A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

In this mini series I'll write about the five daily meals people eat in Switzerland: Zmorge, Znüni, Zmittag, Zvieri and Znacht. What do we typically eat? When do we eat? What is the proper conduct at the table? Today, I'll write about breakfast in Switzerland.
Zmorge - Breakfast in SwitzerlandZmorge is the Swiss German word for breakfast. It is an abbreviated form of the two words "zu"(to, at) and "Morgen"(morning) and literally means "in the morning". This obviously makes sense, since breakfast is usually eaten in the morning hours of the day.

During the week, most Swiss people take their Zmorge between 6.30am and 7.30 am, depending on what time school starts or what time they have to leave for work. On weekends, breakfast starts much later but the actual time depends largely on the person and things planned. My guess is that on weekends the average Swiss breakfast time is around 9am but there really aren't any statistics to back this claim. 
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There are few things that define a culture as much as their traditions and customs around eating. It's not only about what we eat but also about how and when we eat that define different cultures. This is certainly true for us Swiss. We eat like we are: in a well ordered fashion and - you might have guessed it - very much after the clock!
Typical Meals in Switzerland Growing up, it was normal to eat a rich breakfast and then a healthy snack just a few hours later at 9am. It was normal to always eat lunch at exactly noon and have another snack (or something sweet if we were in for a treat) at 4pm. Dinner was a bit more flexible time-wise but food-wise it was almost always bread, cold cuts, butter and cheese.

For most people living in Switzerland, these five daily meals are still part of their daily routine. We are used to our Znüni break even at work and many still believe it's healthier and better for your sleep habits to eat a cold dinner.

In this mini series I'll write …

To be completely honest, I'm not very fond of hallmark holidays and Valentine's Day is probably the mothership of them all. In my home there will be no cheesy cards or flowers on that day and, personally, I'm happy about it. However, I know that there are many people who like to celebrate Valentine's Day and take it as an opportunity to show their love and appreciation to their loves. Even in Switzerland, there are plenty of people celebrating it nowadays.

If you're short on ideas for this years Valentine's Day in Switzerland you might find some inspiration here: Valentine's Day in Switzerland. If you're already set and have the perfect date ready, how about surprising your loved one with a few romantic Swiss German phrases?

You should know that the expression "I love you" has only recently made its way into Swiss German from the High German "Ich liebe dich". Swiss people used to simply say "I like you" or "I like you …