Program 722: Mid-American Feast; Ambassador's Guide to Switzerland; Diver's Guide to the World

A creative-writing instructor with an appetite for American comfort food describes some of his favorite quintessentially Midwestern dishes, and a former US ambassador lets us in on some of Switzerland's most enjoyable urban festivals and experiences. Then diving experts invite us to imagine the beauty of the underwater world as they explain what motivates them to explore beneath — and above — the surface of warm- and cold-water destinations around the world.

• Matthew Gavin Frank, author of "The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America's Food"  (Liveright)
• Former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Suzan G. LeVine
• Carrie Miller and Chris Taylor, authors of "A Diver's Guide to the World: Remarkable Dive Travel Destinations Above and Beneath the Surface" (National Geographic)

• Matthew Gavin Frank teaches Creative Writing at Northern Michigan University, and is the author of "The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America's Food." His latest book, "Flight of the Diamond Smugglers," takes place in coastal South Africa.
• Matt Frank spoke with Rick about typical comfort foods of the Southern U. S. on Travel with Rick Steves program #604 in June 2020.
• Suzan G. LeVine was the United States Ambassador to Switzerland from 2014-2017.  She posts at @ambsuzi on Twitter.
• The website for the U. S. Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein includes links to travel advisories and emergency assistance.
• The Rick Steves online guide to Switzerland.
• Carrie Miller and Chris Taylor are the authors of "A Diver's Guide to the World."  Carrie also offers observations "From the Field" in New Zealand on her carrieink.co.nz website.   They also post frequently to Facebook and Instagram at "Beneath the Surface Media."
• The tiny Dutch Caribbean island of Saba is known as a remarkable diving destination.