The Culture Cafe 9-14-18
The Culture Café[edit | edit source]
The United States Vs. Switzerland[edit | edit source]
Hello, North Star Academy! My name is Nick Kearns and I live in the United States, more specifically, Virginia. I am sixteen years old and I am a junior this year. This is my first year doing online schooling and I am very excited to be attending North Star Academy! I am a competitive dancer, which takes up most of my time, and is also why I decided to switch to an online high school. I speak both English and Spanish and I am in the process of learning French. I am excited to be a part of the Navigator this year and I hope that everyone will enjoy the paper!
In this month’s edition of The Navigator, I will be discussing the cultural similarities and differences between the country of Switzerland and the United States of America.
Located basically in the center of Europe, is the ever-so-interesting country of Switzerland. Switzerland is surrounded by five countries which include; Italy, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Austria. The combination of countries surrounding Switzerland makes for an interesting cultural footprint because of the influence of these 5 countries.
In Switzerland, the inhabitants will speak several languages because of the general importance of communication, and the proximity to other European countries as a whole. The languages spoken consist mainly of; French, German, Italian, and Romansh (Which are the official languages of Switzerland) because of the influence of the surrounding countries. This is an interesting topic of discussion, especially in comparison to the US, because not only does the US not technically have an official language, the languages most spoken in the US are; English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. Switzerland has recognized official languages, whereas the US has not. Yes, English is the most widely spoken language in the US, but it has yet to be recognized at the federal level that English is the official language.
When it comes to food, Switzerland has an interesting and diverse array of edible energy. Have you ever tried fondue? There are different types, with the most popular of which being cheese. Well, guess what? The US actually adopted the idea of fondue from Switzerland. Although Switzerland has a much more thought out approach to fondue as opposed to the US, the bare bones of fondue are still transferable to the adopted idea of fondue from the United States. In Switzerland, it is common to add garlic and white wine to enhance the flavor of the cheese, and a little bit of corn starch for added volume. The most common food to dip into the fondue in both Switzerland and the US is bread. It is common to slice bread into the shape of cubes and dip that into the cheese sauce-like contraption that is fondue. It is also very popular to dip all kinds of fruits and vegetables into the cheese such as apples, and/or broccoli.
Another strikingly popular Swiss food that is commonly consumed everywhere in the world is chocolate. Swiss chocolate is sacred, the most popular form being the Lindt chocolates that are quite addictive. Swiss chocolate is popular all around the world. I’m not quite sure what it is about European chocolates and what makes them so amazing, but I intend to find out at some point in my life!
That is all the time I have for this month in discussing cultural comparisons! I hope you enjoyed learning more about both Switzerland and the United States! Next month’s article will look at the cultural comparisons between the US, and Thailand!
-Nick Kearns