East Eats West

Rare tea and wild chocolate tasting

Picture: tea-cups reading for Chinese tea tasting at Shui Tang's. 

Wine tastings are very common and bringing an exquisite bottle of wine to a dinner-invitation is a must. Well, not for me as I do not like wine (I like tea and beer). Arguably tea is much older and more common than wine so it has a much richer history (the Chinese have been drinking tea for millennia). And should you think tea-bags when you drink tea, you sure have to learn a lot. While tea hardly goes along with a standard Western meals, one can easily pair tea with chocolate, as we found out at a chocolate tasting at a local tea shop by the name of Shui Tang. The chocolate that was sampled was made of wild hand-picked cacao from Bolivia. A representative of Reichmuth von Reding, a specialist Swiss colonial goods importer, explained the long and burdensome journey of wild Latin American chocolate. He gave us samples of different truffles, some with ginger, others with cumquat-fruits and some with almonds. Then the owner of the tea shop served us two Chinese tea varieties, one smoked and the other one a slightly sweet Oolong. Particularly the strong-flavored smoked variety was a pleasing combination with the slightly bitter and sour chocolate. Should you be interested to learn more about tea or chocolate, best thing is to visit the quant Shui Tang tea shop in the old town of Zurich and start a lively discussion with the very knowledgeable owner.

Or you can order the premium quality chocolate here: https://www.rvrtee.ch/

And should look for some high-grade Japanes and Chinese tea, visit Shui Tang's website: http://www.shuitang.ch/

Picture: Where high-quality tea meets exquisite Asian interior design. 

  

Young Swiss book-binder

 Picture: Handmade with passion and care in Zurich.

In the age of financial crisis traditional handicrafts are in high demand again. Luxury labels were able to stick an eye-watering price-tag on any mass-produced good. Those days are not gone but these days they are far and few between. Consumers are more discerning nowadays. They spend more time comparing and assessing the quality. And locally made products are back in favor again. One of my favorite shops in Zurich that sells well-crafted colorful jewelry boxes and hand-made book covers is run by Beatrice Wetli. She recently took over a book-binder shop in the old-town of Zurich. She is still very young and beams with creativity and enthusiasm. My personal favorites are her colorful jewelry boxes and hand-made notebooks with personal imprints. You find her shop at Froschaugasse 20 in Zürich.

Here is her website: http://www.beawet.li/

 

Swiss quality watch winder

Picture: It is simple, reliable and good looking, the Swiss watch winder Swiss Kubik.

Every owner of an automatic watch knows how tedious it can be to set the time and date after not having worn a mechanical watch for a while. Electronic watch winders are therefore a useful and clever way to store, display and wind a watch. The only problem is that most watch winders I came across cost an arm and a leg. Or they were cheap and fell apart in no time (believe me, I tried a cheap one on Ebay for a while). The Swiss company Swiss Kubik now offers a sleek, high-quality and decently priced alternative. The winder is actually a cube measuring 10cm on each side. It is propelled by standard batteries and the finishing is excellent. The cheapest model costs 650 Swiss Francs and can be had in different subtle or bright aluminum or wooeden finishes. It even comes with a three year warranty. A perfect gift for any wearer of automatic watches.

www.swisskubik.com

 

Sadly, no bespoke shoes for me

Do you remember that I had my feet measured by a bespoke shoe-maker in Zurich? Yep, that was in January. And finally, after waiting nine months, I got to try them. Unfortunately three hours of detailed measuring did not help and the shoes were too small. I had to wait another two weeks while the shoe-maker tried to make them wider. To no avail. By now it was middle of November and I was seriously annoyed. I felt like I wasted too much time so I called it quits. The shoemaker returned my money without problems and kept the shoes. A friend of mine and blog-reader got his semi-bespoke shoes made by the same shoemaker and everything went fine. Up to now I do not know why the shoes ended up being too small. He never explained to me and I never asked. One thing is certain though: keeping customers waiting for eleven months and not communicating precisely will not generate any new business. And he needs returning customers as, according to him, only after the third shoe he covers his costs.

For more articles about the Bàlint shoemaker read my previous blog-articles: http://easteatswest.typepad.com/east_eats_west/2009/01/meeting-with-my-feet.html

Traditional Swiss wrestling

Picture: Two traditional Swiss wrestlers in action at a competition. 

When I was a kid the coolest martial arts was Karate. It probably had to do with the movie "Karate Kid". As time moved on Kung Fu became popular and then Thai Boxing. The recent trend in martial arts is ultimate fighting. Basically everything is allowed except killing your opponent. It is also known as mixed martial arts and it combines techniques from boxing, thai boxing, ju-jitsu and wrestling. With the ongoing trends in exotic martial arts, Switzerland has cultivated its own version of wrestling, also known as "Schwingen" or swinging. Two opponents face each other on a small round patch covered with wood shavings. Both of them wear sturdy linen pants and they have to hold on to their opponent's pants at the beginning. The winner is the person who can wrestle, lift or throw his opponent on to his back so that both the shoulder blades touch the ground. Most bouts are fast and furious and reminds me a bit of Sumo wrestling. Only that the Swiss wrestlers are "smaller" with weights up to 110kg.

 

Picture: Besides good technique poor strength is also required as the athletes often weigh over 100kg. 
 

Pictures: Trophies on display. 
  
 Picture: The main prices are cows and horses (no kidding). 

My apple and my friends

Since my last blog entry about my new Apple MacBook Pro two things surprised me. First, I used to refer to my old IBM ThinkPad as my computer. The apple in contrast is referred to as Mac, so it got a name. The second thing is that I got so many enthusiastic emails from friends, congratulating me for my new Apple. It really seems as I joined a new club. I even inspired two friends to get their own MacBook Pros. Wise decision!

On the other hand I have to admit that the Apple deserves praise rightfully. In contrast to Windows it does not try to overwhelm its user with gazillion of functions. With Windows I always felt as I have to adapt to the software and not the other way around. With the Apple in contrast, I rarely use the drop-down menu or try figuring out how something works. It is all there in one simple graphical interface. For example looking for a file does not include opening explorer and answering various questions. Looking for a file on the Apple is typing in a word in he search function and then the Apple gives me a selection of findings across documents, photos and even website. Very smart!

Marmot fat

Picture: Products based on fat extracted from Swiss marmots!

When we went up Gornergrat in Zermatt we were lucky to see the local groundhogs, also known as Marmot or "Murmeltier" in German (a type of groundhog). Interestingly local shops sell groundhog-fat-creme for a hefty 25 swiss francs. I wonder where they get the groundhog fat from?

 

Matterhorn, the iconic Swiss mountain

Picture: Gornergrat railway stop with Matterhorn in the background. 

Many of you might be familiar with St.Moritz as the Swiss ski resort. Should you be into high-class partying and expensive dining, St.Moritz is it. But if you are into majestic mountains, traditional Swiss wooden cottages and all-year around glacier skiing, you should head for Zermatt of canton Valais in the south-west of Switzerland. Zermatt itself is very pleasant, not only but also, because it is car-free. It is situated in a valley 1600 meters above sea-level. Zermatt's major attraction is the over 4600 meters high Matterhorn, a mighty and majestic piece of solid rock that thrones over Zermatt. It is surrounded by equally impressive mountains and tourists and skiers alike have many options to see it from various angles. For example can you take the Matterhorn Railway up to 3000 meters or take the Matterhorn Paradise cable car up to 3800 meters for some glacier skiing. So next time you visit the alps, try Zermatt for pure alpine beauty.

www.zermatt.ch 

 

Picture: Zermatt sits at the foot of majestic mount Matterhorn.

Picture: The Matterhorn was a challenge for any mountaineer and not a few foreign climbers lost their lives in lofty heights. 
 
 

  

 
 

Movie-making in our office

Picture: Our offices transformed into a movie-set (courtesy of www.tagesanzeiger.ch). 

Martin Suter is among the most popular Swiss writers and soon one of his more recent books will make its appearance as a movie. His books take a close look at the lives of wealthy professionals in Zurich and Switzerland. The characters are lawyers, top managers and bankers. Now his newest book, “Der letzte Weynfeldt”, is currently being made into a movie. The book tells the story of a wealthy art expert at an international auction house. The story takes place in Zurich. One scene from the movie was recently shot in the office I work in. It took the two actors and thirty staff one day to shoot a three minute excerpt of the movie. The office of our CEO, which has a wonderful view of the Lake of Zurich, was emptied and refurbished with art-deco furniture and modern paintings.

The Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger covered the movie-making in an article (in German): http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/kultur/fernsehen/MartinSuterVerfilmung-in-Zuerichs-edelsten-Wohnungen-und-Bueros/story/11893973 

And should you feel the need to be an extra one day, you can sign up here: http://www.statisten.tv/

Golden Caravan

Picture: A paradise for high-end bargain hunters (courtesy of www.goldencaravan.ch). 

Among the industries hit hard by the global recession is the luxury goods industry. While brands were affected very selectively, Hermés apparently was able to keep its sales. Other brands had to try to keep sales up at lower prices while maintaining their high status exclusiveness. Instead of doing outright sales and discounting their wares, the industry has come up with some ingenious ways of marketing. One such example is the Golden Caravan sales for “families and friends”. These events take place mostly in hotels like the Dolder Grand in Zurich and it is upon “invitation” only. On sale are luxury brands like Gucci, Loro Piana and Bottega Veneta and the price reduction varies from 30 percent up to 80 percent. Those exclusive events help to maintain the luxury brands' public perception of high quality but allows them to sell goods at a discount.

Sign up for the next event here: www.GoldenCaravan.com. 

Altstadt hotel in Vienna

Picture: A suit in the Altstadt Hotel in Vienna. 

How do you define a superb hotel? My definition is: it makes women jump with joy upon entering one! One hotel that fits this definition is the Altstadt Vienna hotel near the "Museum Quartier". It is located in a hundred year old building and it is decorated by a skillful interior designer. The historical rooms with high ceilings are well lit with modern lamps, painted with pleasingly bright wall colors and sport big bath tubs. The junior suite we stayed in was so pleasant that we gladly stayed in on a rainy day. Also a plus point is that everyday between 3 and 7pm, one could help themselves to some tea and cake in their wonderful and homely lounge area.

http://www.altstadt.at/

Goodyear welted shoes

Picture: Affordable, hand-made and goodyear-welted shoes in Vienna.

Handmade bespoke shoes from Scheer might not fit everyone's budget but there is a good alternative. Two brothers operate a shoe store in Vienna by the name of Robertino. The older brother learned shoe-making in Vienna and they have a line of shoes with different lasts. Their newest last is long and elegant and perfectly fits my wide feet. One can choose between different leathers and models. I got a brown scotch-grain one during sale for a very reansonable €280. This is truly a bargain for well-made goodyear welted leather shoes.

Their address is: Wollzeile 23, 1010 Vienna (right behind the Stephansdom). 

Royal bespoke shoes

Picture: Bespoke shoes made on-site in Vienna. 

While I am still waiting for my bespoke Balint shoes (I ordered them in January) I happened on another bespoke shoe maker in Vienna. Rudolf Scheer & Söhne in Vienna belongs, together with John Lobb in St.James in London, to the top bespoke shoe makers in Europe. It used to make shoes for the Austrian royals and it was founded in 1816. R. Scheer for example made shoes for the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph 1. The venerable company looks back on almost 200 years of shoemaking-tradition. In contrast to Balint, who produces in Romania, all shoes are made on location in central Vienna. Young Markus Scheer of the owner family (7th generation) takes normally three measurements of your feet in six months time and he also makes the rough first cut of the last. The shoe is then assembled from over 200 parts. THe shoes are made completely by hand with only very few machinery involved. The result is not only stunning but also unique and highly comfortable to wear shoes. A shoe will set you back at least €3000 and it comes with free shoe cleaning service and a cleaning set.

www.scheer.at

430km/h and levitating

Picture: An old Chinese couple in front of the super-fast German Maglev train. 

From the outskirts of Shanghai to Pudong airport runs the world's fastest train, the German Maglev (for magnetic levitation). It has no wheels and does not touch the ground and its top speed is a whopping 430km/h, faster than any other ground mode of transport! The ride only takes 8min and it is pure joy to see the scenery whizz by. The train uses a very advanced magnetic levitation technique that allows it to go very fast. It is a big tourist attraction also for Chinese travelers. 

More pictures from Shanghai

Click the link below and see a selection of the best pictures from Shanghai: http://easteatswest.typepad.com/photos/shanghai_2009/index.html