Program 348: War Zone Correspondent; Embedded Christmas; Holidays in the Alps; The French Cheese Plate

Release Date: 12-14-2013

Description

Take a look at the conflict centers of the world through the lens of a foreign correspondent from the BBC. We hear how Christmas with the troops in Afghanistan can be a bit of a surreal experience. Get a look at how they celebrate the holidays in Switzerland and Austria. Rick also learns the essentials of serving a well-balanced savory cheese plate the way it's done in France.

Guests

  • BBC news correspondent Nick Bryant, author of "Confessions from Correspondent-Land:  The Dangers and Delights of Life as a Foreign Correspondent" (Oneworld Publications)
  • Freelance reporter Jake Warga
  • Call-out to Olle Eggimann, proprietor of "Olle and Maria's B and B" in Gimmewald, Switzerland 
  • Call-out to Gabi Koch, at her family-owned Hotel Maximilian in Reutte, Austria 
  • Kathe Lison, author of "The Whole Fromage:  Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese" (Random House)

Related Links

  • Nick Bryant blogs his observations on the news on the BBC website.
  • Jake Warga's website includes photos from his travels and tours.  
  • Olle Eggimann operates a bed and breakfast in traffic-free Gimmewald, in the Swiss Alps.
  • Gabi Koch spoke to us from her family-run Hotel Maximilian in Reutte, Austria. 
  • The publisher's website for Kathe Lison's book, "The Whole Fromage:  Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese."  
  • Kathe Lison has a cheese interview video on the From Left to Wright Book Club website. The French cheeses she had Rick sample today are called Bûche Cendrée (a Loire Valley goat cheese), Camembert, Comté (from a region near Switzerland), Preferée de Fromi (a fragrant washed-rind cheese), and they finished with a Fourme d’Ambert (a bleu cheese from the Massif Centrale, near Roquefort).

Program Extras

Program 348 Extra - BBC foreign correspondent Nick Bryant comments on what he says was one of the most consequential stories he ever covered, and explains to Rick how the model for funding the BBC differs from the funding structure for public broadcasting in the US. (runs 2:19)