Swiss Armed Forces Culinary Team takes top honours in Luxembourg, November 2010
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Swiss Armed Forces Culinary Team is shooting for gold in the world military cooking championship.
It won first place in the first of a two-part cooking competition among 14 nations, in Luxembourg.
The winning three-course menu, which had to be prepared at a market value of no more than €5 per person and for 100 persons: duck with potatoes, grilled veal saddle and veal paupiette glacée, polenta with rosemary, seasonal vegetables and a raspberry, gooseberry and chocolate dessert.
Patrik Vogel, one of the Swiss army chefs competing in Luxembourg
The next step in winning the world championship, based on the number of points awarded at each stage, will be a seven-course cold meal. Hygiene, correct preparation techniques, healthfulness based on the needs of troops, attractive presentation and creativity are all taken into account.
The Swiss team has won numerous prizes and medal since its competitive cooking team was created in 1999.
The team says its cooking has also been popular with the public, with crowds filling its tables at the Restaurant des Nations, open during the championship.
Lake Geneva beach, click to enlarge
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – 24 Heures describes the village of Préverenges in canton Vaud as a victim of its own success, or at least the success of its beach. The half-kilometre stretch of sand was improved and enlarged in 2009, with the result that bathers, but also diners, came in droves. Neighbours complained of the smoke from barbecues and this week the communal council voted to ban cooking on the beach.
The newspaper points out that a number of communes have no-cooking rules on their beaches, for sanitary or forest safety reasons as well as to keep the neighbours happy, but the occasional barbecue is often tolerated.
Grill at your own risk.
Swiss Alps: a fine day ahead
Swiss sheep, canton Valais, May 2009, before a summer on top of the mountain
Update 09:00 Saturday 10 October Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The warmest October day since 1910 was a treat earlier this week, with temperatures staying above 10C even at night and rising to 30C (Meteoswiss explains why, in French).
Good weather ahead in the Lake Geneva region
A day of rain in the Lake Geneva area Thursday cooled things down and the leaves have begun to fall, but the weekend promises a good dose of fine weather, mixed with occasional showers. At 09:00 Saturday morning it is raining everywhere in Switzerland, it appears, but the forecasters are still promising it will mostly disappear and we’ll have sunshine: have faith!
It’s relatively warm, with temperatures rising to 18C, perfect for outdoor markets, planting new wild grasses, just reading a suspenseful novel in a sunny spot, cooking up a storm with seasonal foods, or hiking through the vineyards.
What’s on in Geneva and Lausanne, the rest of the region
Sunday is Expat Expo in Geneva, the second of the region’s two big fairs with exhibitors and more, for the English-speaking population. Head out of town, under two hours from Geneva, to watch the sheep come down from the high alps, in Champéry Saturday morning. Head for the circus Saturday night: the famous Swiss Knie circus has started its 2009 programme on the lakefront in Lausanne.
Be sure to check the GenevaLunch events pages for what’s on throughout the region (click on a date on the calendar to see full display).
By Jared Bloch
Writer/Director Peter Kerekes
What happens to the war effort when the Army chef spoils the food? As one character in Peter Kerekes “Cooking History” proclaims, “there is no war without food.” And maybe no successful war campaign without good food.
The premise for this alternately wry and sobering movie evolved out of a conversation between Kerekes and his father. “The idea was to collect stories from ordinary people, and to show how they can, and have changed history,” Kerekes told Geneva Lunch during a conversation on the final day of the 2009 Visions du Réel Film Festivalin Nyon.
Thailand’s 73-year-old Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has lost his job after a court found him guilty of violating the constitution by hosting a cooking show called “Tasting while grumbling.” His cabinet is forced to resign at the same time but the PM could be back in the job within days, reports CNN.
