I just arrived in London yesterday after a few precious days in Geneva with my old friend, Maciek (we met while we were both studying in Singapore on an exchange semester) and my new friend Milena (Maciek's lovely wife).
Switzerland is famous for many things but most importantly...chocolate and cheese! Why? Because Switzerland produces the highest quality milk in the world. But how? It's simple: Swiss alpine pastures are ideal for grazing and happy cows produce better milk. So you can imagine how much better it used to be back in the day when Swiss farmers were still allowed to feed their cows cannabis. Delivering on their promise to show me the best of Geneva, Maciek and Milena invited me to the restaurant in Hotel Les Armures located in the Old Town and probably one of the more famous restaurants in Switzerland. I mean, Bill and Hillary ate here. They are well known for their cheese fondue which is apparent when you walk in the door and are hit by this overwhelming smell of cheese. We started with a plate of viande séchée (dried meat) served with bread and pickles which was a nice appetizer.
For the main course, we ordered the fondue (moitié‐moitié) which is a traditional Swiss fondue - a mixture of two cheeses, half gruyère and half vacherin Fribourgeois, melted together in a pot with white wine, garlic, cornstarch (for thickening) and a splash of kirsch (fruit brandy). We had bread for dipping and I was told that losing your piece of bread in the fondue was very bad luck so I was careful not to do this.
We ate, really, a lot of cheese and it was so delicious but sadly we did not make it to the bottom! Per my friends, this is the best part because the waiter comes by and scrapes off the cheese that has formed a tasty, crispy crust at the bottom of the pot. Sigh. Oh well, something to look forward to next time!
Thank you for a wonderful visit, Maciek and Milena!
DG
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