The good thing about living in Switzerland for me is that it has forced me to go into cooking for myself in a big way. It has been a long time since I have done any cooking but I am sure I can learn to do it again. The BBC food web site is a good starting place.

I think Swiss food is worse than bland. Any country that has Aromat next to the salt and pepper must have a national problem with their food. Swiss food seems to be the worst combination of French, German and Italian food. Italian restaurant sized portions of food that is a bland version of German food at four times the price and the Swiss are as proud of their food as the French are of theirs. It would drive me to drink except I drink beer and Swiss beer is mostly undrinkable, quite apart from it costing too much.

I think I'll hold a dinner party. I've never held a dinner party in my life but I have enough cutlery and crockery and enough table space and seating room in my apartment to hold one. Trouble is, I don't know many people and of those I know, they will want to smoke and I won't let them do so in my apartment so there may not be many people at this dinner party - just me.

I'm up for free food and I'm a non-smoker

Yep, generally Swiss beer = "Swiss Piss"

At curry nights, I've seen my Swiss colleagues sweating eating poppadoms

Brilliantly put.

An Englishman complains about Swiss food and beer?!?

Now let me see, is it the beer you like warm and food cold...

Mate, I've been to many places and the worst food I had was in Canada, not Switzerland. My friends marvel at the quality of produce to be had as well as the fact that you can still get most exotic things you wish for if that is what floats your boat.

Second-worst was in the North East of England, what they served as school dinners would get you into trouble for attempted poisoning... Plus you can't live off Sunday lunches and fish and chips.

Germany was also a bit of a nightmare...

I do agree that Swiss food is not very nice. When my husband and I came to Basel to look around before moving in, we went to a retaurant and ordered a traditional Meat Fondu. It was horrible...Meat boild in tastless stock, wich also takes hours. Very dissapointed. However, we liked the beer very much.

surely the fact that you can cook for yourself means that you can make sure that the food has a flavour? I know my wife manages quite nicely

FWIW my wife once had Bread & Butter pudding somewhere on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border and raved about it - so not all English food is shite (just most of it).

I know, well-made English food is fantastic, oh for some Yorkshire puddings with gravy right now... But it's hard to live off the good kind of English food without putting on weight. Same applies for Swiss stuff from the mountains.

As for the boiled meat, you appear to have had fondue chinoise. We had it for Christmas Eve and my auntie from Malaysia loooved it. Did you have sauces with it? They are essential to the experience. And chips.

Have you had a decent Rösti, man?

Nuttin' to complain about there....some fatty fried potatoes with bacon and cheese. Yummy!

Yes we did have sauces wich were really nice, just the meat was not very impressing at all. It was tastless and hard. We might have visited a crapy restaurant, I dont know... And i do agree that british food is not very calorie friendly....so isnt swiss

Hmmm....sounds nice lol

I've had a Rösti here in Basel, served in a pan. Lots of potato roasted with fat and onions. I got sick later as I was unable to digest all that grease but I would have to say that it was the best meal I have had in Basel since my arrival here six months ago.

You must have left the meat in too long. Normally you take good beef and then leave it in until it is just saignant.

you might want to start your own restaurant tips thread so we know where to steer clear of

Based on my experience so far, the best tip I can give about restaurants in Basel that serve Swiss food is to avoid all of them.

Hmm, I'd disagree on one count, Restaurant Lange Erlen was pretty good when I ate there before the Basel Tattoo last summer

<homer simpson voice>Mmmm Roesti</homer simpson voice>

Homer Simpson! Funny! But seriously, that is probably one of the worst things that happened to me in Switzerland - increasing my pork intake!

If it's not yummy dairy stuff they're serving up, it's PORK!!!!!!

Or was my mistake forgetting to balance out the pork with all those vinegar-preserved veggies?

I swear, they'd probably jar their own mothers in vinegar if you let them!

aarrgghh
Gherkins everywhere. Horrible wee beasties.

I suppose we should be thankful though that sandwiches have improved.
The old guys said it used to be only "Schinken, Salami, Käse" options.

Ah you see, to me it's not a proper sandwhich without "Gürkli"... Must be my Swiss genes pushing through.