from the mundane to the mundane and back again

The Fountain

Playing the Greenfield Festival in Switzerland we saw a side of the Swiss (or as they preferred to be called “Switzerer’s”) that few are privy to, I’m talking about The Fountain of Diarrhea. The Fountain as it’s known was a right of passage in Switzerland until the end of the 20th century. It went something like this, when the Prime Minister of Switzerland had a stomach distress, the Swiss Guard captured his leavings in a ceremonial urn and stored it in a vault. When enough was saved it was brought to a large gathering or festival and any non-Swiss who wished to do business in Switzerland would have to drink from the fountain. Presidents, Popes, and captains of industry all drank from it and none complained. Just the price of doing business in Switzerland. Today a chocolate fountain is displayed at all large gatherings in Switzerland as a reminder of the way things were.