'WHAT DO SWISS PEOPLE EAT BESIDE CHEESE?'

As I enter my 28th year in Japan (and my former life on 'planet Switzerland' is drifting more and more into the obscure past), I have been reflecting on the fact that some of the questions I face when meeting new people in Japan have never changed over the years.

Japanese people generally show great interest in other countries and cultures, and especially so, it seems, in Switzerland.

Switzerland enjoys kind of a special status in the world for a number of reasons: It's a rich and stable country with a strong currency and beautiful scenery, clean and safe and above all, neutral. Not only does it boast being the birthplace of the International Red Cross and hosting the European headquarters of the UN, but also reputable banking institutions, making it a safe haven for those who wish to deposit (large amounts of) money.

That said, its reputation has taken a bit of a battering in recent years, with questions raised about neutrality, being an exporter of weapons (and making good money with that!), and with the collapse of its second-largest bank last year.

But by and large, the positive image of the country has largely remained intact, especially so among Japanese people, who admire the Alpine nation with its majestic mountains, its cleanliness and safety, as well as its pacifist constitution (ironically all things that are also associated with Japan...).

The fascination with the country is reflected in the many questions I usually get when people here learn that I'm Swiss. So here is a selection of questions that I frequently encounter - some perhaps a bit more surprising than others:

'Are you of mixed descent'?

There is absolutely nothing in my looks that might suggest that either of my parents stem from Japan. But it's my name that often gives rise to confusion. Because you see, my original surname is 'Wietlisbach', which is a typically Swiss family name, and a rather rare one at that. However, the name on my business card says 'Wietlisbach-Kobayashi', whereby the second name is my wife's maiden name. It is quite common in Switzerland for both spouses to carry a hyphenated double-name, and it was my preferred choice to do so, to preserve my wife's maiden name. Besides, it makes my name rather memorable - though not exactly easy to memorise!

The trouble is that Japan doesn't allow this, so I cannot use it for official purposes. And when I entered my current company, the Human Resource Department - most likely at a loss of how to pronounce 'Wietlisbach' - took it upon themselves to register me simply as 'Rolf Kobayashi', and it has stayed that way ever since...

But then, when I meet people in a business context and hand them my name card, they automatically jump to the wrong conclusions. I then have to explain that I'm 100% Swiss-bred and have to give them the spiel of the hyphenated double name...

On the plus side, this then automatically takes care of the next question, which doesn't need to be asked anymore: How did I end up here? I guess the existence of a Japanese spouse makes that question superfluous in a way...

'Why would you want to live in Japan, although Switzerland is so beautiful?'

Yes, why indeed? People seem to have the impression that I hail from a 'perfect Alpine paradise', and it would seem an odd choice to give that up and move elsewhere. The reality is that Switzerland may be the perfect place for many people, but not for my wife and me. While not everything in Japan is perfect either (just like everywhere else!), on balance, life here simply suits us better.

Mind you, it took me many years to convince my mother-in-law that it was my personal choice to come here, and not the result of 'subtle pressure' applied by my wife...

'What do you like about Japan?'

The above then usually leads to this question, the answer to which is actually not that simple. There is a lot to like about this country, but there are two things I usually mention: The first one is the food. What I don't tell them is that - ironically - my wife and I eat mostly Western cuisine at home, probably mostly out of convenience, because it's generally easier to prepare and requires fewer dishes.

The second one is indeed convenience: Apart from the challenge with language, I find life in Japan (and specifically Tokyo) incredibly convenient.

'What's your favourite Japanese food?'

A question almost impossible to answer, but sushi, sashimi, 'gyoza' dumplings, 'soba' buckwheat noodles and shabu-shabu certainly all feature high on the list!

'What do Swiss people eat beside cheese?'

With cheese fondue seemingly being the only typically Swiss dish known the world over, there appears to be an expectation that what people in Switzerland eat day in day out is indeed... cheese. So I then have to clarify that Swiss cuisine is extremely varied, taking influences from all the surrounding countries, so in other words, there is a lot more to Swiss food than just cheese. Upon which I'm then asked to give examples, of course...

'What are typical Swiss dishes?'

As pictures speak louder than words, let me show you a small selection from my most recent trip back.

Cordon Bleu is made of veal or pork pounded thin and wrapped around a slice of ham and a slice of cheese (of course!), breaded and then pan-fried or baked. Its history is actually quite recent, as the first time it was mentioned in a cookbook was in the late 1940s.

Sliced Veal Liver with Rösti (Hash Browns): A Swiss delicacy found on the menu of many restaurants. Veal features highly in Swiss cuisine, not least because the meat is so tender. Interestingly, it's virtually non-existent in Japan...

And then there is this seasonal dish: Venison with Spätzle (a kind of pasta that falls somewhere in-between noodles and dumplings), which is exclusively available in the autumn (hunting) season.

Hungry yet?

'Do you have beer in Switzerland, and what does it taste like?'

Japan is a beer-drinking nation, and it's no wonder, because Japanese beer tastes great and has in fact caught on elsewhere in the world in recent years as well. The Japanese also know that Britain, Germany or Belgium have a long-standing beer-drinking culture, but when I mention that Swiss people also drink beer (among other things!), they seem surprised, because they simply don't associate beer with Switzerland.

Now, for the purpose of this post, I did a bit of research and found that while the Swiss are not among the greatest beer drinkers in the world and consumption has slightly declined over the past 30 years (though it's still substantially higher than in Japan!), Switzerland has in fact the largest number of breweries per capita, with 146 breweries per million people. Some useful trivia I can use next time I'm being asked...

As for the taste: Unsurprisingly, it tastes like beer - just different from that in Japan. Sadly, while German, Belgian and other European beers are widely available in Japan, you won't find any Swiss beers on supermarket shelves or in bars. The only way to find out what it tastes like is to actually fly there!

'Does Switzerland produce wine?'

The above question then inevitably leads to this one. The Swiss love their wine! Switzerland ranks 4th only behind Portugal, France and Italy in terms of wine consumption per capita. But the general assumption seems to be that it must be 'too cold' to produce their own, as Switzerland is clearly not known around the world as a wine-producing nation.

The reality is that the country has been making wine for more than two thousands years, and thanks to a large variety of different terrains, more than 250 different types of grape are being cultivated.

The thing is that 99% of all Swiss wine never leaves the country! The official reason is that the cost of production is too high to have prices interesting to supermarkets (and consumers) abroad. But I have my suspicion that the real reason behind it is that the Swiss would rather have it all for themselves...

'What is the most popular alcoholic drink in Switzerland?'

It's a question that I face all the time, and which I find a bit puzzling, because preferences differ, of course. So I can only really speak for myself, and I then go on to explain that my tipple of choice largely depends on the situation, the meal or the season: White wine with raclette, red wine with meat, beer for the thirst in summer, bubbly for an aperitif, a dram of Scotch in the late evening, etc. I could go on, but don't want to give the impression that I drink all the time... And I don't. Which is also why I'm struggling with the concept of 'all you can drink' ('nomi-houdai' ), which is common at parties in Japan and usually limited to 90 minutes or 2 hours. It might have appealed to me in my early twenties, when quantity was a bigger factor than my well-being the next morning. I guess, one does get wiser with age...

'Switzerland has 4 official languages, right? Is everyone able to speak them all?'

While many people in Japan are aware that there are four official languages in Switzerland, few can name the fourth one (beside German, French and Italian). Some believe it must be English, while others know it's some kind of 'obscure' language spoken only by a minority.

It is in fact Romansh, a language that belongs to the Gallo-Romance branch of the Romance languages such as French, Occitan or Lombard, and it is spoken by less than 1% of the Swiss population, and only in a specific Alpine region close to the Italian border.

And no, although it is mandatory at schools to learn at least one other national language (for German speakers it's French, and vice versa, although at my secondary school it was also obligatory to learn Italian - even before English, which was voluntary), it doesn't automatically mean that everyone is fully trilingual (or even quadrilingual).

Although I always got good grades in French, I never quite reached the level of absolute fluency, and years of lack of practice haven't exactly helped. And whenever I try to speak Italian, what comes out of my mouth is a (rather amusing) mix of Japanese and Italian - which only earns puzzled looks. When once travelling in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, I made a real effort talking to a shop assistant in the best Italian I could muster- only to be told that I could talk to her in English...

'Is Switzerland cold all year round?'

The common convention is: Switzerland = Alps - therefore it must be cold there all the time... Which it isn't. Besides, 'only' around 60% of the country is covered by mountains. The rest is - while not exactly flat - at best hilly, with average altitudes of 300 - 400m above sea level. In those areas (where I hail from), only winters are actually cold. Spring and autumn tend to be quite pleasant, while summers - although not as reliable as in sunny Italy or Spain - can get pretty darn hot, even more so with the effects of climate change.

I haven't worn a long-sleeved shirt or a jumper in many, many years, and my entire wardrobe consists only of T-shirts and short-sleeved shirts, simply because I prefer to wear light clothing. And at home (except for the winter months), it's always shorts.

If it's warranted, then I simply wear a jacket (or a coat in winter) outside, but I take it off as soon as I'm indoors. So I can see the confusion among Japanese people, knowing I'm from 'cold' Switzerland and seeing me in 'summer wear' all year round...

'What, Switzerland has an army???'

When I ask people in Japan what they associate most with Switzerland, the Alps and 'Heidi' are usually mentioned first. But very often, Switzerland's famed neutrality comes a close second. And the automatic assumption then seems to be that being neutral as it is, Switzerland doesn't have its own army. So I always earn astonished faces when I tell them that I myself served in the Swiss army - not out of choice, but because it's compulsory for all Swiss males. I guess this is is something that doesn't seem easily reconcilable with the 'peaceful Heidi image' of the Alpine nation...