Cooking in a new land
With my recent move to Bern, I’m discovering the challenges of cooking in Switzerland, a nation where food costs for fish, fowl and meat are eight times as great as in Berlin. I admit to suffering sticker shock at the market, to the point where I wandered through the popular supermarket chain store, Migros, for over an hour without actually being able to select food. In the end, urged on by my husband, I did manage to pick out the makings of a salad. A month later, I’m more used to spending a minimum of 40 CHF every time I go to the market, but I can’t say I like it. A new friend showed me a couple of Asian markets where prices seem more reasonable, but meats and fish are still only for special meals.
Nor are restaurants really an option — after fantastic Brazilian buffets in Berlin, all-you-can-eat for 9 Euro, it’s pretty tough to stomach slapping down 40 CHF per person for mediocre faux-Chinese food.
On the other hand, I have to say that Swiss milk and dairy products beat the German ones hands down. I never though I’d enjoy boxed milk, so there’s an upside to everything. My new project is coming up with inexpensive, healthy and delicious meals that don’t break the bank!