Hi!

in my ongoing efforts to become all swiss-savvy and pretentious-like, i'd like to find out what the swiss like to talk about. Generally, i find the swiss quite knowledgeable in a wide range of topics from mountaineering to banking secrecy and so on. what i am keen to know is, what topics get them all excited and/or up in arms, what makes polite dinner conversation and what makes edgy debate in a pub. suggestions appreciated!

gruss, hsiang

My husband is Swiss and a banker, but when people meet him they don`t believe he his Swiss(he looks Italian), he as a really funny sence of humour (i am not saying other Swiss people are not funny honest) my husband his really really silly and crazy

Try "What is the best football team?"

does your hubby have a lot of foreign friends?

u mean swiss teams?

When you mention R.Federer and his achievements it makes 9 out of 10 Swiss people radiate with joy

Casually mention something about the American company Nestle. Works every time .

I notice that whenever one says "Swiss people..." this or that, their eyes light up and their ears get all perky. They want to know what foreigners think of them and their country. The Swiss I have met asked me if I was happy here and they waited sincerely and patiently for my answer. They also want to know what is good or not-so-good about their country. Methinks they're very interested in knowing how CH stacks up among 'popular places'.

A variety of topics really. Here's a selection, in no particular order (very un-Swiss of me I know):

1) The importance of strict speed limit controls and whether "rasers" should be locked up and have their vehicles crushed.

2) The Calmy-Rey believers who seem deluded into believing that the rest of the world gives a flying toss what Switzerland has to say on how the planet should be run (referring to an interview where the said Calmy-Rey commented on how significant the US-Swiss relationship was to world affairs)

3) The correct method of regulating the size of the holes in different cheese brands.

4) Saving the Planet - I'm greener than you etc etc

5) How having two large supermarket chains pretty much dominating the entire shopping scene in Switzerland does not represent a duopoly and how the advent of Aldi, Lidl & co is terribly bad for business.

6) Discussing how crime is largely caused by "foreigners" or "Balkans" but also showing how ecumenical they are on questions of nationality.

7) Swiss Germans on how wierd the French speaking Swiss are (and vice versa of course)

8) Discussing how distinct the various dialects are and claiming not to be able to understand people from the next valley because they have a strange dialect.

9) On how sticking a "Made in Switzerland" label on a product designed in Italy, manufactured in China, assembled in Malaysia, shipped by Europe can add to the Swiss GDP. (You may have noticed that some products that you know to be from your home country have suddenly become Swiss products here)

10) the all time classic: how the Internet is a Swiss invention.

heheh did u scratch them behind their ears also?

cheese hole regulation lol

nice i'm printing this out and keeping a copy in my wallet

A thread for the lost psychologists among us. I am sure you spend weeks figuring this stuff out, observing "the swiss" (who supposedly all look the same) with lots of patience and perseverance.

What an achievement!

Bravo!

Anything and everything related to 'perfection,appreciation,laws and rules'

I have been trying to figure out whether the question is what do Swiss talk about amongst themselves, which would depend largely on their age, sex, background, whether they are work colleagues or just friends out for a drink or a group of pensioners spending an afternoon playing cards.

Or, is it what Swiss generally talk about if they have a new foreigner in their midst? My experience is the conversation takes a direction where they give you tips on how to get by in the language, where to visit, for example. I find, generally, that Swiss people are hugely knowledgable about what is going on around them locally, nationally and internationally.

Oh and if I had a franc for everytime someone tried to get me to say "Chuchichaschtli" when I first arrived I'd easily have racked up, ooohh, CHF 5.

Don't mean to dampen the mood (groans are welcome, please) but how about just being yourself; meaning bring up topics that interests you rather than what makes your swiss buddies edgy? Just my two hard earned cents...!!!

bear in mind that this is the English Forum - if you can't accept a joke made on a forum that is specifically designed for people not originating from the country in which it operates then that's your problem. I could maybe add another item to the list above

11) Pondering what it is to have a sense of humour

But to be fair it is in the "Daily Life" section not "Jokes and Funnies".

True, true. But I find it hard to believe that the OP really can't think of things to discuss with the Swiss (especially since he claims he wishes to become "swiss savvy and pretentious like")- as you yourself pointed out, the Swiss have interests the same as any other national group, they are aware of their own country and the world and really are not all that much different to any other nationality in this regard.
As someone else pointed out, just be yourself.

Ah, talking about ears, did you know that if one wants to know if a girl-dog is truly in heat, one rubs the base of the dog's tail on its back and she will move it to one side?

Back on topic, Swiss dog owners love to talk about dog training, dog breeds and neutering.

hmm... i seem to have touched a nerve somewhere. As Louis pointed out, i was being facetious, i apologise if that wasn't clear, but really, i meant to have a general light-hearted discussion about common themes among the locals. i know what i can and like to talk about, its the topics i am not aware of that i'd like to find out.