So it’s time I shared more about Denmark. December is crazy busy for the typical family because this is the Jule season! So it’s now time I started talking about Denmark’s uniqueness!
First, let’s go over the pate. During my first weekend in Denmark I asked what the dish was and everyone told me pate. It’s sometimes sold in a pan that looks bit like meatloaf, but a lot smaller. One usually puts it cold on toast- I did that a few times over the week. The taste wasn’t too bad yet I couldn’t quite place it. The actual Danish name of the dish is liverpostej, which is pronounced something like Loobastah. I never saw the spelling, just heard it spoken. At one point, I finally had a chance to ask my host mom what it was. Come to find out it is a pig liver dish. Next time it was served I tried it again but somehow I wasn’t able to eat it… I’ve never liked liver and now that I know what pate is, I will be eating a lot less of it.
One of my favorite songs by The Killers is Spaceman. As I was listening to their album this afternoon, I started paying attention to the lyrics. At one point the song goes like:
The song maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you madThe spaceman says, "Everybody look down"
It's all in your head
Sometimes it makes no difference what is going in your life, often how you feel has everything to do with perspective. Adjusting to some of the Danish culture has been a bit challenging and having one of my favorite Holidays spent away from my family, while hearing about all the fun they had was difficult. As I was sitting there amongst strangers I felt a bit lost. But in a way, that was my choice. I think it’s easier to feel sorry for oneself than to step outside one’s comfort zone. We really are victims of our own perspective.
Rice Pudding
Is delicious! The pudding itself is not that sweet but it’s served with a cherry sauce on top- which is delicious. It’s usually a Jule Tradition to place a whole almond into the dish and stir it around. Then, the person who finds the whole almond in his/her bowl gets a present that is normally at the table. I participated in that last weekend and it was fun. I’ll share the recipe next post. It’s yummy! Usually it's made for the evening before Christmas. Interestingly enough, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th of December instead of the 25.
And that’s Emily writing to you from Denmark.
Gas is around $8 USD per gallon. Ouch.
One last note- it's been freeezing cold here these last few days and we have quite a bit of snow to show for it. Will be interesting to find out how much we do get before it stops!
Never knew what pate was either but now that I do, I'm never eating it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up! :)
Hazel xxx
Aw you actually paying attention to the lyrics of a song! I'm so proud of you! ;)
ReplyDeleteMm, rice pudding with cherry sauce :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother used to make that.
wow, i can already tell by the snow on that table top that there is a LOTTT!!!! *brrrrr* and $8/gallon... ouch indeed.. and i thought OUR gas was expensive (canada)
ReplyDeletego the rice pudding, it's not that uncommon in oz. pate sounds best left as a danish delicacy.
ReplyDeleteits hard to picture the temperature in that last photo.... (i'm sitting here in shorts and a t-shirt)
Pate sounds a lot like the livermush or liverpudding that we eat in NC. It's sold is blocks and you usually slice and bake or fry it. It can be eaten cold though on bread. People from not around it can't seem to stomach the fact that it's made from liver, but if you don't think about that part, it is one of the most awesome things you have ever placed in your mouth.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Im totally making plans to visit you this summer.
Good call on the pate! YUCK!!
ReplyDeleteit's funny because Christmas in France is also mostly celebrated on the 24th, i mean i remember when i was young we would have dinner on Christmas Eve with the whole family, and then wait until midnight for Santa to bring the presents, and then we would open them, and have to go to bed!! but i hated doing that since i couldn't play with my toys, so we decided to do it the American way and open our presents in the morning instead :)
ReplyDeletethat way we had the whole day to enjoy our presents!! :D
ewww liver yuck! It's weird how you feel OK trying new food when you're not sure what's in it, then when you find out it totally puts you off even though you didn't mind it before. The mid is a curious one.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry you aren't alone with the cold weather, here in England the whole country has practically ground to a halt with snow. We British aren't used to it, a sprinkle is all it takes for the country to come to a standstill.
I'm a little jealous about all the snow! It's hard to get into the Holiday spirit with all the rain we've been having here!
ReplyDelete@Hazel: LOL!! No problem. Give me a bit more time and I can probably warn you against some other delicacies. ;)
ReplyDelete@Sunny: LOL mmmhmm. It’s one of those fluke things though, don’t expect it to happen again! ;)
@Jas: It’s really quite delicious. :)
@Kym: I know what you mean! I thought $3.00 a gallon was normal and anything above that an inconvenience.
@Dullboy: LOL- yeah, I was talking to one of my friends from Florida and he’s all bundled up and expressing how cold it is. Temp there? 50 degrees F or 10 degrees C. C’mon! ;) ;) You Australian/southern US people have it real easy. :D
@Laura: OH MY YAY!!!!! I sooooooooooooo can’t wait!!! We will have an absolute blast. :D And I don’t know what to say about your ‘’awesome pate’’ comment. :D I was eating it alright until I figured it out but you have no excuse! ;)
@StrangeBird: Mmmmmmmhmmmmm!! :P
@Marie: Ahhh, so the 24th is a European way of celebrating Christmas. How interesting! I personally love the American way, it just makes things more fun. Go America!! :D
@Alice: The snow definitely is a bit inconvenient… especially if you want to get somewhere and it takes an hour longer!
@Leanna: Ahhh, the rain sounds familiar. Back in the US where I live it rains allllllllllllllll the time and we usually only get 2-3 good snowstorms. If I could send some of this snow your way, I soooo would! :D
Rice pudding is one of the best things in the world. Love, love, love it.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are having a fabulous December. This makes me quite happy. :)
Thanks, Caitlin! So far it going very well. :)
ReplyDeleteI want to go to Denmark for a trip, probably in Spring 2011. Cant wait! Copenhagen! Here I come!
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you arrive! I'd love to meet you and I'm in Copenhagen every so often. :D :D
ReplyDelete