By Anna O. Giarratana, Fulbright U.S. Student to Switzerland “Food is a universally vital part of our lives, representing history, traditions, and culture. Each of us relies on food not only to survive, but to comfort ourselves, communicate with others, and connect us to our forebears.” —Sam Chapple-Sokol When I started my Fulbright at the Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics in Switzerland, I was largely excited about the professional opportunity before me; I had just finished the PhD portion of my joint MD-PhD program, and I was joining a research lab on the forefront of conducting experiments in the nascent field of neuroeconomics. The field, studying how people make decisions, brings neuroscientists like me together with economists, computer scientists, and psychiatrists. In addition to my research, I was also eager to spend my weekends exploring my hobby interest, traditional food—in particular, traditional cured meat products. What I didn’t anticipate when I started my Fulbright was how important those culinary trips would be in giving me a sense of community within the country.   Caption: Enjoying saucisse aux choux in Orbe.   In my first few weeks, I researched online to identify fall festivals highlighting traditional Swiss cured meats. The last weekend … Continue reading Food and Spirit(s): Communicating in Switzerland