Milk. Nice and toasty in a box. I don't know about other expats in Switzerland, but as an American, one of the biggest shocks to my system was getting used to the milk in this country--not to mention the novelty that I could buy it off an unrefrigerated shelf.
During my first few months here, I wandered aimlessly in a dairy daze, unable to fathom finding milk in any container other than plastic. Somehow, "cardboard box" and "milk" didn't ever have a relationship in my experience.
It also took me forever to find anything even close to my preferred American milkfat of 1% (I now have adjusted to the Swiss 1.5%). But it tastes different. After 2.5 years, I still can't drink it from a glass. I know this is pathetic and sad, but I just can't.
Anyhow, March's issue of Swiss News includes an essay by yours truly on this very topic-milk. Funny how even a food item this basic can be so different in a foreign land. I hope some of you out there can relate to this milk madness.
11 comments:
Hey dude! Sorry you're having such a hard time with milk here. That UHT stuff in a box is disgusting, I agree. I only drink it when it's masked by a Nespresso capsule. (I have never tried or even seen "Magermilch".) As for drinking milk straight out of the glass, we like Coop's "Drink" or M Drink from Migros, both are partially skimmed milk. I, too, am used to 1% or at the most 2%. But I find the 2.5% here tastes like what I used to have with cookies back home. Or maybe this is just a sign of our assimilation...
Thanks for the milk recommendations, glad to hear you seem to have found peace with the dairy here.
oh yea, the milk definitely took some adjusting to. that and eggs. so weird!
Hmm. I guess I didn't notice the eggs so much--with the exception of the price. In fact, the prices of everything were as shocking as the milk in boxes!
By the way, our first blogger meet-up is scheduled for Sunday, April 26th. Stay tuned for more on exact place and time... Yay!
Cool. Thanks for the update. Looking forward to it!
Do you get to write the commentary in the "all things swiss" box in the article? You have bemoaned the lack of cheddar before....
Interestingly enough, although I've had ice cream almost every day in Thailand, cheese is elusive. Maybe people don't crave cheese when it's 90+ degrees with humidity.
I write the "Expat Encyclopedia" part of the sidebar. The editors write the other part.
i loved your article on milk - so fun and SO true ! i am from new york, now living in zurich. used to good ole skim milk ! i was a bit bothered that i'd have to resort to weight watchers products (at Coop) to have my fill. but alas, i've since gotten over it, and regularly buy the big bottles so i can enjoy a tall cold glass -- to go with my cookies, of course.
Glad you enjoyed the article and have now made peace with Swiss milk :)
I agree that the UHT milk is disgusting but do you feel the same about the regular non-UHT refrigerated milk? It tastes the same or better to me than US milk. Lately I've been getting raw milk straight from a farm and it's delicious. You can even wait a few hours for the cream to separate and skim it off to have a lower fat version.
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