On Saturday, Sweden celebrated Waffle Day. A very important holiday indeed! I even splurged for a waffle maker this year. (Despite the promise to not buy ANY new appliances or home stuff until we move.. which I'll talk about some other day. Soon.) We ate them with whipped cream and an assortment of jams. I liked cherry the best, but cloudberry wasn't bad either.
6 comments:
Anne,
Oddly, as much as I love pancakes, I've never cared for waffles. I don't dislike them, but I would never seek them out -- much less buy a waffle-maker.
Kevin, here it's either buy a waffle-maker, or eat no waffles. They're generally not to be found in cafés or restaurants, and you can't buy them frozen.. so it's this, or nothing :)
I think it is weird how you often claim that things are difficult to find in Sweden, I think you exaggerate quite a bit. Maybe it is the typical habit to complain we Swedes tend to have. I sure don't know. But I have no hard time finding waffles in more traditional cafés. Nor any of all other stuff you have mentioned as hard to come by. Bagels? Give me a break. They are even sold bake-off in the most common supermarket. Maybe you don't look hard enough?
Kitchen Queen - thank you for inviting me, I'll play! :)
Another Swede - well, maybe we just don't move in the same circles. I've never seen American style waffles in restaurants - perhaps I go to the wrong places. Swedish style waffles with cream and jam - not in any cafés I regularly visit, but sure, some have them.
As for bagels in supermarkets - uh, no, not in my supermarkets anyway. Bake-off bagels - Yeah, I've tried that once. It wasn't a bagel - it was a round bread with a hole in it.
I think more importantly though: I miss the super availability of things - and at the right prices. Yes, I can buy mac & cheese here - for $4 a box. Which I just flatly refuse to pay, unless I'm feeling particularly desperate. And I don't want to pay $3 for one, miserly bagel - I want a six pack to stash in my freezer. Which is why I make them myself.
So, besides from not agreeing with you that Swedes tend to complain more, I also don't really think I'm exaggerating. Ok, maybe a little. :) But it's probably more that I haven't explained properly what it is I want. Thriftiness is a big part of it, and I don't think I've said that before. :)
I've lived two years of my life outside Sweden in two different continents, so I can understand where you are coming from. But you have lived in Sweden and America, right? I hardly think that is representive of the world in total. I think we are spoiled with a lot of things here, and multicultural food is one of them. Especially if you compare to south Europe. Sure, you can't find good vietnamese cooking, but you can at least find the ingredients to do it yourself. And the same goes for most other cuisines.
I do understand that you lack things the way you got used to have them overseas, I do that to, but on the other hand how good does swedish pancakes taste in US? I got that once and it was awful! So of course you have to go to the source to find the best, but I still think we are blessed with a lot of options here. And about the price, everything is expensive as in Sweden! Not much we can do about that really, just complain ;)
Another Swede - no doubt you have more experience living abroad than I do :) I only miss US things - thank goodness. And of course, it wouldn't be as special if I *could* get them here easily. Having them "scarce" is part of the appeal, and why I enjoy them so much - I certainly don't eat mac & cheese or velveeta every day - or even every month. It's a special treat - trashy but fun. :)
But I definitely agree - it's much easier to find foreign products here than in many other places. Sweden's a good place to be. Even without fake cheese or frozen waffles. :)
Post a Comment