Just another week *something* in the Danish calender

The Danes keep track of time by weeks. Week 12, week 36, whatever. Can't you just say July 12, or the second week in July, or something? Other wise I don't know when you're talking about. But I'll admit that it could just *be me* since I have these visual number lines and calenders in my head. And no, they're not straight.

Peter and I went out for a walk today in a partially undeveloped/un-farmed area near our house. Its rained a bit the last few days, and the depressions have water in them. There is nothing I'd like more right now that to put on some knee high rubber boots and trudge out there to see what's going on. But - I didn't bring my waterproof boots, and its private property. The wetland plants here are similar and yet different than the ones in the U.S. I wish I had someone to be my field guide for just one sunny day.


Also near our house the logging continues. Denmark has quite a lot of forested areas really, and so I'm holding out and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt that they are good managers of this sort of thing.


But my biggest job this week is going to be to finish a knitted gift for another little girl. I originally envisioned a sea princess crown, with a shell pattern border. Very delicate and lacy. But that kind of thing doesn't stretch, so I wasn't sure that a good fit could be had. After a few other failed ideas I think I've finally settled on a mermaid necklace. The idea is seaweed, mingled with fisherman's net, lots of beads, some shells, and some bling-bling embellishments. I'm working on the fisherman's net part now. I've basically taken my thinnest yarn, split it in half, and am knitting on my smallest size needles. Its going to be a bit abstract and not pink - so I hope it goes over ok.

Random Danish Stuff

While out and about on Monday I noticed that one of our tires was really really low. And the last thing I want is to break down somewhere - I have no idea who to call, what to do.

I pulled into the nearest gas station and they had this nifty little air pump that filled your tire until it was full, and then beeped. We don't have these in the US - but we definitely should. And, unbelievably, it was free.


German style pretzels were baked by the guys this weekend (I don't bake). They got really nice and fluffy using the active yeast that they sell here - which is another thing they should sell in the US but don't, probably because not enough people bake bread often enough.

Tortilla Flats

Well, something that I never thought would happen - happened. Rich and I went out to dinner at Tortilla Flats this weekend.

First - on going out to eat in general. Well, we generally don't because: A) Eating out in DK is Uber expensive. B) Eating out with our little guy is (95%) of the time no fun. My child is totally and completely uninterested in seeing, touching, or eating food. Long and complex story there. And, C) Whenever we do decide to go out to eat here, it is a spur of the moment decision, and to eat at most decent restaurants here you need a reservation. We can't plan that far in advance - even if *that far in advance* is an afternoon's time.

Second - on going out to eat at Tortilla Flats. I've been told its the only Mexican place in town (there is a Tex Mex, but we've tried that, and in my opinion it doesn't count as Mexican). And the kicker - people have said that you need a reservation 6 months in advance. Recuerdo point C in the paragraph above.

But when a friend of ours offered to watch Pete, and when she said that reservations 6 months in advance was probably an exaggeration (one of Pete's new words by the way), Rich called them up and we got in on a Saturday night no less.

The restaurant? It was very nicely decorated. Very cozy, lots of nice art and antiques. The Danes know how to decorate, and this was no exception. And to complete the mood they played a nice mix of classic Latin songs...I'm lying...they played Danish pop radio. Rich thought maybe I should drop a CD off for them to try out.

Most importantly...the food. Well, as we sat down the waitress brought over some chips and salsa. The chips were homemade, salty, good. The salsa tasted canned, it had that cooked through flavor, like Pace. And my margarita - I could taste the tequila, but it was lacking - well - lime.

I was a bit up in the air on what to order and I like asking servers their opinion, because they see the food in back, and they should be able to steer me towards the better dish. So I asked the girl which was better, and she said that the enchilda came with beans. I took this to mean - pick the enchilda because it comes with some yummy beans - and so I did. Looks nice huh?


Now, the menu called them beans, but my mind was expecting frijols negros (I was mentally flexible with whole or refried). These beans turned out to be baked beans with some chipotle seasoning (enough to taste the smokiness, not so much as to make them spicy). Overall not awful, but a weird thing for my brain to process. My dinner conversation then centered on WHY this was what they served me. Poor Rich - finally some time to ourselves and I talk beans.

And what I deduced was this...the only canned beans available in DK in sufficient quantity to be able to serve them in a restaurant are garbanzo beans, red kidney beans, and baked beans. So they do the best with what they have.

Overall dinner was pleasant, and I could recommend the restaurant as a nice place to go. But I can't quite call it authentic Mexican.

Back Off

We have an ongoing discussion (I used a nicer word here) at our house.

My 4 year old likes to stand in front of the microwave oven, because he likes to get the food out when it beeps (such a sweetie, he loves to help out). But my husband inevitably ALWAYS tells him not to stand in front of the microwave. Then I roll my eyes.

Seems like our discussion doesn't have a concrete "right" answer either. Ask TreeHugger: Can I Stand In Front of the Microwave?

I've also noticed that not many Danish households have a microwave. And I found that odd, since they are pretty energy efficient. And I would expect the Danes to be into that.

So I asked some friends. They said that Danes believe that there MAY be certain *health concerns* associated with these ovens, so although they are not banned (like Red Bull), most people don't have one.

But I've also heard that the Danes are now starting to eat leftovers (due to increased food prices). Maybe this change in eating habits will necessitate an increase in microwave use.

Its getting ugly over there

Below is just a short clip of a longer video I saw MONTHS ago. McCain said that it was OK for health insurance to pay for Viagra, but NOT birth control. He was called out on that fact during this interview, so he played the dumb and confused card. I'd rather have him say - Yeah, I voted that way and here's why... Other than LIE by playing the dumb and confused card.



Here's another good one.



Ok, so I could keep at this for days and days and days. But that would just get me all anxious...so this will be the last of these - UNLESS McCain (or Palin, or his followers) throw another pile of poo out there.

Speaking of poo - here is a question I still don't have an answer for.

Why do Danish people let their dogs go to the bathroom on the sidewalk? And why do they NEVER EVER pick it up, whether is on the sidewalk, or in the park grass?

Maybe its "part of nature", but I still don't think it should be left on the sidewalk for my kid to ride his bike over, have its stick to his tire, and stink us up all the way home. Could you at least steer your pup over to the bushes or something.

New things for me

Odense Town Hall and the flower festival. On the outside this building looks old...well that's because it is old. But its modern on the inside. Just like the leaning thatched roofed houses you see. Old on the outside - all fixed up on the inside.

Copenhagen fountain up close.


And later from afar.


This guy wins snazziest boat. It was actually sparkling in the sunshine.


And here are some boat modifications...paddle boats with added extra seating, and a boat made up of wooden pallets and leather sofas. It was taking on some water in the front, so that's where they stuck the kids (I suppose since they weigh less).

Si Senor. Si Senor. Es mi son.

If Spanish is a gentle sonata floating around in my head, then Danish is a garbled whisper of mumbo-jumbo. Not only do *I* not have the will to learn Danish, but my brain is dead set against it.

Really, the only people I speak any kind of Danish to are the grocery checkout people. And they only ask one thing - For the amount? Its pronounced "por balloo-ee-bill" in Danish and muttered at the speed of lightning- but don't even ask me how its spelled. And, even when anticipating this question, the only thing that my mouth can verbalize is - Si.

See, my brain realizes that another language is being heard, yet it just can't seem to shake the Spanish.

Como no?

Those darn (you fill in the blank)

Saturday there was a spring luncheon for the expat women's group. It was VERY nice...1) to go somewhere without the trailer on the back of my bike, and 2) to eat yummy food without a 4-year-old hanging off my arm.

One British woman who has been living in DK for over 17 years asked how I liked it here so far. I told her that I have a love/hate relationship with DK. Her and another woman, also here 20+ years, said that she too feels the same.

For me, Danish people are quite friendly and hospitable - when its one-on-one. But in a group - watch out. Pete and I were standing basically at the curb, waiting for the bus. It pulled up, and an older man pushed in front of us, then a bunch of other people proceeded to do the same. Supermarket lines here are equally bizarre.

Sadly though, I think you could say this same thing for just about any nationality - a prime example being us Americans. Meet one of us and you say - hey she wasn't so bad. You see a group of us somewhere, and then talk under your breath about those stupid Americans.

But I do wish I would have written down my preconceptions of the place before coming - because I know I think drastically different about some key items - like free, national health care. So far, my experience with it has not been good, and I would have expected it to be at least *good* when it involves checking out a child. I've been told that the way I've been treated is not uncommon. I also saw a commercial on TV the other day for private insurance (advocating private insurance). Basically, the doctor came out to call on the next patient, all that was left was a chubby middle-aged man, the doctor proceeded to pretend that he was not there. Point being - I won't help YOU, if I don't WANT to, and because I don't HAVE to. (Its more complex than just it being free, it is also general socialism, I don't speak Danish, work ethic...)

What I need to do is switch doctors; switch to one that someone else has recommended. There are good doctors here, they are just a bit harder to find. I have it a bit easier in that we have a car, and can go anywhere at any time. I feel sorry for the people that don't have that option.

Who's watching the kids?

My "problems/doubts/fears" with the pre-school here have been mostly centered around the lack of supervision each individual child seems to get. At St. Davids the teachers carried clipboards around, to remember who was there that day, and to make sure no one was missing at some point. Here, they do role call at lunch and afternoon snack. That's it. My mind just can't comprehend how someone doesn't just vanish.

Yet, when I walk in in the afternoon, a child is always sitting at the art table by the door, and they say - Peter is over there....Or the teacher (who is doing something in the kitchen) says, Oh - he's in that room over there. Then what bothers me is that "that room over there" has its door closed. And I think...What if? What if? What if? What if?

In that room is always a group of girls, who have built a fort, or are playing some sort of scenario. Pete is playing with the animal toys, maybe or maybe not with some other boys. And everything is ok.

Knowing my fears, my mom sent me a link to an NPR article on creative play and its importance on a child's development - Creative Play Makes for Kids in Control
by Alix Spiegel.

Pie, honey, and (wha?!) liverpaste.

Last week I tried making a vegetarian Sheppard’s pie. (The recipe that I got this dinner idea from used seitan for a meat-type pie filling, but after finding out that seitan is basically insoluble gummy gluten, I opted for veg-night.) I added white wine and whole milk to the inside pie part - that was yummy. But, I forgot that the biscuit topping was going to need milk as well - and I had used all of it up. So they (the biscuits) were made with water and some more white wine. After baking, they were not-so-fluffy, not-so-buttery, not-so-good.

For all the work, a Sheppard’s pie never seems worth it. Whenever Rich and I go to an Irish type pub restaurant, he will inevitably order the Sheppard’s pie, and it will inevitably disappoint. Anyway here is the inside before adding the biscuit topping, and the finished product.



I've quickly used up the honey I brought from home, so it was time to buy some more. I decided to try the hard honey that is pretty popular here. And now I know why - its good. It seems like in this condensed hard form, its a lot sweeter, and it doesn't all quite dissolve, so your tea is sort of sedimentary, in a good way. the top lable says - "Honey - a natural product" - in case you were unsure that its not natural or something.


Last week I also picked up Pete from his second day of bornhave during snack time. His main grown-up had left for the day, so the director was supervising snack time. I sat down, she told me about his day. I asked him if he ate all his banana before eating his treat – which was a YoGo roller (from grandma Connie). He said yep. I was happy. BUT the director said that they don’t have “treats” for snack. It would be better if I put in a piece of bread or something. The snack that I packed was simply not acceptable (bad mom, what were you thinking). You see...some PCB, Mg, kidney laden liver paste would have been a “healthier” snack. And now please excuse me while I go light some candles in the play area, and then go park the infants outside on the sidewalk for their nap in the rain.

Is that a construction area?

No - its a playground at the Bornhaven near our home.

Pete starts bornhaven tomorrow and I freely admit that I'm nervous. They (the Danes) think that we (the Americans) are overly cautious. But why temp danger so flagrantly. Why space the large boulders close enough to jump from one to the other (...you know someone won't quite make it and smash their face). But for the most part, kids here seem to have all their appendages, and no eye patches. So, once again, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

This is why school needs to start.

These cups are my first personal purchase of Danish style stuff (everything else we've bought has been needed, not necessarily wanted, and is company property since they paid for it). These are mine.


Nothing too exciting with food lately. I roasted a chicken while mom was here. It had onion, garlic and lemon on the inside, and tumeric and cinnimon on the outside. They sell salmonelli fri (their spelling) chicken here - I wonder how they accomplish that?


And the other day I made cheesy potatos. I used stinky Danish cheese and Pete wouldn't stop telling me how very smelly the whole house was.

Those Clever Danes

Denmark might be the most purposefully environmental country (say like compared to some country in Africa where everything has its use - a few times, and not because they are "green"). I guess they recycle everything that can be recycled. Even in the hotel room - it was all clearly labeled on the trash can. That doesn't mean everybody, all the time is "environmental". At the gas station yesterday, a man quickly looked around before throwing some piece of plastic trash out the window. He did it, but he didn't want anyone to SEE him do it. Compare that with say Honduras, where I got in trouble one day for NOT throwing my trash out the window (we stopped for a slushie, and everyone casually threw the wrapper out of the truck, except me, the stupid Americana).


And of course they are totally into public transportation. Not only is it easy to get your bike on and off the subway, but there are special tracks on the stairs up to the road so you don't have to carry your bike. I was most impressed by the new Metro in Copenhagen. Even though it was built lower than the subway, they lit the stairwell to the outside with a sunroof. I didn't feel like I was in the depths of the earth.


These bubbles went all around a park next to Nyhaven, Copenhagen. They displayed new technologies from around Europe. Like the second photo, which was of a small, portable generator that could be recharged a numbers of ways - including methane - and it does not emit CO2. Pretty cool.