Dining cars, especially outside Switzerland, fairly often experience malfunctions.
This summer the dining car between Venice and Bolzano had no electricity. Cheese and wine, that’s all they had. The butter was slowly melting.
Yesterday the dining car between Berlin and Amsterdam had no water, which basically caused a complete breakdown of the dining car. Chips, apple juice and cold and nasty sandwiches were all they had to offer the passengers. Whereas a week ago, I got a fairly delicious curry in the same dining car. But yes, no water, no curry.
Last week the dining car between Amsterdam and Berlin accepted only cash.
I remember a dining car between Amsterdam and Frankfurt that was closed because the steward had disappeared. I must admit, I found this reassuring, who doesn’t want to disappear from time to time? But still, for those who stay alive because of the dining car it’s rather tragic that our raison d’être is for other people at best an afterthought.