Lausanne, Switzerland: Grocery Shopping

For my last night in Switzerland, I decided to take a snack back to the hotel. So I visited the campus supermarket, located right next to the train stop and convention center. It is a little larger than a U. S. convenience store. It certainly carries a lot of prepared items, catering as it does to students, but it also has some more interesting selections.

Stacks of cases of beer greet patrons at the entrance.

The cheeses include both major brands and more local selections. I chose a very nice Emmenthaler. I also picked up a loaf of wonderful, crusty bread sprinkled with seeds. The bread in Switzerland is a treat.

The wine section spans the back walls.

Naturally, the store featured a large selection of chocolates. I picked up a five pack of Cailler dark chocolate bars. The prices were competitive with good U. S. prices for these brands. Given that Switzerland's prices are in general very high, that makes these bars a bargain.

And here is something you don't see at the Quickie Mart in Springfield---a case of Cuban cigars next to the checkout stand.

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Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

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