carol's kitchen

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Even More from Meggen

JONAH & MEA CULPA

I so enjoyed reading Jonah Lehrer’s book, HOW WE DECIDE, I had to open my big mouth and recommend it to everyone.  Now, this morning, on internet news, I find he ignored his own warnings against wishful thinking, and has quoted words he wished Bob Dylan had said, in hopes of proving a point about artistic inspiration, mendaciously embellishing his otherwise fascinating articles and books.  

“I lied,” he said when found out, and has had to resign from the staff of the NEW YORKER Magazine.  His publisher is now flushing him down the toilet and it appears his career is over.  Perhaps Oprah will deliver the coup de grace.

Here’s my point: when I wrote that tomatoes cost $3.50 per pound in the supermarket here in Meggen, I erred.  I later discovered it was per kilogram, which is 2.2 pounds.  It was an unintentional mistake and I deeply regret having misled my friends on that score.  

It doesn’t make Switzerland any cheaper, however.  Listen: a friend from Geneva came up to visit on Sunday and we went to the best place in town for lunch.  We had fish from the lake, prepared two ways, in champagne sauce and a la Provencal, both of which were absolutely delicious, plus a local white wine that hit the spot.  He started with a bowl of leek and potato soup, I, a simple green salad; no dessert.  When the bill ($210) arrived,  we were shocked to find they’d charged us $2.50 for half a liter of tap water.  Yes, water from the faucet.  It was not an error, and I'm not lying.  The waiter apologized and explained that’s what many Swiss restaurants are doing these days.  

In search of my companion’s childhood memories, we drove around the lake to the village of Weggis where we discovered a small monument with a bust of Mark Twain, who apparently took up residence there once, and declared that Weggis is the most charming places he ever lived in.

Last week, James Galway, the world-class Irish flutist who lives in Meggen, gave a week-long master class in Weggis, and i went to see the closing concert.  It was a wonderful performance, with 50 flutists playing together, including bass flutes so large they resembled drain pipes on small houses. As if that wasn’t enough, for background to the fine music, we were entertained by the tinkling bells of a flock of goats who meandered onto the grassy grounds outside the concert hall.  The most astonishing part was spotting the master wearing silver shoes, a touch I loved.

My son and grandson, who'd been visiting Spain and France, showed up in Meggen for a whirlwind visit.  We took a boat ride on Lake Lucerne and a cog-wheel train ride (45 degrees) up to the top of Mount Pilatus, 2128 meters, then down on a soaring telepherique and gondola.  It was thrilling and made me the happiest grandma in Switzerland.

I’ve been wined and dined by my Meggen friends, and I’m a kilo heavier than when i arrived.  I’ve sorely missed my daily lap swims, and have devoured way too much bread, pastry and chocolate, but living here and not eating that stuff would be criminal, in my opinion.  

Tomorrow, August 1st., at 5 o'clock, I’ll stroll down to the village square and join the locals in celebrating the Swiss National Day, with white wine, sausages, flag waving, and music - the yodeling kind, I presume.  There will be display fires set in the mountains around the village, but no fireworks.

On Thursday, I’m going to the Tessin, the Italian part of Switzerland, near Lake Como, to the country house of my friends Rosmarie and Hannes, who have finally returned from their July holiday in France.  Now, my social card is filled up, having gone from zero to bingo - and I’m flying home to West Hollywood in a week.

Monday, July 23, 2012

More from Meggen

CHURCH & STATE:  WHAT’S GOING ON IN MEGGEN


In three weeks of wandering around the village of Meggen, population 6,615, I’ve seen only one dark-skinned person,. He was fishing from the pier down near the boat landing, chattering away in perfect Swiss German, a language heard only in this part of the world, so I presume he’s a local.  As far as I can tell, everyone else here is white, well-behaved, and nicely dressed, as was the dark-skinned fellow, of course, and none are overweight.

The population of Meggen is 6,615; its most notable citizens are James Galway, the Irish flutist, and Marc Rich, the infamous commodities trader who was pardoned by Bill Clinton in the final minutes of his presidency.

Meggen, as you might have guessed, is a tax haven.

I counted 5 churches in this charming village that covers an area of 2.8 square miles: four are Roman Catholic, as are 65% of the residents, and one Protestant church serving the 20% of that faith.  As for the rest, according to the last census, 10% say they don’t belong to any organized religion, 2.8% declined to answer, 32 individuals claimed to be Muslim and 3 individuals said they are Jewish.. Strange as it may seem, I’ve already met two of them.

My favorite House of Worship is the Catholic Piuskirche, and its astonishing clock tower.  Built in 1966, the church is constructed of pantelic dionysos marble, cut to 28 mm (1.1 inches) thick, set into steel frames. .From the outside it looks like a giant packing case, but seen from the inside the walls glow with outside light by day, and from outside like a lantern with interior lighting at night.  As for the clock tower, I just can’t imagine what they were thinking.


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You have to hand it to the Swiss for their outstanding handling and recycling of garbage.  Abiding by the law, I keep five receptacles in my kitchen for various categories, plus a stack of stuff next to the front door, ready to go. They are:

1.  Organics, such as egg shells, melon seeds, coffee grounds, string-bean tips, etc.
2.  Newspapers, catalogues, writing paper, but not envelopes, which might contain glue.
3.  Clear plastic bottles, such as the kind Evian comes in, which they call PET.  (I don’t know
     what that stands for but will continue my research until I find out.)
4.  “Abfalle,” for soft plastic wrappings, paper wrapping, yogurt cups, non-transparent milk
     containers, tissue paper, envelopes, etc., all of which must be placed in special blue plastic
     bags sold specifically for that purpose, at a cost of $17 for ten bags, at the supermarket.  
5.  Glass, which is then separated by green, clear, brown.  The receptacle for these has  
     separate openings for each color.  So far, I’ve located three glass-bottle depositories in the
     village: on the main road near a bus stop, on a street near the lake, and another near the old
     train station, which is the main trash depository for the village.  This village “dump” is open on
     Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, and Tuesday and Thursday mornings only.
6.  Cartons, including beer casing, cookie packaging, anything cardboard, which can only be
     discarded at the “dump,” near said old train station.

There are four bins near the garage of my building, one for organics, two abfalle, one paper.  I don’t know yet where to discard aluminum foil and beer cans. I’ll ask my friends John and Inge, who’ve kindly shown me the ropes regarding proper Swiss garbage disposal.  They drove me around Meggen pointing out the depositories, including the “dump,” near the old train station, which is the only place in the village to discard cardboard stuff, also wood, broken glassware, light-bulbs, dead animals, and unwanted articles of all kinds - everything kept in separate containers.  Natch!

This is important information.  i’m pretty sure there are hefty fines for violations, and when the time comes I plan to get out of town clean and unscathed.

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Friday, July 13, 2012

MEGGEN - a tiny village 6 kilometers outside Lucerne, Switzerland



Of all things to leave home on a six-week journey, Microsoft Word (the application) is just about the dumbest for someone who calls herself a writer.  Don’t ask, please; it’s a long story... Moreover, my dear friends, Rosmarie & Hannes, the wonderful next-door neighbors last time i stayed in Meggen, are out of town for nearly the entire length of my stay... a crushing disappointment.  And the the final blow, the cruelest cut of all, came when I discovered the fabulous Meggen swimming pool, the perfect 22 meter, 82 degree, ozonated pleasure palace -- a mere five minute walk from my apartment, where i’d planned to swim every day-- is closed for the entire month of July and half of August.  

No writing, no swimming, no buddies, & no TV either.  What else?  

Prices!  The twelve-minute bus ride into Lucerne costs $4 each way.  No special deals for seniors in this country.   A pound of ordinary tomatoes at the supermarket $3.50, $4.50 at the farmer’s market, a pound of fish from the lake is $20 - 30.  A head of lettuce $3, a loaf of bread $5-6, a pound of apricots $6.50.  Forget about eating out.  Broccoli soup $12, main courses hover around $40 - 50 and up, an individual pizza with cheese tomato & salami $25.  Entrance to the museum of transportation $40, a one-way ferry ride to the end of the lake $45 - and then you need to get back.

No wonder the Swiss go to the USA for shopping sprees.  

On the other hand, I’ve made a home exchange of apartment & car ('83 merc), in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I’m on magnificent Lake Lucerne, surrounded by the staggeringly dramatic, jagged peaks of the Alps; the air is sweet, the water is pure, the scent of flowers permeates the atmosphere, everything is clean and orderly, and everyone is rich and happy.  What's more, everyone has health insurance.  I'm happy to cook all my meals at home, take long walks along the lake, have met new neighbors, been invited for dinners & lunch, and my kindle is loaded with wonderful books.

Just finished reading HOW WE DECIDE, by Jonah Lehrer, and ask all my friends to read it.  Please.  This book has blown my mind & I believe it will do the same for you.

The weather has been perfect, sunny with intermittent rain showers, in the mid-high 70’s.  I saw a brilliant rainbow in front of the house right after I arrived, and yesterday, I found 70 Swiss Francs ($70) on the sidewalk, right there at my feet.

If you’re not familiar with the beauty of Switzerland, I suggest a Google search.  Google Maps informs me the cost of gas to drive into Lucerne is 54 cents (half a Swiss franc) - plus parking.  Now, I've discovered Google docs - hence this missive.