Swiss Wrap-up and Happy December!

I finished my last Harlequin performance in Switzerland on Sunday. Everything went pretty smashingly, and after the show, one of the actors, Dani, invited us all to fondue at his house. Here's how you make real Swiss fondue:

1. the pot-- ceramic, wide, and shallow
You heat up/melt the cheese on the stovetop, and then transfer it to the sterno apparatus on the table to keep it warm while you are eating (OK, this may be self-explanatory to you, but I recall waiting hours for the cheese to melt over that little sterno fire.)
2. the cheese-- I couldn't get much information about that because there you just go to the cheese guy in the grocery store and tell him what kind of fondue you want to make. Then, he makes a nice, shredded blend all ready for you!

3. the alcohol-- The fondue we had was called "Half-Half", and I am not sure if this referred to the cheeses or that it seemed to be half wine and half cheese. Also, the real Swiss way of adding Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps) to the fondue is to have a small glass next to your plate -- first you dip the bread in the schnapps and then in the cheese. This was new to the Germans-- I am really sharing a Swiss secret with you!

4. The accoutrements-- tiny pickles, pearl onions, pickled baby corn, and a salad



Yesterday, I had my first "Profound Bagatelle" rehearsal with the dancers! Baroque dance is like something from another planet if you have never done it before, so it is going to take a little while before they are comfortable. Luckily, most of the show is modern dance, anyway. It is so great to be back in the studio!!

However, my way to the studio was very "Typisch Kölsch". I was sitting next to a guy on the train nursing his morning beer. When I put on my headphones, I heard him muttering about it, so I just switched off the "translating German" part of my mind in order not to understand him.