The time had come to stop talking. At least, that’s what the dissenters in my family told me. When it comes to talking versus doing, I think doing is overrated. You can’t put your back out by talking. Read more » >>
Tag archives for vegetables
I’m feeling optimistic; just so you know. A lot has happened this past weekend. For all the false starts, it feels that spring (bordering on early summer) has finally, definitively arrived. The root of my optimism lies in something that appeals to my inner peasant: potatoes, herring and planting stuff; I know, doesn’t sound too glamorous, but stick with me. Read more » >>
With four kids and one wife to cook for I hold my hands up and admit: some days I only find the time run into my local supermarket and pick up a tin (yes, a tin folks) of Soldatens Ärtsoppa. Soldier’s pea soup: a Swedish classic that, I’m guessing, they used to give to soldiers. But sometimes (a little too often if you ask my bank balance) I find the time to go on a little food safari. For those of you curious enough to read on, here’s my guide to the best of Swedish food shopping in Stockholm. No, really, read on. You never know when you might find yourself food shopping in Stockholm. Seriously. Read more » >>
When I packed up my life and moved to Stockholm 11 years ago I didn’t bring many English traditions with me. I would have taken my local pub, brick by brick, plus all the assorted characters within, if I could. But I couldn’t, obviously. I would have taken a few close friends, but they had no plans to move. Instead I chose to embrace a new culture and leave behind many habits and traditions.
I still have a jar of Marmite on permanent standby in the cupboard, buy English sausages (proper sausages) from the English butcher (proper butchers) in Stockholm, eat turkey at Christmas, take a bottle wine when I go home to someone (very un-Swedish) and think it’s rather nice when people drop by unannounced (ditto). Apart from that, I travel light, fitting into my new country like a hand in a glove. Read more » >>
Swedish winter is too long for me. It’s partly the dark and the cold; partly my refusal to cheerily embrace it and say things like. “ooh, we got up at seven on Sunday and went cross country skiing for 30 kilometers. It was wonderful.” Sundays are for getting up at 11 and eating too much. But mostly it’s the lack of local ingredients that gets me down. Yes, there are root vegetables and plenty of root vegetable and you can always find some root vegetables. You get the picture.
But right about now though, it feels like things start to change. Spring is firmly in the air and it’s this time of year when I start to think about the food year to come. Just like the Chinese one, the Swedish foodie year has no connection to January 1st. It starts today.
So in the spirit of all those tedious highlights of the year lists that newspapers insist on publishing, here comes the first part of my top 15 things I look forward to in 2012.
