Many Swiss trains have restaurant cars, where you can eat from a fixed menu. But what if you fancy making your own raclette at your seat? It sounds cheesy, but it has been tried.
Though this may seem a bit ‘off’ – and it is – some people have actually took this idea to its illogical conclusion.
As Swiss media reported, “For an advertising video, a content creator set up a raclette machine on a train.”
The promotional spot was for the Zyliss-brand appliance.
“True Swiss people eat raclette everywhere,” Emanuel Sarbach wrote on his Instagram post, with a video illustrating the whole experience. (That claim is clearly not true anyway).
He is shown preparing the dish on Südostbahn (SOB) – unbeknownst to the rail company – during a journey between Zurich and Lugano, and sharing it with a fellow commuter
‘Major hazard’
The SOB was, however, quite cheesed-off when it discovered the video online.
It said that preparation of raclette created potential dangers for the other passengers: for instance, in case of an emergency stop, a hot appliance filled with melted cheese could easily have become a “major hazard”.
It also pointed out that the electrical outlets on its trains are intended for charging mobile devices—not for powering household appliances so passengers can cook while they travel.
Also, plugging in the raclette machine for the duration of the journey could have blown the fuses, SOB added.
The company is now looking into potential charges (no pun intended) against Sarbach.
The message here is clear: No, you can’t cook a raclette or, for that matter, prepare a cheese fondue, while travelling on a Swiss train, though you an eat them (if served) in a restaurant car.
In fact, there is a long line of things you should definitely not engage in while riding a train in Switzerland; some of them relate to food – eating rather than cooking it.
READ MORE: Little-known Swiss train rules you need to know
For instance,you should definitely abstain from bringing anything with you that will cause other commuters any degree of discomfort.
This means nothing that smells, drips, sticks or crumbles should be consumed on the train when other passengers are in close vicinity.
This includes tuna fish sandwiches, kebobs, and other pungent foods.
There are no actual rules against it and nobody will sanction you for it, but it’s just a matter of being a considerate co-passenger.
