Thank you for this splendid article. I still marvel at Hanna Sahlfeld’s courage and dedication. Her husband also deserves a mention. I followed the debate about women’s suffrage in Zurich when I was young. My family used to play down or make fun of the issue.
Women quite rightly got the vote, and we now take female suffrage as a given. But revisiting the issue just for the sake of upsetting the apple cart is actually unnecessary.
Hanna Sahlfeld and co. certainly did their bit, but equality in Switzerland is still a myth. For example, why is the state pension lower for women than it is for men? I have paid my contributions just like everyone else. I have brought up children to become decent, law-abiding, tax-paying Swiss citizens – together with my husband, I hasten to add. If they want to raise the retirement age for women to 65 or beyond, women should receive the same amount of state pension as men – even on a retroactive basis. Women do more than just pay their way. They are mothers to children who are Switzerland’s future!
Not for a single minute in human history has depriving women of the political and civil rights enjoyed by men been justifiable. This injustice was and is deliberate, serving the selfish interests of the few.
Well, I might be all wrong, but, wouldn’t it be possible to evacuate the inhabitants of Mitholz for one week. Say, take them on a vacation. Then let the army go into the bunker, wire rig everything to explode, then move 10 kilometers away and enjoy the fireworks. It may blow up the whole village, or not entirely. Then rebuild it! It seems to me this would be the cheapest and fastest way to get rid of a huge problem.
First, the Swiss army reneges on its responsibility and decides to look the other way. Then the same army comes up with a bright idea – and suddenly we have a problem, and quite a big one at that! Time to keep these men on a tight rein, I think – just like Switzerland did when it gave women the vote.
What? Betty Bossi doesn’t exist? Like William Tell? What a surprise! Joking aside, every year for four generations, we have made our Christmas cakes as a family using the recipes of Betty B. A gourmet link with Switzerland.
Betty Bossi is a firm fixture in my cooking here in London – and my “home from home” almost on a daily basis. My British husband sometimes makes fun of her surname, referring to the bossy cook in the kitchen. Nevertheless, even he has warmed to Betty over the years. Long live Betty “Bossy”!
I have fond memories of my mother reading the Betty Bossi newspapers in Zurich. She was, for her time, an adventurous cook and enjoyed a new challenge. Since living in Australia I have lost touch with old Betty, we have our own food heroes here but I still make the soaked lemon cake and even converted some really accomplished bakers to using this recipe as their favourite! Thank you for this great article.
In the article entitled “The timeless influencer” (edition 1/2021 of “Swiss Review”), we incorrectly stated that Betty Bossi AG generated net sales of 89 million Swiss francs in 2019. The correct figure was in fact 81 million Swiss francs.
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