Tuesday, February 08, 2005

I want to be a cowboy

Every week we get free magazines mailed to us from the two major grocery store chains in Basel (Migros and Coop). I like reading them not only to find out what's on sale that week, but also because I figure it's almost like extra credit German homework if I try to read German newspapers and magazines. In today's Migros magazine, there's an article about a Swiss girl who's trying to make it as a country music singer. The best part of the article is a section about the "Country Lifestyle", where it lists Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, and Shania Twain (who happens to own a house in Switzerland) as the most important representatives of country music. It lists others who are also considered popular, but not by the true country "purists", as Emmylou Harris, LeAnn Rimes, and the Dixie Chicks (who are pointed out as having made a name for themselves in Europe for being anti-Bush). Even better is the list of favorite foods of the country music "community": spare ribs, chicken wings, and hamburgers. They suggest you wash down your favorite country foods with either Cabernet Sauvignon "aus Kalifnornien" or "Miller's Beer". Didn't you know it's all about California wine and Wisconsin beer?