Spise August 27, 2008

Spise means “eat” in Norsk (Norwegian).  And they like to do that.  In fact, they have four meals a day.  Breakfast, which is usually cereal or bread with something on it.  Then lunch, which is light and again probably bread with spread or some cheese, or maybe the same toppings but on Wasa crackers (stolen from their neighbor, Sweden).  Then dinner is around 4:00, and that’s your main meal, the one hot meal of the day.  So far at the base, it’s been excellent every night.  Since dinner is so early, you’ve gotta have a little snack before bed and that’s called “supper.”  And guess what…it’s usually bread!  With cheese or spread.  Maybe yogurt if you’re feeling adventurous.  So they obviously know how to eat, but you know, I think I could teach the Norwegians a thing or two about food…

Here on base I’m signed up for fullkost, or full board.  That means all of my food is provided by the base.  One of the leaders told me the other day that Norwegians don’t like variety: they find something they like and they stick with it.  I know that’s true, because we are supplied with very few items to make up our meals outside of dinner.  Here are those few items:

Also, we usually have salami and muesli cereal for the mornings.  Please note a few things here.  Yes, that is caviar in a tube.  The little green tin is full of liver spread.  Baconost and skinkeost are bacon butter and kind of a ham flavored cream cheese.  The little container of Kremost is pretty good, that’s like a veggie cream cheese.  I also love Wasa crackers, and Nugati (Nutella’s humble cousin…kind like Canada to America), and that bowl is full of some amazing raspberry jam.  The red packet is your average Swiss.

So.  These are the fixings that I have to make every. single. meal.  

What I wouldn’t give for my grandparents’ kitchen right now, stocked with beautiful, mouthwatering American food, Trader Joe’s delicacies, and fresh California produce.

I’m crossing my fingers that I will lose a bunch of weight and write a book about it: The Norsk Diet: Wasa Your Way to Becoming a Viking Vixen in 8 Weeks!

Feel free to send care packages.