Hi all - I've been a computer geek for awhile, primarily on scientific software the past 8 years and have decided to go back for a PhD at Uni Bern in September.

I'm a little nervous & excited - I have lived in the UK (Oxford) for 5 years on a project (climate modelling, also my PhD topic) and think that to continue in scientific work I have to "take the plunge" and get a PhD. I will still work for my US project part-time to supplement my income.

I think right now my main question is -- can I get Mexican food (or ingredients) in Bern! :-)

also what is the favorite/best "learn German fast & now" course! ;-)

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

Welcome to the forum.

Well, to be honest, the best place to get Mexican ingredients is in Zurich at El Maiz, behind the train station. But there are some things available in Bern at the larger groceries. In town, the coop has el paso, the migros another brand (don Pablo maybe).

The loeb lebensmittel has a wider variety of chips and various things. For fresh stuff, avocados and cilantro are easily found. Tomatillos and poblano peppers, proper cheeses, hominy, Mexican chocolate etc are all in Zurich mostly at El Maiz. There is a Mexican food stall in the Bern Tuesday and Saturday markets, with prepared foods, corn husks, tortillas and sauces and you can mail order from el maiz. Stuff is pricey. You can also get ok cheddar cheese from the markets and better quality stuff from the British Cheese Center (lots of threads here about it, use search). good luck, hope you enjoy Bern and your studies.

I have found Mexican food in Bern - restaurants to be disappointing. For one thing, many Swiss cheeses do not go well in Mexican food. Also the El Paso Chili flavored chips are too salty and too sweet.

For Mexican things, take a look at this thread, it has some good info: Mexican Ingredients - Where to buy in Basel?

awesome, thanks for the tips!

Might see you around. I'm getting in touch with the Swiss climate/weather community via the HP2C project.

cool, yeah if they let me run climate simulations on it, otherwise I may have to go to my "old" distributed method!