Swiss and Chips - Your British guide to Switzerland – Details, episodes & analysis

Switzerland's weekend mountain ritual

Why do the Swiss regularly abandon foggy cities for the mountains? That’s the question we get into in this episode. Beyond this beloved autumn and winter weekend pastime, we take a look at your messages, our latest poll results, Swiss bytes, and we even pack in a fresh “Learning Swiss German” segment.

We’d love to hear from you!
Send your feedback, questions, or voice messages to hello@swissandchips.com.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

00:00 - Intro

01:34 - Listener messages

• How to find a job in Switzerland as an expat
• Find us on Instagram (Swiss and Chips, Jo, Simon) or Bluesky Jo and Simon

07:54 - Why do Swiss locals go to the mountains when the weather is gray

• Apfelfunk (a Swiss and German podcast about Apple)

13:15 - Listener poll: For how long would you travel to see the sun?

15:32 - Swiss bytes: 

• Swiss Podcast Network
• Swiss Podcasts in English from Swissinfo

17:20 - Learning Swiss German: “Rumpelsurig”

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What acceptance looks like amongst the Swiss

Moving to Switzerland as an expat is definitely challenging and it can feel hard to be accepted. But what does being accepted really mean anyway? In this very personal episode, Jo talks about what fitting in means to her and we discuss integration from a very Swiss perspective, including their ongoing interest in expats. 

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

00:00 - Intro

01:32 - Listener Feedback

• The Ministry for the Future

09:01 - Do you feel accepted as an expat in Switzerland?

19:13 - Swiss bytes: Expat Series

• Part 1 (the recruiting)
• Part 2 (two portraits)
• Part 3 (finding a place to stay)
• Part 4 (the integration)

20:40 - Learning Swiss German: Glüschtelä

24:43 - Listener poll: Which is your favourite season of the year

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Don’t forget to send us your feedback, questions or topic suggestions: Write us an email to hello@swissandchips.com, a text message or a voice message to play on the show +41 76 282 67 66.

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“Especially in times of the pluralisation of lifestyles, there is a need to know how things should be done correctly. Because manners provide security in how to shape interactions positively. They simplify interactions and prevent misunderstandings.” This is a quote from the ‘Swiss Knigge’, a book about good manners and behaviour in Switzerland. 

Though often associated with formal manners, Knigge in Switzerland has evolved to cover modern-day needs, while retaining its core values of explaining respect and politeness. 

In this episode, we give you an overview of the book’s chapters, talk about how it can be useful for expats in Switzerland and go through a few of the guide’s most interesting bits. 

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

00:00 - Intro

02:00 - Listener Feedback

03:08 - Swiss Bytes: Swiss SBB clock turns 80

05:23 - The Swiss Knigge as a book and ebook

29:58 - Listener give-away: Send us your message!

32:20 - Learning Swiss German: äs herbschtelet

33:03 - Listener poll

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Let's dive into another episode about Swiss German through the lens of the traditional Swiss radio game ‘ABC SRF 3’. We' haven’t laughed so much in an episode yet; we’ll let you decide if that’s a good thing.

And we introduce two new segments. First, we address user questions and feedback, featuring Cathy, who proudly participates in Swiss traditions. Second, get ready for the brand new "Swiss Bites" (with a must-hear sound effect) and our listener poll.

00:00 - Intro

01:53 - Listener Feedback

04:06 - Swiss Bytes

• How to say things in different situations by region
• That is what they sound like

06:22 - Learning Swiss German

• Swiss German episodes on Swiss and Chips
• Official page of ABCSRF3 with links to the game
• “Scherenschnitt” or traditional paper cutting

19:34 - Listener poll: Vote here!

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Don’t forget to send us your feedback, questions or topic suggestions: Write us an email to hello@swissandchips.com, a text message or a voice message to play on the show +41 76 282 67 66.

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Swiss National Day is coming up! Let’s talk about what happens on the big day and what it means to the Swiss. We’ll help you figure out how to mark the occasion even if you haven’t been in Switzerland for long. We also have some new features in our podcast for you: “Swiss bytes”, listener feedback and our survey.

00:00 - Intro

01:58 - Listener Feedback

03:14 - Swiss Bytes
US Marine reacts to Why the Swiss love their Guns (more than Americans)
Another interesting Video about Why Switzerland has 370 000 bunkers
Da chönt ja jedä cho

07:09 - Learning Swiss German
Da chönt ja jedä cho

10:32 - 1st August: What to buy and what to do

16:05 - Listener Survey
Fun with Flags

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Don’t forget to send us your feedback, questions or topic suggestions: Write us an email to hello@swissandchips.com, a text message or a voice message to play on the show +41 76 282 67 66.

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How do you cope with the chaos, confusion, and frequent frustration of queuing in Switzerland? In this episode, we explore Swiss queuing culture and share our experiences and advice on how to survive and possibly thrive in the chaotic queuing land of the Alps. We have some horror stories to share that you might be able to identify with. Whether you’re a newcomer, a visitor, or a long-time resident, we hope this episode will help you to navigate Swiss queueing protocol, or at the very least, give you a laugh.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• Suzi LeVine complaining about queuing in Adelboden.
• A discussion on Reddit about Swiss queuing culture and even if it exists at all.

Learning Swiss German

• Hundsverlochete

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Switzerland, a country known for its linguistic diversity, is home to the unique dialect of Swiss German. It has many variations around the country, with words, sounds and phrases changing by city or valley. Here, we dive into a very specific topic of Swiss German - the use of nicknames.

In this episode of ‘Decoding Swiss German Nicknames’, we aim to unravel the meanings, origins, and usage of nicknames. Let’s decode together!

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• User feedback
• Swiss dialects / Swiss nicknames

Learning Swiss German

The Instagram video.

• Grübschi: Apple or pear core
• Mürggel: The end bit of a loaf of bread
• Rittigampfi: A swing
• Fööf: Five
• Küdder: Rubbish or bin
• Gluggsi: Hiccup
• Gagel: Poo

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Don’t forget to send us your feedback, questions or topic suggestions: Write us an email to hello@swissandchips.com, a text message or a voice message to play on the show +41 76 282 67 66.

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Discovering animal sounds in Swiss German: A fun exploration at the Dählhölzli Petting Zoo

Come with us on a stroll through the famous Dählhölzli petting zoo in Bern where we talk about the different animal noises in English and Swiss German.

A special welcome and thanks to all our super early subscribers: Samir, Julian, Nuclei, Alicia, Nicholas, Joee and many more - we really appreciate the early support!

And Krissy! She was the first to comment in the subscriber chat about what advice she’d give anyone planning to move to Switzerland.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• Why ducks say "quack-quack" in English but "ga-ga" in Japanese. By Quick and dirty tipps
• Bee, bird, cockerel, owl, horse, frog, sheep, cuckoo, dog
• John’s explanation of what a Bünzli is

Learning Swiss German

• Liiri, Liiri-Bänz, Gritti-Bänz

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Don’t forget to send us your feedback, questions or topic suggestions: Write us an email to hello@swissandchips.com, a text message or a voice message to play on the show +41 76 282 67 66.

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The experience of going to see a film in Switzerland has some quirks. The first question you’re probably going to ask yourself when trying to catch a new release is what language it’s going to be shown in and secondly, how much the pleasure is going to set you back. 

 
 In this episode, we talk about which kind of cinema typically shows films in which languages, how dubbing or subtitles come into play, the financial consequences of a cinema trip in Switzerland and where to find out what’s on.

We also explain why we moved the Swiss and Chips community to Substack, a place where we want to hear from you and get to know you better.

All our content and community chat on Substack is free.

On Substack, you can directly subscribe to the episodes and additional content via email, be part of the subscriber chat, give direct feedback on the episode articles and have your say in polls.

This is what happens if you get in touch with us

1. We read all comments, emails and chat replies carefully, as we really want to hear from you. Often these conversations make our day and are why we’re doing what we’re doing.
2. Other community members can join the discussion, give advice or get help.
3. All of this will directly influence the show and upcoming topics.

At this point, many thanks to our first new subscribers on Substack 🥳 and a special welcome to Amritam, Jane and Krissy 👋

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• Why we moved from Facebook to Substack
• An app to look up films playing at the cinema: Cineman

Learning Swiss German

Swiss words we explain in this episode: “Schärmä”, not to be confused with “Schirm” (umbrella) or being “andercover”. And as a bonus, a more cinema-related word: “Küder”.

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Don’t forget to send us your feedback, questions or topic suggestions: Write us an email to hello@swissandchips.com, a text message or a voice message to play on the show +41 76 282 67 66.

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After 13 years of living in Switzerland, Jo is finally allowed to have her say in her new home country and participate in the democratic process. The Swiss elections are coming up and after becoming Swiss, this might be the second most exciting day for a new citizen. The papers have arrived (a long time ago) and are ready to be explored. Let's do the unboxing together and talk about the specialities of the Swiss elections.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

• What's it like to get the the election material for the first time?
• What's inside the envelope?
• How do you vote?
• Smartvote

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Don’t forget to send us your feedback, questions or topic suggestions: Write us an email to hello@swissandchips.com, a text message or a voice message to play on the show +41 76 282 67 66.

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