East Eats West

Crispy Peking Duck in Zurich

 Picture: A rare sight in Zurich.

On my recent trip to Singapore friends invited me to an amazing Chinese restaurant that specializes in Peking Duck, the famous Chinese roasted crispy duck. So I was wondering if I could find some mouth-watering Peking Duck in Zurich. Luckily I did. The best thing to do in order to find any particular Asian dish is to ask a local, this is what I did. I asked a Chinese waiter in a restaurant and he pointed me to “Naga Sui” restaurant in Zurich. The restaurant is an upmarket Asian fast food place run by a Malaysian and a Swiss. They offer Peking Duck à la minute, meaning that you do not have to order it one day before (should you get this immediate craving). And boy is the duck good! It comes with the traditional sweet brown sauce and thin tortilla-like rice paper wraps. Yummy! Here is the restaurant's website: http://www.nagasui.ch/

PS: I introduced some friends who lived in Beijing to the restaurant and they agree that the duck is first class.

How to save costs in a downturn

For every economic situation America seems to have a hero ready: what Paris Hilton used to be for the leveraged shopping boom years, Stephen Economides is for the financial crisis. Mr. Economides became famous on being extremely thrifty and living on 35.000 USD a year (with a wife). Here is his list of top ten money saving tips in a down-turn:

1. Plan your shopping trips in advance (write a shopping list)

2. Buy used furniture (tick, as I bought my furniture at Designermöbelbörse http://www.designermöbelbörse.ch/ )

3. Pay in cash and never ever use a credit card (I just dumped one card)

4. Do everything yourself (tick again as I started to clean my apartment myself)

5. Ask the doctor for free samples (nope, haven’t been sick in a while)

6. Do not go on holiday during the main season

7. Watch the telephone costs

8. Switch the light and appliances off at home (not only on standby)

9. Bargain hard for mortgage and the like

10. Choose the cheapest insurance

Read an article in German by Stephen Economides here:  http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/wirtschaft/aktuell/die_lehren_des_economides_1.2384446.html

Or buy his book here: http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Cheapest-Family-Right-Money/dp/0307339459/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239822793&sr=8-1

A print magazine for the discerning reader

 

When was the last time you loved a print magazine so much that you wanted to re-order it (one eager reader even built a shelf in the library for the copies)? I am sure that not many magazines have their own little market where ardent readers sell and buy past issues. The Swiss “Du” culture magazine is such a rare exception. Since the re-launch by the new publisher, Mr.Oliver Prange, and with a new editor-in-chief, Mr. Stefan Kaiser of former GDI Impulse magahine fame, the magazine has achieved a quality level that surpasses all of its competitors by light-years (for example “Intelligent Life” magazine by “The Economist”). The quality of the print of “Du” is so high that I simply adore just touching the magazine! Isn’t that how a monthly magazine should feel like: a pleasure to hold and look at, sometimes to collect and have it displayed on the living-room table? “Du “also features visually outstanding cover designs and the magazine draws from a wealth of high-calibre writers. So give your senses a big favour: instead of reading the for-free commuter newspapers get some valuable information from some outstanding people and read “Du”. Read about other high-intellect magazines here: http://easteatswest.typepad.com/east_eats_west/2008/01/the-good-things.html

And order "Du" here: http://www.du-magazin.com/

Arming up for the recession

 Picture: Some people are staking up self-defense kit for the recession.

I recently met a lady who works in finance in London. She just bought a house and told me that her London house has bullet-proof windows and that her boyfriend bought a shotgun with ammunition in order to defend the house. A bit later I met a young Swiss tax-advisor who just bought some pistols because he feels unsafe in Zurich. Before I thought people odd who put cash into bank vaults and store gold at home!

PS: Luckily I am still in the Swiss Army and I have access to ample ammunition (please do not call me for some extra supplies)!

What comes after the brand as religion?

Picture: Mr. Lindstrom knows a thing or two about simple marketing messages.

In mid March this year I went to a presentation by the Danish neuromarketing researcher Martin Lindstrom at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institut near Zurich. In his very media-savvy presentation he proclaimed that in modern consumer-societies brands like Apple or Marlboro achieve a quasi-religious status. The consumers become faithful to their product communities and the community makes the consumer special. And the leading communities, like for example the Apple-community, help their followers to share experiences and thoughts via their products (think iPhone or iMac). In a time of self-fulfilment and the over-extension of egos, brands give guidance and the feeling of individuality.

Visit Martin Lindstrom’s website here: www.martinlindstrom.com.