Eight ways to annoy your Swiss friends
From dropping by unannounced to not mastering wine etiquette, here's how to annoy your Swiss friends (although we advise you not to!)
You may want to think twice about annoying your Swiss friends, as Swiss friends are very difficult to find.
In fact, it probably took you 150 arduous steps to get Swiss friends in the first place, and it takes only eight to p*ss them off.
But if you are really committed to doing do, just for the fun of it, here are some ways that are sure to make many locals wonder why you were allowed into their country.
Drop in without prior notice
The Swiss are very organised, live by the clock, and tend to micromanage everything around them.
Popular lore has it that this habit is not as entrenched in Italian and French-speaking regions as it is in the Swiss-German part.
But if you want to irk people, regardless of the geographical area, drop in announced. Don’t call or send messages telling them you’re coming — just show up at their doorstep.
And if you do tell them you’re coming….arrive late. Few things irritate Swiss people more than tardiness.
READ MORE: The pleasure of punctuality’: Why are the Swiss so obsessed with being on time?
Insult their national pride
If you tell a friend they are not really ‘Swiss’, but German, French or Italian (depending on the region in which they live and the language they speak), you will annoy them terribly.
The Swiss are very patriotic and proud of their country (sometimes even to the point of arrogance) and they will not take to this remark kindly.
Make fun of their army
To tell a Swiss person their military is not a ‘real army’, is sure to rub them up the wrong way.
They regard army service not only as their patriotic and civic duty, but also as a rite of passage of sorts.
True, not every country’s military has army knives, cutlery, watches, travel gear and fragrances attached to their name, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t fight if they had to.
They probably could fight if they had to. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
Laugh at their language(s)
One foreigner we know told a Swiss-German friend (now an ex-friend) that his language sounds like “bastardised Dutch”.
Let it be a good lesson: making fun of someone’s native language is a definite ‘nein-nein’.
‘Just so fun to say’: Are these the best Swiss German words to learn?
On the other hand, if you learn to speak it, even imperfectly, you might just make a friend or two.
Not master the proper wine etiquette
Switzerland is a nation of wine drinkers. To Swiss people, French wines are, needless to say, inferior, and don’t even try to sell them on Italian or Spanish wines. They will, literally and figuratively, turn up their noses at them.
Also, if you drink with a Swiss friend, you don’t unceremoniously chug your wine down and ask for more. You have to hold your glass by the stem, look into your friend’s eyes, preferably without blinking, for at least five seconds, then clink your glasses.
Only then can you sip your wine, praising its fragrance, aroma, depth of colour, and the Swiss region it came from.
Not appreciate Aromat
The Swiss love their Aromat seasoning and there’s hardly a household that doesn’t keep it on their spice rack.
It goes on everything from boiled eggs to meat and fish, and some people even carry it with them when they eat out or go on holidays.
As a foreigner, you may not understand what all the fuss is about, but to say outright to a Swiss that Aromat tastes awful or that it shouldn’t be sprinkled on everything is almost as offensive as criticising their language and army (see above) .
Disrupt peace and quiet
If your Swiss friends are also your neighbours, you are sure to irritate them by being loud on inappropriate days and at inappropriate hours.
READ MORE: Nine ways you might be annoying your neighbours (and not realising it) in Switzerland
All apartment buildings in Switzerland have a noise ordinance in place, which bans loud noises after 10pm. You might have heard that you are not even allowed to flush your toilet after this time, but in most buildings this is not the case, unless your toilet sounds like a jackhammer.
However, loud music, TV, and other noises are strictly 'verboten'.
And Sundays are considered rest days so your neighbours’ peace and quiet should not be disrupted by a sound of a lawn mower, hedge cutter, or nail being hammered into a wall.
Never on Sunday. Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash
Not support Swiss national football team or Roger Federer
When it comes to sports, the Swiss are firmly behind their teams and champions.
If you tell a friend you are a fan of another team or tennis player, expect to become an outcast in your social circle and maybe even the whole country.
READ MORE: ‘We don’t like France, Germany or Italy’: How linguistic diversity unites Swiss football fans
Comments
See Also
You may want to think twice about annoying your Swiss friends, as Swiss friends are very difficult to find.
In fact, it probably took you 150 arduous steps to get Swiss friends in the first place, and it takes only eight to p*ss them off.
But if you are really committed to doing do, just for the fun of it, here are some ways that are sure to make many locals wonder why you were allowed into their country.
Drop in without prior notice
The Swiss are very organised, live by the clock, and tend to micromanage everything around them.
Popular lore has it that this habit is not as entrenched in Italian and French-speaking regions as it is in the Swiss-German part.
But if you want to irk people, regardless of the geographical area, drop in announced. Don’t call or send messages telling them you’re coming — just show up at their doorstep.
And if you do tell them you’re coming….arrive late. Few things irritate Swiss people more than tardiness.
READ MORE: The pleasure of punctuality’: Why are the Swiss so obsessed with being on time?
Insult their national pride
If you tell a friend they are not really ‘Swiss’, but German, French or Italian (depending on the region in which they live and the language they speak), you will annoy them terribly.
The Swiss are very patriotic and proud of their country (sometimes even to the point of arrogance) and they will not take to this remark kindly.
Make fun of their army
To tell a Swiss person their military is not a ‘real army’, is sure to rub them up the wrong way.
They regard army service not only as their patriotic and civic duty, but also as a rite of passage of sorts.
True, not every country’s military has army knives, cutlery, watches, travel gear and fragrances attached to their name, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t fight if they had to.
They probably could fight if they had to. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
Laugh at their language(s)
One foreigner we know told a Swiss-German friend (now an ex-friend) that his language sounds like “bastardised Dutch”.
Let it be a good lesson: making fun of someone’s native language is a definite ‘nein-nein’.
‘Just so fun to say’: Are these the best Swiss German words to learn?
On the other hand, if you learn to speak it, even imperfectly, you might just make a friend or two.
Not master the proper wine etiquette
Switzerland is a nation of wine drinkers. To Swiss people, French wines are, needless to say, inferior, and don’t even try to sell them on Italian or Spanish wines. They will, literally and figuratively, turn up their noses at them.
Also, if you drink with a Swiss friend, you don’t unceremoniously chug your wine down and ask for more. You have to hold your glass by the stem, look into your friend’s eyes, preferably without blinking, for at least five seconds, then clink your glasses.
Only then can you sip your wine, praising its fragrance, aroma, depth of colour, and the Swiss region it came from.
Not appreciate Aromat
The Swiss love their Aromat seasoning and there’s hardly a household that doesn’t keep it on their spice rack.
It goes on everything from boiled eggs to meat and fish, and some people even carry it with them when they eat out or go on holidays.
As a foreigner, you may not understand what all the fuss is about, but to say outright to a Swiss that Aromat tastes awful or that it shouldn’t be sprinkled on everything is almost as offensive as criticising their language and army (see above) .
Disrupt peace and quiet
If your Swiss friends are also your neighbours, you are sure to irritate them by being loud on inappropriate days and at inappropriate hours.
READ MORE: Nine ways you might be annoying your neighbours (and not realising it) in Switzerland
All apartment buildings in Switzerland have a noise ordinance in place, which bans loud noises after 10pm. You might have heard that you are not even allowed to flush your toilet after this time, but in most buildings this is not the case, unless your toilet sounds like a jackhammer.
However, loud music, TV, and other noises are strictly 'verboten'.
And Sundays are considered rest days so your neighbours’ peace and quiet should not be disrupted by a sound of a lawn mower, hedge cutter, or nail being hammered into a wall.
Never on Sunday. Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash
Not support Swiss national football team or Roger Federer
When it comes to sports, the Swiss are firmly behind their teams and champions.
If you tell a friend you are a fan of another team or tennis player, expect to become an outcast in your social circle and maybe even the whole country.
READ MORE: ‘We don’t like France, Germany or Italy’: How linguistic diversity unites Swiss football fans
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.