As a Californian, I'm used to ethnic markets- Russian, Mexican, Vietnamese, etc- so many excellent…read morechoices! In Geneva I was surprised to hear about an American market in Paquis (it's also hard to believe I'm now living in a city where American food is considered 'ethnic') and looked forward to checking it out. In particular, I wanted to see if they carried some baking ingredients I couldn't find in Coop or Migros (chocolate chips, brown sugar, food coloring, etc).
I didn't really know what to expect coming here, but the first surprise was that the market was located through the door and up the stairs of a 60s-style diner. It took me a couple of pass-bys before I realized that I had to actually enter the diner to access the market. I'll start by saying that this is one of the smallest markets I've ever been in- with low ceilings and goods packed in every free space. I made the mistake of wearing a backpack that day, and I was unable to turn around in the aisles without knocking something over! They do have quite the selection of American goods- from chips to boxed meals to seasonal goods (seems like a good place to grab a few decorations for 4th of July, Halloween or thanksgiving), including my baking ingredients, but the prices are insane... you would think that every ingredient was personally formulated, packaged and shipped to you! Unfortunately, due to the prices, I can't say I can afford to come back anytime soon- I've been priced out of my own ethnic market!