK YOU. Have a look at this: I had some on toast with slices of cucumber this morning. PS: I still haven’t found any in …
Canadian espresso cups, anyone?
My first week here, Ludo’s mother gave me some Swiss schwag — to make sure I was well equipped to live in Switzerland. She gave us two espresso cups with the Swiss cross on them. To equalize the national schwag in the apartment, I am now looking for the Canadian version of these cups. Specifically, …
Indonesian stir fry
When I looked at that meatballs in spicy peanut sauce recipe, it reminded me of a stir fry I used to make: Indonesian stir fry. My original recipe for that particular dish included lots of garlic and two tablespoons of peanut butter. I searched the web for something to refresh my memory, but no luck. …
Turkey cubes in spicy curry peanut sauce
Last night, a friend came to dinner. I thought I’d try to make something simple. I’d seen a recipe in the Fine Cooking magazine last week that I wanted to try out: Meatballs in spicy curry peanut sauce. This spicy meatball recipe called for ground beef. I couldn’t find ground beef in my grocery store. …
How to make the most out of your gym membership #2
An improvement today. I dug out my rollerblades and cruised over to the gym. Total commute time: ten minutes. Still took the elevator down six flights of stairs. When I got to the building with the gym, I clunked up one flight of stairs. In the reception of the gym, I changed my rollerblades for …
How to make the most out of your gym membership
Take the elevator down seven flights of stairs to the parking garage. Get in the car and drive 5 minutes to the parking garage at the gym. Take the elevator from the parking garage up four flights of stairs to the gym. Do a cardio workout on the reclined bike. Is that Californian or what? …
C’est vachement Suisse
I arrived in Lausanne last week. It was also my birthday. Bear’s mother made sure that I was well-equipped to live in Switzerland. We also have a brand-spanking-new meat slicer. An industrial-grade meat slicer in fact. An important amenity here in Switzerland, with all that raclette and viande seche. She threw in some fromage d’alpage …