Another Year, Another Kitchen, Other Markets

Tomate Noire from France @Evian Market

Tomate Corne of the Andes @Evian

     

Exactly a year since I posted about food!   

  

     

True, I was researching and writing about it for the next six months, for the Oxford Symposium of Food and Cookery. A year later, I'm in another small country that starts with an S and specializes in banking. You guessed it, Switzerland. The Swiss National Day comes just before Singapore's, but the Starbucks here featured no Swiss National Buns. La Chocolaterie Wuthrich did. It's across the street from our front door, with display windows next to the bus-stop we use every day. They looked like hot-cross-buns, filled with raisins but no icing.

This year, Swiss National Day was celebrated on a Monday, which meant a long week-end, and two days when Wuthrich and just about all of the sidewalk cafes were rolled up tight. It was also very hot; in an not-Swiss, more-like-Singapore way.

   
So we took ourselves out on the water, catching a morning ferry across to Evian, yes, where the water comes from. Not one of the CGN "Belle Epoque" boats, but a more utilitarian craft.
   

After a coffee, and well hydrated, we found Evian's market in full swing. Along the lake shore avenue, vendors of clothing, dry goods and shoes lured shoppers with SOLDES. (Sale!)

Further up the hill, we chanced on something I've not seen or tasted in too long: nougat. This was nougat with an appetizing range of flavors. It started me thinking about the origins of nougat. Was it the Turkish Delight that the witch in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," used to tempt the little brother? Yes, Wikipedia tells me: "The origin of nougat dates back to the 12th century, where it first appeared on Middle-Eastern documents. It was named Halou (“sweet” in Arabic). Phoenicians crossed the Mediterranean Sea with it, and from this crossing Nougat spread over the European continent." 

 
There were honeys of every possible flower, and seven kinds of tomatoes. Corne des Andes was a mystery. Turns out it is ancient, and Incan, Cornue de Andes, shaped like a horn. I'd never seen it before, and cannot wait to try them from tomorrow's Saturday market in Lausanne.  It took me a week to think through Coeur de Boeuf, (Beef Heart). Translation of Beefsteak? 

Beefsteak

Comparing the markets of the two prompts a lot of thought. As I wrote in my Oxford paper, Singapore, having no rural hinterland, imports almost all of its food. Over the causeway from Malaysia and Thailand, or through the docks, produce, meat and fish are distributed to the "wet markets" that fill up the lower floors of "cooked food" or Hawker Centers.

   
 Switzerland has a hinterland, but nothing at the market comparable to "hawker centers."  Contrary to my assumptions, it is not all mountains. There are great swaths of bottom-land where all manner of grains and vegetables are grown. Terraced hill-sides along the lakes produce wine grapes. You will remember from Ancient History that Rome colonized the region. Its citizens grew rich from farming and commodity trading.

The modern Swiss are very conscious of country of origin, and issues of organic and sustainable farming. And as in some American supermarkets, even the chains are conscious of consumer's desire to know where there food comes from.

   
And of course, there's cheese. Lots of it. We had cheese tarts for breakfast, so in the name of testing our axiom that you have to work hard to eat badly in France, we had lunch here:

       

There is really only so much cheese a person can eat.

     I believe in the theory that Chop Suey adheres to rules of its own, no matter where its made, as in use only canned or frozen ingredients, with the exception of corn starch. To test this theory, I ordered it.

Chicken Chop Suey

As it turns out, we must have worked hard, very hard. My theory of inherent Chop Suey proven, in this sample of one.