Have you ever heard anything peculiar about Switzerland that you found interesting?
Did you know that it is illegal to keep just one guinea pig in Switzerland? Have you ever heard of the Swiss sport of Hornussen? Is the story about the diplomat who was surprised to find the mummy of his great-grandfather in Egypt true?
Every Saturday we publish an article on quirky topics about Switzerland in our weekly briefing.
Is there anything peculiar related to Switzerland that has caught your interest? Share it with us, and we might feature it in an article!
I have read that the Swiss federation has withheld funds intended for UNRWA. I wonder if this action is not contradictory with our neutrality. What's more, if we punish the Jordanians, what about Israel? Shouldn't we take action against it too?
J’ai lu que la fédération Suisse a retenue les fonds destinés à l’UNRWA. Je me demande si cette action n’est pas contradictoire avec notre neutralité. En plus si l’on puni les Jordaniens qu’en est-il d’Israel, ne devrait-on pas prendre une action contre elle également?
A psychologist here once told me that there is an extremely high rate of eating disorders like anorexia here in Switzerland because so many Swiss people look down on anyone for being even slightly overweight or not thin. He said this has generated a fear of gaining weight and that fear has caused a lot of people to develop anorexia. He said a large number of his patients are there because of eating disorders. He also told me that an unusually high percentage of Swiss people are on antidepressants.
During the American elections, Trump accused the inhabitants of one region of eating cats. Many people laughed, but someone told me that we would laugh a lot less if we learnt that in Switzerland, the consumption of dog and cat meat is legally authorised for "private use"! I checked and it's the sad truth. There have been a few petitions to put an end to these barbaric practices, most recently in 2014, but the association is still up against the National Council and the Council of States. The latter have already ruled in the past that it was not within the remit of the State to legislate on people's eating habits. Dog meat is used to make sausages or fat to treat rheumatism, while cats are cooked like rabbits at Christmas, particularly in the cantons of Berne, Lucerne and Jura! (You can check this out in the "santé vet" newspaper or the TDG. We feel particularly ashamed to know that our Confederation considers that eating dog or cat meat is a matter of personal choice.
Pendant les votations américaines, Trump accusait les habitants d'une région de manger du chat, beaucoup ont ri, mais quelqu'un m'a raconté qu'on rirait beaucoup moins en apprenant qu'en Suisse, la consommation de viande de chien et chat est légalement autorisée, à « usage privé ! J'ai vérifié et c'est la triste vérité. Il n'y a eu quelques pétitions pour mettre fin à ces pratiques barbares, la dernière en 2014, mais l'association se heurte toujours au Conseil national et au Conseil des Etats. Ces derniers ont déjà considéré par le passé qu'il n'était pas dans les attributions de l'Etat de légiférer sur les habitudes alimentaires des citoyens. On utilise la viande de chien pour faire des saucisses ou de la graisse contre les rhumatismes quant au chat, il est cuisiné comme du lapin pendant la période de Noël, en particulier dans les cantons de Berne, de Lucerne et du Jura !!! ( vous pourrez vérifier dans le journal "santé vet " ou la TDG. On se sent particulièrement honteux de savoir que notre Confédération estime que manger de la viande de chien ou de chat relève du choix personnel.
Do you think it's fine to eat a pig or a cow but not ok to eat a cat or dog? Why?
Yes, in the 21st century many women get fired when they get pregnant, myself included. Kindergarten is an imaginary noun and if you get one, you pay for it as an additional apartment (in several thousand francs). Not welcoming country for the kids and women, at all.
The health system are scamming the health insurance and because it we, the people are paying it too high... Then everything is too expensive especially meat etc. etc.
A lot of shocking things.
I am surprised by the taxis in Switzerland - they are really expensive, especially in the mountain regions. But the amazing thing is that the service is still simply excellent. The drivers are always polite, the cars are clean and generally you get the feeling that you're getting a first-class service for your money.
Ich bin von den Taxis in der Schweiz überrascht - sie sind wirklich teuer, vor allem in den Bergregionen. Aber das Erstaunliche daran ist, dass der Service trotzdem einfach hervorragend ist. Die Fahrer sind immer höflich, die Autos sind sauber und im Allgemeinen hat man das Gefühl, dass man für sein Geld einen erstklassigen Service bekommt.
I've also made this observation, but at least you're not afraid to take a taxi. In Luxembourg it's more expensive, the drivers go out of their way, even if you point them in the right direction. I'm a woman and the last two times I've had to take a taxi from the airport it's been hellish.
J'ai aussi fait ce constat, mais au moins on n'a pas peur de prendre le taxi. Au Luxembourg c'est plus cher, les chauffeurs font des détours, même si on leur indique une direction. Je suis une femme et les deux dernières fois que j'ai dû prendre un taxi depuis l'aéroport ça a été infernal.
I agree: taxis in Luxembourg are not for the faint-hearted! In other countries you can get there easily and cheaply, but here you feel trapped.
Ich stimme zu: Taxis in Luxemburg sind nichts für schwache Nerven! In anderen Ländern kommt man leicht und billig hin, aber hier fühlt man sich gefangen.
If you search online for a description of the typical Swiss, you find they are reserved people with a dislike for loud noise on e.g. public transport. Then you take the tram. 95% are quiet, but 5% are noisy - talking loudly on their phones, chatting loudly together, often sat apart, not next to each other, children playing loudly, without parental control. Yet, no one says anything. This disrespectful behaviour is accepted (not by me). But, if a foreigner crosses the road when the red man says no, the older Swiss react very loudly to that.
Last night an Australian told me in the pub that there are kangaroos living in the wild in Switzerland. When I didn't believe him and used the Duckduckgo search engine to prove the opposite, he told me that a very trustworthy man in Berlin had told him!
Gestern Abend erzaehlte mir ein Australier im Pub,es gaebe in der Schweiz auch freilebende Kanguruhs. Als ich ihm das nicht glaubte und mit der Suchmaschine Duckduckgo das Gegenteil bewies, erklaerte er mir das haette ihm ein sehr vertrauenswuerdiger Mann in Berlin erzaehlt!
Its true i show the Kangaroos here in switzerland. where ? answer =in the zoo
Join the conversation!