Category Archives: English

The true reason Taiwan imports cheese from Brazil

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You will find it in any major supermarket in Taiwan: provolone-style smoked cheese from Minas Gerais, Brazil (“queijo tipo provolone fresco defumado”):
queijo tipo provolone fresco defumado

Given that Brazil is literally at the other end of the world and not exactly known for its cheese, you might be wondering what makes this cheese so special.

The answer is: it can be made to look like dried shredded squid (do a google image search).

I’m not kidding. Of course, if you cut the cheese normally, it looks just like you’d expect (I don’t recommend doing this in front of your Taiwanese in-laws):
Cheese cut normally

What you’re supposed to do with this precious cheese is to take advantage of its peculiar texture and shred it into long strands:
Shredded cheese

You can even buy it pre-shredded (notice the cow):
Pre-shredded cheese

As to why anyone would do that: a large percentage (around 10%) of the Taiwanese are vegetarians and some of them like to have vegetarian replacements for traditional dishes (everything on the 3rd picture is meat-free). Somehow, someone must have figured out that this type of Brazilian cheese can be shredded just like dried squid.

I’m wondering if the Brazilian cheese makers know why their product is so popular in Taiwan.

This Sunday: shops will be open in Luxembourg and Trier

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Can’t decide where to go? I’ve compiled this handy list of stuff that’s cheaper in Luxembourg than in Trier (and vice versa):

Cheaper in
Luxembourg Trier
Blank CDs and DVDs Pretty much
Fleur de sel everything else
Bottled water
Alcoholic beverages
Coffee
Fuel

Further information:

XP7A2QB8CBRP

Business Review publisher New Media Lux filed for bankruptcy today

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New Media Lux took over print magazines “Business Reviews” and “352″ when their former publisher NMG went bankrupt in 2009. “352″ was turned into an “online-only” magazine in 2011.

New Media Lux also publishes the “Made in Luxe” magazine and runs a bunch of websites catering to foreigners (a number of sites with “352″ in their name, diegrenzgaenger.lu, lesfrontaliers.lu). The advertising agency Advantage Communication S.A. also belongs to the group.

Further information can be found on wort.lu’s English website.

Bored in Luxembourg? Go see the Multiculture Festival at Luxexpo!

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You probably wouldn’t like me if you met me early in the morning. If I don’t get enough sleep, my mind goes into “Charlie Brooker“-mode. In this kind of situation, it’s best not talk to me so that whatever goes through my head stays there.

This morning I had to get up unusually early for a Saturday because I had been volunteered to help decorate a stand at the “29e Festival des migrations, des cultures et de la citoyenneté et le 12e Salon du livre et des cultures du Luxembourg”. The ridiculously long name didn’t instill me with a strong sense of purpose as I dragged myself out of bed. Instead, I asked myself a couple of not-so-nice questions:

How come there are 1.35 billion Chinese and none of them could be bothered to help set up the stand of Luxembourg’s Chinese Cultural Association (ACCL)? Why does a country like Luxembourg even need a multicultural festival? If I wanted to buy exotic food and hear people speak foreign languages, all I’d have to do is go shopping at Auchan.

However, people in supermarkets are generally not in a mood to talk to strangers while those sitting at the stands at the Luxexpo right now will be happy to answer your questions. There’s also no entrance fee and – since the weather sucks like it usually does on a weekend after being totally awesome all week long – it’s not like you’re going to waste a sunny day in the dimly lit Luxexpo halls. With oil prices showing no signs of declining, you might also want use this opportunity to start looking for a country with a warm climate to emigrate to (bonus points if it has friendly inhabitants and good food).

The 29e Festival des migrations, des cultures et de la citoyenneté and the 12e Salon du livre et des cultures du Luxembourg is open to the public today until 20h and tomorrow (Sunday) from 12h to 19h.