From World Cup titles to world-class menus: this years's summer outing truly had it all.
Our first destination of the day was the FIFA Museum. Located in the heart of Zurich, the museum is dedicated to the history and culture of football. It is run by FIFA, the international football association that, among other things, organizes the World Cup.
To kick things off, our guide challenged us with two quiz questions: Which men’s team has won the most World Cup titles up to date? Stefan knew the answer right away: Brazil. And for the women’s team? This time, Tanja nailed it with the correct answer: the USA.
With this sporty start, our tour kicked off. We dove deep into the history of football, and one story stuck with us in particular: red and yellow cards were only introduced much later. Back in the day, some players simply refused to leave the pitch without police intervention. The cards finally brought more structure to the game.
Another highlight was the impressive room where all the national team jerseys were displayed in a circle, arranged by color. Some of the jerseys bore small stars; we learned that each one symbolized a World Cup victory.
The exhibition of improvised footballs from around the world was especially impressive. Made from materials like crumpled paper, scraps of fabric, or plastic bags, these balls were a reminder that football is truly played all over the world.
After our journey through the world of football, we continued on to the Kocheria cooking school. There we were welcomed by Mo, our instructor for the evening, with a lovely aperitif and a welcome drink. With plenty of humor and patience, he explained the plan for the evening, and soon it was time to tie on our aprons, wash our hands, and roll up our sleeves.
Our team, not in jerseys this time, but in aprons. At this point, we were still completely unaware of the work that was about to come our way...
Hmm, what could that smell be? Delicate in flavor, almost a bit like spinach, the greens were first soaked in water, then well pressed, and finally sautéed in hot oil.
Stefan and Van, as well as Yvette and Tanja, hard at work.
At the end of our efforts, we proudly took our seats at the beautifully set table and enjoyed (quite literally!) the fruits of our labor. The food was delicious, and the evening was the perfect conclusion to an eventful day.
Tired, happy, and with full stomachs we made our way home at the end of the day. A summer outing we’ll remember for a long time to come: a top performance on the football side, and a culinary full-time hit.
Or, to put it simply: a day that was nothing short of world class!