[Culturechat] Tenneseans and Noodles in the Alps
tillhouse
tillhouse" <tillhouse@home.com
Tue, 17 Jul 2001 15:31:27 -0700
How nice to hear from you, Hal. We met you at one of those early "sales"
doings. It was more like a sharing of Idyll experiences with other
attendees. I recall Merilee had to pull you away from the bar (no glass in
hand---just chatting with others) to start the talk and slides. My other
faux meeting with you was in an airport where Idyllers were being met.
Thought I spied you across the hall and dashed over to throw my arms around
you,excitedly,saying how glad I was to see you again after so many years! A
look of embarrassed horror for this poor man. His wife and my husband were
shocked but laughing. He and I were not. I now am never without my
glasses.
A home party sound great. We've had these with other travel experiences and
they were nice remembrances.
Come chat again soon.
Phyllis Van Ness
Ca.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hal Taussig" <HT@untours.com>
To: <gigli.saw@dplanet.ch>; "culturechat" <culturechat@untours.com>
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Culturechat] Tenneseans and Noodles in the Alps
>
>
> I have been neglecting this space for almost a year, but found
> myself with a few spare minutes--and intrigued by a title combing the
words
> "culture" and "Tennessee." II was delighted to discover that I connected
in
> various ways to several subjects in Vance's fine essay.
> First subject: Bob Miller. his very name reminded me of a stage
in
> Idyll's growth when I would travel anywhere in America where "alumni"
> offered any kind of format allowing me to speak to groups about idyll.
This
> was not sophisticated marketing. It was, rather, an excuse to have face to
> face contact with our clients--and potential clients. In other words these
> were sales trips. Bob and I had met in Switzerland, at which time he
> mentioned that he was the member of a Hiking club in his home town,
> Kingsport, Tennessee. Would I like to speak to this club? Bob asked. Sure,
> I responded. And a trip was worked out, combined as I remember it, with a
> trip to a hiking club in Hendersonville, NC (more densely populated with
> Idyll clients than any other non-metropolitan area in the US.) Bob met me
> in the airport, hosted me in his home, was my guide to a visit of the
area.
> My presentation complete with a slide show (you remember slide shows), was
> well received--but really a failure, considering the intended purpose:
> sales. Or was it?. Maybe the friendship that Bob Miller and I formed that
> weekend contributed to the many "sales" that he has made in the subsequent
> decade--including this big group of hikers from his Kingsport Hiking Club.
> Well I have stopped making those kinds of sales trips, partly because I
> gradually realized that the Untour' sales force are the many hundreds of
> clients scattered accros the nation, clients like Bob Miller. This entry
> in Idyll chat is my way of saying thanks to Bob--and to the rest of you
who
> tell your friends about Idyll.
> Briefly there are two other subjects which surfaced in my mind as
> I read Vance's account--one a reminisccence, the other a speculation about
> a possible future programatic change. I remember that once in the early
> years, as we sought to design a party which would be an authentically
Swiss
> experience, at Berit Grutert's proposal, we bused everyone to a eat Alpen
> Maggarone (macaroni) at the Oberschwanden hut. The thought crossed my
mind,
> as I read, "should we try such a party again?". Then I remembered that we
> very quickly dropped this format for our party--our groups were already
too
> large. But Albert and Berit Greuterts role in this story (and in the early
> party--and 15 year's of subsequent parties) brought to mind a recent idea
> pressented to me by Albert. He proposed a way of providing a deeper
> client-contact with villages like Sacheln. The idea was presented to me
> when he and I talked on my overnight stay at the Greuterts last month.
> Albert proposed that he and Berit invite Sachseln guests to a party at
> their house. If it worked in Sachseln, we would try to expand it to other
> villages. In addition to enriching contact with a Swiss family, it would
> allow Untourists other Untourists intheir village. We are in the initial
> stages of thinking about this subject, and would like to hear your
opinion.
> Hal Taussig
> At 05:10 PM 7/13/01 +0200, Vance Roy wrote:
> >Yesterday was a postcard day in Sachseln. A few weeks ago, an Idyller
> >sent me a message about a group of hikers he was bringing to Kandersteg.
> >I was later to find out that this man, Bob Miller, is 81 years old, but
> >he is some sort of mountain goat. Messages went back and forth, and the
> >upshot was that he and his folks were invited to spend a day hiking
> >above Sachseln on the Stuecklikreuz mountain. Berit Greutert volunteered
> >to fix Alpen Maggaronen for us all at a mid height alpine hut.
> >
> >The crowd of about 20 arrived in late morning from Kandersteg, in the
> >Oberland, and were greeted by the Greuterts, Albert Roher, who is known
> >as the Wanderweg Pope, and us. Albert Roher is a nationally known expert
> >on the ways and byways of Swiss Wanderwegs. At age 82, he can still out
> >hike people half that age. I was amazed to find that all but two of the
> >hiking group were from Eastern Tennessee. I spent my life up to age 18
> >in Western Tennessee and spent 3 years at Knoxville in Eastern
> >Tennessee. After a few football war stories about the Volunteers, we
> >drove up above Sachseln to Fluli Ranft. There, Albert Greutert gave them
> >all a tour of the patron saint of CH, Niklaus von Flue's birthplace.
> >Then we parked the vehicles a bit further up the road and hit the path
> >toward Oberschwanden. Berit and a few others went by car ahead to
> >Oberschwanden to get the lunch fired up.
> >
> >Oberschwanden is a mid-level alp above Sachseln where for a few weeks in
> >the spring and fall, the cows are kept by the farmer before taking them
> >up or down. For the rest of the summer, the Men's Choir in Sachseln gets
> >the use of the place in exchange for doing some twice yearly upkeep. It
> >is about halfway between Sachseln and the cross at the summit of the
> >Stuecklikreuz. It took us about 90 minutes to reach the hut. On the way
> >of course, there were stops for gawking. At the hut, we found the cooks
> >at work on Alpen Maggaronen. This dish is a typical alp farmer's food,
> >and I'm here to say that it will make a bulldog break his chain! It
> >consists of macaroni cooked together with cubes of potato, then drained
> >and mixed with alp cheese, then served in bowls with caramelized onions
> >on top, and applesauce on the side. A man could leave home for this!
> >This was all fixed over the open hearth. It has been a mainstay of the
> >alps for many years, because the farmer had and could keep for weeks,
> >all the ingredients. We had wine, beer, and soft drinks to go with it.
> >Then came Orientation Brownies. These are what Berit used to fix for
> >folks when orientation was not in a hotel, and a desert was needed.
> >Lastly, came the Chelli. Bowls of weak coffee with sugar and schnapps
added.
> >
> >After this "lunch", we received gifts of Swiss red tee shirts with the
> >Old Timers Hiking Club logo on them. Berit and Albert also got a
> >beautiful book of Tennessee nature pictures with the whole group's
> >signatures and the author's inscription. After more fun and
> >conversation, we cleaned up and moved out downward to Sachseln by a more
> >direct route. There was time for some sight seeing and a visit to the
> >magnificent church in the village center before going to the Bahnhof to
> >say goodbye.
> >
> >These folks were super nice to visit our town, and we hope to see them
> >again. I know they were well fed. We all have invitations to see them in
> >the Appalachians some time.
> >
> >For some photos with the new digital camera that I won from Credit
> >Suisse's web site, go to:
> >
> >http://photos.yahoo.com/gigli_saw
> >
> >
> >Vance Roy
> >gigli.saw@dplanet.ch.
> >
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