Author: admin
May you live in interesting times…
Never thought I’d say this but
Switzerland’s response to covid-19
The Federal Council announced Friday that schools will be closed across the country until April 4 at the earliest. Previously, the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg had already communicated an identical measure until the end of April, with adjustments possible in some cases. Neuchâtel followed soon after.
All gatherings of more than 100 people are also prohibited in Switzerland until April 30. Several cantons lower this limit to 50 people. Places of entertainment (theater, cinema, restaurants, ski resorts) are also affected.
The government has also decided to reintroduce Schengen controls at all its borders, with immediate effect and on a case-by-case basis. Entry into Switzerland from a country on the At-Risk list is therefore only authorized to Swiss citizens, to people who have a residence permit in Switzerland as well as to those who have to travel to Switzerland for professional reasons. Transit and transport of goods remain authorized. Persons with compelling reasons will also be allowed to enter Switzerland. Currently, only Italy is on the at-risk list of countries.
Public transport should be avoided as much as possible. Vulnerable people and the elderly should not use them. Employers must adapt their employees’work schedules to allow them to avoid peak hours. They should also allow teleworking where possible.
On a positive note, with around 0.8% of fatal cases, Switzerland is still one of the countries where the virus kills the least.
Pandumbic
[recipe] Salad ramen
60 ml seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (preferably a seedless type, such as Aleppo-style or gochugaru)
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
175g dried ramen noodles
Kosher salt
2–3 cups shredded or shaved vegetables, such as radishes, carrots, scallions, cabbage, lettuce, and/or cucumbers
Stir vinegar, oil, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil in a small bowl.
Cook noodles in a medium pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer to a medium bowl, then toss with half of dressing.
Divide noodles between bowls. Top with your choice of vegetables. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
[recipe] French onion beef noodle soup

1.5kg bone-in beef short ribs, cut into 2″ segments. Alternatively, use 2kg of oxtail, trimmed of as much fat as possible.
6 scallions, white and dark green parts separated
4″ piece ginger, scrubbed, thinly sliced
2 3″ cinnamon sticks
8 whole cloves
2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 tsp. coriander seeds
125ml (or more) low-sodium soy sauce
40g. unsalted butter
2kg onions onions (about 10 medium), thinly sliced
2 tbsp. (or more) unseasoned rice vinegar
500g dried ramen noodles
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Season short ribs with salt and, working in batches, cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, 12–14 minutes. Transfer to a platter as you go. Carefully pour off fat left behind in pot until there is just enough to cover bottom of pot; discard.
Return pot to medium heat. Cook whole white scallion parts and ginger, stirring occasionally, until they are starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and coriander seeds and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and oil is sizzling, about 1 minute. Deglaze with soy sauce, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot with a wooden spoon. Return beef to pot and add 3 liters water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover partially with a lid. Simmer until meat is not quite falling off the bone, about 1.5 hours for short ribs or 3.5h for oxtail.
Meanwhile, heat butter in another large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high until foaming subsides. Add onions, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until they begin to take on some color, about 15 minutes. (If they don’t fit in your pot, add as much as you can, cover, and steam 5 minutes. Stir in remaining onions and continue cooking.) Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are deep golden and softened but not mushy, 30–45 minutes.
Using tongs, remove beef from broth and let cool until you can handle. Tear meat into bite-size pieces, discarding any bone and excess fat as you go. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. If using oxtail, you might want to consider chilling the broth overnight and discarding any excess fat that has solidified on top of the soup.
Add meat and broth to pot with onions. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until liquid is reduced a bit and flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. Add vinegar; taste and add more vinegar and/or soy sauce if needed.
Thinly slice remaining scallion greens. Cook noodles according to package directions. Divide among bowls. Ladle soup over noodles, making sure each bowl gets some meat and plenty of onions. Top with scallion greens and serve.
Still, don’t panic.
“As of Wednesday, 11 March all employees working at [site] and [site] will be divided into two groups. The groups will work in alternation one week from home, and one week on site. This measure is put in place until further notice. The groups have been defined by your leadership team and for simplicity there is “a Blue and a Green group”. By Tuesday, 10 March, we ask you to put the respective color sticker on your badge in order to be allowed to enter the building.”
I thought it was a joke
but no. Drumpf actually retweeted this…

Nero, according to ancient tradition, climbed to the top of his city walls and fiddled as Rome burned. While the historical accuracy can be questioned, the moral of the story is typically used to criticize someone for doing something trivial and nonsensical in the midst of a crisis.
So Drumpf’s retweet of his social-media manager’s tweet showing him playing a fiddle couldn’t be more timely, considering the continued spread of the coronavirus (which will all be sorted in a week, because the US has the best, most beautiful, testing kits) and the fact that the Dow Jones plunged more than 2,000 points early in start of week trading and triggered the stop-breakers.
You can’t make this shit up. Up is down, left is right, the world is going mad…
Project tapas, great success!
Katy mentioned last weekend that she’d never had tapas. That made me sad, so I went ahead and fixed that with a bunch of homemade goodies made from scratch: tortilla, patatas bravas, albondigas, pan con tomate, gambas and some jarred olives and stuffed peppers.





