Stockholmies

Who is crossing the road here?

Restaurant Review: I Cinque Sensi

We have been generally pleased with a number of restaurants in our neighborhood (reviews forthcoming), so we didn't think it was a big risk to try another place.  We headed out on our anniversary, baby carriage in tow, in search of a place that was open and had space for us and the sleeping baby.

We chose I Cinque Sensi because it fit the requirement and also had a good looking menu. With a name like Five Senses we were eager to see what they had to offer, especially given how great some of the local spots are (Rött, I'm looking at you!). 

Starting with a caprese salad, the mozarella was pretty good, but the tomatoes were cold and, as a result quite mealy and flavorless. The pasta dish that Dave ordered lacked much flavor, as well, and the seared tuna had all the wrong kinds of flavor.  Although the tuna appeared charred with proper grill marks, it tasted like liquid smoke and nothing else.  The flavor was so overwhelming. After cutting off the outside, the already small 30 dollar portion of fish was noticeably undersized and overpriced, perhaps even by Stockholm's standards. 

I am not sure that I would consider returning, although would be open to hearing what others thought of the place.  Did we just come on a bad night? 

One good thing is that since we were still both hungry, we didn't really feel guilty for splurging on two scoops of ice cream at the nearby ice cream shop for dessert.  

Bumperlations 3: Bad motto or just bad grammar?

 

Spring pants

In some places, spring is defined by a final thaw, some number of consecutive days above freezing, and beautiful buds on branches. In Stockholm spring comes with a dramatic shift in wardrobe.  The dark hues of winter give way to bright bursts, and by summertime black and blue denim are replaced with bright whites.  

 

 

Just a little sample: 

• 
• 
• 
• 

 What are some untraditional signs of spring where you live? 

(and yes, I am completely ignoring the fact that I am posting this on May 3rd and it snowed this morning)

 

 

Bumperlations 2

Bacteria: Urban Section Infection

Thoughts?

forget something?

Isn't someone missing this?  It has been resting here on the street for at least a day.

Bumper-lations (aka sticky signlations)

Back when we first moved to Sweden and didn't understand any of the signage or language, we would find signs and text around the city that amused us and asked readers for input.  Input meaning witty commentary, their own interpretation or translation, or really just about anything.  

Walking around the city I keep noticing bumper stickers, usually in English, that amuse me.  So, here we go...introducing bumper-lations.  Translations might not be as interesting here (obviously) but perhaps you have some insights into what this bumper sticker is advertising.

Let's begin with our first find:

American food items in Sweden

A box of mac 'n cheese costs 8-9 USD depending on the exchange rate. <gasp>  Though it has never been my thing, few would argue that Kraft's mac 'n cheese is a staple, and yes, the cheesiest. A while back I wrote about the convenience store-like selection of American goods at the big nearby supermarket. 

I have seen this same selection, including the bizarre selection of generic brand items from U.S.stores I have never been frequented.  That's the American food that some people here think that Americans want to eat.  Then Dave and I got to talking and wondered what sort of American foods are everywhere here, and which ones get labeled American.

Philadelphia cream cheese is everywhere here. The plain stuff, the light stuff, the flavored stuff.  Every grocery store has it, and the bagel cafe down the street advertises that they use Philly. This is also one of the only places in Stockholm where we have managed to get a relatively decent bagel.

Then we started noticing something for sale in the supermarkets and hot dog stands around the city:Bostongurka. Gurka means cucumber (or pickle), and Bostongurka is sweet relish.  Why Boston? Your guess is as good as mine.  Turns out the stuff was "invented" by a Swedish company based on a Hungarian recipe, at least according to the wikipedia entry.

We started wondering what other foods might be labeled as American delicacies or staples.  And then, today at the store, we stumbled upon this new product with a prominent advertisement in the supermarket:

Sure, they don't say that this is an American product but they do decorate it like it is and it isn't called Johan's hamburgare sauce. I was willing to accept a similar older product of theirs as American dressing, some version of a fastfood secret sauce.  But, bernaise?  Given how much bernaise sauce they put on food here, and the fact that they sell tons of it in the supermarkets, it should be called Johan's or Anders' or Björn's bernaise. 

Public transportation: unwritten rules

Sure Culture Shock and other books give you some idea of the customs in a new place. According to all the homework I did before moving here, I learned that Swedes like queues and rules.  I read that even if people don't formally organize in a line, they know precisely in what order they arrived and when it is their turn to board.  Perhaps that is true in the country side or small cities, but Stockholm is just like any other cosmopolitan center.  People are in a rush and the queue, invisible or otherwise, is maintained by only a few fellow passengers.  This is completely un-unique to Stockholm, so I only mention it because the books told me otherwise.

I have yet to figure out, though, why passengers feel the need to get up and move towards the door while the bus or train is still moving. Maybe you are thinking: what? but I was told to stay seated while the bus is in motion (along with keeping appendages inside the car). Isn't it dangerous?  Won't people just be more likely to fall and injure themselves (and those around them)? 

I understand that occasionally one might be in a hurry, needing to jump on the next bus or run to make an appointment.  But, the frequency with which this happens suggests otherwise.  It is just part of the culture of riding public transportation, and yes, I have seen plenty of people stumble as a result.  The thing is, whether you agree with it or not, you often times get forced to play along because you are in the way of someone who demands to move five steps closer to the door. It's a little bit of a passive agressive bullying really - some "coughs", personal space invasion, and some muttering under the breath. Don't get me wrong, I have had my share of unfortunate run-ins with bus and train doors closing at inopportune times, so I get that there may be some sense of urgency. But I can't help but think that something could be done (for example, drivers wait an extra 20 seconds before closing doors) to eliminate the "need".

Maybe I am still hearing my teachers and camp counselors yelling that we won't be going anywhere until everyone is in their seats. And certainly, I am too sensitive.  But I personally like to stay seated or, more likely, holding on to a railing and standing, while the car is still in motion.  Call me old fashioned...I don't mind.

 

Customs and "common" courtesy

It's really a misnomer, but it took thirty some odd years to figure that out.  In preparation for our move to Sweden a couple of years ago I read Culture Shock! Sweden hoping to arrive armed with details of the intracies of Swedish culture.  I did learn some helpful tidbits there about etiquette, particularly timeliness and being a guest in someone's home.

What I wasn't prepared for was the commute bubble in which everyone seems to travel.  Buses and subway cars are filled with folks almost consciously going out of their way to avoid eye contact with a fellow bubbled-traveler. As I understand it, the idea is that it is imposing on someone's privacy or space to engage them in any way.  So people go about their travels and days focused or dazed, but completely trying (or perhaps it is only I and the occassional expat who feels that they have to make an effort to do this) to ignore those around them.  While I do miss the occassional gregarious fellow commuter from my days in the US, I do like the anonymity that you can feel here.

But the ignoring sometimes feels like coldness and rudeness, and at first is quite a surprise.  Once I grew accustomed to, or at least aware of, this Swedish behavior it explained a lot.  For instance it isn't unusual to be hit by an errant bag or pushed, sometimes with a bit of "accidental" force, as people move about - on public transport, through stores, along sidewalks - without a single acknowledging word or apology.  And, it isn't, as I recently learned, normal to offer your seat to someone else who might need it...say a very pregnant woman for example.  When I was about four months along I saw a very pregnant woman on a crowded car, standing, and offered her my seat.  The thanks that I got worried me - such a smile and appreciation made me wonder whether in the coming months as my belly exploded and my balance was challenged, would any fellow traveler do the same for me?  The answer, sad to say, is no, they wouldn't.  During the months that I was quite visibly pregnant I was on the bus very frequently and only once was a seat offered to me.  The irony is that it happened to be on the day that I went into labor.  When I mentioned my surprise about this lack of "common courtesy" to some of my Swedish friends and colleagues, they were shocked.  There seemed to be a consensus among them that had they seen a very pregnant woman standing they would definitely offer up their seat.  But I can't help but wonder whether the bubble in which they travel keeps them from ever noticing. 

Seems that the idea of common courtesy is really culture specific.  Here, common courtesy includes not imposing yourself on others (the bubble), which completely challenges the common courtesy I grew up with in the US.  It's a part of culture shock that still challenges me, but it is a part of the experience of living abroad.